Deveronvale player-manager Garry Wood was delighted to reach the semi-finals of the R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup for the first time since 2008 after a dramatic penalty shoot-out triumph against Huntly.
The Banffers effectively had to win this quarter-final tie at Christie Park twice. They appeared to be cruising at 3-0, but a Black and Golds comeback in the closing stages meant it finished 3-3.
However, in the penalty shoot-out Deveronvale – who have never won the Highland League Cup – prevailed 3-1.
The semi-final ties will be played on March 1, with the draw set to be made after the last quarter-final between Buckie Thistle and Fraserburgh – which was postponed on Saturday – is played.
Wood said: “It was a rollercoaster, we were so good for large parts of the game and in the last 15 minutes Huntly put us under pressure and we couldn’t see it out.
“I spoke to the players at full-time and told them penalties are a lottery and to get their heads up.
“Ethan Hopkinson made some great saves in the shoot-out, I’m absolutely delighted to get through because that was our aim at the start of the day.
“It wasn’t the way I would have liked to do it but we managed to get through.
“We want to try to get through in the cup competitions because you’ve got a realistic chance of doing something.
“We had two cup ties this week and managed to get through in one of them (losing the other to Turriff United in the Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield). If you’d offered me that at the start of the week I would have taken it.”
Banffers on top
Despite the forecast for strong winds conditions at Christie Park – although soft underfoot – were good.
Deveronvale impressed in the first period and took the lead on 14 minutes. Olek Dlugosz teed up captain Harry Noble on the left of the box and he coolly finished from 14 yards.
The closest Huntly came in a lacklustre first half display was an Angus Grant snap-shot that Ethan Hopkinson held, while Ruari Fraser volleyed over from 12 yards.
The impressive visitors doubled their lead in the 34th minute. Keane Matheson found Jack Mitchell and his flick over the top of the home defence released Ben Hermiston to finish.
At the start of the second period Vale’s Jamie MacLellan headed wide from Mitchell’s corner and they took even more control of the contest by scoring again in the 54th minute.
Dlugosz’s pass sent Mitchell darting into space in the inside left channel and he forced the ball beyond onrushing goalkeeper Calum Brodie.
Black and Golds battle back
After that Huntly boss Colin Charlesworth made a quadruple change with Ryan Sewell, Owen Morris, Brodie Allen and Fin Allen coming on.
Deveronvale still appeared to be cruising to victory, but Sewell in particular seemed determined to change that and had a key role in a remarkable comeback.
On 74 minutes the midfielder’s free-kick from the right was headed home by Angus Grant at the back post.
In the 88th minute goalkeeper Hopkinson made a good block to deny Grant and from the resultant Sewell corner Brodie Allen’s header hit the crossbar.
But Sewell scored in the final minute of normal time with an inswinging corner from the left that Hopkinson was unable to keep out.
In the third minute of injury time, Sewell’s free-kick from the left came off MacLellan and found the net to make it 3-3. Before time was up Sewell had another free-kick tipped over by Hopkinson and hit the bar with the subsequent corner on the left.
When it came to the penalties Harry Noble scored Deveronvale’s first, Hopkinson then saved from James Connelly and Grant, with Ross Still hitting the crossbar.
However, Huntly’s Brodie denied Cameron Angus and Adam Reid which made it 1-0 to the Banffers after three kicks each.
Demilade Yunus and Fin Allen both scored which allowed Murray Esson to net Vale’s winner.
Performance frustrates boss
Huntly are now out of all the cups this season and manager Charlesworth said: “We were shocking in the first 45 minutes. That’s maybe doing Vale an injustice because they were really good.
“Penalties are a lottery, it’s a horrible way to lose and someone has to be on the wrong end of it.
“I fancied us going into it, I thought we had the momentum on our side.
“If the game had been five minutes longer, which it could have been, given the delaying tactics and stuff like that then we could have gone on to win the game.
“The changing room is low and flat after that and we can’t accept the performance for an hour. But for the last half hour if we’d turned up like that in the first place then we’d be in the semi-final.
“One bad performance doesn’t turn us into a bad team, but credit to Vale and all the best to them.”
Brora Rangers 1-1 Formartine United (Brora won 3-1 on penalties)
In difficult conditions for both sides Brora Rangers prevailed on penalties against Formartine United in this R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup quarter-final.
At the end of it all Cattachs goalkeeper Danny Gillan was the difference-maker for the holders, saving three penalties in the shoot-out at Dudgeon Park.
Brora manager Steven Mackay said: “They were tough conditions and they deteriorated as the game went on but full credit to both sides and officials for continuing the match.
“We deserved the equaliser on the balance of play and Danny Gillan was the star of the show with three excellent penalty saves. I was delighted for him.”
Early chances were scarce with both sides navigating the driving wind and rain.
The first goal arrived on the 18-minute mark with Robert Ward firing his free-kick into the top corner.
Following the opener, Brora grew into the game creating some half-chances.
Formartine also had opportunities to double their lead with Aidan Combe and Julian Wade seeing their efforts go wide of the target.
The second half continued as the first ended with the weather dominating proceedings.
Andrew MacLeod’s effort from outside the box forced a strong save again from Cameron Middleton.
The visitors were resilient in their defending but Brora kept knocking on the door with Jordan MacRae almost catching the goalkeeper off his line, but Middleton recovered well.
Late leveller
In injury time, MacLeod smashed the crossbar from a 20-yard free-kick, the rebound caused a stramash inside the box and Max Ewan eventually forced the ball into the net.
That forced penalties, all of which had a sense of being rushed as the wind kept moving the ball from the spot.
The hero for Brora was Gillan who saved Johnny Crawford, Scott Adams and Ward’s penalties superbly. Ewan, MacLeod and Tony Dingwall scored to seal Brora’s spot in the semi-finals.
Formartine United manager Stuart Anderson said: “Conditions were really difficult, we took the lead through a great goal and managed it really well.
“We had opportunities to extend our lead and the boys were good with another strong performance but it’s just frustrating that we were on the wrong end of the result.”
Lossiemouth 5-1 Clachnacuddin
Clachnacuddin got back to winning ways with a clinical 5-1 victory against Lossiemouth at Grant Street Park.
After a run of three straight away losses the Lilywhites enjoyed some home comforts with a return to form.
James Anderson and Jack MacKay both hit doubles in the win, with substitute Troy Cooper completing the scoring late on. Shaun Cameron netted a consolation counter for Lossie.
Anderson’s second goal of the game was his 50th for the club.
Manager, Conor Gethins said: “I’m happy for James, because he has been quite frustrated over the last wee while.
“I’m glad he got that goals today because he needed it for his confidence.
“We made hard work of it in the first half. I know we were 3-1 up but I wasn’t happy and the boys weren’t happy either.
“The standards have been raised. We could have scored more in the second half, but we’ll take the three points. We’re a point off third, who would have thought that.”
Lilywhites go nap
With the elements in their favour Lossie started brightly but it was Clach who took the lead in the 20th minute.
Anderson picked the ball up just inside the penalty area and fired a low shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net.
The home side doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when the ball broke to Jack MacKay in the box and he fired low past Stuart Knight in the Lossie goal.
The visitors pulled a goal back in the 38th minute when Shaun Cameron pounced on a slack back pass to nip in and score.
But Clach restored their two-goal lead a couple of minutes later when Anderson reached his half century of goals for the club.
Clach stretched the lead six minutes into the second half when MacKay scored again after he got on the end of a well-worked free kick from Craig Lawrie.
Substitute Troy Cooper got in on the act a couple of minutes from the end when he finished off a fine flowing move to complete the scoring.
Lossie manager Steve Porter said: “It was a bad day at the office. We started well in the first half but we conceded some sloppy goals.
“We got ourselves back in the game but then we conceded a couple of minutes after, which was unfortunate.
“They are a decent team and to be honest we showed them too much respect. We had opportunities to score but we didn’t take our chances. We need to start winning games, we need to get some wins from somewhere.”
Elsewhere, the Breedon Highland League games between Wick Academy and Turriff United at Harmsworth Park and Strathspey Thistle and Keith at Seafield Park were postponed due to waterlogged pitches.
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