A 'Jaggy' encounter proves a winner for Turriff
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Newburgh Thistle 0 - Turriff Thistle 1
A wee midweek trip saw Turriff Thistle lift all three points in a “monster” of a victory against top team Newburgh Thistle who were relegated from the Premier Division last season.
The difference between the teams in the “Battle of the Jags” was a solitary first half goal from Regan Fowlie after 15 minutes, however, all hell broke out near the Newburgh dugout with 15 minutes of the match remaining which resulted in their manager dismissed for punching a player and Thistle’s Ryan Catto also red carded for attempting to throw a punch although the player will be appealing this decision in due course.
Injuries to defenders James Mackintosh and Steven Wight saw Kian Beaton and Jonny Buist start in a three man back-line with Ryan Catto and Jordan Ogg in goal.
Mitchell Allan came in for Glen Morrison to a five-man midfield with Callan Reid, Mike McCombie, Joe Bisset and Regan Fowlie.
Nathan Fraser replaced the unavailable Dylan Buxton in attack alongside Michael Harris.
Greg Miazek made his first appearance of the season starting from the subs bench with Steven Wight, Callum Wilson, Glen Morrison, Lee Stuart and Bruce Mair.
Both teams made a cagey start on a scorching hot evening but the Jags soon gained the upper hand.
In eight minutes an in-swinging McCombie corner deceived both teams and dropped narrowly on the wrong side of the back post.
Newburgh failed to learn from this and in 15 minutes FOWLIE rose high above the defence to head another McCombie corner into the top left-hand corner of the net to
give Thistle the lead.
Thistle continued to press forward, with Allan and Bisset spraying passes around from midfield, and a minute later a 20 yard turn and shot from Harris zipped over the Newburgh bar.
The Jags could have gone further ahead in 19 minutes after a superb ball forward from Catto set Fraser free behind the Newburgh defence but the keeper pulled off a brilliant save at full stretch to turn his shot round the post.
Newburgh carved out their first chance of the match in 25 minutes when they drove up the left but the shot from the cut-back was well off target.
In 31 minutes Reid was penalised for a tackle at full stretch just outside the Jags box but the resultant Newburgh free kick was blocked by the defensive wall.
Reid’s match was over in 36 minutes with a tight hamstring and he was replaced by Morrison.
The final minutes of the first half saw Newburgh put sustained pressure on the Jags but Beaton, Catto and Buist stood firm and Ogg was immense in goal holding everything that got through to him.
Thistle could have extended their lead within a minute of the re-start when McCombie robbed a hesitant defender of the ball and drove in on goal but his angular shot hit the side netting.
The Jags conceded another free kick just outside their box in 50 minutes but the Newburgh attempt flew well over Ogg’s bar.
In 57 minutes Miazek came on for Bisset as Newburgh pressed the Jags back.
A tackle from Catto conceded another free kick at the edge of the Thistle box and another Newburgh chance went begging as the low shot from the set play flew well past the post.
Newburgh were in control at this time and in 63 minutes they broke free down the left and a cut-back from the bye-line found a striker in the six-yard box but, with the whole goal to aim at, he fired his shot directly at Ogg who held it easily.
It was all Newburgh at this time and they should have equalised in 67 minutes when a long ball forward put a striker in on goal but Ogg was off his line in a flash and brilliantly blocked the point-blank shot.
Ogg again came to the Jags rescue in 70 minutes when a superb long shot from Newburgh was heading for the corner of the net until he got his finger-tips to the ball at full stretch and push it round the post before rising above his packed goalmouth to claim the ball from the resultant corner.
In 75 minutes, however, a massive free for all kicked off near the Newburgh dugout when the Jags were on the attack but with the sun low in the sky on that side it was difficult to see what started the incident.
The referee was quick to regain control and showed straight red cards to the Newburgh Manager and Thistle’s Ryan Catto for violent conduct, however, the player was adamant that he was only blocking a punch that had been thrown at him.
When play resumed the Jags regrouped to a 4-4-1 formation as they prepared to soak up the expected Newburgh onslaught for the final quarter of an hour with the man advantage.
Newburgh launched attack after attack but a combination of poor finishing, superb Thistle defending, excellent goalkeeping from Ogg and strategic substitutions the slender lead was protected.
Over the final 10 minutes Mair, Stuart and Wilson came on for Fraser, Allan and Harris and the Jags even managed to create a couple of half chances from Harris on the left and Mair on the right before the final whistle was eventually blown after more than five minutes of added-on time.
This was a magnificent performance from the entire squad, despite constant verbal intimidation throughout the 90 minutes, to lift a monstrous but well-deserved three points.
