Forres Mechanics 8 Strathspey Thistle 1: Six-goal second half show sees Can-Cans fly to big victory
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A SIX-GOAL second half show saw Forres Mechanics thrash bottom-of-the-table Strathspey Thistle 8-1 at Mosset Park on Saturday.
Goals from Ben Barron and Dale Wood had the Cans 2-0 up inside half an hour, before former Mechanics loanee Owen Loveland's freak goal saw the deficit halved before the break.
But after a competitive first period, the second was completely one-sided. Barron grabbed his second, Shaun Morrison and Lee Fraser hit braces and an own goal rounded off the scoring.
Mechanics assistant manager Stephen Maclean said: "We are very pleased with the amount of goals we scored.
"At half-time, though, we weren't playing great. We spoke to the boys about momentum and about keeping on going.
"We scored in the first 30 seconds of the second half, with a really nice goal actually.
"We were quite confident that if we got a two-goal lead that we would comfortably go on and win the game and we got two goals in the first three minutes of the second half.
"I hope everyone saw some nice play after we went 4-1 up, but the key for us is to start doing that from the first minute."
Mechanics were 1-0 up within five minutes when Ryan MacLeman's low cross from the left was turned in by Ben Barron from close range.
It was 2-0 when Craig Mackenzie's brilliant corner was nodded in at the back post by Dale Wood, who was playing centre-half.
After going two up, Forres looked like adding to their lead with almost every attack – but it was the visitors who scored next when Owen Loveland's cross-cum-shot caught out Stuart Knight at his near post.
It was almost 3-1 before half-time when Strathy keeper Michael MacCallum misjudged a long ball forward, allowing Ben Barron in. But, under pressure from a defender, he turned a shot from 10 yards against the post.
The second period started in thumping fashion for Mechanics when Shaun Morrison capitalised on a defensive error to slot home from 10 yards.
Just two minutes later it was game over when Lee Fraser nodded another Mackenzie corner in at the near post.
The fifth came after 57 minutes. Andy Skinner's free-kick was looped over the head of MacCallum by Fraser and volleyed home at the close range by Morrison.
Ryan MacLeman's trundling effort almost found its way into the corner on the hour mark, and a good MacCallum save denied Tom Brady five minutes later.
It was 6-1 just a minute later, though, when Fraser nodded in Mackenzie's free-kick at the back post for his second.
Shaun Morrison thought he'd headed in his hat-trick goal when MacCallum spilled Mackenzie's shot to him, but he was adjudged to have been in an offside position.
Ben Barron grabbed his second on 74 minutes after ping-pong in the box, with the 18-year-old poking home from 10 yards for 7-1.
Forres Academy pupil Conor McKay came on for his debut with 15 minutes to play, and Mechanics added an eighth when Shaun Morrison's drilled cross was turned home by the unfortunate Strathspey substitute Joe Cuthbert.
"Lee is very dangerous in the box and we have been talking about quality," Maclean said.
"Craig is on corners and the delivery is so good and Lee is brilliant in and around the six-yard box. The best header of his was the assist for Shaun, where he realised he couldn't score and headed it across for a tap in.
"Ben was needing a goal because he's had a run of game without goal.
"Shaun works hard in training and sometimes doesn't get a fair crack of the whip in terms of minutes on the pitch.
"With Ethan (Cairns) going back to Caley, I said to him last week that this could be a big month for him to get himself involved and get a lot more minutes. So we were pleased to give him a start because he's earned it."
Mechanics will host Brora Rangers at Mosset Park on Saturday.
"It'll be a completely different game but we are looking for the same types of pattern of play," Maclean said.
"We competed with them for 75 minutes up there and they're a fantastic side.
"It's about having confidence to go and play football against the good teams. It's a different ball game playing a team at the top compared to the bottom, but we still encourage the boys to play in the same way."
