Angus Grant's second five-goal Highland League haul could be a first half record breaker as Huntly striker hands credit to his Christie Park team-mates
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Huntly striker Angus Grant might be a record breaker after smashing in five first half goals in his team’s 7-0 romp over Strathspey Thistle on Saturday.
His quintuple strike in a 35-minute spell might well make him the first Huntly player to net five in the same half, and possibly the first in the Highland League to bag five before the interval.
It’s not the first time that the 25-year-old has scored five in a Highland League match - he did it for previous club Turriff at Fort William five years ago but four of those came in the second half.
“I’ve not really had to properly work for the goals I scored,” he admitted “It was a really good team performance and for me, I was in the right place at the right time which as a striker you’ve got to be.
“I will take a lot of confidence in the sense that I’m doing my job by getting myself in there. But the chances that were created for my goals, they were all well-worked goals.
“They were all striker’s goals in the penalty area. The key thing for me is putting them in the back of the net. I had a good header for the second one from a corner and I don’t score many of them. The first finish across the keeper was pretty good but I don’t care how they go in.”
Grant’s fifth minute opener was followed quickly by a deflected Fin Allen free kick, before further strikes on 16, 21, 34 and 40 minutes by the Christie Park hitman took the score to 6-0 at half time.
Ryan Sewell netted the seventh in the closing minutes.
The result was a perfect way to bounce back from Huntly's 6-0 defeat at Fraserburgh on the previous weekend.
"When we went in at half time 6-0 up, the game was out of sight without being disrespectful to Strathspey Thistle. We know what that feels like as we conceded six to Fraserburgh the week before.
"As a team we were maybe a bit disappointed with our second half performance but to see of the game and get a clean sheet and another goal, we did a professional job and it's good foundations to build on.
"We’ve got a busy schedule so it was never going to be a case of coming out all guns blazing in the second half.
"Last week was a tough one going down to ten men so early in the game. Bellslea is a hard enough place to go with eleven players. We had the wind against us in the second half and in that circumstances pretty much any team could have lost six goals to Fraserburgh.
"We put that result out of our system, looked to start quickly and we had a really good first half."
Huntly are the highest scoring team in the Highland League so far and Grant sees that continuing over the final two months of the season.
"We’ve got so many forward option and so many chipping in with goals. Myself and Andrew Hunter have managed to get a few between us and goals win you games.
"From now until the end of the season, I can’t see that stopping and results will come. It could be a positive finish."
There's a fine partnership forming between Hunter and Grant in the Black and Golds' attack - and a bit of competitive spirit thrown in to the mix,
"That’s 13 for the season for me. He’s six ahead of me so he has that cushion but any striker wants to have healthy competition.
"My goal is obviously to try and catch him even though it’s a tough ask. I’ve got no doubt he will score a good few more but for us both it’s the best thing for it when we are both getting goals.
"Then you’ve got Brodie Allen who had an ankle injury and he came back and aggravated it yesterday.
"Having a player of his calibre on the bench is great. I went through that myself at the start of the season, sitting on the bench when Allan (Hale) was in charge. There’s no doubt he will come back in and score and his brother Fin is here on loan and he’s a cracking player as well.
Grant now has a spring in his step as he chased his best-ever goal tally for a Highland League season, 17 when he wore the colours of Turriff.
“We still have 9 or 10 games to go and I’ve no doubt that chances will come so I’m looking towards the 20 mark for sure.”
