PICTURES: Joy for Lossiemouth boss Joe Russell after 4-2 Highland League success over Strathspey Thistle at Grant Park makes it three wins in a row for Coasters
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WHAT a difference a week makes in football!
After the shock of conceding 13 goals in two heavy defeats to title-chasing teams, Lossiemouth have sent confidence soaring sky high with three straight wins in the space of eight days – booking a cup semi-final and shooting up to 11th place in the Breedon Highland League table in the process.
The Coasters recorded their third consecutive win on Wednesday night at Grant Park with a hard-earned 4-2 victory over bottom-of-the-table Strathspey Thistle.
While the win moved Lossie five points clear of the relegation play-off trap door, manager Joe Russell insisted afterwards that he wants his players to be looking up and not over their shoulder.
“That is a monkey off our back, “ he said. “I was reading something today that we have not had three wins on the bounce since we took over, in fact I think it was 2016 since Lossie has won three games on the bounce. I am delighted for the players.
“What I said to the boys before the game was that the team in 10th was on six points and if we got the win that moves us up the table. I don’t want us to be looking over our shoulders all the time.
“We just try and aim for the team in front of us and we go for that, we don’t look behind us, otherwise that becomes a distraction.
“The focus is always on getting as many wins as we can, getting as many points as we can and getting as high up the table as we can.”
Russell has played the same starting eleven in those three games.
“I am delighted for them and they have worked extremely hard. Some of the boys have not had a sniff for a while, have come in and done us a job. It’s been an easy pick.
“Unfortunately, we have a couple missing for Saturday (at Brechin) so I can’t pick the same eleven.
“We started the first half really well and then dropped off a little bit.
“In the second half we got back to what we had been doing well, getting the ball on the deck and playing it.”
Skipper Liam Archibald set the ball rolling when he headed home from Ryan Farquhar’s cross after 13 minutes. Owen Loveland made it 1-1 at the break.
However, two goals inside the opening 15 minutes of the second half through Ross Elliot and Ross Archibald put Lossie in command.
The Grantown men ensured a nervy end to the match when Liam Taylor scored from close range.
But Baylee Campbell, with his first goal in the Highland League, sealed the points in the third minute of added time when he latched on to Logan Ross’s long goal kick to run in and smash in a fourth goal.
“I am delighted for him. It was a great finish. He’s been out for ages with a twisted ankle.”
