The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Macleod treble tonic after injury woe
Aberdeenshire Shield: Dolan urges his side to pass University test
Cove Rangers striker Mitch Megginson continues to lead the way in the Highland League scoring chart. Leading scorers: – Megginson (Cove Rangers). – Macphee (Formartine United).
– Gauld (Inverurie Locos). – Ross (Buckie Thistle); Harris (Fraserburgh).
– Masson (Cove Rangers); Ballard (Deveronvale); Barbour (Formartine United); Campbell (Fraserburgh).
– McLeod (Buckie Thistle). – Brindle (Brora Rangers); Macrae (Nairn County).
– Angus (Buckie Thistle); Noble (Deveronvale); L. Fraser (Forres Mechanics); West (Fraserburgh); Hunter (Inverurie Locos); Keith (Keith); Miller (Turriff United).
– Rodger (Formartine United); Davidson (Rothes).
– Maclennan (Clach); Milne, Park (Cove Rangers);Macadie (Wick Academy).
– Graham, Greig, Macleod (Brora Rangers); Scott (Deveronvale); Pollock (Forres Mechanics); Ewen (Huntly); McCabe (Inverurie Locos); Gillespie (Rothes).
– Mackay (Brora Rangers); Shewan (Clachnacuddin); McGowan (Huntly); D. Mackenzie (Nairn County); Duncan, Wilson (Rothes).
– Burnett, Strachan (Cove Rangers); Burnett (Formartine United); Treasurer (Fort William); Clark, Still (Huntly); Leyden (Inverurie Locos); Cormack, Moore (Rothes); MacGregor (Wick Academy).
– Campbell, Nicolson (Brora Rangers); Finnis (Clachnacuddin); Scully (Cove Rangers); Wood (Formartine United); MacPhee (Forres Mechanics); Buchan (Fraserburgh); Charlesworth (Inverurie Locos); Brownie, Whelan (Keith); McLaren (Lossiemouth); Ross (Turriff United); Anderson (Wick Academy).
– M. Maclean, Sutherland, Williamson (Brora Rangers); Carrol, Dorrat, Fraser, Urquhart (Buckie Thistle); Gray, McManus, Smith (Cove Rangers); Blackhall, Dunbar, Pauline (Deveronvale); Ferries, Smith (Formartine United); G. Fraser, McGovern, Macrae (Forres Mechanics); Hunter, Lingard (Fort William); D. Cowie, Hay, Johnston (Fraserburgh); Stewart, Wyness (Huntly); McLean (Inverurie Loocs); R. Archibald, Dunn, Farquhar (Lossiemouth); Naismith, Ramsey (Nairn County); S. Lisle (Strathspey Thistle); Bowden, Cairns, Myers, S. Mackay (Wick Academy).
– Morrison, Macdonald (Brora Rangers), Anderson, MacKinnon (Buckie Thistle); Beeston, Lawrie, Leslie, Morrison, Mackintosh, Webb (Clachnacuddin); Stott, Watson (Cove Rangers); Aitken, Wallace, Watt (Deveronvale); Berton (Formartine United); Cameron, Soane (Forres Mechanics); Beagrie, Sargent, Young (Fraserburgh); Charlesworth, Murison, Roddie (Huntly); Gordon, Laing (Inverurie Locos); Fraser, (Keith); Maclean, McNab (Nairn County); Fraser (Rothes); MacLeod (Strathspey Thistle); Booth, Flett, Wood (Turriff United); McNab (Wick Academy).
Deveronvale will be going for five wins in a row tonight when they start as favourites to reach the second round of the Morrison Motors (Turriff ) Aberdeenshire Shield against Aberdeen University at Princess Royal Park, Banff.
Vale manager Steve Dolan, however, is taking nothing for granted against the North Region Junior FA First Division (East) side.
He said: “We won four games, including cup matches, on the bounce earlier in the season but it’s been a long time since we’ve had five victories in succession.
“I suppose we are a bit ahead of where I thought we would be halfway through the season but I know what my young squad is capable of, good and bad. They are good football players and they work very hard for each other.
“We just have to try and keep it going, as with young lads anything can Brora Rangers striker Kyle Macleod was thrilled to score three goals in as many minutes in Saturday’s 7-0 demolition of Lossiemouth at Dudgeon Park.
The 22-year-old former Ross County forward said: “I scored three very quick goals and the one that clinched my hat-trick was my favourite, even though it was a bit of a tap-in and the other two were better strikes.
“It was nice to get my first treble of the happen. At the moment it’s really good and we’re riding a wave, we just need to keep it positive and keep them playing.
“I think we’ve shown good character as we’ve lost heavily this term to the likes of Fraserburgh and Forres Mechanics and we got knocked out of the Scottish Cup at home to Glenafton. Then all of a sudden we’ve gone on a four-game winning streak.
“I don’t think that last season we would have recovered from those defeats but these days we just go out and play our game and see where that takes us.”
On Saturday’s derby Highland League win at Turriff, Dolan added: “The 3-1 victory at the Haughs was our first win, home or away, against Turriff United for four years.
“Earlier in the season we may have been guilty of over-thinking things, we couldn’t match Forres physically, for instance, but now we just play our own game and if we win we win.
“We have some really good attacking young players and, even though we’ve missed the likes of Graeme Watt and Chris Blackhall up front, and defender Kev Adams, probably our three most experienced players, massive players really for ourselves, they’ve been injured of late but we’ve done well.”
“We’re riding a wave, we just need to keep it positive and keep them playing”
season. I did manage to score three last term, so this one was my fourth since I arrived at Brora from Ross County last year.”
Macleod, the caretaker at Inverness Rugby Club, is glad to be back in the Cattachs’ starting line-up after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
He added: “I was out for about a month and a half with a head injury, so to score three times in my second game back was brilliant.
“I also scored a goal in our 2-0 North of Scotland Cup triumph, also against Lossemouth, last weekend, that was equally pleasing for me.
“I really can’t complain with four goals in two games. We know now that Cove Rangers are favourites to win the Highland League but there is still a long way to go. We’re only halfway through the season.
“We were favourites before a ball was kicked but this season the league is even more unpredictable than ever. Last Saturday Huntly were 1-0 up at home to 10-man Cove at halftime before the visitors fought back to take the points. Any team is capable of beating any other.
“We know it’s going to be a tough ask but we’ll be going for the title right to the end.”
“I really can’t complain with four goals in two games”