Fraserburgh boss Mark Cowie was left to ponder what might have been after his side’s Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Montrose.
The Broch – playing their first game since January – were a goal down early against the League One outfit, after Chris Mochrie found the net.
But Gary Harris’s penalty, following a Cammy Ballantyne handball, and a strike from Scott Barbour had them leading.
However, an equaliser from Graham Webster and a wonderful Russell McLean overhead kick put the Mighty Mo back in front, before Lewis Milne made it 4-2 on the counter late on.
Cowie, whose team will now have to wait until the new Highland League season for their next competitive action, said: “I thought that we were the better side in the first half, but they are a good side and they scored their third goal with a piece of brilliance.
“Towards the end we threw caution to the wind looking for the equaliser and they scored a fourth goal by catching us on the counter.
“I feel a mix of pride and disappointment as we now have a long wait until our next competitive game, but I’m really proud that the players gave me that effort, with the circumstances of the last 12 months. They’re a credit to themselves.
“We showed great courage after losing a first-minute goal, a poor one from our point of view, to fight back and lead 2-1. After going a goal down so early-on, the floodgates could have opened.
“We got the penalty, which in my mind was correct, we then went 2-1 up, but weren’t able to see it out until half-time. They scored their third goal at a crucial time and we started to tire after that.”