Innes McKay felt Deveronvale missed a trick in their Scottish Cup first round defeat against East Kilbride.
The Banffers performed well at Princess Royal Park but were beaten 4-2 by the side sitting second in the Lowland League.
Kilby also played the last 20 minutes with 10 men and defender McKay said: “I thought we were really good, especially in the first half. I fancied us to get something out of it in the second half.
“We were really positive at half-time but in the second half it slipped away from us.
“Overall I felt it was a good performance and it’s disappointing not to be in the next round.
“There were little turning points in the game, half chances and the bounce of the ball which didn’t go in our favour.
“You win some you lose some, but the determination and the fight from us was really good.
“I think it is a missed opportunity, especially when they went down to 10 men.
“But credit to East Kilbride their game management was really good, they slowed things down and killed our momentum.
“It’s probably one that got away but I thought over the 90 minutes we played well.”
Vale manager Craig Stewart echoed those sentiments.
He added: “There wasn’t much in it and on another day we could have beaten them, it’s sloppy defending and I’m disappointed with a couple of the goals.
“Over the piece we competed well, I said in the changing room I thought it was an opportunity missed.
“There’s a thin line in our play just now between where we are and where we want to be.”
Visitors notch early opener
East Kilbride started well and took the lead in the seventh minute. The ball broke fortuitously for Joao Vitoria in the middle of the pitch and he released Cameron Elliott who finished with aplomb from 14 yards.
The visitors were boosted by the early goal and Reece McGuire perhaps should have added a second in the 17th minute, but his lobbed effort hit the roof of the net.
Home captain Harry Noble also made a superb sliding challenge to deny Elliott a second.
Deveronvale, however, grew into the game with the dangerous Horace Ormsby sending two strikes wide from the edge of the area.
In the 37th minute the Banffers bagged a deserved equaliser. Max Stewart’s free-kick deflected off East Kilbride’s wall and McKay rose above goalkeeper Curtis Lyle to head home.
After the break Matt Jamieson worked Lyle with a good effort from 20 yards and Sam Bashua blasted over from close range at the back post after being picked out by Noble’s cross from the left.
📽️ @DeveronvaleFC v @officialEKFC
East Kilbride FC confirm their place in the Second Round with a 4-2 victory at Deveronvale.#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/3buPg08ytr
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) September 18, 2022
Hosts made to pay
Vale were made to pay for that miss after an hour when Elliott got in behind and after evading several challenges teed up Ronan Hughes to score from 12 yards.
McIntosh then made an excellent double save to thwart McGuire and Daniel McManus before the hosts’ hopes were given a boost.
Referee Gordon Seago showed Kilby’s Logan Dunachie, who had been booked for scything down Dane Ballard in the first half, a second yellow card for dissent.
The Breedon Highland League side were in the ascendancy but got hit by a sucker-punch in the 82nd minute as McGuire broke away from McKay and Jayden Bradford before finding the bottom left corner.
Two minutes later it was game on again when Jonathan Page pulled down McKay at a corner and Ballard converted the resultant penalty.
But Vale’s hopes of forcing extra-time were extinguished in fourth minute of injury time as Elliott set-up McGuire to finish from 10 yards.
East Kilbride manager Kevin Rutkiewicz said: “It was a deserved victory, it could have been more despite the best efforts of the man of the middle.
“With the sending off I didn’t hear any abusive language and I don’t think it needs to come to that.
“My players are very disappointed with the penalty as well.”