Buckie Thistle progressed to the third round of the Scottish Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Moray rivals Forres Mechanics at Mosset Park.
Jack Murray’s wonderful 25-yard strike before half-time decided the all-Breedon Highland League tie, with the Jags ending with 10 men after Ryan Fyffe’s late red card.
Buckie manager Graeme Stewart said: “We never played that well, but you have got to give Forres credit.
“We could have scored a few more, in the first half especially, and that’s what I’m frustrated about. But overall, we are in the next round so I’m delighted.”
Forres made a lightning start to the match and were appealing for a Buckie red card within 45 seconds.
In the end, Ryan Fyffe was shown a yellow card for his last-ditch tackle on Calum Frame.
Josh Peters had Buckie’s first chance on eight minutes, Lee Fraser blocking his close-range effort, before Shaun Morrison’s shot from the edge of the box dribbled wide at the other end.
After weathering an early storm, Buckie took control as the half progressed, and Andy MacAskill had a shot blocked away on 25 minutes.
But Forres continued to create chances and Stuart Knight in the Buckie goal did well to hold Ethan Cairns’ header after half an hour, before Morrison’s shot after a Craig Mackenzie free-kick was blocked clear.
The Jags’ lead came five minutes before half-time as Murray curled a fine effort from 25 yards into the top corner.
Visitors Buckie started the second where they left off in the first as Peters flashed a shot just wide from 20 yards.
Forres striker Calum Frame was then denied by a last-ditch Darryl McHardy intervention after pacing through on goal on the hour mark.
Buckie were in control of the game, but saw defender Fyffe sent off for a second booking in the 84th minute for an off-the-ball foul.
However, it was the Jags who had the final two opportunities, as Lyall Keir twice went close. His curling effort went a yard wide in the 89th minute, before Aidan MacDonald tipped his lobbed effort over the bar in stoppage time.
Forres manager Steven MacDonald said: “The performance was good. The boys did everything we asked of them and gave it everything.
“We are disappointed to go out to a great strike, because there wasn’t much between the teams, but we fell just a bit short in the end.”
Julian Wade nets two and sets up another as Formartine respond well to early setback v Clydebank
Formartine United came out on top in a five-goal thriller for the second time in this season’s Scottish Cup – earning their place in the third round with a 3-2 win over Clydebank.
Despite conceding right at the start and right at the end of proceedings at North Lodge Park, the Highland League leaders got the better of their West of Scotland Premier League visitors.
Within a minute of kick-off, the Bankies, backed by a huge travelling support, were in front when ex-Aberdeen midfielder Nicky Low – whose wife gave birth on the eve of the game – fired an unstoppable strike which left an at-full-stretch Ewen MacDonald well beaten.
Formartine slowly worked their way into the game, though, and equalised 0n 26 minutes when full-back Stuart Smith fired in a deep cross from the left and Julian Wade flicked the ball over hesitant goalkeeper Kieran Hughes into the net.
On 62 minutes, Wade scored again, latching on to a weak pass-back from Nicky Little to round Hughes and finish.
The killer Formartine third on 78 minutes saw Wade go rampaging into the box before cutting across goal, allowing Dons loanee Adam Emslie to hammer home.
It was a long way back for Clydebank, but they stuck at it and, with Low involved again, on 87 minutes a deflected effort from substitute Alan Kelly reduced the deficit.
However, United progressed and manager Stuart Anderson was quick to shower praise on his brave team, who also had to battle wind and swirling rain all afternoon.
He said: “We were ranked as heavy underdogs going into this tie, so it’s really good to be through to the next round.
“The players responded really well to the setback of losing an early goal. We are a young team and that could have affected us. We didn’t let it do so – we stuck with how we wanted to play
“We knew that against the wind we would have to pass the ball out and be brave.
“It was a real team effort with some exceptional performances, and we were well worth the win, creating six or seven chances apart from the goals.
“Clydebank were probably fortunate to still be in the tie when they got their second goal. Apart from that they didn’t really bother us.
“Julian Wade was great, he took his goals really well and when he’s in that form he’s difficult to deal with.
“Our very young players like Dylan Lobban and Adam Emslie came to us from Aberdeen FC with a good pedigree and are out to impress – that benefits us too in a football sense.
“But we’re always emphasising the team effort side and everyone to a man was good including the substitutes when they came on as well
Lack of composure near Broxburn goal costs Deveronvale
Deveronvale failed to make it into the third round of this season’s Scottish Cup, losing to a poor goal against East of Scotland Premier League leaders Broxburn in front of a large, noisy visiting support.
The only goal of the game, which was played in wet and windy conditions at Princess Royal Park, came after 20 minutes.
Highland League Vale failed to clear a corner properly which allowed Marky Munro to play the ball into the box, where Broxburn top-scorer Gary Brass headed home unchallenged from six yards for his 11th goal of the season.
The home side had opportunities to level through Mathew Petermann and Oleg Dlugosz before half-time, while Horace Ormsby saw a netbound effort from outside the box saved by Robert Watt.
Overall, though, they didn’t work the Broxburn keeper enough, especially in the second period.
Vale keeper Sean McIntosh did well to parry a fine effort from substitute Greg Binnie as the visitors looked for a second goal, but both sides lacked invention in front of goal – something Deveronvale manager Craig Stewart highlighted after the game.
He said: “The team gave their all as we had Broxburn camped in, especially during the second period.
“But we are out of the cup as we didn’t put the ball in the back of the net, and it’s really disappointing.
“We got ourselves into great areas, but our final pass and end product required composure and that is what has cost us.
“I have said to the dressing room it is a great opportunity missed as we were by far the better team and they knew that at the final whistle.
“We didn’t work hard enough to stop the cross coming in for the goal and then it’s a free header, and you think: ‘Would we have lost the goal had Innes McKay been playing instead of being suspended?”
Stewart was also unhappy with what was going on in the stands during the game.
Both the Vale gaffer and his assistant Richard Davidson were almost hit by a flare when Broxburn scored – with the pyrotechnic setting off the fire alarms in the stand.
Broxburn Athletic fans at Deveronvale today @BroxburnAthFC pic.twitter.com/lnBeFRFwM7
— Scottish Football Away Days (@days_scottish) October 28, 2023
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