WATCH: Deveronvale's Max Stewart speaks about his first Highland League hat-trick at the age of 18 and his sensational last minute free kick in the victory over Inverurie Locos
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
MAX Stewart said he was thrilled by the buzz of his first-ever Highland League hat-trick in Saturday's dramatic win over Inverurie Locos.
The 18-year-old doubled his goal tally in his first full season with a brilliant treble to haul ten-man Vale back from 2-0 down to defeat Locos.
Both his 88th minute equaliser and his last minute clincher were scored direct from free kicks, the winner being a brilliant 30-yard effort.
Stewart, whose dad Kevin is first team coach at Vale while his uncle Craig is manager, described his emotions when the winning goal hit the back of the net.
"I was lining it up but I didn't really think about it," he said. "I went to grab the ball and Dane (Ballard) was fancying it as well.
"I just said I was going for it as I had scored the first one and the confidence was there, so there was nothing wrong with giving it a shot.
"The ball went over the wall and they jumped so I couldn’t see the ball but I knew it had a good chance.
"I was just buzzing to see it hit the back of the net.
"It was just adrenaline, and the boys didn’t have a chance of catching me when I ran straight into the corner."
A goal-less first 45 minutes at Princess Royal Park gave little indication of the dram that was to unfold after the interval.
Locos took the game by the scruff of the neck and went 2-0 up through a Kieran Shanks penalty and a Neil Gauld strike.
A Deveronvale side without a win in their previous ten outings were not expected to turn things around in such spectacular fashion, but Stewart led the comeback.
Firstly he raced on to a precise Ben Allan pass to slot through keeper Andy Reid's legs on 65 minutes.
As the game entered the closing five minutes with Vale still trailing, their challenge took a massive hit when defender Stuart Gilmour picked up a second yellow card and was dismissed.
The ten men kept pushing on and when they won a free kick in a wide position, Stewart floated it in and found the top corner to level the scores.
When the home side won another setpiece 30 yards from goal, Vale's teenage talent bent it like Beckham past a motionless and helpless Reid to complete Vale's remarkable turnaround.
When it hit the net, his dad and uncle could be seen jumping for joy on the touchline.
"I don’t think dad or anyone else could believe I did that, especially the winner at the end," Max added.
"To do it after getting a player sent off as well, it’s a fair result.
"The second goal was a free kick from out wide. It was one of those where you can cross it or shoot and I just chucked it in towards the back post and luckily it went into the top corner.
"When I was in the youth teams I maybe didn’t score too many but I usually had a good delivery from free kicks.
"It’s definitely the first time I’ve scored two in a game.
"I’ve set the standard now and it won’t be easy living up to that, but I hope there's more goals to come."
Stewart, who recently signed a contract extension at Vale, netted his first Highland League goal last September in a 3-0 win over Strathspey Thistle.
He also scored in a 4-1 defeat at Formartine and opened the scoring in Deveronvale's 10-0 romp against Fort William, which was the Banff's last victory back in November prior to Saturday's success.
"With the boys we’ve lost it hasn’t been easy but there’s enough quality in that changing room to win games," Stewart said.
"It’s been a tough run and we just want to kick on from here and get a good few more points on the board."
