Narrow loss knocks Turriff Thistle out of Association Trophy
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Nicolls Amateurs 1 Turriff Thistle 0
Turriff Thistle’s interest in the Association Trophy ended at the first round on Saturday following a 1-0 away defeat to Premier Division side Nicolls Amateurs.
The only goal came on 20 minutes when a foul was awarded against the Jags then after the free-kick was swung into the six-yard box the final shot was scuffed into the bottom corner.
Thistle, however, matched their Premier Division opponents throughout the entire match but never got the break of the ball and lacked a bit of composure in the final third of the pitch.
The Jags made two changes to their starting line-up with Ryan Catto returning in place of the suspended Kian Beaton alongside Mike McCombie and James Mackintosh. Stuart Elphinstone came in to partner Michael Harris in attack.
The five-man midfield from the past two weeks of Glen Morrison, Joe Bisset, Callan Reid, Dylan Buxton and Regan Fowlie remained and the subs bench consisted of Eythin Duncan, Bruce Mair, Steven Wight, Lee Stuart and Nathan Fraser.
Thistle pushed Nicolls back straight from the kick-off and were quick to force the first corner as the home defence held firm.
The Jags were moving the ball about crisply and on eight minutes Fowlie had a cross from the right blocked for another corner then on 10 minutes McCombie got his head to a Buxton cross but his attempt was intercepted and cleared.
Nicolls worked their way back into the game after 15 minutes and it was Thistle’s turn to do a bit of defending.
On 16 minutes the Nicolls winger drove down the left before cutting into the middle to fire a low shot that Ogg turned round the post at full stretch.
The deadlock was broken on 20 minutes when Buxton was penalised and booked for a foul at the edge of the box on the right.
The resultant free-kick was crossed to the back post where the Nicolls winger scuffed his low shot into the corner of the net with Ogg in place to block the shot had it been hit cleanly.
Both teams continued to push forward, however, further chances were few and far between as the defences were on top at both ends of the pitch.
On 28 minutes Elphinstone fired in a cross from the left that was met by Catto nipping in at the edge of the six-yard box but his side-foot effort was deflected round the back post.
The game continued to see-saw from end to end with no clear-cut chances being created, however, on 36 minutes, Harris made space on the right at the edge of the 18-yard box but fired his shot just over the bar.
The second half began with Thistle taking the game to Nicolls and they were awarded a free-kick at the edge of their box after only two minutes.
The break of the ball went against the Jags again when Buxton drove the set piece low towards the left-hand corner of the net and the diving keeper failed to get his hands to the ball but it smashed off his face and spun round the post for a corner.
Buxton then took the corner which he curled to the back post where Catto rose high above everyone round him but his header flashed past the wrong side of the post.
Thistle kept up the pressure and on 49 minutes Elphinstone drove strongly down the right and into the Nicolls box but his shot hit the side netting.
On 56 minutes Reid was forced to call it a day with a twinge to his hamstring and Wight came on to take over his midfield role.
Nicolls came back into the game at this point and on 63 minutes a neat passing move across the pitch using four players put them in on the Jags goal at the right-hand post but the final shot was brilliantly blocked by Ogg.
Thistle had another period of pressing Nicolls back but could not break down their well organised defence. Another corner from Buxton was flapped at by the Nicolls keeper at the back post but the ball just would not fall kindly to a Jags player and the chance was gone.
Nicolls had the opportunity to double their lead on 75 minutes when they drove up the left and crossed to the back post but the final shot was blocked by Ogg’s legs.
Thistle then threw caution to the wind with Fraser and Mair coming on for Morrison and Elphinstone and everyone was encouraged to push forward for the equaliser that would take the tie into extra-time.
The Jags piled forward and threw everything they had at the Nicolls goal but just could not fashion that final ball to pierce their defence and the tie ended with that 20-minute goal the difference between the teams.
