Heavy loss for juniors
Third defeat on the trot for Blairgowrie side
Blairgowrie suffered their third successive loss on Saturday after being beaten 6-0 at home to Thornton Hibs.
Despite the relative slump in form, a sense of perspective can be derived from the fact that Billy Mackey’s men had been defeated once in 15 matches prior to the recent sticky patch.
The apparent lack of confidence in the Davie Park ranks hasn’t been helped by the club’s inability to field a settled side in recent weeks owing to injuries and work commitments.
Thornton got things under way on Saturday by attacking from the outset and took the lead after just five minutes with a close-range finish, despite there being more than a hint of offside about the final stages of the move.
A freak goal soon made it 2-0 when a clearance ballooned off a Hibs player over a crowded goalmouth and floated past keeper Gordon O’Brien into the Blair net.
The hosts badly needed a break themselves, but were out of luck when Allan Cruickshank’s low drive grazed the Thornton post and a couple of crosses caused havoc, only for the ball to ricochet to safety.
Poor marking allowed a free header for Thornton’s third goal, while Cruickshank drove just wide after making a shooting chance as Blair sought to find a lifeline.
Thornton added a fourth on the stroke of half-time to effectively end any thoughts of a Blairgowrie comeback.
Things didn’t get any better for the home side after the break, when another soft goal was conceded just after the break.
A spectacular Hibs drive made it 6-0 in the 75th minute.
To their credit, Blairgowrie kept plugging away and made a number of opportunities in the closing stages.
However, on a day when their luck was never in, it was perhaps inevitable they would never score.
Blairgowrie: Gordon O’Brien, Keir Reilly, Stewart Nicoll, Danny Millar, Gordon Pirie, Gary Axworthy, John Black, Ryan Menzies, Allan Cruickshank, Mark Brash, Darren Neave. Subs: Paul Maloney, Rudi Brown, Steven Findlay.
This Saturday, Blairgowrie are at home to East Craigie in the North League. Kick-off is 2.15pm.
Meanwhile, this week’s berrypickers’ weigh-in lotto numbers were 3, 13, 14 and 18.
There were no winners, meaning next week’s jackpot is £700.
• Coupar Angus JFC’s home match in the North Division against Scone Thistle was postponed.
The east Perthshire side are scheduled to play Thornton Hibs away on Saturday this week.
It is also a 2.15pm kick-off.