IAIN DIACK insisted he couldn't have asked for more from his Sauchie side despite their dreams of winning the South Challenge Cup coming to an end.

Hill of Beath Hawthorn emerged victorious from a feisty affair as they pipped the Reds in their quarter final clash on penalties.

Darren Cummings and Conor Langton both failed to find the target in the shootout with the visitors firing four out of five home.

Despite the disappointment, Diack was full of pride for his side and believes they could have won the game comfortably on another day.

He told Advertiser Sport: "I can't fault any of them because, to a man, they were brilliant.

"Sometimes you play the conditions of the game and I thought we did that really well. They worked their socks off.

"When it comes down to a penalty shootout, I've got so much respect for the boys who have the stomach to step up and take one.

"I am just gutted for the boys. I've been through stuff like that a few times and it is always hard to take.

"It's harder to take in the sense that we played so well.

"But, like anything else I will take the positives and that's us undefeated over 90 minutes in the last three games."

Sauchie had started the game on the front foot with Ross Crawford and Diack himself going close, but the visitors opened the scoring against the run of play in the second half.

Craig Donaldson levelled things shortly after with a tidy finish from Diack's lovely pass, but Sauchie failed to find a winner and lost the tie in the shootout.

Sauchie return to league action this weekend as they travel to Bo'ness before taking on Hawick Royal Albert in their rearranged King Cup clash later this month.

"We still have plenty to play for," the 38-year-old said. "We're right in the mix for promotion and I said that to them in the dressing room after the game.

"There's loads to play for.

"I can't fault anybody for Saturday's defeat. We played really well and had plenty of chances and on another day we win comfortably.

"That's the difference between that match and the previous round against Edinburgh where we took our chances.

"So the pleasing thing for me is that although the chances didn't go in. We kept going right until the end.

"You judge your team not always on the results but the performances."

Meanwhile, Diack moved to strengthen his Sauchie side by bringing in former Kilsyth Rangers man Ryan Conville last week and the midfielder was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Diack said: "It's good to get him in after he left Kilsyth a couple of weeks ago. He has been training with us and really fits the bill with what we are trying to do here.

"He's very in the similar mould to Ant (McTaggart) and Dylan (Taylor) and we are delighted to bring him in."