October 9th 2026
NORTH OF SCOTLAND CUP FIRST ROUND
ROTHES 0 – 0 NAIRN COUNTY
(ROTHES WIN 8 – 7 ON PENALTIES)
WEDNESDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2026
MACKESSACK PARK
Match Report by Pierce Menzies
Nairn County bowed out of the North of Scotland Cup on penalties after a finely poised match.
Wayne Mackintosh opted to rotate his side after Saturday’s draw with Deveronvale as Angus Dey started whilst Calum Mackay and Aidan Wilson were dropped to the bench and out of the squad respectively.
Max Ewan came close to an opener in the fourth minute when his shot from the middle of the Rothes box rattled the crossbar following a deflection.
Tyler Eadie had Rothes goalkeeper Szymon Rebilas scrambling back across goal 13 minutes in.
Eadie combined well with Kenny McKenzie down the right before the former fizzed a shot goalwards however it sailed past the post.
Minutes later, Jake Thomson thought he had caught out Rebilas from a freekick 20 yards from goal as he rolled the ball under the wall, however there was not enough on it to trouble the Inverness Caledonian Thistle loanee.
The hosts responded well to the pressure; Shane Harkness blazed over the bar from middle of the box 25 minutes in before Dylan Lawrence fired past the post minutes later.
Lawrence had the best chance of the half for Rothes as he headed onto the bar after a penetrative run from Shaun Cameron. (H-T 0-0.)
Rothes continued the second half in a similar fashion as Rio Hastings fired over from 25 yards minutes after the interval.
Lawrence was played one-on-one with Tom McHale after Hastings played a through ball, but McHale was quick off his line to clear the danger.
Second half substitute Mackay forced a save from Rebilas just after the hour mark as the Rothes shot stopper dove down to his left deny McKay 65 minutes in.
Jamie Carnihan fizzed ball across the face of the Rothes goal as Nairn started to ask questions of the Rothes defence, but nobody connected with it.
Mackay forced another save from Rebilas in the 75th minute when the Wee County midfielder left fly from the edge of the Rothes box before Millar Gamble saw his effort from the resulting corner blocked on the line.
Loanee Angus Davidson skipped his way into the Rothes box before he fired in a cross, but it was cleared by Alister Morrison.
Lawrence had a chance to claim victory for Rothes minutes before full-time when he connected with Cameron’s cross, but his effort flew wide of the post as the game went to penalties. (FT 0-0.)
Penalties: Rothes win 8-7
Nairn | Scored: Dingwall, Eadie, Davidson, Wood, McHale, Gamble, Walker. Missed: Mackay, Thomson & Voigt.
Rothes | Scored: MacPhee, Lawrence, Hastings, Alexander, Morrison, Munro, McDade, Cornish. Missed: Cameron, Lisle.
ROTHES – Rebilas, Lisle, MacPhee (yellow 45), Alexander, Morrison, McDade, Munro, Hastings, Cameron (y 90+1), Lawrence, Harkness (Cornish 66). Substitutes not used – Thain, Scott, Duncan, Thomson, Black (gk).
NAIRN COUNTY – McHale, Carnihan, Gamble, Dingwall, Walker, Dey (Davidson 68), Eadie, Wood, McKenzie (Voigt 68), Thomson, Ewan (Mackay 46). Substitutes not used – MacInnes, Bain, Mackintosh, Kelly, Mackenzie, Williamson (gk).
