A second half hat-trick from substitute Sean Butcher helped Fraserburgh come from behind to defeat Lossiemouth 3-1 at Bellslea.
The Coasters took an early lead through Dean Stewart, but the Broch rallied with Butcher, who came on at half-time, notching a treble.
Broch boss Mark Cowie said: “I said to the players before the game that with the new rule with five subs the squad is more important than ever.
“You might be disappointed with the choice of first 11, but you need to put a lid on that and come on and make a difference.
“That’s what Sean did, he got three goals, but his general play was good as well and he got us up the park.
“We’ve always known he’s a finisher – he’s got a great knack of being in the right place at the right time and he showed it again.
“I’m pleased we managed to turn it around from 1-0 down and I think there’s a lot more to come from the guys.”
WOOOOOOOOF! pic.twitter.com/AIHwFm7nCw
— Lossiemouth FC (@lossiemouthfc) July 29, 2023
Stewart lashed home a free-kick from long range after three minutes to give the Coasters the lead.
But playing down the slope after the break Fraserburgh responded.
Butcher scored after Kieran Simpson knocked down Paul Young’s cross on 56 minutes. Eight minutes later Butcher turned in a Scott Barbour cross to make it 2-1.
With quarter of an hour left he completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Lewis McAndrew felled Ryan Sargent.
Lossie manager Frank McGettrick said: “I was happy with the first half performance, but disappointed with the second half because we didn’t keep the ball well enough.
“When Butcher came on they had that extra presence up front and we couldn’t get out. But it’s a learning process for us.”
Banks o’ Dee 4-0 Wick Academy
Co-manager Josh Winton praised Max Alexander as he netted twice in Banks o’ Dee’s 4-0 win against Wick Academy at Spain Park.
The attacker – whose appearances were limited last season as he came back from a knee operation – bagged a brace after coming on as a second half sub.
Winton, who is joint-boss alongside Paul Lawson, said: “Max is a really intelligent footballer, he makes good runs and he’s somebody that’s going to have a good impact this season.
“He was unlucky not to start and he came on and staked his claim.
“The first half was quite cagey and we struggled to break Wick down as they were disciplined in their formation.
“In the second half we were a bit more expansive and ruthless in the final third.”
Hamish MacLeod opened the scoring after quarter of an hour, cutting in from the left before finishing from the edge of the box.
Lachie MacLeod’s shot into the right corner made it 2-0 just before the hour mark.
Dee then lost Magnus Watson who was shown a straight red card by referee Duncan Nicolson for a stamp on Marc Coghill.
But on 75 minutes the hosts increased their lead with Alexander tucking away Michael Philipson’s cross and late on Alexander’s composed finish completed the scoring.
Scorries positives
Academy player-manager Gary Manson said: “We were low on attacking options so we set our stall out to frustrate them, stay in the game as long as we could and hit on the counter.
“In the first half we limited them to very few chances and the first goal was a bit soft because Graeme Williamson should have saved it.
“Banks o’ Dee cranked up the pressure in the second half and we tried our best to keep them out.
“I think 4-0 maybe flatters them slightly, I can’t complain about the defeat, but there are positives to take.”
