It maybe the beginning of the Chinese New Year but as far as Deveronvale are concerned it looks very much like the end of their title challenge, for this season anyhow.
The monkey on the back of the Banff side will just not waver and it reared its head again on Saturday when although dominating the match for eighty odd minutes the Vale strikers failed to find the net when it really mattered and ended up on the losing side yet again.
Clach will take great confidence from their three nil victory over the current champions but when it's all said and done they didn't look like a side who are possibly on the verge of winning their first title for many a year. Vale will look back on the game wondering what more they could have done as they took the game to their hosts from start to finish but when a very poor penalty decision from referee Paul Cheyne gifted the Inverness side the opener the writing was on the wall for the Banffers.
The points were more or less wrapped up when Cheyne again infuriated the visitors when he failed to give a free kick against Ian Polworth's challenge on Ross Bremner for Clach's second and from then on their was no way back for the boys in red.
It was the game everyone in the league was talking about and a big build up during the week attracted a bumper crowd inside Grant Street Park, bringing back the old days to the once famous Inverness club. Vale travelled to the recently crowned city minus the services of skipper Scott Anderson, who has a shoulder injury, but welcomed back Robbie Brown to the fold and he captained the side for the day. Clach had Ally Ridgers between the sticks, the goalkeeper they were forced into signing recently from neighbours Inverness Caledonian Thistle as a replacement for the long-term injured Martin Rae.

The pitch was looking very heavy as the hosts kicked off downwind with a very noisy home support cheering them on from behind Ridgers' goal in anticipation of their side leap-frogging Vale back to the top of the table. The visitors however had other ideas and went for the jugular right from the start putting a nervy looking home side on the back foot although they did find it difficult to find any space behind a very organised Clach back five, who were well marshalled by the experienced skipper Sandy McLeod.
The home keeper was forced to make a couple of bread and butter saves at his feet as Vale continued to push forward looking for the all-important first goal of the match. Barrie Stephen started very brightly on the right flank and was causing all sorts of problems for marker Mike Sanderson early on. Indeed Stephen had Vale's first glimpse of goal after being fed in by Ryan Pressley but Sanderson did his job well to block for a fruitless corner.
The heavy conditions were not helping the players keep their feet but Ridgers did well to cut out a deep cross from Murray which was heading to the back post to the waiting Mike McKenzie.
Ross Bremner was called upon after quarter of an hour to claim a high ball into his area following a Clach corner and the keeper showed good handling even though a strong sun may have obstructed his view slightly. Matheson's timely tackle on Stephen thwarted the winger as raced through into the Lilywhite's penalty box but just as though it looked as though the visitors might just grab the lead Clach were awarded a penalty kick on their first real raid into the visitor's box.
A high ball saw Morrison catch Dlugonski in the face and as the ball dropped Davidson took a tumble as Mark Chisholm attempted to clear the loose ball. Referee Paul Cheyne, who seemed to have a birds eye view made no hesitation and sprinted straight to the spot and Ian Polworth duly obliged by sending Bremner the wrong way to put the home side on up, totally against the run of play.
Steve Dolan, who otherwise had a quiet afternoon, responded for the visitors but his 20-yarder failed to trouble Ridgers as it sailed harmlessly past the post. Robbie Brown did likewise as Vale kept pushing bodies forward and were almost rewarded when Barrie Stephen cut inside before curling a left-foot effort goalwards but Ally Ridgers was equal to it and tipped the ball over for another wasted corner from the Banff side.
Bryan Dlugonski had a decent opportunity from Vale's next set piece when he met Stephen's flighted centre 14-yards out but his free header was disappointingly way-off target.
Clach made an unforced but tactical change with six minutes of the half remaining and brought on Neil McCuish to replace Morrison and to man mark the lively Barrie Stephen, a move which turned out to be master stroke by home boss, Robbie Williamson.
But before McCuish could find his feet Stephen was off again down the right only to be abruptly halted by McDonald's shoulder charge, which earned the big centre half the first yellow card of the match. McDonald was totally perplexed again minutes later by Stephen as he cut-inside the experienced defender only to be downed as the latter stuck out his right leg but incredibly referee Cheyne waved play on when quite clearly it was at the very least a foul if not a second caution for the number four.
The officials trundled off for the half time interval to boos from huge travelling support who had seen their side have the lions share of the game asking plenty of questions of the home defence without managing to pierce Ridgers' goal. At the other end the Clach strikers had hardly had a kick and hadn't even manage a single shot at goal, apart from the penalty of course!

The home side started the second period a little more brightly than they finished the first and Polworth headed wide following a deep free kick into Vale's penalty area.
At the other end Mike McKenzie's low effort fizzled across the face of goal with Barrie Stephen arriving a tenth of a second late to turn the ball in at the back stick.
Understandably things were starting to heat up as was the importance of the game and Mike McKenzie ended up with a rare caution for backchat to the stand-side official after he appeared to be caught late off the ball by one of the home defenders.
Vale received a hammer blow twelve minutes into the half when Clach grabbed their second of the afternoon. A long ball into the Bremner's penalty box was dropped by the big keeper under a challenge from Polworth and substitute Bruce McCraw, who had only been on the pitch for four minutes, duly forced home the spillage despite a desperate lunge from Steve Dolan on the goal line.
Bremner made up for his error with a save with his legs when at last Clach showed that they were willing to throw some bodies forward and make the Vale defence work for a change.
The Vale dugout made a much-needed change as they chased the game and Jamie Watt replaced Stuart Gray meaning a switch for the visitor's line-up to four-three-three.
Seconds after Watt had come on he was inches from turning a Mike McKenzie freekick home from six-yards out but you could tell it wasn't going to be the Banff side's day and this was confirmed three minutes later when Lewis ran through latching onto a ball over the top to fire high past Bremner to seal the points and put Clach back on top of the league and into a very strong position.
Ian Murray, who had buzzed about all afternoon but with relatively little success, was taken out at knee height 20-yards from goal but much to the frustration of the visitors referee Cheyne again saw nothing wrong with the challenge and play raged on.
Captain Robbie Brown, who was seconds earlier quite rightly booked for a reckless challenge, headed tamelessly wide as to their credit Vale kept the pressure up on the Clach rearguard but found them in excellent form and just couldn't break them down.
Murray was inches from meeting a Darren McAllister cross which dipped at the front post before Steve Dolan's accurate wind-assisted free kick forced Ally Ridgers into a less than comfortable save, the keeper eventually juggling the ball past the post from Dippy's 30-yard effort.
Ryan Pressley also tested Ridgers with a well struck long-ranger but again the keeper was equal to it showing a good pair of hands to hold the ball before Watt or Murray could pounce.
The Lilywhites were denied what looked like a penalty when McCraw went down in the box under a challenge from the hard-working Paul Urquhart but if referee Cheyne was anything it was consistent as he waved away any claims from the home side.
Time eventually ran out on the champions as they failed to get at the very least a consolation their play merited and they trotted off to the sound of "Top of the League" from the vociferous home support, who had given their side great vocal support throughout the ninety minutes of what may well prove to be a vital three points for their side.

Gregg Carrol failed to find much fault with his side's performance when he said, "I thought we played very well and controlled the game from start to finish although we didn't create enough real opportunities which is disappointing. I couldn't fault a single player as we worked our socks off against a very physical side who defended for their lives but the final third is where it really matters and that was our downfall. The second goal came at a bad time for us and it was always going to be difficult after that. We were a wee bit unfortunate to lose the third as I had just made a change to our formation and it sometimes takes time to adjust". Gregg refused to comment on referee Paul Cheyne's performance but wasn't particularly happy with any of the three officials on display. "Clach can only throw it away now", said a rather rejected Vale manager.

Clach
Ridgers, McKay, McLeod, #McDonald, Matheson, Brennan, Lewis, M. Sanderson, Polworth, Davidson (#McCraw 53), Morrison (McCuish 39)
Subs not used: - Mitchell, M. Sanderson

Vale:
Bremner, Dolan, #Gray (Watt 61), Chisholm, Dlugonski, Pressley, B. Stephen (McAllister 67), #Brown, #McKenzie, Murray, #Urquhart
Subs not used: - Kidd, L. Stephen, Phimister (GK)

Referee:  P.Cheyne