Buckie Thistle 1 Linfield 2: 'Outstanding' Jags fall just short in clash with Northern Irish champions
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BUCKIE Thistle manager Graeme Stewart hailed his side’s performance in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Northern Irish champions Linfield as “outstanding”.
However, the Jags boss said his team should have won the SPFL Trust Trophy third round match, which they led for a 20-minute spell.
In an historic clash, the Jags took on a side from outwith Scotland in a competitive match for the first ever time – and, in front of a bumper crowd at Victoria Park, they more than matched their guests throughout.
Buckie get a boost in the first half when visiting midfielder Chris Shields was sent off for a swinging arm at Max Barry.
And the Jags took the lead eight minutes into the second half when Marcus Goodall capitalised on a misunderstanding at a Linfield drop ball to nick in and superbly lob the ball over keeper Chris Johns from 25 yards.
But quickfire goals on 75 and 76 minutes from Joel Cooper and Niall Quinn sealed a turnaround success for the visitors.
“I’m disappointed for the boys because I thought we deserved to win it,” Graeme Stewart said.
“I’m sad for the boys, but I’m not annoyed or anything. I thought they were outstanding, but we should be winning that game.
“At 1-0 up against 10 men, we should just sit in and play on the counter and get another goal. But they’ll learn from it.
“It’s all positives apart from maybe two or three mistakes. Lee (Herbert) had maybe one save. If they hit 20 shots at our goal you’d say they deserved it.
“I know I’m going to be biased, but I thought we deserved to win the game and we would have won it if not for 60 seconds of madness.”
Linfield signalled their intent early on as Stephen Fallon fired a cutback over the crossbar, but Buckie had the better of the first half opportunities.
Max Barry played in Andy MacAskill just after 10 minutes, who feinted to shoot and then struck a shot which was well-saved by visiting keeper Johns.
Linfield should have gone ahead after a quarter of an hour when the unmarked Robbie McDaid headed harmlessly into the floor from close range.
But up the other end, Johns again had to be sharp, this time to prevent an own goal, before Marcus Goodall saw a shot cleared off the line.
Tom MacLennan and Josh Peters, who was lively up top, both went close before the half hour mark, before the game swung in Buckie's favour on 33 minutes when Linfield were reduced to 10 men.
Chris Sheilds, who had already been booked, was given a straight red card for an arm swung in the face of Max Barry.
Buckie made their man advantage count eight minutes into the second half as Marcus Goodall scored an unorthodox opener.
A drop ball was awarded to the visitors after a clash of heads, but when visiting defender Jimmy Callacher touched the ball and left it, Goodall raced onto it and lobbed the keeper with a beauty from 25 yards.
Linfield, clearly frustrated at the manner of the goal, pushed forward and McDaid's powerful header was denied by a good Lee Herbert stop after an hour.
The equaliser arrived on 74 minutes, with a free-kick given away by substitute Sam Urquhart punished in clinical fashion as Niall Quinn teed up standout Joel Cooper to drill home via a deflection.
Roles were reversed a minute later as Cooper slipped in Quinn, whose shot squirmed through Herbert as Linfield went 2-1 ahead.
Buckie goal scorer Goodall went inches away from equalising on 82 minutes, but his header came back off the base of the post.
Buckie host Turriff United on Saturday. Graeme Stewart added: “Our priority has got to be the Highland League.
“We’ve got to learn from this and go and win at the weekend and keep winning going because it looks like the teams at the top are not letting up too much.”
