Josh Peters and Andy MacAskill take Buckie Thistle to victory and 100 goals for season but former Aberdeen midfielder Max Barry earns extra praise from Victoria Park boss Graeme Stewart after victory over Inverurie Locos
Josh Peters and Andy MacAskill took Buckie Thistle’s goal tally to 100 for the season, but Max Barry was the star of the show.
So says Jags manager Graeme Stewart after seeing his team beat Inverurie Locos 2-0 to remain top of the Highland League on Saturday.
Peters netted his 22nd of the season to break Locos’ resistance and MacAskill chipped in with his 16th soon after, the latter registering his club’s 100th in all competitions for the campaign.
Stewart was pleased with a comfortable win, and sang the praises of former Aberdeen midfielder Barry who he believes should be playing at a higher level.
“Josh and Andrew deserve praise but if there is a better player in the Highland League right now than Max Barry, then I haven’t seen him,” said Stewart.
“He maybe doesn’t always score or create too many goals but he controls the game and the tempo. He is a joy to watch just now.
“He is just getting better and better and he is still only 20 or 21 so has a few years of development before he reaches his peak. He has another two-and-a-half years of his contract so it is all about keeping him at the club, because he is a cut above the Highland League.
“There are a few boys in my team like that but Max is one who I feel has that little bit extra that could push him to full-time football if he wants that.”
With Barry pulling the strings, Buckie wore down their opponents and Stewart revealed how a more clinical approach in the second half paid off with the two goals shortly after half time.
“Two-nil is never comfortable but in the first half I think they only had one chance and it was the same in the second half, both times through our mistakes.
“Apart from that we had about 80 per cent of possession and they never looked like they were going to cut us open.
“They didn’t carry too much of a threat and we dominated the ball but the only downside was we weren’t moving it quick enough.
“What was said at half time was to speed things up and play one touch, two touch maximum and be more direct with our passing.
“By that we didn’t mean long passing but just forward passing, and once we did that we scored the two goals and I thought we could have had two or three more. I was delighted with that.”
On Saturday Jags travel to Huntly, who before then will play their Aberdeenshire Shield semi-final against Fraserburgh on Wednesday with the winners playing Buckie in the final.
“Huntly has always been a sticky one for us,” said Stewart.
“We had a tight one with them at the beginning of the season and they beat us at Huntly a few years back when we won the league.
“Allan Hale is a very good manager who has signed some good players and he will have them well-organised. They drew with Brechin earlier in the season so we know how hard that one is going to be.
“Every game right now is a must-win until we catch up on Brechin.”