Buckie Ladies are comeback queens after stunning performance against Sutherland
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A STUNNING comeback saw Buckie Ladies overhaul a two-goal deficit and go on to win comfortably against Sutherland.
The Merson Park made the long trip north on Sunday for the Highlands and Islands League clash to pull out a performance that manager Mel Smith was to hail as the best she has seen in her time as boss.
It was a less than auspicious start, though, and Buckie found themselves 3-2 down at the break. There was a nightmare restart for the visitors when Sutherland surge into a 4-2 lead less than a minute into the second half.
However, Buckie dug deep and ran out 7-4 victors, a win which sees them sitting second in the league.
Emily McAuslan was the hat-trick hero for Buckie and was joined on the scoresheet by Alena Gardiner, Rebecca McMillan, Moira Beadle and Regan Duncan.
Smith lavished praise on her players for their remarkable win.
"That was the best game I've had as manager, the quines were just amazing," she said.
"We went in 3-2 at half-time and then lost that quick goal to make it 4-2 but they didn't let their heads go down, they were resilient and dug deep to not only come back and win but win by such a large margin. They showed so much team spirit and passion.
"It's the sort of comeback even professionals would struggle to do.
"Our fitness was impressive and the hard work we've been doing on the training field has been paying off, it's giving us an edge in games – we're still unbeaten in the league and we're sitting second."
Players of the match for Buckie were McAusland and Gardiner.
The match also marked the competitive debut for Buckie Ladies' goalkeeper Dana Hahmann, taking over the gloves from Bex Bellamy who has moved away from the Buckie area.
Buckie face the same opposition this coming Sunday at Merson Park in the Highlands and Islands League Cup, with Smith warning that the team were taking nothing for granted despite their strong showing in Helmsdale.
"It's obviously a huge psychological boost for us but at the end of the day it counts for nothing on Sunday, that's another game.
"The quines are just buzzing and really up for it but we're certainly not complacent. I'll be telling them to concentrate on playing their own games."
Kick-off is 2pm.
