NEWLY crowned Fosters League Cup champions, Inverurie Locos, signed off their season in style, cementing their third place with a points totalof 57, 13 behind winners Cove Rangers who beat second placed Deveronvale in their celebratory game in Aberde
en.
For opponents Fort William the game ended a nightmare campaign which has seen them collect a mere point, but the main focus of this game was the the competition between Danny Milne and Neil Gauld to be Locos top scorer for the season, with Milne starting the match on 21 goal and Gauld just two behind on 19.
In the end it was to be 22 each, not only as Locos' top scorers but also overall top scorers in all Highland football competitions.
The home side took 15 minutes before they threatened the Fort goal, however, it was to yield goal number one. Danny Milne was fed the ball wide, before chipping the ball back for Neil Gauld to half volley the ball into the back of the net.
This set the game into life and the Locos continued to create chances, and forced some good saves out of Craig Masterson. The first came from a Ritchie Singer low shot well inside the Fort box. The second came ten minutes later, with Gauld doing the hard work to chip the ball over defenders before seeing Masterson save the ball with his legs.
Poor defending allowed Gauld to turn on the edge of the box and drive the ball across goal and into the far corner of the net as it became 2-0 with a third of the game gone.
With the two Locos strikers now level on 21, maybe it was not too surprising that Danny Milne chose to finish the half with a solo effort, but to no avail.
The second half began with a warning for Fort as within seconds of each other, Milne and Gauld spurned two great chances. The pressure was on for Fort just two minutes later as another great save was required to deny a Mark Smith shot.
Any hopes of the Fort William miracle win were blown away on the 56th minute as two quick Locos goals set the stage for a rout. The first came through an unlucky own goal from Michael Ellis, as he got his head onto a Scott Buchan cross which was enough to off set the keeper and float into the net.
Minutes later, Gauld got his hat-trick and took the lead on the scorers' list, and it was one of his finest. The striker roamed around the Fort box, before cutting across some defenders and curling the ball into the roof of the net from all of 18 yards.
Milne almost grabbed a goal back, if it wasn't for a brilliant tackle from Martin Godwin, embarrassing the striker as he was clear in front of goal. Two minutes later, Milne made up for this and provided the perfect cross for Mark Smith to head the ball past the helpless Masterson.
It was not all doom and gloom for Fort William as they clinched their 16th goal of the season, thanks to a screaming free kick by Martin Kerr. The ball was rolled off from Sean Ellis and Kerr smashed the ball straight into the top left corner, bringing cheers from even the home fans.
But the mood was lifted further with just three minutes remaining as a Fort William defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, and with the scorers' list topped by Gauld, Milne raced after the ball to claim the kick.
He placed the ball on the spot and converted the shot, leaving both players on 22 goals each, with one goal remaining in the match.
Craig Ross provided the inch perfect cross deep into the box which fell for a Locos striker, however, this time it was substitute Kenny Coull who headed the ball into the back of the net to clinch the Locos' seventh goal and leave Milne and Gauld settling for a draw.
Inverurie Locos: Reid, Park Buchan (Mess 82), Ross, Simpson, Smith (McKinnon 74), Singer(Coull 74), McLean, Milne, Gauld, Graham. Subs not used: Michie, Broadhurst.
Dave Cormie was delighted to see his team produce the goods and had special words of praise for two players: "For Danny Milne and Neil Gauld to finish as joint top scorers is great for two young lads, that is wonderful from Locos viewpoint having not only one but two players up there. We got our scoring boots on in the last half hour. A decent match and a decent crowd too.
"Fort William played some tidy stuff until the last 20 minutes. I am pleased to see Calum getting the Fort playing football, teams have gone 50 games in football without winning a game before.
"But they played good football and I believe next year if they keep the team they have, they'll keep working hard for that three points. It was a cracking goal they scored."
