Forres Mechanics 2 Huntly 2: Cans boss 'pleased overall' with draw
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FORRES Mechanics manager Steven MacDonald gave "enormous credit" to his players after battling back to draw 2-2 with Huntly at Mosset Park.
The Cans were a goal down at half-time after Matthew Wallace's 20th minute goal, but turned it around to lead 2-1 on 70 minutes thanks a Calum Frame effort and a fantastic 25-yard effort from Mark McLauchlan.
Substitute Andy Hunter levelled the scores late on with a header from a corner, which left a tinge of disappointment for MacDonald.
He said: "At half-time you are 1-0 down to a team that is going well like Huntly so I think enormous credit to the boys to turn it around to 2-1.
"That was really good but we are disappointed with the goal that we lost. I would have liked to have seen us hold out for the three points but we weren't quite capable of that, unfortunately.
"I was pleased overall. I have got to be happy because we had five or six players out."
Forres had a number of players out – including the suspended Shaun Morrison, unavailable Craig Mackenzie, Lee Herbert and the injured Lee Fraser.
But other players stepped up to the mark to secure a decent point for Forres – including goalkeeper Robert Donaldson, who was making his first start of the campaign, and young defender Jack Walker.
"Robert came in for his first game of the season and did great," MacDonald added. "We threw him in at the deep end so credit to him.
"He's a great guy and a big influence to all the boys. He did really well.
"I thought Jack Walker was outstanding and is really starting to turn into a leader for us. He was really solid at the back."
Forres are in the slightly unusual position of playing Huntly again in the Highland League – at Christie Park – in two days time.
MacDonald added: "We are under no illusions that it will be a tough game down there. They will be disappointed, but we have shown we can compete with them.
"Back-to-back games are tough. There will be a few niggles and a few grudges between players and that sort of thing – so we have to control that."
