Highland League reports: Turriff United hold Buckie Thistle; Brora Rangers increase summit lead

Buckie Thistle boss Lewis MacKinnon was left ruing missed opportunities after their draw with Turriff United.

In tricky conditions at Victoria Park this Breedon Highland League encounter finished 0-0.

Although the point ends a run of three straight losses for the Jags and lifts them above Nairn County into seventh in the table, MacKinnon was left wondering what might have been.

He said: “I’m disappointed not to get the three points. I thought we dominated from start to finish bar a 10-minute spell at the start of the second half when they had us penned in, partially because of the wind.

“We were going for the win and didn’t want to settle for a point, but unfortunately we didn’t take our chances.

“There were a lot of good things in the performance, but I can’t help but think about the opportunities missed.

“The clean sheet is very welcome, but you always want more than that.”

Meanwhile, Turriff remain unbeaten under new manager Greg Moir after following up wins at Fraserburgh and Rothes with this draw.

United remain 11th in the table and Moir added: “The effort and determination was there, but the quality wasn’t great.

“Buckie dealt with the conditions better than us, however, we’re a team that’s gaining experience and overall I’m happy.

“If you’d said to me we’d get seven points out of nine from three away games with three clean sheets I would have taken that and I think most managers in the Highland League would take that.”

Match action

Although endeavour wasn’t in short supply, goalmouth action was at a premium in the first half, with the best openings coming in the second period.

In the 54th minute Turra’s Ryan McLean forced a good save from home goalkeeper Sean McIntosh with a strike from 25 yards.

Midway through the second half Buckie’s best chance arrived when Ryan Fyffe crossed from the left, but Josh Peters shot against the left post from eight yards with the goal gaping.

Bodhan Campbell took a fresh air swipe for the Jags from 12 yards and Peters also sent a header over, while in the 90th minute Turriff twice came close to grabbing a winner.

First Owen Kinsella’s free-kick from the right broke for Finlay Morris inside the box and McIntosh did well to block the 15-yard shot.

Then the ball broke back to Kinsella who fired just wide from 30 yards.

Rothes 1-5 Brora Rangers

Brora Rangers increased their lead over Formartine United at the top of the Highland League to seven points after a 5-1 win over a much-improved Rothes outfit.

In the 18th minute, it took a fabulous flying tip-over the top from Brora goalkeeper Daniel Rae to stop a ferocious 15-yard Brodie Mitchell drive from giving the Speysiders the lead.

Brora – who have played three games more than their closest challengers Formartine – opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Rothes failed to clear a corner kick.

When the ball came back in, former Rothes striker Aidan Wilson stooped to send a deft header into the far corner of the net.

Brora made it 2-0 six minutes from the break with a goal direct from a corner kick on the left from Tony Dingwall.

Rothes reduced the leeway in the 50th minute when on-loan Elgin City teenage central defender Ben Davidson headed home a corner at the back post for his first goal in the Highland League.

Just before the hour, Brora restored their two-goal advantage when Dingwall beat home keeper Stewart Black in a race for the ball and fired home from 10 yards.

Early in the second half, the game was held up for a couple of minutes when a young supporter in the far-side enclosure appeared to collapse, and both club’s physios raced to help. After treatment was administered, the match continued.

The visitors made it 4-1 in the 68th minute when Owen Alexander turned a Shane Sutherland cross into his own net, and with 10 minutes to go, Connor Bunce added another.

[Source: Press and Journal]