STRANRAER 1 HILTON (60) DUNFERMLINE 0

James Hilton’s second-half penalty saw League 1 Stranraer upset Championship side Dunfermline to reach the fourth round.

Delighted Blues boss Stevie Farrell said: “I thought we deserved it.

“We were the better side for 90 minutes.

“I just wondered, when we hit the post and had one or two chances, is it going to go our way, but we kept at it.”

Stranraer were the width of the post from opening the scoring in the opening 10 minutes.

Captain Jamie Hamill outjumped Ryan Scully and the defence only for his header to come back off the post before Lee Hamilton’s goalbound shot was cleared off the line. However, there was a lengthy delay after Pars goalkeeper Scully suffered a serious head injury after 14 minutes.

As the game entered first-half stoppage time, the Blues could have found the breakthrough, only for Carlo Pignatiello and Cameron Elliott to mis-hit their shots with just substitute goalkeeper Cammy Gill to beat.

The only goal of the game came on the hour mark after Lewis Martin was judged to have handled Andy Stirling’s corner.

Hilton confidently stepped up and sent Gill the wrong way by blasting the ball into the bottom left corner.

However, the lead was almost cancelled out just three minutes later. A free-kick on the edge of the box was blasted at goal by Andy Ryan and with Max Currie rooted to the spot it clipped the crossbar.

Dunfermline boss Stevie Crawford was disappointed in his team’s performance.

He said: “It’s happened a few times over the season now. As a coaching staff, you have got to look back to see if there are similar traits.”

The former Hibs striker indicated there were some harsh words said which would stay within the confines of the dressing-room.

He said: “We have spoken and I don’t want to say what was said in the dressing-room, but the players are disappointed – I must stress that – and we as a coaching staff are disappointed.”