A HEROIC performance by Whitecraigs sent high-flying Premiership side Peebles tumbling out of the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
In horrendous playing conditions the West Lodge men produced a controlled and determined display to ensure their name was in the hat for the next round.
And now delighted head coach Jim Henderson believes his emerging side have nothing to fear as their excellent season continues.
He said: "I always knew that with the ability we have here that we could cause an upset with teams higher up in the leagues.
"Our forwards display today was nothing short of awesome and we did everything that was asked of us to get the result we wanted.
"We have premiership experience in our side and that certainly showed in the match and now we look forward to the draw for the next round.
"We will take anybody now and fear no-one."
Craigs stamped their authority on the match from the off and pressurised the visitors into a flurry of early mistakes, before astute kicking from stand-off Ally Stevenson pushed them deep into opposition territory.
And when Peebles conceded a penalty an excellent set move unlocked the defence allowing Fraser Campbell to bundle over the line to the delight of the home crowd.
As the howling wind and driving rain got worse Craigs kept up the pressure on the visitors but the Premiership side started to find their way into the match.
It took some gutsy defending to keep Peebles out until Whitecraigs extended their lead when Ryan Moffat slotted penalty from in front of the posts.
Peebles were reduced to 14-men when their centre was sin-binned for a late challenge on Moffat but they still battered at the Craigs line for the final five minutes of the half as they attempted to get back into the match.
However, the ever-dependable home defence kept Peebles out to take an 8-0 advantage into the break.
In the second half both sides were battling hard against the icy conditions and Peebles immediatley got on the scoreboard with a successful penalty.
With hailstones now falling it was clear that the next score would be crucial and both Garry Johnston and Jamie Christine came close to the try which would have sealed the match.
But Craigs could not convert their pressure which ensured it was a nervous end for the fans.
Peebles went all out to score but after defending for the final five minutes the referee finally brought the match to an end sending the home players into raptures.
Whitecraigs return to league action next weekend as they take on Forrester away from home. Kick-off 2pm.
Team: Laidlaw, Christine, Campbell, Howarth, Stuart, K. Hunter, N. Blamire, Pollock, Henderson, Stevenson, Percival, Moffat, Nicol, Johnston, Fisher. Subs - Turnbull, Nisbet, F. Hunter, McKelvie.