Match Report: Buckie Thistle 2 - 3 Inverness CT: The Clash of The Jags
Temporary Measures: Interim Manager Neil McCann (pictured) steered Inverness to a 3-2 win at Victoria Park on Tuesday night.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle carried on their great run of form narrowly defeating northern neighbours Buckie Thistle 3-2 away at Victoria Park in this second round Scottish Cup tie.
John Robertson’s young side (currently managed by interim boss Neil McCann) travelled to Buckie with fire in their bellies following on from two massive wins against second and third-placed Raith and Dunfermline. Meanwhile, Graeme Stewarts Buckie side, who had not played a professional game since December, looked only to step out, regain their footing and show what they could do.
The game kicked off in the worst way possible for Stewart’s side as Inverness came flying out the blocks. Within the first minute, a tempting Daniel MacKay cross landed right at the feet of James Keatings, sluggish Buckie defending left him all the time in the world to calmly place it in the bottom left corner.
In the first ten minutes, Buckie’s lack of game time was clear to see, Inverness were running circles around them and they could barely string two passes together. Although this did not last for long, as suddenly brand-new life seemed to be injected into the squad as they began battling for every ball across the park. This led to a 15th minute Jack Murray headed goal after veteran defender Lewis MacKinnon delivered a beautiful cross into the area.
Prolific: Former Hibs & Hearts striker James Keatings (pictured) opened the scoring for Caley Thistle early on.
After the equaliser, Buckie began to play themselves into a great game, with several big chances being created by forwards Sam Urquhart and Kyle McLeod which they would soon come to regret not taking advantage of. Inverness struck back with a fantastic piece of play by which was spectacularly finished off by a 30-yard goal from midfielder Sean Walsh just before the 30-minute mark.
Coming out after the break, the scoreline did not seem to represent the attitude being displayed from the two teams. An inspired looking Buckie team battled tooth and nail to try and find an equaliser. Evidently, it was the Buckie youngsters who provided their best chances with 18-year-old Mark McLaughlin and 19-year-old former Aberdeen man Max Barry both orchestrating fantastic passages of play.
After a period of lacklustre, scrappy play from both teams, it was the Buckie substitute Callum Murray that came on to make the difference. Within ten minutes of coming on the winger utilised his blistering pace to fly through the Inverness defence and perfectly strike the ball into the top right corner, leaving Cameron MacKay dead on his feet and tying up the game for Buckie with five minutes to go.
Ultimately it was to be heartbreak for the Highland League side. Almost instantly from the restart, Inverness walked straight through Buckie’s half, and after a scrappy tussle in the box, Daniel MacKay managed to slot it home, killing the game and carrying Inverness through to the next round in the process.
Despite the result going in favour of Inverness, there are huge positives to be taken away from this game by both teams. Buckie Thistle who just played their first game in almost four months showcased exactly why you should never underestimate the Highland League and made a statement as to what the rest of the league can expect to face in the coming season. Meanwhile, Inverness can hope to continue their fine run of form in both the league and in their next round in the cup against local rivals Ross County.