Brechin City retained pole position at the top of the Breedoon Highland League following a comfortable 3-1 victory over Formartine United at Glebe Park.
City started the match at a whirlwind pace and were two goals up within the first ten minutes.
Fraser Macleod grabbed the opener after only three minutes when he slotted home a Ewan Loudon cross.
It was 2-0 for the hosts just six minutes later when Dayle Robertson was on the spot to prod the ball into the net after the United defence had failed to clear their lines.
The visitors reduced the deficit just after the half-hour mark when Aaron Norris slotted home a cross from former City striker Julian Wade.
But City extended their lead and completed the scoring six minutes before the break when Loudon blasted home a cross from Macleod.
Brechin manager Patrick Cregg said: “I was really delighted with the lads.
“I thought in the first-half it was as good as we’ve been.
“We played with high energy and a high tempo in terms of our pressing and counter-pressing, everything the lads spoke about on Thursday at training.
“People sometimes talk about philosophies but ultimately if you don’t have the pre-requisites in terms of your willingness to run, your willingness to compete and your willingness to counter-press you won’t win games of football.
the lads showed all of those attributes. In the second half we still had a higher percentage of chances and minimised Formartine’s attempts on our own goal so I’m very pleased with the performance and result.”
Formartine manager Stuart Anderson said: “My overall feeling is one of frustration because we just didn’t defend properly.
“I didn’t feel that there was that much in the game but Brechin managed to capitalise on our mistakes.
“I thought that we were fine going forward, we asked Brechin questions and I felt that we were a bit unlucky not to score further goals, however, the bottom line is that this is a tough place to come to and you have to defend properly if you want to take something from the match.”
Clachnacuddin 4-2 Forres Mechanics
Conor Gethins was pleased to see Clachnacuddin return to winning ways against Forres Mechanics at Grant Street Park.
Following disappointing defeats in the North of Scotland Cup final and Scottish Cup, the Lilywhites prevailed 4-2 on Breedon Highland League business thanks to three goals in the final 10 minutes.
Boss Gethins said: “We had a positive start to the season and after the last couple of results I said we wouldn’t accept going back to what Clach has been in the past.
“You could see there was still heart there, we showed that we’ve got character which was nice after recent results.
“Forres did well to get in front, but after that it was like we flicked a switch and everyone found a little bit extra in the closing stages.”
Midway through the first half Clach opened the scoring with Connor Bunce coming in from the left and drilling low into the net.
The scorer may then have been fortunate to stay on the pitch after raising his hands towards the throat of Mark McLauchlan following a poor challenge by the Forres skipper, but referee Filippo Mazzoni opted for a booking.
The Can-Cans levelled just before the break when Aidan Cruickshank and Kaiden Connolly combined and the latter’s cross was glanced into the net by Shaun Sutherland.
In the 78th minute the visitors took the lead. Cruickshank did the set-up work for Kyle MacLeod – who was denied by Joe Malin – but Calum Frame tucked away the rebound.
Within two minutes Clach were level through Jack MacKay’s left-footed shot from the edge of the box.
Rorie Macleod then blasted a shot into the bottom left corner and in the dying embers Bunce chipped goalkeeper Cameron Farquhar from 20 yards to complete the scoring.
Forres manager Steven MacDonald said: “I think it was harsh on the boys not to get anything from the game, I think a draw probably would have been a fair result.
“The equaliser was too easy from our point of view, that gave Clach a lift and credit to them they finished strongly.
“I don’t want to go on about it, but I think on another day it could have been a red card for Connor Bunce and that he was lucky to stay on the pitch.”
Buckie Thistle 2-1 Lossiemouth
Two goals in two second half minutes gave Buckie Thistle all three points against a determined Lossiemouth side at Victoria Park.
Brandon Hutcheson gave the visitors an early lead, but two excellent headers from Joe McCabe and Andrew MacAskill turned the match on its head.
Jags boss Lewis Mackinnon felt his team earned the slice of fortune that saw Lossiemouth denied a potential penalty when Brodie Christie went down in the area late on.
“We’ve not had many breaks this season so we were maybe due one with the penalty decision,” he said.
“We gave Lossie extra incentive by conceding the early goal, but they were well structured and made it very difficult for us.
“The lads were resolute and showed patience to get the right openings for the goals. A few of them are carrying injuries and we don’t have the biggest of squads at the moment.
“We tweaked our shape in the second half which helped, and the subs came on and gave us more energy.”
The visitors went in front after only three minutes, Ross Morrison breaking free down the left and his cross was volleyed high past Mark Ridgers by Hutcheson at the near post.
Young goalkeeper Arran Anderson did well to beat away a volleyed effort from Josh Peters eight minutes later.
Anderson denied Buckie again with a brilliant diving save from Darryl McHardy from close range.
In the 69th minute, MacAskill swung in a superb free kick and McCabe planted a back-header high over Anderson and into the net from 15 yards.
Two minutes later Kevin Fraser released Jack MacIver down the right, and his pinpoint cross was powered home off the crossbar from eight yards by MacAskill for the winner.
In injury time, substitute Christie went down in the penalty area under the challenge of Cohen Ramsay, but referee Kevin Murray waved play on despite furious claims from the visitors.
Lossiemouth interim manager Steve Porter said: “It was a good performance from the players, I thought they worked really hard and deserved a result today.
“We were a bit unfortunate with a penalty decision at the end. It’s a stonewall penalty for me, but the referee makes the decisions and we just have to accept it.
“Buckie have a lot of talented individual players, but I thought we matched them today.
“We just switched off for the two goals and it’s cost us in the end. We’ll need to work on that going forward.”
Keith 3-1 Deveronvale
Keith came from behind to defeat Banffshire rivals Deveronvale.
An early Keane Matheson goal put the Banffers ahead before Brody Alberts equalised.
Shortly after half-time Liam Duncan fired the Maroons in front with a stoppage time goal from Nathan McKeown sealing the points.
Keith manager Craig Ewen said: “To be fair to the players they found a way to win.
“We played quite well in the first half and were the better team without being dominant.
“Then we conceded a poor goal, but got the equaliser without creating a lot of chances.
“We scored early in the second half but we then transpired to drop too deep and invited Vale onto us and they dominated for 30 to 35 minutes.
“I take my hat off to the players because they were resolute, dug in really well and defended well in the second half.
“They showed great work-rate and it was a good three points for back-to-back league wins.”
Vale scored in the ninth minute when Keith custodian Craig Reid parried an Alexsander Dlugosz drive into the path of Matheson who made no mistake from eight yards.
The Maroons equalised in the 31st minute when teenager Alberts showed nifty footwork to neatly slip home from six yards.
Liam Duncan then coolly slotted his side in front just after half-time before an excellent finish from McKeown did the trick.
Vale manager Garry Wood said: “We have been on a good run so it was disappointing to lose.
“On the whole we were really poor but I can’t fault the guys’ effort, they gave me everything as they always do, but the quality just wasn’t there.”
Nairn County 3-0 Wick Academy
Andrew Greig netted a second half double as Nairn County ran out deserved 3-0 winners against Wick Academy at Station Park.
The winger was the match winner in a contest that only came to life midway through the second half. Matthew Wright also got on the scoresheet for the home side deep in stoppage time.
Nairn County manager Ross Tokely said: “I thought the first half was an even enough game.
“But it was a lot different in the second half, we looked more of a threat.
“We got a couple of really good goals and a goal at the right time as well.
“I thought we were playing maybe second or third gear in the first half but once we got a grip of it in the second half we deserved to win. There were some good individual performances. It was nice to get three points and a home win.”
Wayne MacKintosh’s 400th appearance for Nairn was acknowledged prior to kick-off with a special presentation and the manager was quick to sing the players praises.
Tokely said: “To play that many games shows he’s still got the appetite for it.
“The younger lads should take a look at him because he trains well and plays like it’s his last game – he certainly gets us going.”
After a largely forgettable first half, the deadlock was broken in the 65th minute. A diagonal ball from substitute Scott Lisle picked out Greig and the winger jinked past his marker and fired low into the net from an acute angle.
Gordon MacNab came close to an equaliser in the 77th minute when but his shot just shaved Nairn keeper Lewis Munro’s left hand post.
But Greig struck again a couple of minutes later when he got on the end of a superb ball from Wright before applying another clinical finish.
The roles were reversed a couple of minutes into stoppage time when Wright capped a fine display when he knocked home a Greig cut-back.
Wick boss Gary Manson said: “Over the piece probably Nairn shaded it, but not by a three goal margin.
“It was in the balance on the hour mark, but Andrew Greig’s done that for years in the Highland League, isolates someone in the wide area, beats them and scores two goals.
“That was the two defining moments. It comes down to these fine margins, and just now these fine margins are falling for the other team and not us.
“In the first half we didn’t pose them enough threat going forward, In the second half Gordy (MacNab) hit the post and Kyle (Henderson) had another one just past. If one of those chances had gone in it would have been a different game.”
Inverurie Locos 2-3 Huntly
Huntly came out on top against Inverurie Locos with a late winner in a hotly contested local derby which could have gone either way.
Colin Charlesworth, the Huntly boss, said: “We have a good bounce going just now.
“One defeat out of our last six and that was against Brechin.
“It’s obvious my players are showing everything they can to get into the Aberdeenshire Cup final team against Banks o’ Dee on November 17.
“If players are not getting in the team, they are not letting heads go down.
“They work hard to try and regain a place. It’s one of the best dressing rooms I’ve been involved in in terms of player friendships.”
Sam Robertson opened the scoring for the Black and Golds in the 32nd minute against his former team, accepting a pass in the inside left channel and shooting beyond stand-in goalkeeper Louis Amann.
Angus Grant added a second in 55 minutes, punishing hesitancy by Paul Coutts to step in and poke past Amann.
Mark Souter reduced the leeway in 69 minutes with a close-range rebound finish and they were on level terms when obstruction by Huntly captain Michael Clark on his counterpart Coutts resulted in a penalty which was converted by Coutts.
One minute into injury time a similar foul, this time on substitute Brodie Allen gave Sam Robertson the chance to score from the penalty spot and seal the three points – and he duly obliged.
Locos boss Dean Donaldson said: “When we got back on level terms I felt there was only going to one winner, ourselves.
“Our boys played some very good football, upping the tempo in the second half.
“While it was pleasing how we played, we lacked in the final third. We played more in hope than with quality.”
Rothes 3-2 Turriff United
Manager-less Rothes lifted themselves off the foot of the table with their first points of the season at Mackessack Park.
Stand-in boss, director of football Derek Thomson, was fulsome in his praise of the Rothes players.
He said: “We asked the boys to up their work-rate and get ourselves back on the rails and I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“Before the game I told them they had kind of let themselves in most of the first halves this season and that they had probably let their previous manager down a bit as well. I put them out to play for their shirts with a new manager about to come in.
“They all did their jobs well.”
In the 12th minute Rothes opened the scoring when United failed to clear a corner kick and central defender Jamie Young stabbed the ball past Lee Herbert from eight yards.
Four minutes later Rothes doubled their lead when a ferocious Shane Harkness drive was cleared by a United defender but the stand-side assistant raised his flag to signal that the ball had crossed the line.
Turriff reduced the leeway three minutes later when a free-kick to the back post was turned into the net by full-back Murray Cormack.
United levelled in the 36th minute when Rothes failed to react to a short corner and Reece McKeown curled a beauty into the far corner from a tight angle.
But Rothes regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Dean Boyce’s free-kick picked out Taylor Thain and his header flew high past Herbert.
In the 62nd minute McKeown hit the far post with superb 18-yard angled drive. Shortly after he hit the top of the crossbar as Turriff piled on the pressure, but the home defence, with keeper Martin MacKinnon a stand-out, held out for the win.
Turriff manager Warren Cummings said: “First and foremost, credit to Rothes who have been in a really difficult place with losing their manager.
“You have to question our mindset going into that first half.
“I was disgusted by that first half, and I still am, and I’ve never said that about my own team before, and I’m part of that team.
“We’ve also been on a bad run but today’s performance hurts and disappoints me.”
Strathspey Thistle 2-2 Fraserburgh
Strathspey Thistle and Fraserburgh shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Seafield Park.
The home side lead through Caelan Mutch’s early strike but were pegged back soon after by Liam Strachan.
Logan Watt scored straight after the restart but Steven MacDonald ensured the home sides would pick up a point for all their endeavours.
Strathspey Thistle manager Ryan Esson said: “All we ask of them is to show determination, hard work, desire, and they will get results. I’m proud of them today.
“We didn’t have as much possession as I would have liked but we created the better chances during the 90 minutes.
“We know it’s going to take a while to implement some of the things we want to do with the group, we’ve had a lot of games in the first couple of months, now we are managing to get a bit of training and we’ll start working with them for the Turriff game in two weeks’ time.”
The Jags made a great start to the game taking the lead on 11 minutes. Stephen Rennie whipped in a cross from the left and Caelan Mutch beat Joe Barbour to the ball before knocking it into the net from close range.
The lead only lasted three minutes as the Broch came roaring back. A great move involving Scott Barbour, Logan Watt and Greg Buchan saw the latter cross from the right side and Liam Strachan was unmarked to tap home from close range.
Mutch had a great chance to restore the home sides lead after being played in on goal. He rounded Barbour but Jame Beagrie got back to block the young striker’s net-bound shot.
The visitors got off to the perfect start after the break. Scott Barbour’s corner from the left was met by Watt and he fired home from just inside the six-yard box.
Strathspey provided an immediate response with Steven MacDonald bulleting home a header at the near post from James McShane’s left-wing corner to restore parity.
Both sides searched for a winner in the closing stages, but neither could find the back of the net and had to settle for a share of the points.
Fraserburgh assistant manager James Duthie said: “Over the 90 minutes we weren’t good enough, didn’t do enough so no qualms about the result.
“We got off to a great start after changing the shape for the second half, but you can’t let 6ft 2in defenders get a free header inside your box and we paid the price for not making a challenge.
“We created a few chances in the second half, but they looked dangerous on the break.
“When we got into the final third the quality was there, crosses were either under hit or over hit or we made the wrong decision. It was a bang average performance at best.”
Meanwhile, Strathspey confirmed the signing of former Caley Thistle defender Wallace Duffy on Sunday.
The 25-year-old, who was released by Caley Thistle after they entered administration last month, has joined the Jags on a three-year deal.
Esson said: “We’re really pleased to add Wallace to the squad.
“His experience will be a huge benefit to all our players.
“Having worked with him before, I know exactly what he brings, and I’m confident he’ll be an important part of what we’re building here.”
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