Forres fought back from 3-1 down to end Fraserburgh’s perfect start to the Highland League season.
The Broch dropped their first points of the season but managed to preserve their unbeaten record in a topsy-turvy 90 minutes at Bellslea.
Fraserburgh assistant manager James Duthie felt his side would have made it seven wins out of seven had Scott Barbour’s goal not been disallowed when the Broch were 3-1 up.
He said: “We were 3-1 up so it’s definitely two points dropped.
“If Scott Barbour’s goal had been allowed that would have made it 4-1 and not to get that decision was disappointing.
“Take nothing away from Forres, I think they deserved their point.
“Given the amount of injuries we have at the minute, we weren’t able to change the team as much as we would have liked. We looked really tired near the end as the boys put in so much with only 10 men to win at Buckie on Wednesday night.”
Scott Barbour thought he’d opened the scoring for the home side after 21 minutes but his angled drive across goal whistled just wide of the far post.
But the Fraserburgh men were not to be denied.
A minute later Paul Campbell opened the scoring when his eight-yard shot beat Stuart Knight in the Mechanics goal – with the help of a deflection off a Forres defender.
Campbell he made it 2-0 on the half-hour mark, giving Knight no chance with a rising 22-yard drive from a Bryan Hay feed. Forres pulled a goal back in the 35th minute when Andrew Macrae planted the ball though Broch goalie Paul Leask’s legs from eight yards to reduce the deficit.
Two minutes later, Milne thought he had equalised but Willie West managed to head the striker’s well-struck 15-yard effort off the line.
Fraserburgh made it 3-1 six minutes after the interval when Sean Butcher reached a cross before Knight and turned the ball home from a yard.
Sixty seconds later, Scott Barbour had the ball in the Forres net again but the strike was ruled out for offside.
At the other end, defender Aaron Hamilton, who was deployed in an unaccustomed role in attack, looked to have doubled Forres’ tally.
But as he wheeled away to celebrate his effort was also ruled out for offside. Seconds later Butcher saw his clever 12-yard chip come off the face of the Forres crossbar before being cleared to safety.
In the 71st minute, Forres’ Macrae made it 3-2 when he slid the ball past the advancing Leask on the angle.
With just three minutes to go, the Can-Cans drew level when Hamilton’s eight-yard header was too good for Leask and finished in the far corner of the net.
Forres manager Charlie Rowley said: “I think we deserved a point.
“We could have gone 4-1 down when the linesman gave Scott Barbour offside and we possibly deserved that bit of luck as we applied ourselves really well.
“Robbie Duncanson was the standout in the first half.
But Andrew Macrae, with his two goals, was always a threat.”
