Match Report

The Group of Champions (and Ayr United) kicked off today when we faced Buckie Thistle. Both teams were aiming to take three points away and start their Premier Sports Cup campaign off with a bang.

It was an impressive start to the first half for us and a rather disappointing one for The Jags. We held the bulk of possession with Jamieson having little to do in goal.

We had a chance to open the scoring in the 5th minute, when Anderson’s great through ball found Aitken unmarked in the box, but he fired his shot straight at Buckie keeper, Stuart Knight.

We had to wait 12 minutes before the next opportunity came, and it came in fabulous fashion! Taylor was wiped out at the edge of the box which allowed Yates to have a pop at goal from a free kick. His rocket of a shot narrowly missed the goal and grazed the top of the crossbar.

In the 18th minute, we opened the scoring when Taylor’s driving run to the by-line, after sloppy play from Buckie at the back, allowed him to cross the ball into Aitken, who made no mistake in tapping the ball into the top left corner. 1-0.

Yates had another opportunity from a free kick to push us further into the lead, but this time his shot sailed over the bar.

With just 4 minutes before half time, we deservedly doubled our lead through Taylor, whose performance this afternoon was more than deserving of a goal. Yates’ cute ball through the Buckie defence found Taylor, who coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner. 2-0.

We had one final chance before the close of the first half which saw Yates with another superb ball over the top, allowing him to find Aitken in acres of space, but his header was saved spectacularly by Knight.

The second half saw us determined to strengthen our lead and banked a great performance from all involved, making us joint top of the group with Falkirk. A notable change for Buckie Thistle was their goalkeeper who was substituted during half time and replaced by Euan Storrier.

The second half produced an early goal of the season contender by the 58th minute. Yates’ sublime half volley, which deserved a goal in its own right, was palmed out by the keeper, but only as far as Anderson who leathered the ball into the top left corner. 3-0.

We thought we had a fourth goal inbound just a few minutes later when Anderson’s through ball found Yates who lifted the ball over the keeper, but he had to watch the ball bounce wide of the post.

In the 69th minute, we closed the scoring when Anderson netted his second goal. The midfielder pinched the ball from a Jags’ defender and watched as his shot bounced in off the post. 4-0.

The final opportunity to score came when in form Yates floated a ball into the back post, finding an unmarked Berry who was unlucky not to capitalise on his opportunity, with his header flying just wide.

Following today’s strong performance, we now shift our focus to Tuesday night when we travel away to take on our toughest opponent yet, Dundee United. The newly promoted Premiership side will be seeking retribution following their 2-0 defeat to Falkirk.

Preview

This Saturday we face Buckie Thistle in our opening game of the Premier Sports Cup, when we will welcome the Highland champions to Ochilview Park.

The Jags were crowned champions for the first time in seven years, with this being their 12th Highland league title. They did however leave it to the final day before they snatched victory from Brechin City, with the two sides only being separated by goal difference.

This is the first time we have faced Buckie Thistle, making it a game not to be missed!

The Jags will be seeking three points on Saturday in order to give them the chance to propel themselves out of the group stage for the first time.

Buckie Thistle’s man to watch is striker Josh Peters. Josh scored 6 goals in 9 matches across all competitions last season, making him a danger man up top. He’ll be aiming to keep his scoring record going on Saturday.

Make sure you come and support the team in their first competitive match back at Ochilview Park! Tickets can be purchased via the fanbase app.