Fort William came from behind to earn a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Huntly and their second point of the season.
Fort manager Shadab Iftikhar was delighted with the display from his side.
He said: “I thought we played well in both halves and were unlucky to go in 1-0 down.
“The team showed great character and great mentality and I thought we raised it a level to show a really good performance for 90 minutes.
“It’s one point but we know it’s a long way to go and we now focus on the game with Brora on Wednesday.”
Iftikhar was pleased to see a decision go his sides way in the build-up to the equalising goal.
He added: “You’ve got to give credit to the referee (Kevin Buchanan), keepers can be protected and you have got to give him and his assistant credit for their performance.”
Huntly maintain a nine match unbeaten run over their opponents but manager Allan Hale was unhappy with the performance from his side.
He said: “I thought we were lucky to get a point. Fort William deserved a win and you can see their manager has made an impact and recruited well.
“We also pose a threat from a set piece and I thought it was a fantastic delivery for the goal from Greg Buchan and an excellent header from Kyle (Dalling). That shows Kyle’s quality and he’s showing signs of his early season form.
“A lot of the aspects we demand of the team on a weekly basis weren’t there today.
“There was no complacency with the preparation through the week or the instructions they were given but we got complacent on the pitch and as a coaching staff were disappointed with that.”
The deadlock was broken after 35 minutes when Greg Buchan sent in a corner from the left and his delivery was met by Kyle Dalling who netted his fourth of the season with a downward header.
Huntly had further chances to extend their lead shortly after. Former Fort winger Robbie Foster dispossessed Jordon Thompson in the 38th minute and slipped the ball in for Brodie Allen who saw his shot deflected wide of the post.
A minute later, Michael Clark would see a header saved by Mateusz Kulbacki after another Buchan delivery troubled the opposition.
Fort William drew level in the 70th minute when Yves Zama challenged Huntly goalkeeper Euan Storrier for a high ball. As the ball dropped, the forward tapped in his first Highland League goal.
Fort almost forced the lead five minutes later when substitute Darren Brew’s shot from a tight angle was tipped over the bar by Storrier.
Lossiemouth 2-1 Deveronvale
A stunning second half goal from Ryan Farquhar helped Lossiemouth earn a hard-fought win over Deveronvale at Grant Park.
Vale went ahead with an excellent strike from Robert Scott, but Farquhar levelled within a minute and a disputed penalty from Dean Stewart gave Lossiemouth all three points.
Lossiemouth assistant manager Ian Campbell praised his team’s defensive display.
He said: “I’m delighted with the win, I think we did edge it overall. We were strong at the back and have been for a few weeks now.
“We’re trying to build a young, more locally-based squad here and I think it shows in their team spirit and willingness to fight for each other.
“Ryan (Farquhar) has got a goal like that in him, it’s great to have him back here at Lossie.”
ALL OVER AND LOSSIE WIN 2-1! pic.twitter.com/sWrrhQfzg4
— Lossiemouth FC (@lossiemouthfc) February 5, 2022
Vale boss Craig Stewart lamented his lengthy injury list.
He said: “People will look at this as a poor result, but what they don’t realise is the number of players we had missing today.
“We had a young team out and missed the experience required to manage the game when needed.
“It’s a great goal, (by Farquhar) but I’m disappointed with the defending.
“We should have Robbie Allan and Ben Allan back from injury soon.”
Vale took the lead on the hour mark when a long ball was chested down by Dane Ballard to Robert Scott, and he floated a superb effort over Oliver Kelly from 20 yards.
A minute later Ryan Morrison’s cross from the right was met by Farquhar, and he adjusted superbly to send a tremendous chest-high volley flashing into the corner of the net.
Lossie were then awarded a penalty when Aaron Hamilton made a strong challenge on Ross Archibald in the area. Dean Stewart slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to put the home side in front.
The win moves the Coasters level on points with Vale, Huntly and Clach in the league table.
