Shire gained a measure of revenge on Edinburgh amateurs Spartans for a 1979 Scottish Cup defeat with a hard-fought victory at Ainslie Park.
On an afternoon of howling winds and torrential rain which turned the pitch into a soggy, sticky mess the visitors withstood a late onslaught from their hosts and booked their place in the fourth round of the competition for only the second time since its re-organisation.
Although the weather meant the game lacked real quality, it made up for it in a sheer battle of guts and determination, and also in two cracking Shire goals that would not have looked out of place in the English Premier League, La Liga or Serie A.
Coach Jim McInally was hit with a late blow to his plans when Charlie Grant was ruled out of his squad after failing a pre-match fitness test. He joined Derek Ure and Craig Donaldson on the sidelines.
There was a further surprise when John Neill was drafted in as a striker for the first time this season, partnering Kevin Cawley. Skipper Craig Tully was back in the team as the anchor in a five man midfield.
The game got off to a slow start in terrible weather conditions and it took either side the best part of ten minutes to muster a shot at goal. Neill, looking far from out of place in the forward line, was first to have a crack but his effort was blocked for a corner.
A minute later another Shire flag kick ended with a Stuart Beveridge shot at the near post which was blocked by a defender's legs.
Spartans were looking to winger Jack Beesley to create something and after 13 minutes he whipped in a dangerous cross which just lacked a touch in the middle and went speeding across the face of goal.
Two minutes later another run down the right by Beesley ended with a cut back to the edge of the box but Gavin Malin's shot was just too high of Michael Andrews's goal.
Neill was relishing his role as the target man and a powerful run into the box after 21 minutes created a great opening for Shire but he was denied by a brave diving save from home keeper Chris Flockhart.
A minute later a mazy run by Cawley provided another chance for Neill but his shot was blocked by a home defender. Neither side could get a grip on the game in the first half hour but Shire had more shots on goal.
After 35 minutes Cawley won a free-kick just outside the box and David Dunn curled the ball over the defensive wall but Flockhart made a great full-length diving save to keep the ball out.
At the other end Andrews made an important save after 36 minutes. Ross Archibald's deep cross from the right picked out Keith McLeod but he delayed his shot and once he did get it off the Shire keeper was in position to block it at the near post.
Three minutes later McLeod had another decent chance to break the deadlock but his angled drive from inside the box went just over the bar.
With four minutes of the first period remaining Paul Weaver picked the ball up in midfield and ghosted past three opponents before picking out Cawley in a wide position. The striker, seeing nothing on, played it back to Weaver 25 yards from goal and he looked up before hitting an unstoppable shot high into the top right-hand corner of the net.
Spartans made some tactical changes at the interval and they took the game to Shire in barnstorming cup-tie style. The visitors, now with the wind and rain in their faces, were having difficulty clearing their lines.
But it was not playing to the whistle that caught them out after 53 minutes. While Shire stopped and waited for a referee's whistle at a foul which was never given, Beesley kept on running and crossed low from the left for McLeod to bundle the ball over the line from point-blank range for the equaliser.
Seven minutes later Andrews was forced into a decent save as the ball fell to Malin on the edge of the box. The midfielder's shot bounced awkwardly for the keeper but he made the necessary adjustment to save.
Not long later another shot, this time from Alex King, forced Andrews to dive low and turn the ball round the post.
On the hour mark Shire changed things bringing on Stephen McGuire and Darren Kelly for Beveridge and Tully. Kelly went to right-back in a defensive four while McGuire went up front with John Neill taking on the midfield holding role.
Not long after Scott Johnston's bustling run took him into the box and his shot was only prevented from flying into the net by a great block from a home defender.
After 69 minutes Johnston was hauled down by a desperate challenge but referee Kevin Clancy chose to award only a free-kick outside the box with the Shire fans calling for a penalty kick.
It mattered little to Dunn. The Shire midfielder strode up the to ball, which was placed right of centre of the goal, and unleashed a thunderbolt which hit the back of the net almost before the keeper had time to react.
Spartans, not surprisingly, threw everything into attack but for all their presure they could not convert it into many clear-cut scoring changes. The closest they came was on 82 minutes when a shot from the edge of the box took a deflection as it raced towards Andrews but the keeper somehow held on.
Shire were threatening on the break and late on Johnston crossed from the right for McGuire whose first-time volley was held brilliantly by Flockhart given the wet conditions.
SPARTANS : Flockhart, Archibald, Fowlie, Townsley, Sivewright, Malin, King, Manson, Henretty, McLeod, Beesley.
SHIRE : Andrews, Tully(Kelly 60), Richardson, Hay, Beveridge(McGuire 60), Walker, Cawley(Team 86), Weaver, Johnston, Dunn, Neill.
REFEREE : K. Clancy.
ATTENDANCE : 601.
