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Highland League Forres Mechanics to face SPFL neighbours Elgin City in a Mosset Park testimonial for twin brothers Lee and Graham Fraser


By Craig Christie

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Forres Mechanics' long-serving twin brothers will complete their testimonial year with a benefit match against Moray neighbours Elgin City.

Lee (left) and Graham Fraser have been at Forres Mechanics for over a decade. Picture: Becky Saunderson..
Lee (left) and Graham Fraser have been at Forres Mechanics for over a decade. Picture: Becky Saunderson..

The derby match will take place at Mosset Park on Friday, July 1.

It will honour the Burghead brothers who joined Mechanics from Ross County exactly 12 years to the date of the testimonial match.

Defender Graham and centre forward Lee joined County at the age of nine and attracted interest from the likes of Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers aged 15.

A year later they were part of a County team that won the Aberdeen international youth tournament, with Lee heading in the winning goal and Graham being named player of the tournament.

The likes of Aberdeen, Caley Thistle and Elgin City showed interest in signing the Frasers but with both serving local work apprenticeships, they opted to give Highland League football a try and signed for Forres.

Both had debuted as trialists in a match against Cove Rangers which Graham started and Lee appeared as a substitute.

The twins at Mechanics training in 2013.
The twins at Mechanics training in 2013.

The brothers were on the scoresheet in their first Cans' game as signed players, once more against Cove with Graham netting first and Lee on target in the 71st minute in a 5-3 Forres win.

They were big influences in Mechanics' historic 2011-12 season when the club clinched only the second Highland League title in their history.

Graham played in every match while Lee finished as top scorer with 18 goals in 23 games before shattering his knee midway through the campaign, putting him on the sidelines for 15 months.

Between them the brothers went on to play over 750 times for Forres despite long-term injury problems with both players undergoing cruciate ligament surgery for serious knee injuries.

Back in 2010 Lee and Graham Fraser celebrate joining Forres from Ross County.
Back in 2010 Lee and Graham Fraser celebrate joining Forres from Ross County.

The boyhood Rangers fans were thrilled to see Forres draw the Ibrox club in the Scottish Cup at Mosset Park in 2012, although Lee's first knee injury kept him out of the match.

The striker had netted a hat-trick at Ibrox while playing for Ross County in a youth match, still finishing on the losing side when Rangers won 5-3.

Graham started the cup clash against the 'Gers in front of a capacity crowd at right back, switching to centre back when Nathan Sharp was sent off and managing to keep the experienced Lee McCulloch quiet in a narrow 1-0 Rangers victory.

Indeed Graham almost tied the scores with a late effort which scraped inches past the goal - so close to an Ibrox replay.

On the goals front, Lee became one of the few Mechanics players to net a century of goals and current has 139 goals, effectively scored over nine years with two long injury absences and a season out during the pandemic.

Graham has been a regular scorer from defence, chipping in at least one goal in every season he has played to make up an impressive total of 43.

Both have netted Forres hat-tricks with Graham achieving the feat against Lossiemouth in April 2017, while Lee has grabbed five trebles including his highest goal haul of four in a match against Fort William in 2018.

In 14 matches, both twins have scored in the same game.

Graham captained Mechanics for parts of last season and landed the player of the year award.



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