Moray welfare champions FC Fochabers throw title race wide open by ending league leaders Hopeman's long unbeaten run
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FC Fochabers are refusing to give up their Moray welfare league title defence.
The Rockets became only the second side to defeat leaders Hopeman this season, winning 4-2 at Cameron Park on Tuesday night.
Hopeman had been unbeaten since the start of June, winning 11 and drawing one of their last 12 games going into the midweek clash.
Fochabers themselves made it 12 wins in their last 13 in all competitions, and the leading pair will also meet in both cup finals this term.
RAF Lossiemouth are still firmly in a three horse race for the league trophy, although the airmen have hit a run of poor form in recent weeks after a flying start.
Hopeman and Fochabers meet again on league business on August 18 at Fochabers, and with the gap between the teams at three points just now, that encounter will be crucial to both clubs.
The two teams will also meet in both cup finals, so Tuesday's clash was the first of four meetings between them over the course of the next few weeks.
Hopeman got off to the perfect start, scoring after just three minutes when Jamie Lees dispossessed a Fochabers defender and slotted in James McLaren, who turned to fire home the opener.
Lees thought he had made it 2-0 15 minutes later from McLaren's back header but his strike was disallowed for offside.
At the other end, Fochabers' John Leggat saw a free kick saved by home keeper Jamie Brown.
Hopeman had a second goal chalked off, this time McLaren penalised for offside, and the league's top scorer had a great chance from a Fochabers defensive error on 32 minutes but fired over.
Hopeman thought they were heading into the break with a deserved lead but a horror sixty seconds swung the match Fochabers' way.
On 41 minutes, Andrew walkers' long throw into the home box was headed clear but Kieron Ingram met it 25 yards from goal and fired a superb dipping volley beyond Brown to level things up.
A minute later, Fochabers attacked again and Jordan Clark's ball to the back post sparked offside appeals which the referee ignored, and player manager Gary Burchell tapped in from three yards to give the visitors a precious lead.
McLaren fired just past for Hopeman at the start of the second half, but Fochabers were more clinical and took a 3-1 lead on 48 minutes.
Clark's strike on goal was parried by Brown and Lee Alexander was on hand to steer home the rebound.
The normally deadly McLaren looked poised to add to his 37-goal tally for the season when a Fochabers defender misjudged a bouncing ball, but the striker fired off the post from around 12 yards.
Fochabers keeper Kieran Burchell saved well from a Marc Connolly free kick, while at the other end Brown denied Clark on a one-on-one, then saved from James Higgins at the resulting corner.
McLaren did manage to grab his 38th of the season with a bullet strike midway through the second half to throw Hopeman a lifeline.
And it could easily have been 3-3 when Lees burst through past a series of challenges to go one-on-one with K. Burchell, who narrowed the angle and made a good save.
Chances fell at both ends before Fochabers top scorer Clark went through to net his 18th of the season and clinch an important 4-2 success for his team.
