Highland League round-up
Friday December 23rd
Allan double earns derby win for Wick Academy
A well-taken double by Davie Allan gave Academy a 2-1
victory over Brora Rangers in Friday night’s Highland League derby at Dudgeon
Park.
There was a big travelling support for this eagerly
awaited encounter and they saw Academy control the match for long spells,
winning most of the midfield tussles and carving out numerous chances.
Gary Weir came close when he saw an angled shot come
bouncing back off a post, but the Scorries had to wait until the stroke of
half-time for the opener. Allan latched on to a long ball and he had plenty of
time to compose himself before slotting it past keeper Shaun McCarthy via the
woodwork.
Allan’s second came six minutes after the break when an
electrifying burst of pace took him through the heart of the Brora defence and
he rounded McCarthy before rolling the ball into the net.
The Scorries thought they had added a third midway
through the second half but Weir was adjudged to be offside when he nodded the
ball over the line after a Richard Macadie shot had come off the underside of
the bar.
Brora pulled one back on 69 minutes when Alex Macleod
swept the ball home from close range, but Academy held on comfortably enough
for a win which lifts them to ninth in the table.
Forres Mechanics remain five points clear at the top
after an emphatic 4-0 victory over Nairn County in their derby clash at Mosset
Park.
The Can-Cans went ahead after 25 minutes through a Martin
Macdonald own goal, and Scott Moore doubled their lead in the 37th minute.
Simon Allan netted a 90th-minute penalty and there was
still time for Neil Whyte to add a fourth for the league leaders.
Fraserburgh had two players sent off in the first half as
they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Cove Rangers at Allan Park.
Danny Milne put Cove ahead in the 11th minute and by the
midway point in the first period the Broch were down to nine men after first
Graham Johnston and then Dean Cowie got their marching orders.
Fraserburgh managed to keep their discipline for the
remainder of the game but couldn’t force an equaliser.
A seventh-minute strike by Martin Charlesworth was enough
to give Buckie Thistle a 1-0 win against Deveronvale in front of a 1000-strong
crowd at Victoria Park. Vale’s Graeme Rodger was sent off late in the game.
Clach cruised to a 6-0 victory over Fort William at Grant
Street Park, with Sam Urquhart hitting a hat-trick against his former club.
Chris Ross, Scott Graham and Paul Brindle got the others.
Inverurie Locos stormed to a 4-0 first-half lead against
Huntly at Christie Park and that was how it stayed. Craig Ross, Neil Gauld,
John Maitland and Ryan Broadhurst got the goals.
Clark Bain of Inverurie was sent off before Huntly’s Alex
Thoirs suffered a similar fate.
Keith were 3-0 winners over Lossiemouth at Kynoch Park.
Jonathan Smith, Andrew Macaskill and Dean Donaldson were on target for the
Maroons, who remain in the bottom half of the table but with a number of games
in hand over the teams around them.
At North Lodge Park, Formartine United had a 2-1 victory
over a Turriff side who played most of the game with 10 men.
Formartine were ahead through a Bobby Mann free kick when
Turriff keeper Grant Pennet was red-carded shortly before half-time. Barrie
Stephen added a second for Formartine before Robbie Allan reduced the deficit
in the closing stages.
Strathspey Thistle remain three points adrift at the foot
of the table after a 3-1 defeat to Rothes at Mackessack Park. Sean McIntosh
struck twice and Michael McKinnon was also on the mark for Rothes, with Fraser
Munro pulling one back for the Grantown Jags.
