Pushed back by the wind, Lossie sat back early on, perhaps mindful of how their previous outing had finished. The elements were of no more use to the hosts, who were struggling to make the most of the howling gale, and few chances of note were forthcoming.

Darren McConnachie was earning his money in some style, stopping a William West shot one-handed from close range, and getting down quickly to stop Morrice in his tracks. The Lossie keeper was powerless to do anything about the opening goal, however. William WEST put some daylight between the sides with a sublime strike from outside the area, which swung nicely into the top corner to hand the Broch the lead.

It looked like one goal was going to be enough to split the sides heading into the interval, but Lossie conspired to make things difficult for themselves ahead of the second half. Robert MORRICE saw McConnachie react well to save his initial shot, but the Broch striker was in fastest for the rebound to double the home sides advantage and darken the already dark clouds lingering over the away dressing room.

Half time – Fraserburgh 2 Lossiemouth 0

Lossie had the wind at their backs for the second period, and took advantage. Michael McGregor and Sean McIntosh conspired to give Leask and the Broch defence plenty to think about, with the latter unfortunate not to pull a goal back with a header.

The visitors were not far from scoring, but when they did it came via an unlikely source. With the ball in his hands, Darren MCCONNACHIE let fly from his own area and watched as the ball flew the length of the pitch before landing on the edge of the Broch penalty area, bouncing once over Leask and in. A bizarre effort, but they all count and it was game on again.

Fraserburgh once again moved two goals ahead by virtue of a soft penalty award. William West went to ground following a strong tackle from Darren Watson, and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the spot kick, to the immense frustration of Lossie. Robert MORRICE stepped up to put the ball past McConnachie for the second time.

Lossie went back to work with no loss of concentration following the penalty, and were back in the game with time to spare. Scott MATHESON collected possession on the wing before cutting inside, strolling past two Brochers with ease, and finished the move with a curling effort to the far post that gave Leask no chance of a save, and Lossie every chance of a point.

Both sides pressed for more goals, with the home side eager to put the game to bed and Lossie desperate for an equaliser. Substitute Gavin Weymss would have put the game beyond the visitors had his volley not been headed clear from the line by Darren Watson. Scott Matheson was causing mayhem in the middle of the park and his accurate pass into the box for Sean McIntosh was begging to be hammered into the net, but the youngster hesitated before shooting and Leask was quickly at his feet to block.

Neither side could find any more goals forthcoming and the game came to an end, a welcome relief for the punters stood frozen on the touchline. The three points for the Broch ensured they overtook Lossie in the league table and finished the weekend in seventh position. Lossie headed for home with nothing to show for their efforts, other than a solid second half performance that could have earned them a point on another day. With consecutive games against North opposition on the horizon, that day may come soon enough.

Full time – Fraserburgh 3 Lossiemouth 2

Team