Highland Football League Roundup

Cove Rangers extended their lead at the top of the Highland Football League to seven points over second place Deveronvale. Nairn County scored two late goals to break Loco’s hearts and Fraserburgh and Wick Academy won as well.


Huntly FC 0-4 Cove Rangers

Huntly hosted Cove Rangers at Christie Park, but it was the visitors who left with all three points after a 4-0 victory.

The game opened up after just three minutes when Michael Morrison was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area and referee Michael McNabb awarded Cove a penalty. Barrie Stephen scored the resulting penalty.

Cove scored their second of the game when Huntly’s Michael Grant fouled Stephen. Grant was booked for the challenge, despite Stephen’s looking as if he flopped.

Stephens took the free kick with Robbie Henderson getting on the end of the cross and scoring. Despite looking a couple of yards offside the goal stood and Cove were by two.

However, Huntly protested, Michael Morrison protested a wee bit too much, and was booked after a volley of abuse towards linesman Craig Veitch. Huntly coach Ally McGinlay was also reprimanded by the ref for his protests.

Cove once again put Huntly under pressure and Ross Bremner turned a Martin Johnston shot behind Ritchie Livingstone. Stephens failed to score his second of the game when his shot just curled past the post.

On the stroke of halftime, Paul Tosh struck a powerful shot that just flew past the post. The clubs went in at the break with Cove on the ascendancy and with a 2-0 lead.

The second half was a little better for Huntly. Kevin Tindal was short with a header back to Stewart McKenzie in the Cove goal, but the keeper saved Richard Craig’s shot.

Jerry O’Driscoll then laid off a perfectly weighted pass to Clark Bain, who was out on his own, only for him to shoot low past Bremner to make it 3-0 Cove.

From then on it was all Cove, and thanks to some poor Huntly defending midway through the second half, they scored their fourth. Huntly’s Ross Campbell was dispossessed by Martin Johnston who passed to Robbie Henderson who scored to make it 4-0.

The Aberdeen side is now seven points clear of second place Deveronvale thanks to their 4-0 victory over Huntly.


Inverurie Loco Works 1-2 Nairn County

Locos were up 1-0 after 64 minutes when Mark Smith scored, but in the remaining minutes of the game, Glenn Main did a one-two with Brian McLeod and slid the ball low past the Loco keeper making it 1-1.

In the 90th minute Lewis MacKinnon scored, breaking the Locos’ hearts after he latched onto a cross from Marc MacDonald.


The other games saw Rothes take on Fraserburgh and the Broch won 1-0. However it could have been 0-2, if not for referee Roddy Cobb who ruled a goal offside on the 70th minute.

Ten minutes later Russell McBride scored with a very good volley earning a win for the Broch.

It was the Battle of the North, as Wick Academy took on Brora Rangers. Wick scored first after 36 minutes when Gary Manson played the ball behind the Brora defense for Bryan McKiddie who passed to Craig Shearer and scored.

In the 72nd minute Brora were back level when Jamie McKay raced onto the ball down the inside right and slotted the ball into an empty net.

During sudden death, David Allan flicked the ball past Matt Curtis in the Brora goal, bring the team to a 2-1 victory and all three points.

The only game that did not go ahead was the Fort William-Clachnacuddin matchup.