July 15th 2024
NAIRN County delivered some festive cheer for the fans with a 6-1 thrashing of Buckie Thistle at Victoria Park and manager Les Fridge felt it was the most impressive his team has been over a 90-minute spell this season, writes Graeme Macleod. County dominated the game from the off opening the scoring through Robbie Duncanson with just a minute played and will have felt aggrieved at being pulled back to a goal apiece on 28 minutes when they could easily have been out of sight such was the volume of chances created by the visitors early on. Duncanson re-established Nairn's lead just nine minutes later though and Tony Wallace headed home a minute after the restart as County again came flying out of the traps. Callum Maclean put the result beyond doubt with less than an hour played before Wallace added his second and Duncanson completed his hat trick on a day when Buckie simply could not live with not only Nairn's potent attacking threat but their hard-working defensive shift which saw the visitors regain possession in the Thistle half of the pitch on numerous occasions throughout the 90 minutes. Fridge said: "As a 90-minute performance, it was very good and that is very pleasing. We have to try to keep this going." "We are on a decent run in the league but there are no easy games – Buckie are a very decent team and have had a couple of good results lately, they dominated Clach quite convincingly last week and beat them 4-0 but it was four going on any number." "The most important thing today was the three points but it is pleasing that we have scored six goals and played some really good football." He added: "At Lossie, a couple of weeks ago, I thought we were really good in the second half and there have been games this season where we have had a half or long spells of the game where we have played really well but from start to finish today, over the whole 90 minutes, it was a very accomplished performance and I thought the attitude of players was excellent." "My only criticism is what I said to the players at half time – we should have been up by more goals than the 2-1 score line. Their goalkeeper had three wonder saves to keep them in the game though and I thought it might turn into one of those days when they went up the park and scored to make it 1-1 and it was a good finish by the boy (Paul Napier)." "We have come to a difficult place and won well – I do not think it was just the goals that were good, I think we played some great football as well and on another day, we could have knocked in a lot more goals but I am happy to come here and take all three points." Nairn have now scored 19 goals in their last four away fixtures, conceding only three while in their last two home games, they have struggled to single-goal victories over 10-man Deveronvale and bottom side, Rothes. But Fridge insists the mindset is the same going into every game and feels that extenuating circumstances prior to each of the home games may have given Nairn's opponents a lift going into their trips to Station Park. He stated: "There is no difference in approach, apart from the fact we have had the blue strip on when we have been away from home!" "I thought the Deveronvale game was a very good win under the circumstances and both they and Rothes have new management in, which means the players in those teams are fighting for everything. We were in total control of the Rothes game as well but struggled to break them down because they sat in having come off the back of a hiding." "We work hard during the week and you see that on a Saturday. We approach every game the same and that is looking to win it." Graeme Macleod
