Hat-tricks for Fraserburgh's Scott Barbour, Lewis Duncan and sub Gary Harris as Turriff suffer record defeat in Buchan
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FRASERBURGH signalled their intentions in the Highland League title chase with a devastating goal show on Saturday.
The Buchan side mauled Turriff United 13-1 at Bellslea Park, with three players scoring hat-tricks.
It was Turriff’s heaviest loss in Highland League football, and the second double figures goal haul of the season so far.
Champions Brora Rangers remain top of the table on goal difference, boosted by their recent 10-0 thrashing of Fort William.
However Broch aren’t far behind following their biggest victory since a 13-0 hammering of Fort two years ago.
There seemed little danger of a high scoring encounter when Fraserburgh held a single-goal lead with just ten minutes remaining in the first half.
Scott Barbour had fired Broch into a second minute lead with a left foot drive into the top corner.
Turriff might have been forgiven for thinking luck was going their way when their hosts missed a penalty midway through the first half.
Barbour was fouled in the area but Sean Butcher’s weak kick was saved by United keeper Fraser Hobday.
However the game started to run away from the visitors when Hobday missed an attempted passback to leave Barbour with an empty net to score into on 36 minutes.
Just before half time Butcher atoned for his missed spot kick effort by scoring from close range to give Broch a 3-0 lead at the interval.
The pace of the scoring picked up substantially in the second half, with Lewis Duncan and Bryan Hay adding two more in the opening five minutes.
Matty McDonald pulled one back for Turriff but the respite was brief, with Fraserburgh sub Gary Harris making it 6-1 on 64 minutes, and Barbour completing his treble a few minutes later.
Scott Henry was next on the scoresheet and Harris and Duncan both grabbed their second goals to bring up the ten. Grant Campbell got the next and Duncan and Harris complted their hat-tricks in the closing minutes of the match.
Only two more Highland League games beat the weather, with Jonny Smith’s last minute goal maintaining Formartine United’s perfect start with a 2-1 win over Nairn County.
Callum Maclean’s strike for Nairn on 75 minutes had cancelled out Cole Anderson’s United opener.
Clachnacuddin’s league campaign finally got under way at home to Inverurie Locos and James Anderson and Martin Callum looked to have set up the Inverness men for a winning start by putting them 2-0 in front.
But goals by Sam Burnett, Kieran Shanks (penalty), Greg Mitchell and Nathan Meres turned the game around as Locos won 4-2.
