Forres Mechanics assistant Stephen MacLean wants Mosset Park men to react to eight-goal Brora Rangers defeat with positive result against Turriff United
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Forres Mechanics need to prove that their eight-goal defeat to Brora Rangers was a “one-off” this weekend.
Cans assistant manager Stephen MacLean is urging his team to bounce back from their worst result of the season when they host Turriff United on Saturday.
The weather denied Mechanics a quick opportunity to wipe out the painful memories from their 8-0 home loss to the Cattachs as last week’s game at Keith was postponed.
MacLean said he and manager Steven MacDonald will mention the Brora battering in their team talk for Saturday, and ask the players to show that result was a blip in an otherwise encouraging campaign.
“We really wanted the Keith game to be on so we could get right back in action,” MacLean said. “It’ll be a long two weeks by the time that we get to the Turriff game.
“We just need to make sure now that the Brora result was a one-off. Last season we had maybe four results like that and we wanted to make sure this season that it was not repeated.
“So we will be mentioning it this week and I’m sure everyone will know we need a reaction to that.”
Forres couldn’t train last week due to the weather but were able to resume sessions this week, with centre back Ruari Fraser back on the training ground and closing in on a comeback to the first team action.
Fraser has been out with a knee injury since October.
MacLean believes Saturday’s Mosset Park clash will be a meeting between the league’s two most progressive teams this season.
“Along with ourselves, they are one of the most improved sides in the league in terms of the number of points that we have increased by since last season.
“Turriff are a good team. At the tail end of last season and again at the beginning of this season we’ve played them and been beaten both times, quite comfortably.
“Hopefully we can turn that round into a positive result for us on Saturday.”
Both those defeats were at The Haughs, a 3-2 loss at the end of March and a 2-0 reversal in early September.
The teams met twice at Mosset Park with Forres striking late both times for a 1-1 draw in the league and a 2-1 victory in the Highland League Cup first round.
A Cans’ win could close the four point gap on sixth-placed Inverurie Locos, giving the Moray men a positional target for the remainder of the campaign.
“Based on our form this season, it is still a realistic aim to get into that top six,” Maclean said. “But it is difficult when you are up against the clubs we are seeing above us, and the group just below us as well.
