WOODWORK SAVES TURRIFF'S BLUSHES

UNITED ASSISTANT MANAGER THOMSON ADMITS HIS PLAYERS WERE BATTERED BY QUALITY BUCKIE DISPLAY

The scoreline may not suggest it but Buckie Thistle battered Turriff United throughout in this Highland League match at the Haughs.

Buckie hit the woodwork six times and forced Craig Pennet in the home goal into making a string of top-class saves.

There was an early hint of things to come when the Jags hit the bar twice in the opening three minutes.

Goals from Lewis MacKinnon and Martin Charlesworth settled the visitors until MacKinnon turned from saint to sinner by slicing the ball past his own goalkeeper Kevin Main in the 70th minute to set up an enthralling climax.

Buckie assistant manager Gary Hake said: "Turriff are a good side and, although we hit the woodwork six times, they may well have sneaked a draw near the end.

"We started well, our movement was good and our delivery into the box was superb.  We showed great hunger, desire and passion and Turriff just couldn't live with us in the first half."

United assistant manager Brian Thomson said: "It would have been a disgrace if we had taken anything from that game today because Buckie were tremendous.

"They battered us with the quality of their football throughout and only our goalkeeper Grant Pennet among our players can hold his hands up tonight and say he had a good game.  He was brilliant but we were second-best from the first minute to the 90th."

Michael Morrison headed against the bar within the first 60 seconds, two minutes later MacKinnon repeated the feat and shortly after a sizzling Hamish Munro 25-yarder cannoned back off the post.

The opener finally came in the 22nd minute when Turriff failed to clear Paul Napier's corner-kick and when the ball fell kindly for MacKinnon he stroked it into the corner of the net.

Two minutes later it took a fabulous flying save from Pennet in the home goal to turn away a stinging 20-yard Davie MacRae drive.

However a second goal was only delayed by 60 seconds when a mix-up between Pennet and central defender Michael Ralton presented Charlesworth with the simply task of firing into the empty net from 10 yards.

United pulled one back on 70 minutes when Mike Ewen's weak effort was turned past Main by MacKinnon in attempting a clearance.

In a final flourish Buckie substitute Craig MacMillan headed another one off the bar and Morrison hit the post.

In the last minute Turriff substitute Craig Morrison was shown a straight red card for raising his hands towards Buckie goalkeeper Kevin Main.

A word of praise for referee Frank McDermott, who strolled through the game almost unnotised, the mark of a top-class official.

Report by Dave Edwards, Press & Journal