Forres Mechanics boss Steven MacDonald hailed legendary twins Graham and Lee Fraser following their big testimonial night against Elgin City.
Although goals from Darryl McHardy, Kane Hester and Josh Peters sealed a 3-0 victory for the League 2 visitors on Friday, the occasion was to honour defender Graham and striker Lee.
The brothers have served the Moray club for 12 years after being signed by Charlie Rowley and have committed to a further two seasons at Mosset Park.
MacDonald is full of praise for their long-serving contribution to the Can-Cans.
He said: “It was the twins’ night and they both did really well.
“They can look back on the game with fond memories. They both have great attitudes and are really good guys. They have been fantastic for the club.
“Hopefully they have still got a long time to go here because they still have plenty to offer. They have been tremendously loyal and they give you everything.
“It’s a manager’s dream to have guys like that.”
Forres’ fitness showed up well – boss
After falling 2-0 down early on, MacDonald was concerned the game might run away from Forres.
However, he praised his players for digging deep, especially after Elgin’s Brian Cameron missed a spot-kick after just 15 minutes.
He said: “Elgin were miles better at the start. They were sharp and slick. They looked at a different level for a while, with their midfield rotations.
“We just couldn’t handle them at all. I feared it could have been a bit of a hiding, but thankfully we managed to get it together.
“It was our first proper (pre-season) game, so I was pleased that we didn’t capitulate and I thought our fitness levels were quite good.
“We kept the ball better in the second half, apart from switching off for the third goal. I was pretty pleased.
“It was good to get a competitive game against a side which is better than us. We worked really hard and didn’t disgrace ourselves.”
MacDonald on looking for recruits
And MacDonald, whose side kick off their Highland League season on July 23 away to Strathspey Thistle, added: “The boys have worked really hard and we maybe need two or three players.
“I think every club is looking for add-ons right now. We have a lot of young boys, who we are giving games to, but we also need players in some areas I want to improve on.”
The Can-Cans’ preparations for the new season continue on Wednesday when they host Caley Thistle’s under-18s.
Other Highland League sides’ friendly results
Several other Highland League sides were in friendly action over the weekend, with Turriff United’s 2-1 win over promoted Junior Superleague champions Banks o’ Dee the most eye-catching result.
Murray Thompson’s 75th-minute goal separated the sides.
Meanwhile, Nairn County’s friendly against Washington Huskies – the second-best college side in the United States last season – ended in a 6-0 defeat for the Station Park outfit.
The Wee County were only a goal down at the interval, but tiring legs in their first pre-season outing, as well as the visiting side’s quick counter-attacking, saw the American side run away with it.
Nairn’s reserves, who play in the North Caley league, were also defeated on Saturday, going down 2-0 to Highland League Strathspey Thistle.
Highland League champions Fraserburgh beat Juniors East End 6-0, while Buckie Thistle ran out 2-1 winners over Culter, Rothes won 5-1 at Dufftown, and Huntly blitzed Ellon United 9-0.
It was a similar story as Keith beat Juniors Islavale 5-1 and Inverurie Locos won 4-0 at Rothie Rovers, although Formartine United went down 2-0 at home to another Junior side in Hermes.
It was 0-0 between Buchanhaven Hearts and Deveronvale.
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