(07/10/2023 – BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE – GRANT PARK, LOSSIEMOUTH)

LOSSIEMOUTH finally landed their first win of the season across all competitions as they took care of WICK ACADEMY at a drizzly Grant Park. Henry Jordan scored his first goal for the club midway through the first half to give Lossie the lead, and the goal proved to be enough to land all three points for the Coasters.

Lossie lined up with Fraser Forbes making his first start in over a month, while Ross Paterson and Dean Stewart had to make do with a place on the bench. The game was Lossie’s first since exiting the Scottish Cup in September, while Wick went into the game on a high having dealt with Forres Mechanics in midweek.

The opening stages were an even affair, with both sides creating and wasting chances. Fraser Forbes sent a header wide of goal and Jordan lashed over the bar a Ryan Stuart cross. At the other end, Goron MacNab looked to carry on his goalscoring form from midweek, when he lashed home a five-minute hat-trick against Forres , but having done the hard work in evading James Leslie he failed to hit the target. MacNab went close again later in the half, hitting the target only to find Cameron Farquhar well placed to block his effort.

Nine minutes from the break, Lossie took control of proceedings. Jordan took control of a Michael Weir cross just inside the corner of the penalty area, turned on his heels and with his left foot rifled the ball back across the face of goal and into the top corner of the net. The goal sparked jubilant scenes amongst the hardworking players who have not had the rewards their efforts have deserved this season. Things could have improved further for the hosts in first half stoppage time had Lewis Mcandrew been more accurate with a header, but his connection with a Jordan cross went just wide of goal.

HALF TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 1-0 WICK ACADEMY

Chances kept coming for both sides into the second half, with Ross Morrison testing Graeme Williamson and Robert McLean powering a header wide of target as Wick chased a leveller.

The second half proved to be a leggy affair as both sides tired, but chances kept coming and Wick should have drawn level with nine minutes to go. Ryan Campbell and MacNab combined and the latter set up Marc MacGregor who sent a header towards goal only to see it blocked on the line. Lossie should have wrapped up the points late in the second half, with Ross Morrison going close before Jordan twice went through on goal in injury time, only to fail to properly test Williamson.

The points kept Lossie in fifteenth place in the table, still above Clachnacuddin, Inverurie Loco Works and Strathspey Thistle, the latter two sides Lossie are scheduled to face across the remaining weekends of October, starting with the visit of Inverurie to Grant Park on Saturday, October 21st, 2023.

FULL TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 1-0 WICK ACADEMY

TEAMS…

LOSSIEMOUTH – Cameron Farquhar; Michael Weir, Ryan O’Halloran, James Leslie, Lewis Mcandrew, Liam Archibald, Niall Kennedy (Ross Pateron (54)), Ryan Stuart (Brodie Mitchell (43)), Ross Morrison, Fraser Forbes (Dean Stewart (73)), Henry Jordan ; UNUSED SUBS – Brandon Hutcheson, Ross Archibald, Struan Fraser, Damien Niedwiedz, Oliver Kelly

WICK ACADEMY – Graeme Williamson; Owen Rendall, Conor Farquhar (Matthew Aitkenhead (82)), Owen Harrold, Robert McLean, Ryan Campbell, Marc Coghill (Marc MacGregor (53)), Gary Pullen, Richard Macadie (Jack Halliday (53)), Gordon MacNab, Ross Gunn; UNUSED SUBS – Gary Manson, Alan Farquhar, Alan Hughes, James More

GOALS:

LOSSIEMOUTH – Henry Jordan (34)

REFEREE: Billy Baxter

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