Pictures and video as Buckie Rovers hit back from 3-0 down against Aberlour Villa to clinch Moray welfare football title with dramatic victory
One of Moray welfare football’s greatest comebacks has decided the destiny of this year’s Premier Division title.
Buckie Rovers have celebrated their return to football by winning the league at the first time of asking.
They clinched the silverware in sensational fashion, hitting back from 3-0 down at half time to rivals Aberlour Villa to snatch victory.
Former junior side Rovers came out of a spell of abeyance to join the welfare ranks this year, and have impressed in their first year back.
After leading the table for most of the season they were in danger of being pipped to the title by their closest rivals all the way.
Villa made the perfect start, scoring after just a minute when Marcus Murray continued his purple patch of scoring by netting his 20th of the season.
Murray then made it 18 in his past 12 matches by popping up to make it 2-0 soon after, and Aberlour’s title aspirations were sky-high when Jay Morrison made it 3-0 before the break.
Rovers had a mountain to climb in the second half but made some changes in an effort to turn the tide.
Within ten minutes Jordi Mackie had pulled back a goal, and just after the hour mark Buckie were really back in the mix when captain Declan Clark scored a stunning effort on the volley from 20 yards into the top corner of the net.
Aberlour were now hanging on and kept their lead until the closing ten minutes when Mackie scored his second to make it 3-3, with more drama to come.
Villa had full back Stephen McKenzie sent off and from the resulting free kick on 87 minutes, Ross Fiske’s effort deflected off the wall and found the net to complete an incredible Buckie comeback.
The visitors held on for the win which ensured that they can’t be caught in the title chase.
Although Villa can still match Buckie’s points tally if the coast side lost their final fixture, the leaders’ would still claim top spot with a superior head-to-head record over Aberlour.
Rothes A and Portsoy drew 1-1 in the night’s other match in the bottom tier.
Gavin Cameron netted for the Speysiders with Glen Morrison on target for ‘Soy.
