Six-shooting City keep title bid on track
BRECHIN CITY 6 FORRES MECHANICS 1 League leaders and reigning champions Brechin City kept their title ambitions on track after thrashing Forres 6-1 at Glebe Park.
The visitors shocked their hosts after just nine minutes when Sam Gordon outpaced the home defence to fire home the opening goal. But City levelled through Grady Mcgrath, with a 20-yard Seth Patrick drive giving them a 2-1 half-time lead.
It was all City after the break with a close-range Matthew Wright finish after 61 minutes making it 3-1, then Fraser Macleod blasted home No. 4 soon after.
City were surging forward at every opportunity and a Craig Tosh cross was headed past his own keeper by Sam Nixon with 20 minutes remaining to make it 5-1. City weren’t finished with Ewan Spark heading home the sixth with just four minutes left.
BUCKIE THISTLE 6 DEVERONVALE 1
A late flurry of goals kept Buckie three points and nine goals behind Brechin with a game in hand ahead of tomorrow’s match against Strathspey Thistle.
An upset looked a possibility when the Vale took an early lead through Cameron Angus.
Lyall Keir levelled things on 20 minutes and, in first-half stoppage time, Jack Murray calmly sent Sean Mcintosh the wrong way from a penalty.
Keir scored his second and the Jags third 20 minutes after the break, but it was right at the death that Buckie kicked on. Jack Mciver grabbed a double either side of Max Barry’s 90th-minute strike to set up an exciting final week.
STRATHSPEY THISTLE 1 FRASERBURGH 5
Fraserburgh collected three points and plus-four goal difference to remain in position for any slip-up elsewhere in the title race.
Scott Barbour headed them
in front in the fifth minute, then Aidan Sopel stroked home a second from close range to make it 2-0 at the break.
Logan Watt nodded home a third in the third minute of the second half, then Keiran Simpson fired home from the penalty spot after Owen Loveland handled in the box.
Barbour scored his second and the Broch’s fifth after a Paul Young feed before Jack Davison scored a consolation, pounding on a rare slip from Joe Barbour.
FORMARTINE 6 ROTHES 1
A first-half hat-trick from Aaron Reid laid the foundation for the North Lodgers securing a top-five finish. Reid opened the scoring in the ninth minute before firing home No. 2 from the penalty spot.
Reid added a third and, although Bruce Milne pulled one back for Rothes, they never looked like turning the game around.
Scott Lisle grabbed a secondhalf brace, sandwiching Graeme Rodger’s 63rd-minute goal.
Rothes must now wait and hope that Keith and Wick fail to pick up the points they need to overtake the Speysiders.
BRORA 1 BANKS O’ DEE 2
Brora took the lead in the 17th minute with a goal created by Lewis Hyde. Having carved open the Dee defence, he unselfishly set up Tony Dingwall for an easy opener.
The visitors had the wind at their backs in the second half and levelled from a penalty 15 minutes from time, Garry Wood netting.
Brora allowed experienced trio Dale Gillespie, Joe Malin and Ally Macdonald to take a bow with a trio of subs before Ethan Cairns grabbed a stoppage-time winner.
WICK ACAD 2 KEITH 0
Having seen their lengthy unbeaten run ended by Buckie on Monday, Keith travelled to Caithness with slightly less spring in their step.
The first half finished goalless and there was a growing belief that the first goal would effectively win the game.
The goal finally arrived for the home team in the 74th minute, Gordon Mcnab netting.
The Scorries sealed the point in the 90th minute with Marc Macgregor netting with his last touch before being replaced by Richard Macadie.
INVERURIE LOCOS 1 CLACHNACUDDIN 0
Blustery conditions were again the order of the day at Harlaw with both sides showing attacking intent but no cutting edge.
Locos eventually took the lead in 34 minutes when Jay Halliday was at the back post to nod home a cross from the right.
Halliday should have added a second late on in the half, while substitute Nathan Meres rounded Michael Miele, but shot wide.
There was no further scoring in an uneventful second half.
HUNTLY 0 NAIRN 0
This match brought down the curtain on the season for both sides, as well as Steve Mackay and Ross Tokely’s time with Nairn.
They didn’t get the result that would have seen them end the campaign above Huntly, with the Black and Golds remaining one point above the Wee County.
The hosts went close to going ahead twice in the first half, with Ryan Sewell rattling the woodwork on both occasions.
Fraser Dingwall was sent off in time-added after receiving a second yellow, re-entering the field of play without permission.
Tokely very nearly ended his career with goal, but his 94th-minute free-kick flew wide.
LOSSIEMOUTH 0 TURRIFF UNITED 0
A point ensured that Turriff could yet climb up to seventh by winning their last two matches of the season, but that lack of a win has made that task a little bit harder.
The match wasn’t one for the purists, with defences on top.
Lossie had the best of the firsthalf chances, with Turriff keeper David Dey doing well to keep out efforts from Lewis Mcandrew and Ross Morrison.
At the other end, Cameron Farquhar stretched every fibre to deny Ewan Clark in the second half.