Rossvale hold Hurlford United in Scottish Junior Cup

The sides will have to do battle again in Ayrshire this Saturday after their first attempt to earn a quarter-final place ended all square.

Although there is a division between the two teams it certainly didn’t look like it on the park with Rossvale matching the Premier League leaders in every department.

Hurlford tested the Vale defence in first minute with a high ball into the box but Donnelly was alive to it and punched it clear at the back post.

The Ayrshire side then won a free-kick at the edge of the box but again the ‘Vale defence stood up to the test and cleared.

The visitors came even closer when a Ross Robertson effort crashed back off the crossbar.

But Vale were getting the ball down and causing the Ford defence a lot of problems with their speed down the wings and their interlinking play.

And they got their reward with the opening goal in the 14th minute.

A well worked corner out on the left found Andy Johnstone at the back post and drilled his shot past Brown from 15 yards to the corner of the net to put Vale in a front.

At times this was an old fashioned cup tie with both teams really going at it and tackles flying in and both teams cancelling each other out.

But the Ford equalised on the 35th minute.

They won a corner out on the right and Barron got onto the end of a clearance at the edge of the box to crash in an unstoppable shot which Donnelly had no chance of getting to.

The second half started with McKenzie finding Ross Robertson in the box and the latter chanced his luck with an overhead kick which Donnelly sensationally turned over the bar and out for a corner.

But with both teams cancelling each other out a draw looked on the cards and even a late burst from the ‘Vale couldn’t settle it.