Nairn County manager Steven Mackay feels there’s still a lot of work to do, despite their first Breedon Highland League win of the season.
The Wee County were second best in the first half against Strathspey Thistle at Station Park, but improved after the interval to win 4-1.
Boss Mackay said: “It was good to get the win and our first three points of the season, how we got there wasn’t great and wasn’t pretty.
“First half we were miles off it and really poor, Strathspey outfought us which was disappointing.
“We were lucky to go in at half-time 0-0. We changed the shape and tried to get our wide players George Robesten and Scott Davidson higher up the park.
“We asked for a response and got one very quickly which was good, the first goal gave us a bit of a confidence lift and we kicked on from there which was pleasing.
“There’s definitely still a long way to go, we need to become more difficult to play against.
“It was far too easy for Strathspey to impose themselves on the game and it was the same on Wednesday against Lossiemouth.
“There are things we need to work on, we’ve brought in a few new players, younger players who need to learn quickly.
“It’s a punishing league. I don’t doubt that they’ll learn quickly, but we need to improve.”
First half chances
The hosts had the first effort with Conor Gethins’ strike from inside the box parried by goalkeeper Ruardhri Nicol.
At the other end Ross Logan skipped past Fraser Dingwall and Ross Tokely before being thwarted by Wayne MacKintosh’s sliding challenge.
The loose ball broke for Michael Mackenzie who was repelled from 12 yards by an excellent Dylan MacLean save down to his right, with Logan then offside when finishing the rebound.
On 35 minutes Logan again caused Nairn problems before shooting tamely at Dylan MacLean from a good position.
Two minutes later Davison played Mackenzie through but as the striker looked destined to score Callum MacLean recovered to make a vital block.
As the interval approached Nairn’s Andrew MacLeod and Gethins fired wide.
Opener arrives
Three minutes after the restart Nairn made the breakthrough with George Robesten bursting clear on the left flank and delivering for Gethins to tap home from inside the six-yard box.
Strathspey didn’t crumble and Dylan MacLean made a good block at close range to stop Liam Grant equalising.
Just after the hour mark County could have doubled their lead when a Gethins corner wasn’t fully cleared and Scott Davidson looped a header goalwards which Callum MacLean flicked against the crossbar.
But Nairn sealed victory in the 73rd minute when two subs combined. A free-kick wasn’t cleared by Strathspey and Ben Kelly showed neat footwork to set up Ciaran Young and he finished with aplomb from 14 yards.
Five minutes later Young should have had another but his scuffed attempt from inside the six-yard box was blocked on the line by Alan Kerr.
Nairn’s third arrived on 80 minutes when Fraser Dingwall headed in MacLeod’s inswinging corner from the left from almost underneath the crossbar.
On 88 minutes MacLeod made it 4-0, converting from the penalty spot after being tripped by Caelan Mutch.
In the first minute of injury time Strathspey netted a consolation with Mackenzie sending a drive into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.
Jags weren’t clinical
Thistle, who fielded former Rothes, Deveronvale, Lossiemouth and Clachnacuddin attacker James McLaren as a trialist – remain without a point after five games.
Manager Robert MacCormack said: “It’s really disappointing, at half-time we could have been a couple of goals up, we had a lot of chances.
“The problem is we didn’t take the chances. Then we come out second half and within a few minutes we’re 1-0 down.
“Games are won and lost in both boxes and if we don’t start scoring goals we’re not going to win games.
“If we take our chances in the first half we probably win the game.
“Then straight after half-time for the second game running we concede and it’s a killer.
“We can’t do that, we’ve got to give ourselves a chance in games, right now we’re not doing that.
“We need to address that, we need to get better and we need to do the hardest thing in football which is score goals.”
