(10/09/2011 – SCOT-ADS HIGHLAND LEAGUE – GRANT PARK, LOSSIEMOUTH)
Lossiemouth produced the result of their season so far with a fine win over big spending Shire side Formartine United. A sublime first half strike from Colin Charlesworth and a second half goal from Nikki Smith secured the points for a Lossie side that fought for everything from start to finish and refused to be bullied by their monied opponents.
Lossie started the game with both Archibald brothers and Rick Wardrop up front, while Bryan Bell replaced Sam Milton at the back. Formartine were without both first team goalkeepers and drafted in Keirin McCaffrey to don the gloves. The Pitmedden side were also without Alex Notman and Andy Bagshaw, but were not without experience and talent in their starting line-up.
The match began at a slow pace and neither side created much in front of goal. Barrie Stephen came close to setting up Stuart McKay with a curling ball into the box but McKay failed to get a full head on the ball and sent it wide.
With half an hour gone, Lossie roared into the lead with a goal worthy of a bigger stage. Martin McMullan lofted a cross to the back post where it was volleyed back across goal by Colin Charlesworth, beyond the outstretched hand of McCaffrey. For a team which had struggled for goals so far this season, it was a spectacular way to get off the mark and Charlesworth and his teammates took great delight in the goal.
Formartine searched for an equaliser ahead of the interval, but a Stuart McKay effort was blocked by McMullan, and the ball eventually rebounded to Michael McGinlay who sent his shot wide of goal.
HALF TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 1-0 FORMARTINE UNITED
Lossie played with fire in the opening stages of the second half, letting Formartine have far too much possession which in turn resulted in the visitors earning a large number of corners, all of which were cleared by Lossie with little fuss.
From further out, Formartine tried their luck with a number of set-pieces. Bobby Mann curled a free kick over the players into the box and could only watch as the ball came back off the far upright. Stuart McKay reacted fastest to the loose ball, but could only prod it wide from a few feet out. Mann went close again with another free kick, crashing the ball off the crossbar from the same distance out.
Lossie stunned their guests by extending their lead with over twenty minutes remaining. Ricky Wardrop found recent substitute Nikki Smith unmarked on the edge of the penalty area. Smith took his time to let the ball come to him before placing a shot back across goal and into the bottom corner of the goal, giving McCaffrey no chance of getting to the ball.
Lossie could have finished the game soon after. Jamie Bagley wasn’t far away from being the second substitute to get his name on the scoresheet, sprinting past the Formartine defence before rifling a shot across goal and just wide of McCaffreys far post.
The game ended on a sour note, with Formartine sub Jason Coyle catching the head of the grounded Darren McConnachie while the keeper made a save. McConnachie threw the ball out of play in an effort to get treatment, only for Formartine to keep possession close to the Lossie goal once play restarted, proving you can buy all the players you want but you can’t buy class.
Lossie saw out the closing minutes to record their fourth clean sheet in seven games, and their first league win over the recent arrivals on the Highland League scene, leaving the home support more optimistic ahead of a tricky trip to Cove Rangers and a testing Scottish Cup tie against Auchinleck Talbot.
FULL TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 2-0 FORMARTINE UNITED
TEAMS…
LOSSIEMOUTH – Darren McConnachie; Tony Ross, Kevin Flett, Bryan Bell, Kevin Stuart, Garry Macdonald (Jamie Bagley (46)), Colin Charlesworth, Martin McMullan, Ricky Wardrop (Ricky Wardopn (85)), Ross Archibald (Nikki Smith (65)), Liam Archibald; UNUSED SUBS – Scott Matheson, Craig Morrison
FORMARTINE UNITED – Keirin McCaffrey; Stuart Cumming (Jason Coyle (81)), Stuart Smith, Bobby Mann, Ross Campbell, Connor Rennie (Mark Smith (65)), Barrie Stephen, Michael McGinlay, Stuart McKay, Calum Bagshaw, Ryan Strachan (Stuart Soane (65)); UNUSED SUBS – Neil McVitie, Richard Davidson
GOALS:
LOSSIEMOUTH – Colin Charlesworth (31), Nikki Smith (69)
REFEREE: Tam Shaw
