It felt like the circus had come to town at Newlandsfield Park as its modest surroundings played host to a colourful cup tie. There was an expectant buzz around the ground for the Scottish Cup replay that pitted Pollok, a junior side enjoying their first venture in the competition, against a Montrose side that sit second in the third division.

Supporters wore jester hats, blasted air horns and cheered vociferously as their team was announced, drowning out the clusters of visiting fans positioned sporadically around the stadium. Some even continued their Halloween celebrations, appearing in fancy dress as the carnival atmosphere conveyed the magic of the cup.

With programmes selling out 30 minutes before a ball was kicked, it was obvious that the denizens of Newlandsfield had come to witness a famous victory for the junior side, and there was more than a faint whiff of an upset here.

The match exploded into action, with both sets of players determined to put on a spectacle for the fervent crowd. The cheers that greeted backheels and flicks were quickly replaced by the crunching of heavyweight tackles, though, as the party atmosphere soon subsided. There was a place in the third round to play for, after all.

A somewhat scrappy first-half was punctuated by some fine saves from both goalkeepers, who contrived to keep hopes of a successful passage intact. It was Montrose, defeated only once in their last seven games, who showed greater conviction at the beginning of the second half and were duly rewarded on 52 minutes.

A brilliant stop from Kris Robertson, the Pollok goalkeeper, led to a corner from which the visitors plundered the decisive goal. Ian Dobbins, the impressive Montrose centre-back, rose unmarked to head home from five yards and quickly wheeled away to celebrate the breakthrough.

Seconds after the restart Bryan Dingwall, the Pollok striker, found his headed strike ruled out for offside. The decision seemed harsh and clearly rankled with Rab Sneddon, the hosts' manager.

He said: "I've spoken to three or four different people and they all said he wasn't beyond the ball. If Dingwall was offside when the cross came in then he would've had to adjust himself, but he just planted the header in the top corner."

"I understand the linesman has given me an explanation, to his credit, but I just can't accept it. I think it was a goal. That's the wee things that can go against you and it's very frustrating."

Perhaps the manager's frustrations stemmed from their inability to finish off Montrose when superior in the first match. The crowd stayed to applaud the players but by then dreams of an upset had evaporated into the Glasgow afternoon.