Huntly strike late to secure late Inverurie Locos draw
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A LAST gasp equaliser salvaged a point for Huntly on Saturday as they held Inverurie Locos to a 1-1 draw at Christie Park.
Locos looked to be heading for all three points through a first half Robert Ward goal.
And, despite Cole Anderson’s dismissal in the second half, it was the visitors who continued to dominate much of the play.
But they were left to rue a glut of missed opportunities when Andy Hunter popped up in the 90th minute to rifle a shot in off the crossbar to secure a valuable point for the Black and Golds.
Huntly assistant Stefan Laird was happy to see his side salvage a point but was disappointed with the standard of performance.
“It wasn’t a good performance at all,” he said.
“We certainly weren’t at our best. Definitely on the ball we were far poorer than myself and the manager would ever want us to be but once again we proved that we are resilient.
“We were still well organised so off the ball we were reasonable but on the ball we were way below what we demand and expect from the team.
“Obviously Andy up front has been a light for us all season and he showed that again with a tremendous goal on Saturday to get us a point.
“We just need a little more consistency to take us to that next level.”
Despite the under par performance, the result was Huntly’s sixth match in a row without defeat against Locos.
They have also taken points off both Buckie Thistle and Brechin City, the league’s top two sides, this season and have one of the best defensive records in the league.
Laird said: “I think that’s part of the progression the side have made under the manager. “When Allan and I took over the team, we were in a really bad place. We’re now in a reasonable position in the league and we’ve got ourselves in a position where we’re challenging the top teams in every game we play.
“The aim for us is to try and improve year on year. If we can get above last year’s points total then we’ll be absolutely delighted.
“With five games to go, we’re only two points off that so we’ve got a great chance of doing it.”
Huntly’s aim to end the season on a high will begin with a tricky tie away to seventh place Rothes on Saturday.
“Everyone knows that Rothes are a really good side,” Laird added.
“there really isn’t any pressure on us and we know we’re more than capable of going up there and getting a result but we’ll have to be at our best.”
