Brechin City manager Patrick Cregg felt a “world-class” save from goalkeeper Lenny Wilson was crucial to continuing their unbeaten run in the Breedon Highland League.
The Hedgemen beat champions Buckie Thistle 2-0 at Victoria Park on Saturday to stay at the top of the table with 22 points from a possible 24.
A key moment in the contest came in the 48th minute, with Brechin a goal up through Spencer Moreland, when their goalkeeper flew to his left to tip a net-bound Jack MacIver free-kick from the edge of the penalty area onto the crossbar.
Twelve minutes later Dayle Robertson’s penalty secured the points for the visitors.
Cregg said: “It’s a great save at 1-0, it’s a big moment, Lenny’s made an unbelievable save.
“With a free-kick in that position you see a lot of goalkeepers step to their right and it’s an unbelievable effort because the only place he (MacIver) is scoring is top bins or low on that side.
“I don’t want to go over the top but at our level it’s a world-class save in a vital moment.
“It’s a momentum shifter at the start of the second half, if Buckie scored it’s a different game.
“Every game is very difficult and it’s very difficult to have the pressure on you to win every game.
“But that’s what we have to try to do, the lads embrace it and we stood up to the questions we were asked.”
Match action
With a stiff breeze at their backs Brechin started the sharper side, but chances were in short supply until they took the lead in the 14th minute.
Ryan Fyffe’s pass back to Mark Ridgers put the Buckie goalkeeper under pressure and his miscued clearance only went as far as Anthony McDonald at the edge of the box.
McDonald showed composure to pick out the run of Moreland and his precise finish from 15 yards nestled in the bottom right corner.
The Jags’ clearest sight of goal in a scrappy first period came on 25 minutes. Lyall Keir’s cross from the left wasn’t dealt with by Wilson but Josh Peters missed his kick when the ball dropped to him eight yards out.
Three minutes into the second period Wilson made his magnificent stop to deny MacIver, but Buckie were unhappy before the free-kick had been taken.
Euan Spark had fouled Peters just outside the box with a sliding challenge. The home side felt the Brechin captain should have been sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
However, referee Lewis Brown’s verdict was that Spark had made a legitimate attempt to play the ball so he showed a yellow card.
In the 58th minute the Hedgemen were thwarted by the woodwork when Kevin McHattie’s long throw broke for Robertson, whose shot from 12 yards bounced off the left post.
Two minutes later Robertson didn’t miss. Ewan Loudon went down under Kevin Fraser’s challenge and after Brown pointed to the spot Robertson slotted into the right corner.
Despite their best efforts a Buckie comeback never looked likely after that, while Ridgers twice saved from Loudon, who also fired wide when clean through on goal.
Manager questions decisions
Jags boss Lewis MacKinnon was shown a red card by referee Brown after the final whistle and was disappointed with his side’s second half display and the performance of the man in the middle.
MacKinnon said: “I was speaking in a calm manner and I was just asking for clarification on a few things and he (Brown) wasn’t having it and sent me off.
“I just wanted to clear up why denying a goalscoring opportunity isn’t a red card, but I’m still unaware.
“Josh was in on goal, it was a goalscoring opportunity, he checked back to hit the shot and he got wiped out at the edge of the box.
“That’s a red card, the goalkeeper pulls off a brilliant save, but that decision and that moment swings the momentum and is crucial.
“But there were umpteen calls in the game. I didn’t think there were many fouls in the game but the whistle was being blown too much.
“There was no consistency which was very strange.”
Buckie are 12 points behind leaders Brechin but do have a game in hand.
MacKinnon added: “It’s the end of August, nothing is won or lost but make no mistake we need to put a run of wins together.
“It was a tight game, I thought in the first half we shaded the play but we lose a poor goal.
“I don’t think we were good enough in the second half, we panicked a bit and we went longer when we shouldn’t have.
“Brechin deserved the win because of our second half performance mainly.”
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