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Locos exited the R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup at Glebe Park for the second successive season. After a goalless first half, the hosts took the lead against the run of play and when they added a second the tie looked done and dusted. The Railwaymen got back into it though, and pushed for a leveller as Brechin were reduced to ten men. The equaliser didn’t come and it will be little consolation to Dean Donaldson and his players that they matched the league leaders and dominated for long spells.
The opening half was cagey. Lewis Martin had a couple of headed attempts at goal that didn’t trouble Louis Amann, while home keeper Isaac Carmody was able to deal with Lloyd Robertson’s effort from the edge of the box.
Nathan Meres and Lewis Milne then traded shots off target before Carmody was called upon again to keep out Jay Halliday’s header.
Locos came out for the second half on the front foot and were dominating possession and territory. Meres’ excellent jinking run into the box resulted in a shot on target that was saved by Carmody. The opening goal came on 57 minutes, and there was a touch of misfortune about it from a Locos perspective, as a deflection on Ryan Ferguson’s shot from the edge of the penalty area completely wrong footed Amann.
Spencer Moreland had a sight of goal but fired over before fellow substitute Dayle Robertson did add a second for the Hedgemen, sliding in to finish at the near post.
The scoreline was harsh on Locos but Mark Souter halved the deficit almost immediately. Carmody got down well to turn Daniel Agnew’s low shot behind for a corner and from Calum Dingwall’s delivery, Souter headed home.
Locos sensed it was game on at this stage, and they were given further encouragement when Robertson was given his marching orders ten minutes from time, following an off the ball incident with Souter. The Railwaymen pushed hard to take the game to a penalty shootout but the hosts held on to progress.
Locos will be disappointed with the result but will see positives in the performance against one of the Highland League’s strongest and most consistent teams. They’ll be looking to turn that positivity into a result when they make the long journey to Wick Academy next Saturday.
