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A dramatic finish saw Locos triumph over Rothes at Harlaw Park. The result extends their winning streak to six matches but for much of the afternoon it looked as though they would come away with nothing against the team who sat bottom of the Breedon Highland League at the start of play, as late strikes from Mark Souter and Milosz Ochmanski completed a remarkable turn around.
Dean Donaldson handed a first start to Josh Bolton and it was the former Fraserburgh man who had the first sight of goal, latching onto Souter’s excellent ball forward, but he was crowded out by the defence. The Speysiders took the lead on 11 minutes as Ross Logan’s shot following an excellent, mazy run, appeared to take a deflection on it’s way into the net.
With something to protect, the visitors did so extremely well. Despite dominating play, Locos were not able to test goalkeeper Sean McCarthy, as his defence dealt with everything the Railwaymen threw at them. Blair Smith volleyed off target and, shortly before the break, Daniel Agnew dragged an effort agonisingly wide of the left hand upright.
The frustration around Harlaw Park was palpable as Rothes doubled their lead with with the last kick of the first half. Carelessness from Locos allowed Logan to break forward and he found Shaun Morrison who smashed home.
There was no surprise when Donaldson made changes for the second half. One of the three new faces, Cole Anderson, made an immediate impact as he was bundled over by Owen Alexander in the box. Paul Coutts sent McCarthy the wrong way from the penalty spot to bring Locos back into the game. Locos continued to enjoy the bulk of possession and territory, although Rothes maintained a threat on the break. McCarthy saved from Calum Dingwall, before Morrison fired straight at Zack Ellis. Anderson then tried his luck from the edge of the box but couldn’t find the target. The next opportunity fell to Agnew but he shot wide under pressure from a defender.
Just as it was starting to look like it wasn’t going to be Locos’ day, Souter levelled with a minute of normal time remaining. McCarthy saved well from Anderson’s drive but Souter, who had been moved into attack, reacted quickest to nod home. The man celebrating his testimonial year then made an acrobatic attempt to head a winner. The decisive goal did come though, three minutes into added time, as Ochmanski met Coutts’ corner at the far post to complete the comeback.
Despite the obvious joy at the late win, there was concern in the Locos camp for Greg Mitchell, who had been stretched off with his team still trailing, with an apparent knee injury. Donaldson confirmed that Mitchell had gone to hospital after leaving the field and when it came to the game itself, the manager felt his side were a bit too relaxed in the first half but was pleased with the response after the break. “They thought we were just going to show up and win, and they were strolling about” he said, “but we showed real character in the second half, with urgency. The boys didn’t accept that we were only going for a draw, they wanted to try and get the win. I’m delighted with them.” To achieve that win perhaps demonstrates how far Locos have come in recent months.
Locos travel to Nairn next week, where they’ll be looking to keep this run going.
