Jags thump Forres to avenge 7-2 loss

Highland League By Craig Christie

A STRONG finish to the season can still land Buckie Thistle a top five place after gaining revenge on Forres Mechanics with their best performance of the season. That’s the view of Jags’ boss Graeme Stewart, who watched his team thump Forres 4-1 at gale-lashed Victoria Park on Saturday to get their own back on a 7-2 thrashing against the Moray side earlier in the campaign. He saw substitutes Craig Cowie and Hamish Munro edge closer to full fitness following long term injuries by scoring a goal apiece, while Sam Robertson and man of the match Callum Murray were also on target for a dominant Buckie. “I was delighted with that,” said Stewart. “We could have won by a couple more because we had a few other chances but you can’t really complain about a 4-1 win against a team like Forres. “It was the best I’ve seen from us all season so far.” “It was good for Squish [Hamish Munro] to come on and get a goal in his first game back. It’s been a long time that he’s been out. Kev Fraser started the game and made a huge difference, dominating midfield, while it was probably Callum Murray’s best game in a Buckie shirt as well. “So quite a few of the players were at a level that I’m hoping they can stay at for the rest of the season.” Referee Filippo Mazzoni consulted both managers about the difficult overhead conditions before allowing the game to go ahead. Robertson put Buckie ahead inside five minutes, although Forres’ Stuart Soane levelled the scores at the break Jags had the elements in their favour after the break and Murray scored from the edge of the box to restore the home lead. In the closing 15 minutes Cowie knocked in his first of the season soon after coming on, and Munro – who had replaced the lively Murray just minutes earlier – capped his comeback with a composed finish to wrap up the victory.
Stewart said Buckie’s horror defeat at Mosset Park back in October formed a large part of his pre-match team talk on Saturday. “We talked about it and although it was never a 7-2, it was an embarrassing result and we had to put it right. “We needed to go and show we can match them and scrap and battle. So we laid down a challenge to the lads and they managed to step up to it.” Buckie are now seven points behind sixth-placed Mechanics with a game in hand. Stewart wants to overtake the Cans and has challenged Jags to put together a run which could even put fifth-placed Inverurie in their sights. “We probably have to go ten games unbeaten and win at least eight of them. If we can do that then fifth is a possibility, there’s not many teams who can do that so it is very difficult but it has got to be our target.” Three more points could be added to the Buckie tally if they take care of Saturday’s 2pm kick-off match at Clach. Scott Adams and Jay Cheyne are back in training but unlikely to be back playing for a couple of weeks.