Turriff United ended a run of 10 league games without a win by beating bottom of the table Strathspey Thistle to move up to 14th place.
Turra boss Warren Cummings said: “We deserved what we got out of the game.
“The players stood up to it as there was pressure on us and we were good in a lot of areas.
“There is improvement to be had but we had a lot of good desire, the players did a lot of hard running, battled hard and won a lot of first and second balls.
“In other games we’ve done that but just not got the right results.
“We had to be clinical in the second half.
“It was important with another big game on Wednesday (at home to Deveronvale) we got five substitutes on, to look after players physically and get minutes into the legs of others.”
Turriff got their noses in front after 13 minutes when Euan Storrier could only partially clear a cross from the right by Murray Cormack. Reece McKeown was on hand to fire home on the half volley.
The hosts did well to survive a series of chances for Strathspey before and after half time and just before the hour, centre-back Owen Kinsella came forward to head home a cross from the right.
Within two minutes a third goal arrived when Liam Strachan fired in a perfect cross for Mackenzie Taylor to head home his first goal for Turra.
McKeown completed the scoring when he found the corner of the net with a low effort which beat an unsighted Storrier midway through the half.
Strathspey boss Ryan Esson said: “We had big moments in the game, we missed opportunities either side of the break in particular.
“The goal we conceded was due to our mistake, the second due to a bad refereeing decision.
“After that we still had chances, we missed another open goal and generally our finishing was not great.
“We’re still in there, we have five games before Christmas when we get a break. We’ll work hard and move on.”
Keith 3-1 Buckie Thistle
Keith defeated reigning Highland League champions Buckie Thistle for their first league win at Kynoch Park over the Jags for eight years to the very day.
Loan strikers Brody Alberts and Ryan Park notched the goals against the visitors who had Joe McCabe red carded in the first half.
Keith manager Craig Ewen said: “It was fully deserved to be honest.
“In the first half we were superb and it’s a great result for us.
“Buckie are league champions so it’s a big three points.
“We started off on the front foot, were aggressive on the counter attack, showed good pace and I felt we were probably value for maybe an extra goal in the first half.
“We scored a quick goal in the second half, then went into ‘Keith mode’ which saw us sit deep, inviting pressure.
“They had a lot of the ball in the second half, but generally the boys defended well.”
The Maroons opened the scoring in the ninth minute through 18-year-old Alberts who hammered the ball into the net from 15 yards.
At this stage the hosts were producing some impressive play and Buckie’s chances took a dip with 28 minutes played when McCabe received a straight red card for a robust challenge on Grant Moroney.
With Keith in the ascendancy it was no surprise when they scored again through Park who whipped the ball into the roof of the net from 12 yards six minutes from half-time.
Three minutes after the break a flashing angled drive from Alberts made it 3-0, but thereafter Buckie took the game to their hosts and home goalkeeper Craig Reid pulled off several fine saves.
A late consolation in the 79th minute came courtesy of a Scott Barron own goal, but the win was sealed by then.
Buckie manager Lewis MacKinnon said: “It’s hard to argue the fact that Keith deserved to win.
“It’s bitterly disappointing as we came into the game full of confidence, but we got hit with a clearance and didn’t defend the situation correctly.
“Then, not to track the runner for the next goal was annoying.
“The red card was dubious in my opinion, I don’t think Joe’s foot was raised and it wasn’t dangerous by any manner of means.”
Deveronvale 2-1 Nairn County
A second half goal from Deveronvale substitute Oleg Dlugosz settled the destination of the points as the home side moved above opponents Nairn County in the Highland League.
Nairn skipper Fraser Dingwall, who was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Jack Mitchell just short of the hour, put his side ahead with a back post header after nine minutes.
But Vale levelled a minute from the break when Jack Walker fouled Mitchell in the box which allowed Harry Noble to level from the spot.
Ben Barron could have resorted County’s lead three minutes after the restart when he blasted a spot-kick wide after Jaydan Bradford brought down Kenny McKenzie.
It was to prove a costly miss as Dlugosz grabbed the winner with a fine finish after 70 minutes, side-stepping a challenge to fire into the bottom corner of the net from eight yards.
Vale manager Garry Wood said: “Nairn are a good side who caused us problems. I am pleased to get another win which sets us up for a massive game at Turriff on Wednesday night with a chance to progress further in the Aberdeenshire Shield.”
Nairn manager Ross Tokely said: “It is disappointing when you control the game for 44 minutes then give away a penalty.
“Then we missed a penalty before getting the sending off and it was a case then of backs against the wall as the two decisions against us really killed us.
“I was looking for a reaction from last week’s poor performance and I got it but we needed to create a little bit more, especially in the second half.
“But we didn’t deserve to lose the game.”
Formartine United 1-0 Clachnacuddin
Formartine United leapfrogged Clachnacuddin into fifth spot in the Breedon Highland League with a 1-0 win at North Lodge Park.
The Pitmedden side have lost just twice in their last 12 league outings.
Manager Stuart Anderson said: “In the first half we had good chances to extend our lead and didn’t take them.
“We were against a strong wind in the second half so we were going to be under the cosh.
“But the back four were excellent, Ewen Macdonald made a couple of good saves and it was good to keep a clean sheet.
“It’s a good win against a good side and our recent run in the league has been pretty good.”
Formartine made the breakthrough in the 17th minute when Aaron Norris broke through on goal, he was denied by Joe Malin, but Marc Lawrence netted on the rebound.
In the second period the Lilywhites came close to an equaliser when Lewis Mackenzie’s long-range effort was tipped onto the crossbar by goalkeeper Macdonald, while Troy Cooper found the side-netting with his follow-up.
Clach finished with 10 men when Rorie Macleod was sent off by referee Nathan Clac-Mansfield for a cynical challenge on Aidan Combe.
Manager Conor Gethins said: “The better team lost in my opinion. In the second half we pushed them back and had chances.
“We couldn’t score on the day which is disappointing, but I can’t be too critical of the boys because I felt we outworked and outplayed Formartine.
“Andrew Macrae on his debut provided a real threat for us. He looked sharp and was very clever with his movement.”
Lossiemouth 1-3 Brechin City
League leaders Brechin City comfortably defeated Lossiemouth by 3-1 at Grant Park.
Although City dominated the opening 45 minutes, they only had one goal to show for their efforts with Ewan Loudon grabbing the opening goal after 24 minutes when he was on the spot to drill the ball home following a Lewis Milne corner.
However, City played with much more intensity and energy after the break and they doubled their advantage in the 56th minute when Brad McKay blasted the ball home after his header from a Milne corner had came crashing off the bar into his path.
Brechin wrapped up the points seven minutes later when Fraser Macleod fired home a right-foot drive.
The Coasters pulled a goal back in controversial circumstances in the final minute when Ross Archibald fired home from close-range after referee Robert Mackinnon ignored his assistant’s offside flag and allowed play to continue but the goal stood despite the protests of the City players.
Brechin manager Patrick Cregg said: “I’m really, really happy.
“I thought we dominated probably around 80 minutes of the game.
“We were comfortable in the first half and we knew if we managed to get a further goal after the break we would go on and score again.
“It was disappointing to lose a goal so late in the game.
“When the linesmans’s flag went up our lads stopped playing, thinking that we would be awarded a free-kick and I felt sorry for them.
“I spoke to the referee after the match who told me players should play to the whistle but it was disappointing to lose that goal so late in the game when we were focussed on keeping a clean sheet.”
Lossiemouth boss Steve Porter said: “I’m disappointed we lost two goals from two set-pieces and although we played well in stages we know Brechin are a good team with a number of attacking options.
“Playing without our two recognised centre-halves certainly didn’t help.
“If they’d played they would have undoubtedly helped us in set-piece situations but that’s no disrespect to the boys who came in because I thought that they worked really hard and showed a really good attitude over the course of the 90 minutes.”
Rothes 0-7 Brora Rangers
Brora Rangers thrashed a youthful Rothes side with a powerful display of all-out attacking football.
Brora boss Steven Mackay was delighted with his side’s ruthless display.
He said: “We know where Rothes are and it’s a bit of a transition for them. They are a young squad but I’m sure Ronnie Sharp and Michael Rae will turn it around.
“We knew if we got the ball down and played it around that it could be a comfortable afternoon for us and that’s how it turned out.
“If it hadn’t been for the performance of Martin MacKinnon in the Rothes goal it could have been a few more but overall I’m happy with our afternoon’s work.”
Brora took the lead in the eighth minute when former Rothes captain Michael Finnis stabbed a corner kick home from four yards.
Seconds earlier Brora defender had Mark Nicolson hobbled off with an ankle njury, his place going to Millar Gamble.
The Sutherland side made it 2-0 on the quarter hour mark with Andrew MacLeod making no mistake from eight yards.
The unmarked Tony Dingwall made it 3-0 in the 28th minute when he passed the ball into the net from 10 yards.
Six minutes from the break Brora were awarded a penalty kick when Dingwall was brought down in the box by Taylor Thain but Sutherland’s spot-kick was brilliantly parried by MacKinnon.
Three minutes after the break it took another superb tip over by keeper MacKinnon to deny Sutherland with a 15-yard ferocious rising drive.
Brora made it 4-0 in the 55th minute, substitute Max Ewan stroking the ball past MacKinnon from 10 yards.
In an almighty scramble in the home six-yard box Brora made it 5-0 in the 67th minute, with Sutherland getting the final touch.
With seven minutes to go new signing Connor Bunce was brought down in the box by Brodie Mitchell and the former Clach striker hammered home the resultant spot-kick for Brora’s sixth goal.
Three minutes later the same player strolled through the home defence to make it 7-0.
Rothes manager Ronnie Sharp said: “It was always going to be hard to play against probably the best footballing side in the league.
“Brora keep the ball so well and they are really powerful with it, so when you add that power to the skill they have then they are in a different league to ourselves at the moment.”
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