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Locos put in an impressive performance to take all three points despite falling behind at Grant Park. After Lewis McAndrew opened the scoring from the penalty spot for the hosts, Jay Halliday levelled before second half goals from Lloyd Robertson and Cole Anderson secured the points.
Halliday and Greg Mitchell came into the starting eleven having come off the bench on their return from injury last week. Zack Ellis had to be alert to keep out a Ryan Matheson effort within seconds of kick off before Daniel Agnew couldn’t quite take advantage of a defensive slip at the other end.
The Railwaymen were dominating territory and possession without testing Stuart Knight in the Coasters’ goal. Mitchell’s volley from Daniel Agnew’s cross was well blocked. In the 25th minute, the hosts took an unexpected lead. Jared Kennedy’s free kick into the box was met by James Leslie before Ellis flattened him as he came to punch. The referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot and McAndrew was just as decisive with his penalty.
Locos continued to enjoy a lot of pressure and the equaliser came nine minutes before the break. Calum Dingwall’s free kick was blocked by the wall but after a bit of pinball, Halliday fired into the roof of the net for his second goal in as many games. Aidan Wilson then got into a good position but Knight was equal to his shot across goal.
The second half continued in the same vein, with the action taking place largely in the Lossie half. Locos came close to taking the lead when Agnew’s ball from the right was sent towards his own goal by Leslie. Knight saved superbly only for the ball to fall for Anderson, who looked odds on to score, but he dragged his shot past the post.
The reprieve for the home team was short lived though, as Locos went ahead just a couple of minutes later. Paul Coutts’ corner from the right was helped on by Aidan Wilson for Robertson to finish from six yards. It was no more than Locos deserved and having got themselves in front they began to play some excellent, expansive football.
One lovely move ended with Knight reaching Agnew’s pass just ahead of Wilson. The goal that put the game to bed came with five minutes left to play, Anderson finishing calmly from 15 yards after Callum Duncan’s cut back had only been deflected into his path. Locos closed the game out comfortably to claim a third consecutive victory.
Grant Park is never an easy place to visit and Dean Donaldson will be pleased his team’s dominant display and by some of the football they produced. There were more minutes in the legs for Mitchell and Halliday and Max Foster made his debut for the club as a late substitute. Deano will now be looking to make the most of a run of three home games, starting with Deveronvale on Friday evening.
