Highland League kick-off: Big wins for Buckie Thistle and Inverurie Locos, champs Brora Rangers and new boys Brechin City start well
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BUCKIE Thistle hit scoring form in their coast derby with Lossiemouth to make a flying start to the Highland League season.
Jags took half an hour to make a breakthrough with captain Kevin Fraser netting, shortly followed by a second from Scott Adams.
A young Lossie side couldn't stem the flow of attacks as Andrew MacAskill added two more in the second half before Adams' second sealed a 5-0 success.
Rothes found a new-look Fort William side a tough nut to crack at first but two new signings helped them to victory.
New stopper Michael Finnis headed home from a corner on 30 minutes to give the Speysiders the lead.
Sub Ross Gunn missed a good chance before Jack Brown added goal number two on 68 minutes.
Another home sub Shane Harkness marked his first appearance as a permanent signing by making it 3-0, before Ross Jack's side were reduced to ten men when another sub Gary Kerr was red carded for two bookings.
Results:
Brechin City 3-1 Turriff United
Buckie Thistle 5-0 Lossiemouth
Deveronvale 0-3 Brora Rangers
Forres Mechanics 1-1 Wick Academy
Fraserburgh 3-0 Formartine United
Huntly 1-1 Strathspey Thistle
Inverurie Locos 5-0 Clachnacuddin
Keith 0-2 Nairn County
Rothes 3-0 Fort William
Forres Mechanics were denied a winning return to Highland League football by a stoppage time Wick Academy equaliser.
Lee Fraser's first half finish looked to have won it for Cans until Jack Halliday popped up with a last-gasp rescue goal.
Brechin City's first-ever Highland league match was at home to Turriff United.
The Angus side scored twice in quick success around the half hour mark through Gregor Jordan and Marc Scott.
Rory Brown got one back for Turriff before half time but Rory Currie added Brechin's third on 48 minutes.
Three minutes later Brechin had Jack Milne sent off for two bookings, but the ten men saw the game out.
Champions Brora Rangers prived too strong for hosts Deveronvale, winning 3-0 in Banff.
A stuunning Andy MacRae strike gave the Cattachs a 1-0 half time lead, and further goals by Tom Kelly and Ali Sutherland wrapped up their win.
Keith made a disappointing start, losing 2-0 at home to Nairn County.
After a goal-less first half, the visitors struck through Liam Shewan (73) and Seamus McConaghy (84) for a winning start.
Fraserburgh beat Formartine United 3-0 in a dress rehearsal for next week's Aberdeenshire Cup final.
Scott Barbour's 15th minute strike was quickly followed by a Kieran Simpson header to put Broch in control at the break.
A last minute Sean Butcher strike wrapped up the points for the Buchan men.
Inverurie Locos made an impressive start with a 5-0 win at home to Clach.
Mark Souter (25) and Andy Watt (27) had Locos 2-0 up at the break and further efforts by Kieran Shanks and new signing Robert Ward with a brace made things easy for the Harlaw Park men.
Greg Buchan's debut goal rescued a point for Huntly after Strathspey led at the break through a Kieran Chalmers goal.
