Forres Thistle 6 Islavale 1: Jags hand Vale first league loss
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ISLAVALE slipped to their first league defeat of the season as they were thrashed 6-1 by North Region Division Two leaders Forres Thistle on Saturday.
Thistle are now ten points clear of Islavale, who slip to fifth place, but Paul Winton's side have a game in hand.
Winton said: “We were very poor defensively, it wasn’t like us at all. The second goal just before half-time and then the penalty knocked the stuffing out of us.”
“But I wouldn’t rule us out (of the title race). We have Forres to play twice. It will be difficult but we are never going to give up.
“If we can get back to winning there is no reason we can’t go on an eight, nine or 10-game run.”
Neil Moir gave Forres the lead within five minutes with a fine strike, but ‘Vale were level on 10 minutes courtesy of a header from Scott McIntosh.
Thistle keeper Dan Mcleod had to be on form to deny Richard Henderson and keep out a McIntosh free-kick in a fairly even first period.
Forres took the lead right on the stroke of the break as Mattie Davidson’s free-kick was fired towards the front post and turned in by Grant Duguid.
The second half was one way traffic.
Brandon Hutcheson won a penalty as he was clattered by Owen Christie on 50 minutes, and Thistle captain Davidson calmly stroked the ball into the bottom right corner for 3-1.
It was four almost immediately as George Knight’s outrageous effort from the tightest of angles looped over ‘Vale keeper Elliot Gordon and in.
Thistle's task was made simpler as ‘Vale’s Richard Henderson was given quick-fire yellow cards – first for complaining and then for what the referee deemed to be sarcastic applause.
After being booked for diving, substitute Charlie Beck fired an effort in from the edge of the box with five minutes to go for 5-1, before the man who started the scoring rounded it off in stoppage time as Neil Moir bagged his second of the afternoon.
Jags manager Tony Ross said: “It was comfortable in the end. In the first half we were a bit ropey at times and gave away silly fouls. We were a bit nervy but once we got the players in at half-time we settled.
“In the second half we upped it and they couldn’t really live with us.”
Islavale host Glentanar on Saturday.
