(03/12/2022 – GPH BUILDERS MERCHANTS HIGHLAND LEAGUE CUP SECOND ROUND – GRANT PARK, LOSSIEMOUTH)
Lossiemouth exited the GPH Builders Merchants Highland League at the hands of Brechin City, suffering their second reverse of the season to the former SPFL Championship outfit. The patched-up Chinners failed to live up to the hype surrounding their title charge and won out with a goal towards the end of either half.
That Lossie went into the game at all was a surprise after an admin error from Nairn County saw them side removed from the competition and Lossie reinstated, while Brechin had disposed of Rothes in the first round. Sweet Chin Music had a different look about them from the previous meeting between the sides, with only six starting players from the August meeting beginning the game at Grant Park.
The changes did little for Brechin, who turned Lossie over inside of half an hour last time out only to struggle for any kind of rhythm on this occasion. Lossie avoided conceding an early goal, and were appealing for a penalty in the opening stages after Fraser Forbes was felled on his way into the area. Referee Gordon Seago was in no mood for handing out spot kicks despite the amateur dramatics on show from Kieran Inglis and Kevin McHattie in the first half.
A frustrating afternoon for the tourists saw Michael McArthur go into the book and Grady McGrath given a dressing down by Seago as Lossie refused to yield. The Coasters occasionally interrupted the moody being thrown by their guests to threaten, with Ryan Farquhar lobbing a free kick into the area that Brechin only just dealt with, and a Farquhar cross was taken on the chest by Ross Elliott only for the Lossie forward to run out of room ahead of getting a shot away.
Injury time had commenced when Brechin stole in front. A long hoof over the top landed nicely for McGrath, who outpaced the shed side linesman before drilling the ball beyond Logan Ross.
HALF TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 0-1 BRECHIN CITY
Looking to capitalise on their labouring opponents, Lossie started the second half well and Farquhar dispossessed Euan Spark after a heavy touch before shooting over. Whatever was upsetting Brechin in the first half followed them back out for the second, with some behatted individual on the travelling bench getting a stern talking to from Seago, as did McHattie who – after being skinned and dropped like a bad habit by Forbes on the edge of the area – received a yellow card for verbally expressing his frustrations at having to work for a living as Lossie refused to roll over.
The hour mark came and went with Lossie still in the game, and the hosts added Adam Macleod to the mix in a bid to mix things up, but it was the Brechin Macleod who finished the game off, turning on the edge of the area before planting the ball in the corner of the net beyond Ross.
While the winter frost began mking its way through the soles of everyones shoes, the action on the pitch was a touch warmer. McGrath drew a fine point blank save from Ross to keep the score down, while Marc Scott was sent on for Brechin but only after a mad dash by a minion back to the changing rooms to get him the correct shirt. Farquhar then stung the palms of Brechin keeper Dean Easton with a shot from outside the area, with the ball eventually scrambled clear.
The game threatened to come apart as bookings and subs interrupted the final fifteen minutes, with Weir, Stuart and Morrison all shown a yellow card, while Spark and teammate Jamie Bain decided to have a shouting match in the middle of the pitch for reasons unknown as whatever was upsetting Brechin continued to upset them right until the final whistle.
Brechin head into the semi-finals for the second year in a row, a possible distraction to their title charge, while Lossie return to league business on the weekend with a trip to Fraserburgh.
FULL TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 0-2 BRECHIN CITY
TEAMS:
LOSSIEMOUTH – Logan Ross; Michael Weir, Lewis McAndrew, Ryan O’Halloran, Jared Kennedy, Liam Archibald, Ryan Farquhar, Niall Kennedy (Baylee Campbell (82)), Ryan Stuart (Ross Morrison (87)), Fraser Forbes (Adam Macleod (66)), Ross Elliott; UNUSED SUBS – Ross Archibald, Struan Fraser, Stephen Woodhouse
BRECHIN CITY – Dean Easton; Jamie Bain, Kevin McHattie, Nathan Cooney, Marc Scott (Ryan McInnes (75), Grady McGrath, Kieran Inglis, Fraser MacLeod, Michael McArthur (Aaron Arnott (80)), Ewan Loudon, Euan Spark; UNUSED SUBS – Lenny Wilson; Botti Biabi
GOALS:
BRECHIN CITY – Grady McGrath (45+), Fraser Macleod (67)
REFEREE:
Gordon Seago