No excuses as Buckie Ladies fall at Brora
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BUCKIE Ladies snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Sunday when they travelled to Sutherland to take on Brora Rangers Ladies.
The result was to leave Buckie manager Mel Smith fuming as the team threw away a commanding position against the hosts.
Brora took the lead against the run of play but Buckie soon drew level thanks to Gemma Geddes. In half they were to dominate, Becca McMillan gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at the break.
A controversial penalty after the restart meant it was all square again before winger Kourtniy Sim restored Buckie's advantage.
A moment of madness from Buckie keeper Bex Bellamy saw her pass the ball out to one of her centre backs. As the ball returned to Bellamy, she elected to kick rather than pick it up, her failing to make contact and allowing a Brora forward in to score.
The Merson Park outfit were to have misery heaped on that howler when Brora netted with eight minutes to go.
For Smith, Sunday's game marked the end of the excuses for Buckie Ladies.
"I was brutal with them afterwards, it was totally unacceptable," she said.
"We can't say we were unlucky or we didn't get the rub of the green.
"Fair enough, I don't think it was a penalty – in fact, I don't think it was even a foul – but as for the rest of it, it was carelessness. The same things keep coming up time and again from games but we keep repeating those errors. It was our fault we lost and we can't go around making excuses for ourselves any more.
"This was a game we could've and should've won and we threw it away, pure and simple.
"In the first half we were the dominant force and then took our foot off the gas after the break. We played a lot of bonny football and the squad have a lot of potential, which makes today's performance so much harder to take – and so much less excusable."
Buckie Ladies do not have long to lick their wounds, this Saturday seeing them participating in a football festival in Inverness.
The following week, on Sunday, will see a stern test present itself at Merson Park in the shape of Inverness Caley Ladies, kick-off 2pm, with Buckie making the return trip to the Highland capital at a date still to be confirmed. Follow Buckie Ladies' Facebook page for updates.
