Highland League round-up: Nine straight league wins for Buckie Thistle but a striker shortage could see Jags manager Graeme Stewart raid the transfer market
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A NEW striker could to at the top of Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart’s Santa list as injuries mount up at the Victoria Park club.
Jags struggled to see off lowly Turriff United 2-0 on Saturday, needing late goals by Sam Pugh and Marcus Goodall to clock up their ninth consecutive Highland League victory.
With front man Adam MacLeod recently undergoing cruciate surgery and namesake Kyle MacLeod awaiting scan results in the hope that he has not picked up a similar injury, Buckie’s attacking options were restricted.
A late call-off from 16-goal top scorer Sam Urquhart added to Stewart’s selection woes and with Goodall nursing a hamstring pull, he was forced to play Scott Adams and Max Barry as an emergency front two.
Victoria Park has been unplayable for much of the winter so far and the Jags boss said although he was pleased to see his team return to action, he questioned if Saturday’s game should have gone ahead.
“We don’t want to be falling behind in games, but the pitch was touch-and-go and it probably shouldn’t have been on,” he said. “It was a complete leveller to be honest, with the way we want to play football.
“We didn’t play well enough but I can’t be too critical. I think it’s nine wins in a row in the league and it is probably the first sticky game we’ve had in a while.
“Sam Urquhart is our top goalscorer and pitches like that suit him and Kyle MacLeod who did his knee against Lossiemouth and it looks like he could be out long term. I was gutted to be missing them as they are big players to us.
“We had one fit sub really. Lewis MacKinnon was injured and couldn’t play but we put him on the bench, and Marcus has been struggling with his hamstring and shouldn’t have been on the bench. We only added him last minute when we knew that Kyle and Sam weren’t available.
“That was a bit worrying but Marcus came on and fair play to him because his hamstring wasn’t good but he sprinted through for the second goal and we were worried about that but it was a great finish to seal the win.”
Stewart does have Declan Milne back after a long time out injured but plans to loan the striker out to bring him up to match fitness.
“Having Adam and Kyle out, it is disappointing and we might have to look at taking somebody in,” he said.
“I’m not just signing boys to make up numbers so we need somebody that is good enough to come straight into our starting eleven. If we can’t find that we will just go with what we’ve got.”
Buckie moved up to second after their win, behind leaders Fraserburgh who thrashed bottom side Fort William 12-0.
Scott Barbour and Lewis Duncan both netted hat-tricks.
Lossiemouth made Inverurie Locos battle for a 5-2 win at Harlaw Park.
Locos had won eight and drawn the other two of their ten home league games so far this season, and quickly went 2-0 up strikes by Mark Souter and Kieran Shanks' 20th of the season.
The Coasters stunned their hosts by hitting back to level from a Souter own goal and a solo effort by Ryan Sewell.
Nathan Meres restored the home lead early in the second half and Neil Gauld missed a penalty before a Dean Stewart own goal and Shanks' second sealed Locos' win.
Deveronvale lost a nine-goal thriller with Nairn County in Banff.
Angus Dey's Nairn opener was wiped out by a double from Vale trialist Andy Hunter, before a disputed Ciaran Young penalty made it 2-2 at the break.
Rory Williamson restored Nairn's lead before Innes McKay made it 3-3, then Sam Gordon got a fourth for the visitors.
A Cohen Ramsay own goal got Vale back on terms with ten minutes to go and they were on course for a point when teenage Nairn sub Kyle MacDonald netted a spectacular stoppage winner.
Forres Mechanics were edged out by Stuart Smith's sixth minute winner for Formartine United.
And a penalty by Wick Academy player manager Gary Manson proved to be the only goal of their contest at home to Strathspey Thistle, who had goalkeeper Rob Donaldson sent off.
