Formartine back in the winning groove
HIGHLAND LEAGUE
FORMARTINE UNITED 2 FRASERBURGH 0
Formartine returned to winning ways for the first time in four games with two firsthalf goals enough to see off a Fraserburgh team that began the day in second place.
Paul Lawson’s side took the lead on eight minutes with midfield powerhouse Graeme Rodger netting a trademark finish. Then a Garry Wood goal seven minutes before half-time provided a cushion for the homesters. United managed the game well in the second period and, as frustration grew in the away team, forward Paul Campbell was shown a late red card for lashing out.
CLACHNACUDDIN 1 ROTHES 4
With Clach boss Ian Polworth leaving the club and stand-in Kevin Munro in charge, Scott Dunn put them in front in the 20th minute.
However, Steven Anderson headed home the leveller before, two minutes later, ex-lilywhite Scott Davidson found the corner of the net with a wonderful freekick, beating the despairing dive of Alistair Maclean.
The Clach keeper was left cursing his luck just after the hour. After making a fantastic save to deny Anderson, he watched as Kris Duncan smashed the ball off the bar before Maclean bundled the rebound over his own goalline. “Baker” Duncan then put the icing on the cake from 10 yards.
COVE RANGERS 2 KEITH 0
Champions Cove took the lead on the quarter-hour mark, with Mitch Megginson knocking home his 16th goal of the season past Greg Simpson.
Keith worked hard and were disrupting the flow of the hosts. Former Inverurie man Scott Begg made a comeback even more unlikely when he got himself sent off early in the second half, Cove took advantage with Jamie Masson netting the second shortly before the hour mark. FORT WILLIAM 3 LOSSIEMOUTH 4
Fort were the first to get their noses in front when Darren Quigg rose to head home a flighted freekick at the back post.
Lossie responded with a setpiece routine of their own, with Ally Bellingham’s corner being nodded in by Scott Campbell.
Fort were back in front before the break when David Majeski’s deflected shot found the corner. Liam Archibald responded as he slotted home Moray Taylor’s cross shortly before Stephen Lopez saw red, leaving Fort to battle on with 10men.
Aaron Hamilton and David Mcgurk then traded headed goals before Hamilton grabbed his second to win it, smashing a volley into the top corner from six yards from Ryan Stuart’s cross.
INVERURIE LOCOS 2 NAIRN 2
Locos could have been two up early on with Chris Angus and Neil Gauld seeing efforts cleared off the line in quick succession.
The visitors led when a free-kick floated over the top of the defence was not attended to, allowing Callum Maclean to knock home from close range.
Inverurie came close to an equaliser early in the second half when Joe Mccabe saw his effort from an acute angle hit the post. The Wee County doubled their lead in 69 minutes thanks to the determination of Max Ewan, who engineered space for himself to loop a shot over Andy Reid with the aid of a strong deflection.
With nine minutes to go, a soft handball in the Nairn box gave them a chink of light. Up stepped the prolific Neil Gauld to shoot powerfully into the net.
In time added, it was Gauld again from the spot after Angus was bundled over.
STRATHSPEY THISTLE 0 BRORA RANGERS 4
The Cattachs wore their away kit – commemorating their 140th anniversary – for the first time and it took them just eight minutes to mark the occasion with a goal as Ally Macdonald beat Michael Maccallum.
Craig Campbell netted No. 2 from the penalty spot midway through the first half.
The Jags began to limit the number of clearcut openings Brora were creating and posed a threat on the counter-attack. However, there was to be no way back and Craig Campbell netted his second from a penalty on 84 minutes, before completing a spot-kick hat-trick two minutes later after Steve Mackay had been felled in the area.
DEVERONVALE 3 TURRIFF 2
Vale edged ahead 10 minutes from the break when Lewis Dunbar got free on the right to race into the box and slot a fine chip shot over the keeper.
Nine minutes later, it was 2-0 as Robert Scott took advantage of poor defending to score from the edge of the box.
Turriff pulled one back early in the second half when Angus Grant scored with a header following an Adam Cross corner.
It was all square after 73 minutes as David Ross smashed home a 14-yard shot.
Vale won it with a Scott header after 81 minutes following further defensive mistakes.
WICK ACADEMY 2 HUNTLY 2
Wick started well and took a deserved lead 13 minutes in after a driving run and shot from Jack Henry was parried by John Farquhar into the path of Marc Macgregor, who headed home.
But Huntly played themselves back into the game and turned it around with two goals in the space of seven minutes.
Both goals came from good play down the left-wing and presented Gary Mcgowan with two simple finishes to give Huntly the lead heading into half-time.
The wind played havoc with play in the second half and it looked like Huntly were going to hold on before Gordon Macnab came off the bench to grab the equaliser with five minutes left, directing a free header into the net from fellow-substitute Sam Mackay’s corner.