Forres Mechanics 1 Turriff United 2: Can-Cans left ruing poor second half display in home defeat

MANAGER Steven MacDonald was left ruing a poor second half performance from Forres Mechanics after Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Turriff United at Mosset Park.

The Can-Cans took a fourth-minute lead through Callum Johnston, but goals from Callan Gray and Keir Smith either side of half-time gave the visitors victory.

"We got a great start – just exactly what we wanted," MacDonald said. "Callum had a good finish and we couldn't ask for a better way into the game.

"Turriff definitely came back into a bit but we should go 2-0 up when Ben (Barron) went through one-on-one and put it wide.

"It just seems to be going like that just now and instead of having that comfort we have lost a bad goal and have gone it a 1-1.

"We are still thinking we can win, it's a setback, but we are at home and we are going to go and get the three points.

"But second half we have been well beaten. It was a totally different game. Turriff totally deserved it and it could have been more."

Mechanics went ahead early on when winger Callum Johnston fired a 20-yard effort in off the right-hand post.

Busy Forres keeper Robert Donaldson denied Reece McKeown one-on-one after 15 minutes, before tipping Luke Kinsella's free-kick out for a corner.

The resultant corner was headed off the line by Tom Brady as Turriff turned up the pressure.

Forres had a big chance to double their advantage on 20 minutes when a sliced Turriff clearance sent Ben Barron through on goal, but the striker slotted wide.

The equaliser came 10 minutes before half-time when Donaldson parried McKeown's effort – which was heading wide – into the path of Callan Gray for a tap in.

Only one team came out firing after the break, with Donaldson called into action again to deny Gray from getting his second.

Keir Smith put Turriff 2-1 ahead on 57 minutes when he turned a low cross from the left in at the far post – and the visitors never looked back.

Kyle Gordon almost added a third immediately, but his effort was blocked en route to goal before being tipped behind by Donaldson.

Forres had one late chance to level from a corner, but nobody was on hand to knock Connall Ewan's header across goal into the net.

MacDonald added: "We didn't do enough in the second half and it's hard to put the finger on it.

"We were saying the right things at half-time but came out a shadow of the team we were in the first half.

"When we have lost the goal the heads have gone down again. You can see we are going through a difficult spell and boys are struggling to lift each other on the park. There are too many hiding.

"Turriff were excellent. They are a young team with a lot of desire and that's what we were seeing from our team earlier in the season and we aren't seeing that just now.

"You can see confidence is low so we have got to pick people up."

Mechanics travel to Inverness on Saturday to take on Clachnacuddin at Grant Street Park.