Forres Mechanics manager Steven MacDonald hopes his side can build on their biggest win of the season so far after they eliminated GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup holders Banks o’ Dee at Spain Park.
Goals from Ethan Cairns, Craig MacKenzie, Lee Fraser and Jack Grant gave the Can-Cans a 4-2 win in Aberdeen, with Michael Philipson and Lachie MacLeod on the scoresheet for the home side, who also had Jevan Anderson sent off.
A thrilled MacDonald said: “We’re delighted to come down here and get a win. It’s huge for the boys and we’re really pleased.
“It’s the first time we’ve beaten a big team in the last wee while, so it was a good result for us.
“We’re still a very young side and we’re working on things, but it’s good to win a game like this as we’ve been threatening for a while.”
Forres response to conceding pleased MacDonald
Forres were 2-0 up inside the opening half hour, but it was the response to Dee pulling a goal back which really pleased the Can-Cans boss.
He said: “We started the game really well. We were conscious of the fact Banks o’ Dee have done that before.
“They scored within a minute at Mosset Park last year and last week again (against Strathspey) they scored early, so we knew we had to start well and I think we did that.
“It was a really good move for the first goal. Craig played it wide and Calum played a good ball which split them open and it was a fantastic finish from Ethan.
“The second one was a ball from Lee which found Craig in a lot of space and it was never really in doubt that he would finish it.
“It was a nasty goal to concede and it was frustrating, but we got the third goal before half-time which really helped us.
“It gave us the belief we could go on and get the job finished.”
Can-Cans in control early at Spain Park
The visitors opened the scoring with a terrific counter attack in the 18th minute.
Calum Frame’s through ball released Ethan Cairns in space and the on-loan Caley Thistle attacker beat Andy Shearer in the Dee goal with a terrific rising strike from the edge of the box.
Dee looked to respond immediately and Chris Antoniazzi hit the crossbar with a drive from the edge of the box before Shaun Morrison of Forres saw his shot saved by Shearer.
However, there was nothing the home goalkeeper could do to prevent Forres from doubling their lead in the 28th minute.
Fraser’s long ball allowed MacKenzie to break the offside trap and the striker ran clear on goal before beating Shearer with a composed finish.
The home side needed a response quickly and they got one just after the half-hour mark as MacLeod’s header was cleared off the line as far as Philipson, who managed to convert the rebound after firing in a shot which bounced down before looping over the Forres defence into the net.
The visitors restored their two-goal advantage in first half stoppage time as the Dee defence failed to deal with a corner and Fraser fired a low first-time shot past Shearer to make it 3-1 at the interval.
Dee co-boss has no complaints
The home side’s hopes of getting back into the game faded when defender Jevan Anderson was shown a straight red card for a foul on Forres substitute Tom Brady on the edge of the box.
Anderson argued his case, but referee Joel Kennedy stood by his decision.
It went from bad to worse for Dee as, from the resulting free-kick, Grant curled the ball past the wall and goalkeeper Shearer to make it 4-1.
MacLeod reduced the deficit in stoppage time when he converted Antoniazzi’s cutback to make it 4-2.
Dee co-manager Josh Winton said: “We’re disappointed with how we played, but we’ve no complaints.
“Forres were a wee bit hungrier and it was one of those where a lot of things didn’t go for us.
“The fourth goal for them was disappointing. If we had gotten it back to 3-2, we could have thrown the kitchen sink at them, but it didn’t happen.
“It was a bad day at the office for us and we move on.”
Dee weighing up Anderson appeal
Anderson’s dismissal ended any hope of a comeback from the home side and Dee are considering whether to appeal the defender’s red card.
Winton said: “It’s a funny one. The general consensus was that the striker was going away from goal towards the touchline.
“Was it a goalscoring opportunity?
“The referees have got a tough job and they have to make a decision in the heat of the moment.
“We’ve got the camera and your footage as well, so we’ll have a look at it and see what we think. We obviously don’t want to waste anyone’s time, but we’ll have a look.”
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