Deveronvale went into the Festive Period on top of the ScotAds Highland League after hitting struggling Lossiemouth for six on their way to the summit on a freezing cold winters day in Morayshire although strangely enough on a very playable surface given the weather everywhere else in the North East of Scotland.
While three of the other games in the league were called off and Inverurie's match at home to Fraserburgh was abandoned at half-time Vale took full advantage of the 'Coasters' ability to avoid the worst of the heavy snowfall and scored three goals in each half, the main talking point being Ian Murray's first hat-trick of the season.
Paul Urquhart got things underway with an easy opener and Murray did likewise as the home defence handed out early Christmas presents to their visitors. Murray poked another home before the break and rounded Dunn to complete his treble shortly after the interval.
Captain marvel Mark Chisholm headed home a Ross McWilliam corner and then hooked another at the death to complete the scoring and sent the freezing Banff support home with some early Christmas cheer and his side something to hold onto come April next year.
Homesters Lossie went into the fixture on the back of a Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Spartans last Saturday but with confirmation that Tommy Madden was the man entrusted to turn things around at Grant Park and he was looking for the perfect start against the title chasing visitors.
Not surprisingly Gregg Carrol kept faith with the same eleven who took full points against Locos last time out as they went in search of another three points on a ground, which saw them lose at last season.

Bryan Dlugonski was clearly focused for this one and made an important interception in the first few minutes as Vale tried to find their feet after a two-week lay-off.
Once the Banffers finally started to get their passing game going Robbie Brown headed wide following a Mike McKenzie corner and although the "Coasters" competed well in midfield they offered little upfront with lone-striker Craig Morrison closing down well but lacking any real support from his hard-working colleagues.
Vale's fourth corner, which was swung in from the right by Mike McKenzie, saw the visitors take the lead although Steve Dunn in the home goal was perhaps unfortunate that the ball landed straight at a Sky Blue Shirt as he challenged Mark Smith rather than a fellow defender. Paul URQUHART taking full advantage of the loose ball to notch his third counter in two games from six-yards out.

Ian Murray very nearly doubled Vale's advantage when he latched onto a through ball before lobbing the advancing Steve Dunn but the ball landed a foot or so past the far upright.
However MURRAY made no mistake moments later when he side-footed home from six-yards after Ross McWilliam's cross was deflected in the scorer's path by the unfortunate Dixon.
James Blanchard, who had virtually been a spectator for the opening twenty-five minutes of the match, pulled off a stunning save to deny Morrison when he used a strong hand to turn the striker's well-struck drive over the top from low down at his right-hand post.
Lossie took heart from this and started to believe that they might find a way back into the game but Dixon headed their best chance over from 12-yards following a corner from the left and the Banff defence dealt with everything else the home side could muster.
Ian Murray forced Steve Dunn into a decent stop when fed in on goal by Mark Smith although Paul Urquhart should have wrapped up the points when presented with the rebound but could only hit the post with the goal at his mercy.
Steve "Dippy" Dolan's corner was very nearly put through his own goal by Martin McMullen but the home side were picking the ball out of the net moments later when the resultant flag-kick was controlled by Robbie Brown before he laid the ball into the path of Ian MURRAY and "Molby" tucked the ball under the helpless Dunn from 6-yards.

Ian MURRAY was quick off the mark as the second period got underway and within four minutes had scored his tenth of the season when he picked up Mark Smith's defence-splitting pass, drew keeper Dunn before rounding him and coolly slotted the ball past the two defenders who took up position on the goal-line.
Mark Smith came within inches of making it four when he floated an effort over the top before Ross McWilliam hit the foot of the post as he attempted to turn home a Robbie Brown cut-back after good lead-up play, firstly by Ian Murray and then Mike McKenzie.
Craig Morrison pounced on a mistake at the edge of his own penalty area by Bryan Dlugonski but Steve Dolan popped up on his own goal line to thump clear, saving the blushes of his fellow defender and preserving the Banffers' clean sheet in the process.
Lossie then had a decent scoring opportunity when referee Cobb awarded a generous free-kick right on the edge of the Vale 18-yard box for alleged hand ball against Mark Chisholm but the defensive wall did their job deflecting the set-piece to safety.
Gregg Carrol was forced into a change when Mike McKenzie was crudely challenged from behind on the halfway line and looked to have twisted his ankle in the process, which will be a major concern for the Vale boss ahead of Tuesday week's game against Huntly.

The set back did little to change the course of the match however and Mark CHISHOLM made it five when he powered a header past Steve Dunn from another corner kick, this one taken by Ross McWilliam from the left.
The homesters had loud shouts for a penalty turned down by Mr Cobb when Craig Morrison seemed to be pushed by Kenny Gilbert but to be fair to the man in the middle he was in a great position to make the decision, which this time went in the favour of the former Ross County defender.
Joe Lasley saw red for a second caution in the space of five minutes late in the game, his second a high challenge on Mark Chisholm, leaving his side to play out the remaining minutes with ten men.
Jamie Watt was played through on goal by Mark Smith's intelligent pass but Steve Dunn raced from his line to thwart the substitute and then Smith himself broke clear of the home defence but delayed his strike allowing Dunn to save the day for the battered 'Coasters'.
With ninety minutes gone and the final whistle looming Mark CHISHOLM hooked home Vale's eleventh corner of the match to notch his eleventh of the season when the home defence looked to have dealt with McWilliam's set-piece but "Chiz" had other ideas.

Gregg Carrol failed to find any flaws in his sides' performance but warned against complacency when he said, "Yeh, we're delighted to be at the top at this stage but there's along way to go and now that we are there everyone will want to knock us off our perch so we will have to be both focused as well as disciplined if we are going to stay at the top".
"It was always a slight worry that Lossie under the reigns of a new boss would be fired up so we needed to be patient and get the opener and to be fair we did this".

Lossie:
Dunn, Reid, Youngson, Adams, McMullen, Dixon, Hendry, Ellis, McIntosh (Smith 46), #Morrison, ##Lasley

Subs not used: Main, Noble, Garrett, Walker
Manager: Tommy Madden

Vale:
Blanchard, Dolan (Craib 80), Gilbert, Chisholm (Cpt), Dlugonski, Brown, McWilliam, Smith, McKenzie (J. Watt 66), Murray, Urquhart (G. Watt 63)
Subs not used: Kidd, Noble

Referee:  R.Cobb