Gaffer’s great start
Five-star debut for new Blair manager Mark
Five goals without reply saw new Blairgowrie manager Mark Brash get off to a great start on the opening day of the North Division season.
In normal circumstances the new season is looked forward to following a hard pre-season schedule but the fledgling management were handed a baptism of fire with a tough away fixture at Brechin Vics to start, coupled with the news that no fewer than eight players were missing for the game.
This forced the introduction of Steven Findlay to left back, with both Mark Brash and assistant Mark Christison having to name themselves on the bench along with injured Paul Scott and Greg McDonald.
The visitors got off to a good start and were awarded a penalty when Rudi Brown was up-ended inside the box. Gordon Norrie stepped up to take the kick but it was saved by the keeper.
This was followed by a succession of chances that incredibly brought no goals. Free kicks from Norrie and Gary Axworthy failed to hit the target, while efforts from Darren Neave and debutant midfielder Corey Gray did little to trouble the keeper.
A sustained period of pressure saw the visitors clock up an impressive ten corner kicks in the first half but these amounted to nothing.
Just when it seemed that not even a medieval battering ram would see Blairgowrie break the deadlock, the balance tipped.
Brechin, who had hardly threatened Gordon O’Brien’s goal, were awarded a penalty when their attacker was brought down inside the box. The kick was saved by O’Brien and the rebound was blocked by James Simpson before the ball bounced off the crossbar, back into the safe hands of the keeper.
Blairgowrie started the second half determined to find the opening goal and they got it ten minutes after the restart. Another corner kick was headed back across goal by James Simpson to Darren Neave, who headed the ball in from close range.
The second goal came soon afterwards when Gordon Norrie broke free from his defender inside the box before hitting a menacing ball across the face of goal for Neave to back-heel past the keeper.
Gordon Norrie was involved in the run-up to the third goal. He played a clever pass to substitute Stefan Brown, who beat the offside trap and finished strongly to open his account for the season.
The fourth goal may even be a very early contender for goal of the season. Ian Plenderleith picked up the ball in midfield and went on a mazy run past opposition players. He played a smart one-two with Corey Gray before picking the ball up inside the box then lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper and into the back of the net.
The scoring was completed with three minutes of the match to go. Gary Axworthy decided to get in on the act, picking the ball up in the midfield and beating players before hitting an effort that took a deflection past the keeper to make it 5-0 for Blair.
After the match Blairgowrie manager Brash said: “It was a good performance on the day against a young, organised team.
“In the first half I thought the players were a little nervous in front of goal and with the final ball. In the second half I thought we controlled the game and the third goal was a flowing move that will already be a contender for goal of the season.” Blairgowrie: Gordon O’Brien, Keir Reilly, James Simpson, Danny Millar, Steven Findlay, Rudi Brown, Corey Gray, Ian Plenderleith, Gary Axworthy, Gordon Norrie and Darren Neave. Subs used: Stefan Brown and Mark Christison This Saturday Blairgowrie will face Kinnoull at Davie Park in the league. Kick-off will be 2.30pm. This week’s berry-pickers’ weigh-in numbers were 1, 8, 17 and 20. There were no winners, meaning the prize money next week will be £600.
It was a good performance against a young, organised team. I thought we controlled the game.