(03/09/2022 – BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE – GRANT PARK, LOSSIEMOUTH)
LOSSIEMOUTH demolished NAIRN COUNTY to claim another home win as the climb up the table continues. Ross Elliott started the rout after half an hour, and a pair of Dean Stewart penalties straddled the interval to leave Lossie in command, despite a Liam Shewan goal for Nairn. Baylee Campbell added a fourth and Liam Archibald a superb fifth as Lossie eased away from their guests for the third time in four meetings.
Lossie welcomed Dean Stewart back into the side, while Ryan Farquhar missed out due to suspension. Nairn arrived at Grant Park looking for a rare win over the Coasters, having lost twice on their own turf to Lossie last season while also needing to come form behind at Grant Park to earn a point last November.
Lossie were fast out of the blocks and took the game to an incoherent-looking Nairn right from the start, although neither side could claim to have tested the opposing goalkeeper in the opening spell. From a free kick, James Leslie powered a header towards Will Counsell’s goal, only to watch the ball drift just wide at the last.
With half an hour gone, Lossie put the foot down to leave Nairn behind. Dean Stewart’s cross from the right went through the box uncleared by a lax Nairn defence and Ross Elliott poached the opener at the back post to give Lossie a deserved lead. Moments later, Will Counsell kept his Nairn side in the game with a super one-handed stop from Ryan Stuart. From the resulting corner, Lewis Mcandrew flashed a header across the face of goal and just wide of the post.
Four minutes from half time, Lossie put daylight between themselves and Nairn. Ryan Stuart skipped through the Nairn defence and evaded a pair of challenges before leaving Scott Davidson with no option but to haul him down in the area. With regular penalty taker Dean Stewart back in the side, there was no argument over who would be taking the kick and Stewart marked his first half of the season with his first goal.
HALF TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 2-0 NAIRN COUNTY
Clearly inspired by some choice words at half time in the changing rooms, Nairn were immediately perkier following the restart and just six minutes into the second half the tourists were back in the game. John Grant drew a save from Logan Ross and before Lossie could swipe clear the loose ball Liam Shewan prodded home to give Nairn hope of improvement.
Lossie were in no mood to let anything slip and just four minutes later restored their two-goal advantage. Baylee Campbell tore through on goal down the right and at the last moment angled his run across Counsell who had no choice but to haul him down. Dean Stewart stepped up to convert his second penalty of the game, to the dismay of the Nairn bench, barely believing what they were seeing.
With Nairn looking ever more unlikely to find a way back into the game, Lossie set about finishing them off, and with seventeen minutes to go Baylee Campbell did just that. An error from Adam Porritt allowed Campbell to run through on goal from almost thirty yards out, and the youngster coolly slotted the ball below the exposed Counsell, again let down by his team.
Eight minutes from time, Lossie finished off a memorable afternoon with a fifth goal, and it was the goal of the game. Jack MacArthur swept a cross in from the shed side touchline and Liam Archibald caught it with venom, volleying home in mid-air to give Counsell no chance and Lossie their biggest victory since trouncing Fort William by five clear goals in 2019. The final whistle saw a shell-shocked Nairn unsure of how to react, with Dingwall and Young both eschewing the post-match on-field pleasantries and bolting straight for the darkness of the changing rooms.
The win hoisted Lossie up to twelfth in the table and sets up a mixed bag of games in September, with a trip to Inverurie Loco Works up next ahead of homers against Buckie Thistle and Huntly.
HALF TIME – LOSSIEMOUTH 5-1 NAIRN COUNTY
TEAMS:
LOSSIEMOUTH – Logan Ross; Dean Stewart, James Leslie, Lewis Mcandrew, Ryan O’Halloran, Liam Archibald, Ross Morrison, Ross Archibald (Jack MacArthur (73)), Ross Elliott (Scott Thomson (41)), Ryan Stuart (Jared Kennedy (81)), Baylee Campbell; UNUSED SUBS – Fraser Forbes, Kyle Morrison
NAIRN COUNTY – Will Counsell; Glenn Main, John Grant, Adam Porritt, Fraser Dingwall, Angus Dey, Seamus McConaghy (Cameron Lisle (46)), Gordon McNab, Conor Gethins, Scott Davidson (Ciaran Young (68)), Liam Shewan; UNUSED SUBS – Sam Gordon, Kieran Duffty, Dylan Maclean
GOALS:
LOSSIEMOUTH – Ross Elliott (29), Dean Stewart (41 (pen), 58 (pen)), Baylee Campbell (72), Liam Archibald (83)
NAIRN COUNTY – Liam Shewan (53)
REFEREE:
Kevin Buchanan