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Locos were beaten in their final game of the season by a hat-trick of stunning strikes from Deveronvale’s Jack Mitchell. Mitchell’s treble came after Jack McKenzie had given The Railwaymen the lead, and the four goals were among the few moments of quality in an otherwise unremarkable end of season affair.
Before the game, it was confirmed that both Paul Coutts and Mark Souter would be playing their final game for the club. Soapy can rightfully be called a Locos legend, having been at the club since 2011 and made almost 400 appearances. In the 2017/18 season he achieved the incredible feat of playing every minute of every game. In 2024, his penalty in the shootout sealed Aberdeenshire Cup victory against Buckie Thistle. Coutts has had a huge influence in his three seasons at Harlaw Park, bringing a wealth of experience from league football in England alongside a skill level matched by few in the Highland League.
The opening exchanges were uneventful as the players got to grips with a swirling wind. There had been little goal mouth action of note before McKenzie opened the scoring just after the half hour mark. His run into the box was picked out by Robert Ward and he calmly rounded keeper Ethan Hopkinson before firing home. The goal settled Locos and they enjoyed a good spell, McKenzie went close to a second and Hopkinson saved Ward’s free kick.
On the verge of half-time, the visitors drew level as Mitchell beat Blessing Oluyemi with a spectacular effort from 25 yards. Just two minutes into the second half, he did it again, firing over Oluyemi and under the bar from a slightly wider position on the left to put Vale ahead. Locos were stunned but nearly hit back immediately as Souter came close to crowning his final appearance with a goal that would have been talked about for many years at Harlaw Park, taking the ball on his chest before crashing an overhead kick off the crossbar with Hopkinson beaten.
That effort would prove to be as close as Locos came to getting back into the game. They enjoyed a lot of the ball but struggled to create many clear openings. Jay Halliday’s effort from the corner of the box was just wide of the far post and Hopkinson beat away an Ethan Cairns strike. At the other end, the visitors posed a threat on the break, with Aberdeen loanee Sam McLean a real threat. At one point he threatened to beat every member of Locos’ defence, before eventually being crowded out. In stoppage time, Mitchell sealed his hat-trick with yet another incredible strike from distance.
This was a disappointing end to a disappointing campaign. Dean Donaldson will look to strengthen his squad over the summer, particularly in light of the departures, but will also hope to have some of his injured players back in time for pre-season.
