Highland League champions Fraserburgh started their 2022/23 campaign with a 3-1 Premier Sports Cup defeat at home to Premiership Kilmarnock.
Ex-Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes took his Championship winners north for the Group B clash with Mark Cowie’s men as both teams got up and running after the summer break.
A fast start from Killie at a revamped Bellslea, packed with both Brochers and away fans, put the visitors in a strong position, with a Ross Aitken own goal and Fraser Murray free-kick the difference at half-time.
Despite an early second-half rally from the battling Broch, which culminated in Sean Butcher pulling a goal back, a Kyle Lafferty finish moments later restored the Ayrshire outfit’s two-goal cushion – and sealed three League Cup points.
Broch missing key men
Fraserburgh were without last season’s Highland League player of the year and golden boot-winner Scott Barbour for their opener, as well as his fellow forward Paul Campbell, wideman Aidan Combe and centre-back Jamie Beagrie.
Killie’s starting 11 was strong, featuring Northern Ireland international Kyle Lafferty, as well as other experienced Premiership campaigners including Alan Power, Rory McKenzie and former Aberdeen centre-half Ash Taylor.
Top-flight outfit quick out the blocks
Oli Shaw squandered an early close-range chance for the visitors, poking the ball straight at Paul Leask, after Bryan Hay failed to head Kyle Lafferty’s flick-on clear.
On seven minutes, the full-time side, who had immediately taken control of the game with their sharp passing and movement, went ahead in fortunate circumstances – Broch right-back Aitken heading the ball past his own goalkeeper as he attempted to prevent Shaw getting to a through-ball.
It was 2-0 10 minutes later, with Murray finding Leask’s bottom left corner with a free-kick from 20 yards after Hay had been, somewhat softly, adjudged to have taken out Lafferty on the edge of the box.
On 25 minutes, Leask did well to prevent the third, scrambling to his back post to deny Killie’s right winger Danny Armstrong after he’d stretched to get on the end of Murray’s cross from the left.
The pace of the game slowed slightly for a period, but – on 37 minutes – Leask kept the Broch in the game again, denying Lafferty at the edge of the area when the much-travelled forward found himself clean through. Naturally, this stop against one of the Scottish game’s great pantomime villains delighted the home fans.
Broch start second period with intent
Fraserburgh started the second period brightly, and were clearly intent on getting crosses into aerial specialist Sean Butcher.
They had a golden chance to get a goal back on 53 minutes. Logan Watt broke at speed in midfield before playing in Lewis Duncan. The diminutive middle man feinted one way to fool a Killie defender, but his low shot from just inside the area slid by Zach Hemmings’ left post.
Paul Young then attempted to chip Hemmings – who was caught in no man’s land near the 18-yard-line after a penalty-box stramash – but the keeper got his finger-tips to the effort.
The home side had come out to have a go after the break and it made for an end-to-end game.
Just after the hour, McKenzie was played in by Lafferty in the Fraserburgh area, but his clever dink beyond Leask was also half a foot beyond the far post.
Scorer Murray missed a sitter to make it 3-0 to Killie on 68 minutes. Having nodded McKenzie’s delivery off the post from close range, the ball bounced straight back to him with Leask having already dived for the first effort. Only needing to side-foot volley home for his second of the afternoon, Murray somehow lifted it over the crossbar.
Fraserburgh pulled a goal back on 70 minutes when Butcher pounced to flick Paul Young’s deflected, looping forward pass beyond Hemmings, sparking an eruption of noise among the home support.
The celebrations were short-lived, though, as seconds after the game restarted, Lafferty finished off Armstrong’s cross from the right to make it 3-1.
But the Broch kept going and, on 76 minutes, Butcher brought a good save out of Hemmings when he sent a free-kick towards the top-left corner.
Fraserburgh’s next Premier Sports Cup group game is against Montrose on Tuesday night, again at Bellslea.
TEAMS
Fraserburgh: Leask 6, Hay 6, Simpson 6, Young 6, West 6, Duncan 7, Watt 6, Guild 6, Butcher 7, Sargent 6, Aitken 6.
Subs: Cowie, Laird (for Sargent 73) 5, MacLennan (for Duncan 87) 5, Wood, Milne, Barbour, Grant (for Butcher 78) 5.
Kilmarnock: Hemming 6, Power 6, Taylor 7, McKenzie 6, Shaw 6, Armstrong 7, Sanders 6, Murray 7, Waters 6, Lafferty 7, Polworth 6.
Subs: Walker, Hodson (for Shaw 65) 5, Lyons (for Power 80) 5, McInroy, Donnelly (for Polworth 65) 5, McGowan (for Sanders 65) 5, Cameron (for Lafferty 87) 5, Warnock, Watson.
