Buckie Thistle manager Graeme Stewart calls for "almost perfect" finish to Jags' season after losing Highland League leadership to Brechin City
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Buckie Thistle need to be near-perfect in pursuit of the Highland League title after dropping two vital points at Huntly on Saturday.
A 1-1 draw at Christie Park saw Jags overtaken by undefeated Brechin City, who beat Strathspey Thistle 6-0.
Buckie manager Graeme Stewart admitted a draw was a fair result, and with his team behind Brechin having played two more games, he knows they can’t afford many more slip-ups.
But Stewart is refusing to give up on the title chase and plans to put maximum pressure on the leaders, who he says have some difficult games still to play.
“There’s a lot of twists and turns to come,” he said. “We have to play Brora twice, Brechin and Banks O’Dee, some really hard games. Brechin have to play us away and Fraserburgh twice so they have some tough games as well.
“What I did say to the boys after the game is that we will almost have to be perfect from now until the end of the season, which will be very difficult.
“It will need to be like the run we had last year, when we beat all the top teams and went on that run of 20-odd games.
“We can definitely do that and that is what I have challenged them to do now. You can maybe draw a game but that’s about it, the rest will have to be wins and we still have a chance but we need to be just about perfect.”
Stewart said his team is conceding too many cheap goals this season, no more evidence than on Saturday when a defensive blunder between keeper Bal Demus and stopper Ryan Fyffe led to Huntly being gifted a goal after five minutes.
“It was ridiculous. Ryan was going back towards goal and he wasn’t shouting loud enough, Bal didn’t shout loud enough and they clashed into each other and the ball dropped to (Andy) Hunter’s feet and he’s put it in.
“Bal saved us with two great stops in the second half, one off the post and a one-on-one, so he made amends.”
Scott Adams netted Buckie’s equaliser eight minutes after half time but they couldn’t find a winner.
“We just didn’t do enough. It wasn’t a lack of effort, the boys were running about giving their all. But at Inverurie last week I said that every player was at least a seven out of ten. Lewis (assistant Mackinnon) said after Saturday’s game that I don’t think anyone reached that today. It was one of those days.”
This weekend Jags host a Brora Rangers side who have won all three games in january, scoring 20 goals and conceding one.
“It’s a home game and they have to go and win it and we will be putting a plan in place to do just that.
“We are confident we have a great chance of winning it but they are flying just now. We will do our research and put a game plan in place, not give away stupid goals like we have been doing.”
Stewart expects captain Kevin Fraser and centre back Sam Morrison to return to his squad in the next two weeks, with both back in full training.
