July 15th 2024
Our latest friendly served up seven strikes but it was visitors Elgin City who were on the right end of the result as they won it 4-3 at Station Park. Gavin Price's side had several bright young talents on display and their pace and slick attacking moves earned them a two-goal lead after a first half in which we failed to lay a glove on them in the final third. The second half saw goals at both ends though as the match swung back and fore with Elgin edging it in the end. Calum Howarth continues to work his way back from a tweaked knee ligament and Dylan Mackenzie is a long-term absentee also with a knee problem. Scott Davidson (hamstring) and Kenny McKenzie (groin) were also ruled out with Lewis Mitchell joining them in the treatment room after tearing a muscle in his deltoid last week. There were starts for Will Counsell, Adam Naismith and Gussie Dey and the teams were: Nairn County – Will Counsell (Dylan Maclean 46), Callum Ednie (Liam Shewan 46), Adam Naismith, Callum Maclean (Jack Maclean 70), Fraser Dingwall, Adam Porritt (Seamus McConaghy 46), Max Ewan (Ciaran Young 70), Tom Maclennan, Gussie Dey (Glenn Main 46), Gordon McNab, Cohen Ramsay. Subs unused: -. Elgin City – Oliver Kelly, David Wilson, Jamie Tinnock (Fin Allen 60), Darryl McHardy, Andy Milton (Alex Matczak 85), Charlie Hay, Jake Thomson (Jack Royan 75), Angus Mailer, Joel MacBeath, Josh Peters (Max Taylor 81), Aiden Sopel (Owen Loveland 55). Sub unused: Jamie Kinnaird (gk). Neither goal was threatened in the early stages of the match with both sides sharing possession and a handful of half-chances. The visitors looked threatening on the break though and on 27 minutes, right back David Wilson advanced to the by-line and crossed for Jake Thomson at the far post but the young winger was denied by Will Counsell, who made a splendid, sprawling save. At the other end, Gordon McNab dug out a shot from 15 yards three minutes later but the midfielder's effort was held by Oliver Kelly in the Elgin goal. Joel MacBeath's intelligent pass led to the opening goal for Elgin on 31 minutes. He slipped Thomson in behind Callum Ednie and the City attacker had the composure to place his shot beyond the reach of the exposed Counsell. The League Two leaders doubled their advantage seven minutes later with Aiden Sopel weaving his way to the by-line before jinking inside and past Cohen Ramsay then Callum Maclean before coolly tapping the ball beyond Counsell to complete a fine solo effort. The last 15 minutes of the first half and brought more action than the first half-an-hour and that was how an entertaining second half continued. Glenn Main made a darting run across the front post to meet Liam Shewan's cross from the left on 49 minutes as the two half-time substitutes combined but he could not quite angle his flick on target as the ball flew past the upright. At the other end, MacBeath weaved his way beyond two Nairn defenders as he drove in from the right. His shot found the side netting though. McNab was then sent through one-on-one with the goalkeeper on 51 minutes by Max Ewan's through ball but before the midfielder had the chance to get his shot away, the action was called back by referee Alan Proctor to award Nairn a free kick for a foul on Ewan, with the official holding up his hands in apology as soon as his whistle was out of his mouth. The lively Thomson's low shot from 20 yards was held by Dylan Maclean on 52 minutes before Ewan's cross from the left was headed off the near post by Callum Maclean a minute later as we went inches away from halving the deficit. That deficit then increased to three on 59 minutes though. A sweeping move from a throw-in almost by the corner flag in Elgin's left back area saw the visitors swarm up the park with Thomson's low cross was intelligently stepped over by MacBeath in the middle. This allowed the ball to run through to the unmarked Angus Mailer and he swept his shot past Maclean. Just a minute later though, we pulled a goal back. Ewan's corner from the right was headed clear but only as far as the lurking Seamus McConaghy. He showed fantastic technique to strike the dropping ball first time, with his low volley flashing beyond the helpless Kelly and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net to add to the growing list of impressive goals we have scored this pre-season. Ten minutes later, another corner from the right saw us double our tally. This time it was Cohen Ramsay with an in-swinging delivery and it was met by a thumping header from Fraser Dingwall, who crashed the ball high into the net. A minute later, we were denied a chance to level from the penalty spot when Ciaran Young's low cross was missed by Kelly with Jack Maclean shoved to the deck by the back-tracking Darryl McHardy as he raced in for a tap-in. But the linesman judged the Nairn substitute to have been on the way down before making an attempt to play the ball. Elgin again showed their efficiency on the break as they added a fourth on 75 minutes after picking up a slack Nairn pass 30 yards from the City goal. This time it was Owen Loveland who finished it off as he arrived on the scene 15 yards out at the far post to meet a ball in from the right which he duly clipped home. A fine move down the Nairn left on 78 minutes saw Shewan and Young combine with the former's low cross from the by-line finding McConaghy. He then teed up Main but he blasted over from 10 yards. Main then almost caught Kelly out with a lob a minute later as the ball grazed the top of the crossbar on its way over with the woodwork denying us for a second time. But we managed to grab another goal back nine minutes from time. McNab pulled the ball back from the by-line on the right and it deflected into the path of the advancing Tom Maclennan just inside the box. The midfielder worked the space to drill a low shot through a forest of legs with the ball finding its way over the line despite a couple of Elgin attempts to intercept it on its way.
