Lewis MacKinnon hopes Buckie Thistle reminded people they are still a force to be reckoned with after defeating Breedon Highland League leaders Brora Rangers.
Meanwhile Cattachs manager Steven Mackay admitted it would have been “daylight robbery” if they had taken something from this thrilling encounter.
Last season’s champions triumphed 3-2 at Victoria Park, a result which tightens things up between Brora and Brechin at the top of the table.
It hasn’t been the campaign Buckie had hoped for in defence of the title, with the Jags sitting in seventh spot.
But they are now unbeaten in six matches and boss MacKinnon hailed this as their best display of the season.
He said: “My team was tremendous, from front to back they were absolutely superb. The work-rate, the desire and the quality they showed was excellent.
“We maybe did remind people how good we can be, there wasn’t anybody in my dressing room that needed reminding.
“We know we’re good, we’ve been inconsistent and were unfortunate with a few things earlier in the season.
“That was a good performance, but we’ve had good performances earlier in the season where we didn’t get the rub of the green or we made bad errors.
“But hopefully people take notice of us again and they see we’re still a force to be reckoned with.
“It has to be as good a result and performance as we’ve had this season because we were playing the team that’s top of the league.
“There have been other good performances and results, but to a man the whole 11 and the subs that went on were tremendous.”
Mackay says Brora didn’t do enough
Defeat ended Brora’s six-match winning streak and it means both they and Brechin have 64 points from 27 matches.
The Cattachs are 27 ahead on goal difference and the sides clash at Dudgeon Park on Saturday.
Mackay said: “We got what we deserved. Buckie looked hungrier than us and looked like they wanted it more than us which is really frustrating.
“Our final ball and our decision-making was poor. It would have been daylight robbery if we’d got something out of it because we didn’t do enough.
“We flattered to deceive, we didn’t create enough opportunities, however, credit must go to Buckie for how they managed the game.
“We’ve got some very capable and talented players in our dressing room – but we carried too many passengers.
“We were poor on Wednesday (1-0 win against Nairn) and got away with it.
“But football will always give you reminders now and again and this is one for us.
“We can’t expect to win games, you have to do the fundamentals right and we didn’t do that.
“It was never going to be plain sailing and we said it would be a rollercoaster for the teams involved (in the title race).
“We can’t dwell on this, we’ve got a huge game on Saturday and we need to play a lot better to take something out of that game.”
Early action
Brora made a good start and Buckie goalkeeper Mark Ridgers had already clawed away Michael Finnis’ net-bound header before they took the lead in the sixth minute.
Tony Dingwall’s inswinging corner from the left was headed into the right corner by Colin Williamson from eight yards.
But with their first decent move Thistle equalised. Marcus Goodall found Andrew MacAskill with an excellent cross-field pass from left to right and MacAskill’s pinpoint ball into the box was finished by Fin Allen from six yards.
Shortly after Connor Bunce’s attempt from a Dingwall delivery was wayward and then Dingwall’s 18-yard snap-shot flashed wide.
Another fine Buckie move resulted in them taking the lead on 27 minutes.
MacAskill’s header released Lyall Keir on the right side of the penalty area and his low cutback was swept into the bottom right corner by Josh Peters from 12 yards.
Jags strike again
Before the break Goodall forced a decent save out of Cammy Mackay with a strike from 20 yards, but six minutes into the second period goalkeeper Mackay was powerless to prevent Buckie scoring their third.
Great play in a tight space by MacAskill and Goodall near the left angle of the box led to the latter teeing up Peters, who curled a superb right-footed shot into the top right corner from 16 yards.
Buckie had shown why they won the league last term but Brora didn’t go down quietly and had plenty of pressure in the final half an hour.
In the 69th minute sub Max Ewan’s cross from the right found Craig MacKenzie, but his shot was blocked by Kevin Fraser, who was a standout in Buckie’s midfield.
The ball wasn’t fully clear and Shane Sutherland’s drive from 16 yards was tipped onto the left post by goalkeeper Mark Ridgers.
In the final minute of the 90 Brora did find the net again as Sutherland’s delivery from the left was prodded home by sub Matthew Wright at the front post, but the Cattachs couldn’t muster an equaliser.
Brechin City 1-0 Turriff United
A dramatic stoppage-time goal from Fraser MacLeod against Turriff United at Glebe Park saw Brechin City win a crucial three points wto move level on points at the top of the table with Brora Rangers who lost at Buckie.
Brechin enjoyed the vast amount of pressure and possession throughout the 90 minutes but it looked as if they were heading for their fifth successive home draw until MacLeod popped up at the death to poke the ball home following a goalmouth scramble.
Although City deserved to take the points, Turriff felt hard done by as they felt a foul had been committed in the build-up to the goal.
They were incensed that the goal stood and things boiled over after the final whistle when Dylan Stuart and Owen Kinsella were shown red cards by referee Scott Donohoe.
New Brechin boss Ray McKinnon praised the attitude of his players and felt that they deserved to take the points.
“It’s always a nice feeling when you win a game like that so late on,” he said.
“I felt that it was a deserved victory.
“Turriff were very hard to beat and worked extremely hard and we just couldn’t break them down.
“We’d plenty of chances but fair play to the lads. They went right to the end and got their just rewards.
“We kept encouraging the players to keep going and to believe that they were going to get that goal because they created chances.
“It was a deserved victory but one which the players had to work extremely hard to achieve but a lot of credit goes to Turriff who made things very difficult for us and who worked extremely hard but my players showed great character to get the win.
“Brora Rangers’ loss at Buckie is an added bonus but as far as we’re concerned we have to take things one game at a time and concentrate on what we’re doing.”
Turriff boss Warren Cummings praised his players but was furious with the match officials.
He said: “I have great pride in my team.
“I thought that their application, their attitude against a side who will win the league or come very close to doing so was fantastic.
“It looked as if a foul had been committed in the lead up to the goal but I would need to see it again to be sure.
“Having said that, I thought that the match officials were an absolute disgrace.
“The referee was handing out cards as if they were confetti when the players were only asking him questions and being respectful.
“The officials were a disgrace but I’m extremely proud of my players.”
Deveronvale 2-4 Forres Mechanics
Forres Mechanics were made to work for their victory at Deveronvale after Vale fought back from two goals down before two quickfire counters saw the visitors take the points.
Matty Jamieson put Forres ahead after five minutes when an attempted clearance rebounded off the Forres striker high beyond Vale goalkeeper Ethan Hopkinson from wide on the left wing.
Vale conceded a poor second eight minutes from the break when Jordan Alonge was left in space 16 yards from goal to score after the home side failed to clear when Calum Frame caused problems in the box.
The home side started in determined fashion after the restart with Oleg Dlugosz firing beyond Cameron Farquhar from 25 yards after 48 minutes before Murray Esson levelled the scoring with a long-range free kick seven minutes later.
But within 90 seconds Forres were back in front when Kyle MacLeod slotted home from close range before the visitors were awarded a penalty six minutes later for a push in the box and Alonge completed the scoring.
Forres manager Steven Macdonald said: “Vale are a really good side and although we were two goals ahead you didn’t feel the game was over.
“They came out and got one back with a great strike while it was a bad second goal to lose.
“All of a sudden it was 2-2 but the reaction was really good from the boys, which would not have happened last season. There is a bit of character in the side now which is great.”
Vale assistant manager Grant Noble, standing in for the suspended Garry Wood, said: “We got ourselves back into the game but losing the third goal was hard to take as we didn’t defend properly.
“I wasn’t sure about the penalty but those two quick goals took the wind out of our sails.
“We did create chances to get it back level but you can’t expect to concede four goals at home and win.
“We have been on a hard run of fixtures and there was always going to be bumps on the road.
“We need to get ourselves together again and get as many points as we can in the last seven games of the season.”
Clachnacuddin 7-0 Rothes
Clach cruised to a 7-0 victory against Rothes with hat-trick hero Troy Cooper’s performance the highlight of a one-sided affair.
Clach boss Connor Gethins said: “The boys were relentless but I wasn’t particularly impressed with our first half performance.
“We allowed them to get at us at times in that first half. They got told as much at half-time and came out and scored five goals after the break.
“Troy Cooper scored a hat-trick, he’s now on 12 goals for the season with 12 assists, which is a fair return.”
Before the game Rothes chairman Iain Paul handed over a cheque for £2,000 raised by the Speyside club in aid of the family of Clach coach Keith Mason, whose 20-month-old daughter Sophie has been diagnosed with Batten disease (CLN-1).
Clach took only three minutes to open the scoring when Troy Cooper burst through the middle and guided the ball past Sean McCarthy from 12 yards.
The Speysiders managed to regroup after that early setback and exchanges were fairly even for the next 20 minutes until Cooper grabbed his own, and Clach’s second goal, with a superb drive from the edge of the box.
Rothes replied with a Jake Thomson effort which was well blocked by home keeper Logan Ross.
Shortly after Scott Mutch shot high over the Clach crossbar from 30 yards as the visitors went in search of a goal to get themselves back into the game.
In the 35th minute Cooper almost completed his hat-trick but his diving header from six yards cleared the crossbar.
Two minutes later Craig Lawrie’s 20-yard drive clattered back off the crossbar with McCarthy beaten.
Three minutes from the break dangerman Cooper had the ball in the net again but this time he was offside.
Three minutes after the restart Lawrie made it 3-0 with a clinical 10-yard finish.
Five minutes later Cooper completed his hat-trick with a superb strike from the edge of the box.
In the 70th minute Lilywhites’ leading scorer James Anderson scored the goal of the game with a thunderous 15-yard angled drive high into the top corner of the net.
With 10 minutes to go former Rothes striker Greg Morrison made it 6-0 from close-range and two minutes later Anderson added another, again with a close-range finish.
Disappointed Rothes boss Ronnie Sharp said: “They are in a different league from us, they were far too strong and far too powerful for us.”
Banks o’ Dee 2-1 Strathspey Thistle
Banks o’ Dee claimed a narrow victory over a valiant Strathspey Thistle at Spain Park, with Jevan Anderson’s late winner snatching a potentially vital point away from the Grantown Jags.
Dee co-manager Paul Lawson was grateful for the win but frustrated with his team’s performance.
He said: “Of course we’ve got to be happy to take three points, but our performance was far below the standards we expect, which was disappointing.
“We made six changes from Wednesday night which can play a part, but we’ve got a big enough squad, and we think a strong squad too, so we do expect a better showing from the team than what we saw today.”
Andrew Hunter had the Dee in front after seven minutes in a quiet first half, slotting in from close range after a defensive mix-up from the Strathspey backline.
Into the second half, the home side squandered an opportunity to double their lead from the penalty spot after Lachie MacLeod was tripped in the box by Jags keeper Euan Storrier, but the Strathspey shot stopper made amends, making a comfortable save to keep out Liam Duell’s spot kick.
Strathspey gambled as the game progressed, bringing on captain James McShane and pushing centre-back Dean Stewart forward into a striker role, and were rewarded with an 82nd minute equaliser.
Substitutes Liam Shewan and Conor MacPhee combined, with the latter poking the ball beyond Dee keeper Daniel Hoban.
When it looked like Strathspey were taking a point back to Grantown, Anderson stepped up to snatch the win for the Dee, bundling the ball home in a goalmouth scramble in the 90th minute.
A last-gasp attack for the Jags saw Shewan rattle the crossbar but the points stayed in Aberdeen with the full-time whistle blown shortly after.
Strathspey manager Ryan Esson praised the effort of his team but was disappointed in losing another late goal.
He said: “We did well to weather the storm in the first half, and in the second half I thought we were excellent. The boys that came in played well and we created a lot of good chances.
“It’s now been four games where we’ve conceded in the last minute, we need to be seeing these kinds of games out and grabbing more positive results.
“We’ve got to stay positive, with a hectic run of nine games this month. Apart from our result at Brora, we’ve been in every game recently and believe we can pick up a few more points.”
Formartine United 2-2 Wick Academy
Formartine United had to wait until the closing stages to claim a point against an impressive Wick Academy.
Wick manager Gary Manson said: “The players at the end of the match were quite deflated.
“Before the game we’d have taken a point but the way it panned out it was frustrating not to win, although I see it as a positive result and another point on board.
“Kyle Henderson scored our second goal and is having his own goal of the season competition.
“It’s his third direct free kick and on top of that he’s scored a few peaches to take him up to 12 goals in all competitions.
“Davie Allan set up our first goal. The young boys learn off Davie.
“He keeps himself in good nick and you can never have enough senior pros like him in your set-up given the way he looks after himself and effort he puts in on the park.
“He’s a real role model and long may it continue. I’ll have him in our set-up as long as he wants to be with us.”
Formartine took the lead in the sixth minute when their best player on the day Marc Lawrence hammered home on the rebound after Lewis Duncan’s header came off the upright.
However the Scorries worked their way back into the game, Mark McGregor rifling home a pass from Allan.
Six minutes from the interval came the goal of the game with a sweet left-footed Henderson strike soaring high into the roof of the net.
Formartine probed in the second half and in 86 minutes the equaliser duly came, substitute Glenn Murison feeding Robert Ward who beat the advancing Lewis Gallacher with a lob.
Formartine boss Stuart Anderson learned a lot from the game but his first priority was this Wednesday’s Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield final clash with Fraserburgh at the Haughs, Turriff.
He said: “We started really well but with players carrying knocks our line up had to be chosen with the final in mind.
“Some of our under-18 players came in and played well which was good for them. They performed despite the game being faster than what they’re used to.
“We conceded two cheap goals. It gave Wick something to hang on to.
“They were also dangerous on the break but credit to our players we got the goal back.
“We learned from the performance, changing our selections was always my intention when the Shield final date was announced.”
Lossiemouth 0-1 Huntly
A Sam Robertson header was the difference as Huntly edged out Lossiemouth at Grant Park.
Huntly manager Colin Charlesworth admitted they had to fight for all three points.
He said: “It’s not a game anyone will remember but we got the job done.
“Lossie made it hard for us, they grafted and fought for everything but we had to see the game out at 1-0.
“Sam Robertson’s numbers are really good for us this season and he’s fitted in well since coming to the club.
“He demands standards and goes into every game looking for goals. It’s been a big week for him with two goals in two games.”
Lossiemouth gave a debut to new loan signing Lewis Harvey while Huntly suffered a blow after 24 minutes when defender Ruari Fraser limped off injured.
Lewis Crosbie had the better of the chances for the visitors early on while Saul Phimister fired over midway through the half.
Huntly broke the deadlock after 42 minutes when a Ryan Sewell corner was cleared across their own box by the home defence and Sam Robertson headed in his 12th of the season.
Midway through the second half, Shaun Cameron had the ball in the net following a Ross Morrison corner but referee Harry Bruce signalled there was an infringement and the goal was chalked off.
Lossie threatened late with substitute Owen Loveland seeing an effort diverted round the post with minutes remaining. Into stoppage time, a Cameron free kick was blocked before Lewis McAndrew fired over.
Despite a fifth straight defeat, Lossiemouth manager Steve Porter felt his side deserved something out of the game.
He said: “I thought we worked hard and frustrated Huntly at times.
“It was an error for the goal which was frustrating. We had a goal chalked off and at that point if it was given, the momentum would’ve helped us but fair play to Huntly they won ugly.
“The players are deflated in the dressing room as it was a hard result to take.”
Keith 1-1 Fraserburgh
For the third successive season the Kynoch Park league encounter between Keith and Fraserburgh ended in a draw.
Fifteen members of Keith’s 2000 title-winning team witnessed Sean Butcher give ‘Broch a first-half lead, before 18-year-old Cammy Wilson, on loan from Aberdeen, coolly slotted home the Maroons’ first penalty award in open play for 15 months to earn his side a share of the spoils.
Keith manager Craig Ewen said: “It was a positive result for us.
“We haven’t won the game, but at the same time we’re pleased with the point on the board.
“It keeps us moving forward.
“I don’t think there was much in it in the first half.
“They had a number of shots from outside the box and we had some good forays without any end product.
“Broch created a good opening goal, though it maybe wasn’t great defensively from us.
“Our penalty looked clear enough, Brody (Alberts) knocked the ball through and Cammy’s used his pace, the goalie taking him out.
“He converted with aplomb, and an excellent take under a wee bit of pressure to score.”
There was little in it in the opening stages, until the 24th minute when Butcher reacted quickly to stab home from eight yards to open the scoring.
Home goalie Craig Reid then kept his side in it with an instinctive save to deny Logan Watt on the stroke of half-time.
Keith tried to push on after the break and Nathan McKeown was denied at the back post by Joe Barbour.
The Maroons got the leveller on the hour mark when Cammy Wilson was upended by the goalkeeper, and he coolly slotted into the corner of the net.
Neither side could make any further impression, with McKeown denied by Barbour again, and the home rearguard dealing with several crosses and free kicks at the other end.
Fraserburgh manager Mark Cowie said: “A draw was probably fair, as I don’t think either team deserved to win it, or lose it.
“Credit to Keith, they worked hard as they always do, they probably thought they should have got something from the recent cup game.
“It wasn’t a game to remember, but the pitch was fiery which didn’t help. We didn’t really create anything apart from the goal, which isn’t like us.”
Nairn County 0-1 Inverurie Locos
Inverurie Locos made it seven wins on the bounce with a 1-0 victory against 10 man Nairn County at Station Park.
But fourth-placed Locos were made to fight all the way against a Wee County side who suffered the agony of losing to a penalty kick for the second time in a week.
Locos manager Dean Donaldson said: “There wasn’t much in the game, even when they went down to 10 men.
“I thought our final third play was poor, and our decision making was poor.
“We should probably have scored another couple of goals. But that’s the difference between the top teams and us right now – the top teams are ruthless, we pass up so many chances.
“But I’m happy enough with the form and we got another clean sheet, which is pleasing.”
Nairn winger Sam Gordon had the first real chance of the game when he was put through by Calum MacKay but his shot flew inches past Zack Ellis’s right hand post.
But it was Locos who took the lead from the penalty spot in the 16th minute.
Referee Owen Lawrence spotted a push on Mark Souter following a corner and he immediately pointed to the spot.
Paul Coutts’ spot kick was brilliantly saved by Dylan MacLean in the Nairn goal but the Locos skipper was first to react to prod the rebound into the net.
Worse was to follow when Gordon, who was booked at the penalty, picked up a second yellow card in the 23rd minute for a reckless challenge.
MacLean was forced to pull off another wonder save five minutes later from Cole Anderson.
There was little in the way of goalmouth chances in the second half. The nearest to an equaliser came in the dying minutes when a ball into the box just failed to bounce favourably for Nairn substitute Andrew Greig in front of goal.
Nairn interim manager, Brian MacLeod said: “It’s a hard one to take. That’s two games in as row we’ve lost to a penalty kick. I didn’t get a great view of it but they boys in there are saying it wasn’t a push.
“We picked up a few injuries on Wednesday night against Brora. The boys put so much into the game so you are asking the same boys to go again then you go down to 10 men so early.
“Then we lose Jamie Carnihan to injury and we had to shuffle it around. It was a big ask for the players. But I thought we defended brilliantly, the workrate was excellent, you can’t ask for any more.”
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