Saturday January 12th
Record-breaker Macadie helps lift Academy back to top spot
In-form Academy
reclaimed top spot in the Highland League with a convincing 4-0 away victory
over Lossiemouth, bringing their goal tally to 20 in the last four games.
Richard Macadie
struck twice and in the process became the club's leading scorer since they
joined the HFL. He now has 106 goals to his name and there are surely many more
to come from the prolific attacking midfielder.
With Cove Rangers'
match postponed due to a frozen pitch at Clach, the Scorries travelled to Grant
Park knowing that even a draw would put them back at the summit.
As it was, they
eased to victory with a third clean sheet in their last four outings, while
hitting the woodwork three times and passing up a number of other chances.
The opener came on
12 minutes when Stevie Cunningham delivered a long-range pass and Davie Allan
beat Errol Watson to the ball, dinking it over the keeper and into the net.
Academy doubled
their lead after 27 minutes when Lukasz Geruzel won an aerial battle and set up
Macadie who drove the ball into the bottom corner.
Macadie's
record-breaking goal came 11 minutes later with a speculative strike that left
Watson with no chance. Collecting a throw-in on the right, Macadie hit a
half-volley that flew into the far top corner via the underside of the bar.
Lossie were much
improved in the second half but Academy stepped things up in the closing stages
and, for the second week in a row, new recruit Graham Bayne got his name on the
scoresheet after coming off the bench. A shot from fellow substitute Bryan
McKiddie was blocked by Watson and Bayne was on hand to take full advantage,
firing the ball in from a tight angle.
This was Academy's
13th win from 17 league fixtures this term and they are now two
points clear of second-placed Cove with a game in hand, although the rest of
the chasing pack all have some catching up to do in terms of their own
fixtures.
Academy's previous
opponents and next opponents met at The Haughs, where Turriff United bounced
back from their 6-2 Harmsworth hammering with a 7-1 victory over Rothes.
Robbie Allan headed
Turriff in front inside the opening 30 seconds and the same player struck again
eight minutes later. Stuart Taylor added the third after 21 minutes and he
completed his own double three minutes before the break.
Not to be outdone,
Gary Harris also weighed in with a couple of goals, in the 62nd and
82nd minutes, before Callum McIntosh netted a consolation effort for
the Speysiders with six minutes remaining.
But within two
minutes Turriff restored their six-goal goal advantage courtesy of Nick Gray.
Keith matched Academy's current run of four wins in a row as
they beat Forres Mechanics 2-1 at Kynoch Park.
Cammy Keith put the home side in front in the 35th
minute as the Maroons went in pursuit of the three points that would lift them
above the reigning champions in the table.
Ross Archibald, the Can-Cans' new signing from
Lossiemouth, netted a debut goal on the hour mark but Keith's Jonathan Smith
struck the winner with 20 minutes to go.
Stuart McKay's stoppage-time goal gave 10-man Inverurie
Locos a 1-0 win against Deveronvale at Princess Royal Park.
Locos' Steven Park got his marching orders after half an
hour for handling a goal-bound shot from Kris Duncan. Vale's Scott Fraser
missed from the spot for the second week in a row, and the Banffers were made
to pay when McKay pounced in the fourth minute of injury time to
clinch all three points for the visitors.
In the only other match to beat the weather, Fraserburgh
and Brora Rangers drew 0-0 at Bellslea Park.
Highland League fixtures for Saturday, January 19: Brora
Rangers v Nairn County; Buckie Thistle v Clachnacuddin; Cove Rangers v Keith;
Forres Mechanics v Formartine United; Fort William v Strathspey Thistle; Huntly
v Deveronvale; Inverurie Locos v Turriff United; Lossiemouth v Fraserburgh;
Wick Academy v Rothes.
