Co-manager Paul Lawson hailed Banks o’ Dee for mounting a stirring comeback against Turriff United to go to the top of the Breedon Highland League.
The Aberdeen outfit trailed 2-0 at Spain Park, but rallied to win 3-2 and move above Brechin City on goal difference at the summit of the division, having played two games more.
Lawson said: “We kept creating chances and you think it’s maybe not going to be our night.
“We were looking for a bit more composure in front of goal. I felt even with 10 minutes left if we could score we’d go onto win and that proved to be the case.
“The carrot before the game started was to go top. We’re aware of what’s going on around us, we just have to keep doing our job of winning games and see what happens.”
Pre-match there was a minute’s applause for Andy Walker who died this week. He was the last surviving member of Dee’s 1957 Scottish Junior Cup winning team and scored the only goal in the final against Kilsyth Rangers at Hampden.
Enthralling encounter
In the opening minute Turra goalkeeper David Dey made good stops to thwart Hamish MacLeod and Darryn Kelly.
United broke the deadlock on 26 minutes when Max Foster headed home Reece McKeown’s free-kick from the left.
Three minutes later the visitors made it 2-0. McKeown’s delivery from the right was dummied by John Allan and Ewan Clark finished tidily from eight yards.
Dee pulled a goal back on 38 minutes. A ball in behind released Lachie MacLeod, who rounded the advancing Dey and found the unguarded net.
After that the hosts cranked up the pressure. Dey saved from Chris Antoniazzi, Mark Gilmour, Lachie MacLeod and Ethan Cairns, with Cairns also cracking a superb shot from 30 yards against the crossbar.
Early in the second period Gilmour twice went close and Cairns had a shot from 12 yards blocked on the line by Dylan Stuart.
When it seemed like Turriff had weathered the storm Dee equalised on 79 minutes. Murray Cormack’s pass back to Dey was short and sub Garry Wood seized upon the mistake to score.
The winner arrived in the 87th minute when Gilmour’s 25-yard free-kick was deflected off the United wall into the net off the left post.
Disappointment for visitors
Turriff boss Warren Cummings said: “We’re disappointed to lose after being up 2-0.
“When we went 2-0 up our decision-making on when to play and when not to play wasn’t as good and we invited a bit of pressure.
“At 2-1 I felt the game was petering out and we’d weathered the storm. But if we’re analysing what we can do better, if we’d been better with the ball in the second half we would have taken the sting out of the game even more.”
Some good news for Turriff is that Cormack and Liam Strachan have penned contract extensions until the summer of 2026.
Cummings added: “We’re delighted to get Murray and Liam to extend their contracts, they’re both big players for us.”
Watch: Highland League Weekly EXTRA – Highlights of Brechin City v Banks o’ Dee title race duel
