Forres Mechanics legend Lee Fraser celebrates 150th Cans goal in 2-1 defeat at Fraserburgh
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ANOTHER landmark was reached by Forres Mechanics legend Lee Fraser as he notched his 150th Can-Cans goal in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Fraserburgh.
Fraser – back playing up top after a long spell at centre-back – put Forres ahead at Bellslea in the first half, but a second-half double from Scott Barbour gave the hosts all three points.
Although pleased with his goal, Fraser said he didn't know it was his 150th Cans strike, rather thinking it was number 149, and said the loss soured any potential celebration.
"My last goal was against Clach but I didn’t know this one was the 150th," he said.
"I knew when I got my testimonial how many goals I was on and I was trying to keep count but I must have miscounted.
"I thought this was 149 and I was on my way home when it came up on Facebook that I had scored my 150th.
"I was pleased to score but I thought it was 149. It was always on my mind that I wanted to get 150 but it had been a long time since I scored at Clach.
"I wasn’t thinking about my goal because we had lost, but it does feel good to have 150 goals.
"I watched the goal back over the weekend and I was pleased with it but I suppose the striker instinct doesn’t leave you. When you are playing centre half you can sense what the striker is thinking and know how to react."
Centre-half is where Fraser has spent the majority of the last season and a half playing, replacing his twin brother Graham at the heart of the defence after his injury.
It's a challenge he has enjoyed – and something different from the majority of the 13 seasons he has spent at Mosset Park since signing on July 1, 2010, at the age of 17.
"I think I played the whole of last season at centre back and half of the season before, after Graham got injured," he said.
"There was one game against Buckie when we played centre half together and he got injured. I would sometimes go up top if we needed a goal in a game but it’s mainly been centre half.
"I felt if I went back up top I could get a goal and I was delighted to get one and put us in front, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter because we lost, and that was a bit of a sickener."
Fraser's striker at Fraserburgh was his fifth of the campaign and he could perhaps be back up top when Mechanics travel to Inverness to take on Clachnacuddin tonight (Wednesday).
He added: "When I came back from my second knee injury I didn’t think i would ever get to my best but right now I feel the fittest I’ve been in a long time.
"That’s five goals for the season now, four from centre half but I do enjoy playing up front. You don’t have as much running to do in defence but I do thrive on scoring goals."
