November 20th 2023
THE under-20s took the opportunity to experiment with players in unfamiliar positions and different formations as their pre-season programme started with a 7-4 defeat to Inverness amateurs, Bellmac at Bught Park. Max Ewan fired the visitors in front after skipping past Bellmac's right back and firing a pinpoint effort low, across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner. The home side levelled with a curling shot from the edge of the box on seven minutes before Max Ewan put Nairn back in front with a bending free kick from 20 yards out to the right of goal. But just three minutes later, Bellmac levelled it up again after a neat one-two on the edge of the box was followed by a cool finish past Fraser Wilkie in the Nairn goal. Ewan then smacked the outside of the left-hand post on 27 minutes before Seamus McConaghy saw his low effort go across goal and wide from 10 yards out a minute later after good work by Ryan MacBean down the right. Struan Tweedie put the ball through his own net on 33 minutes to hand Bellmac the lead for the first time as he miscued his attempted clearance at the near post when attempting to deal with a low ball in from the left and on 52 minutes, the amateurs went further in front to lead 4-2. Substitute Alex Geddes saw a close range effort well tipped over by Nairn goalkeeper Aidan Stewart, who played the second half for Bellmac but County pulled one back on 71 minutes. Craig Given did well down the left handside and his deep cross picked out Ian Payne at the far post. He then cut the ball back for Seamus McConaghy to run on to and drill home a low effort. Bellmac took just two minutes to re-establish their two-goal cushion but another two minutes later, County had reduced the arrears to 5-4. Payne broke down the right and although he was fouled in the build-up, play was allowed to continue as McConaghy ran on to the loose ball and picked out the run of Ryan MacBean at the front post and he made no mistake with a first-time finish on 75 minutes. But any hopes of a Nairn comeback were killed off by a further two Bellmac goals within the next four minutes as they rounded off a 7-4 win. Nairn County – Wilkie, Payne (Wheeler 38), J. W. Maclean (Given 51), Tweedie (Colliar 51), Munro (Tweedie 55) (Cameron Maclean 76), Cameron Maclean (Main 49), McConaghy (Gordon 30) (Payne 69), Cuthbert (J. W. Maclean 57), MacBean (Geddes 38), M. Macleod (MacBean 58) (Cuthbert 82), Ewan (McConaghy 65). Subs unused: Graeme Macleod
