Highland League Weekly - The Podcast
Oct 19, 2026 · 24 min · 8 segments
Highland League Weekly's latest episode focuses on champions and leaders Brora Rangers coming through their early season test against Fraserburgh at Bellslea. Callum Law and Ryan Cryle also talk…
Callum LawPanelist
Ryan CryleHost
That's gone perfectly well, finished 1-1 and I think they were, I mean obviously Steve MacIsaac never set out to draw a game but he was quite happy to leave Belsley with a point, continue their unbeaten run, that's 12 wins and 3 draws from their 15 league games.
still in a very strong position and I mean the thing as well okay drawing maybe allowed allowed others that will come on to the chance to move a wee bit closer but you know it didn't hasn't really opened the door massively and as Stephen also said you know it kind of keeps Fraser Bratt arm's length a wee bit as well because if they'd won and they've also still got a game in hand it would have been that chance of maybe you know pulling themselves a bit neater but aye they were they were Aye, Brora were probably, I would say, I think over a piece a draw was probably about right really.
Fraserborough, certainly in terms of territory pressure and that had the better of the first half and then I'd probably say Brora had the better of the second half.
It can probably be relatively few chances, really good chances compared with maybe what you'd expect in Fraserbrook draw games.
It was still an interesting watch in terms of just the competitiveness of it and the intensity at which it was played.
But I think Mark, how he slightly disappointed he felt in the second half, The subs he made when they went on, Kuda done more, and I think he also felt his side looked a bit tired in the closing stages, because at 1-1, you know, his time was going on.
Although the wind was going the other way, which is a bit of a leveller, but especially playing down the slope, there's usually a bit of concerted pressure or a bit of an onslaught at some point in the closing stages if they're looking to try and push and win the game, but they're never really... was that and he just felt they didn't quite have the sort of energy maybe to go and make up big push and you know Broda even when they were committing players forward Broda still looked quite sort of decent on the break at times and moved it quite well at times so I'd say point was fair enough and neither you know neither could really have too many complaints with that I don't think and Broda clearly pleased about it in Verruri to be fair um won their game at Rolfes three three one double from Cole Donaldson and a um disputed Cole Anderson penalty but you know so that's moved them to seven points behind having played a game more than you know although Brodan are in a very strong position if you eat locos you know after losing last week that was a sort of satisfactory response and getting back to winning ways and pulling yourself a wee bit nearer again I mean the penalty like Rothes to be fair I think despite having limited options at the moment with players missing I think they are playing a bit of you know I do think there is Some decent enough signs there, but as Ryan Essin was saying, it's like good performances are okay, but you need to try and turn them into something.
The penalty, I think, was one that was a fair bit of debate about, but I think initially the feeling was it was... outside the box and it maybe wasn't that view was maybe supported by once it refereed Joanna Brady giving it cold on since it looked to play a short free kick but I think when I've watched it I think it's part of the challenge when Callum Duncan's on the line if it's on the line it's in the box it's not 100% conclusive but it looks that way to me the only thing I would say is I'm not necessarily convinced you know whether it was you know whether there was enough eye like it looked kind of shoulder to shoulder but I mean Joanna Brady was right there and she's given it so you move on but I know with Rothes maybe feeling at the moment that these maybe 50-50 calls when they're struggling seem to the suit feel like more more of them are maybe going against them than they're due and in terms of the other things at the top end of the table like for martin and third place for martin lost 2-1 to wick academy at harmsworth park which was disappointing for them and you know they passed up the chance to sort of move a bit bit closer to brora the end of their 11-match unbeaten run in the league which went back to the 5th of august And really, I think they were just disappointed that when they had their spells in the ascendancy and when they created good chances, they didn't take them.
Like they were 1-0 up through Rory McAllister, but they weren't able to add to that lead.
And Wic came back with Graham McNabb and then Ewan Kennedy scoring in the closing stages.
Towsie finish a bit of what Millie and Graham McNabb and Matthew Cooper sent off but I mean for Wick you know a great result for them third league win of the season and you'd imagine or you'd hope the sort of the given who the opposition were side at the top end of the table and also the sort of manner of the win as well having to dig in at times and then coming back and winning you'd hope that would give them a good boost going forward I think Over the last, you know, recent weeks, there has been, even last week, although they got beat at Devon Vale, there's been reasonably decent signs for Wick.
The only sort of thing with that game, which is a bit of a sour note, was it emerged afterwards that there's an allegation of racist abuse towards a Firmarton player, which Wick are trying to sort of establish, you know, what happened or find the... parties who were involved in that but clearly I mean it goes without saying really but you know that's not something you ever want to you know nobody should ever have to experience really and you know it's just you know not something that should be going on in any set in football ground or otherwise and I think the challenge and you and I were speaking about this before we started but the challenge To an extent for the clubs, as much as the clubs put out messaging and it's something that's periodically reiterated about discriminatory language and all that sort of thing.
Like, if you have somebody who's coming into the ground and wants to say what they said or decides at the spur of the moment that they're going to say that, it's very hard to...
Despite all the good intentions and the message and that, it's very hard to stop it.
Because when people come in to fit the ground, you can't stop them from opening their mouth really.
But it's obviously been incidents being reported and hopefully it's dealt with appropriately.
That's gone perfectly well, finished 1-1 and I think they were, I mean obviously Steve MacIsaac never set out to draw a game but he was quite happy to leave Belsley with a point, continue their unbeaten run, that's 12 wins and 3 draws from their 15 league games.
still in a very strong position and I mean the thing as well okay drawing maybe allowed allowed others that will come on to the chance to move a wee bit closer but you know it didn't hasn't really opened the door massively and as Stephen also said you know it kind of keeps Fraser Bratt arm's length a wee bit as well because if they'd won and they've also still got a game in hand it would have been that chance of maybe you know pulling themselves a bit neater but aye they were they were Aye, Brora were probably, I would say, I think over a piece a draw was probably about right really.
Fraserborough, certainly in terms of territory pressure and that had the better of the first half and then I'd probably say Brora had the better of the second half.
It can probably be relatively few chances, really good chances compared with maybe what you'd expect in Fraserbrook draw games.
It was still an interesting watch in terms of just the competitiveness of it and the intensity at which it was played.
But I think Mark, how he slightly disappointed he felt in the second half, The subs he made when they went on, Kuda done more, and I think he also felt his side looked a bit tired in the closing stages, because at 1-1, you know, his time was going on.
Although the wind was going the other way, which is a bit of a leveller, but especially playing down the slope, there's usually a bit of concerted pressure or a bit of an onslaught at some point in the closing stages if they're looking to try and push and win the game, but they're never really... was that and he just felt they didn't quite have the sort of energy maybe to go and make up big push and you know Broda even when they were committing players forward Broda still looked quite sort of decent on the break at times and moved it quite well at times so I'd say point was fair enough and neither you know neither could really have too many complaints with that I don't think and Broda clearly pleased about it in Verruri to be fair um won their game at Rolfes three three one double from Cole Donaldson and a um disputed Cole Anderson penalty but you know so that's moved them to seven points behind having played a game more than you know although Brodan are in a very strong position if you eat locos you know after losing last week that was a sort of satisfactory response and getting back to winning ways and pulling yourself a wee bit nearer again I mean the penalty like Rothes to be fair I think despite having limited options at the moment with players missing I think they are playing a bit of you know I do think there is Some decent enough signs there, but as Ryan Essin was saying, it's like good performances are okay, but you need to try and turn them into something.
The penalty, I think, was one that was a fair bit of debate about, but I think initially the feeling was it was... outside the box and it maybe wasn't that view was maybe supported by once it refereed Joanna Brady giving it cold on since it looked to play a short free kick but I think when I've watched it I think it's part of the challenge when Callum Duncan's on the line if it's on the line it's in the box it's not 100% conclusive but it looks that way to me the only thing I would say is I'm not necessarily convinced you know whether it was you know whether there was enough eye like it looked kind of shoulder to shoulder but I mean Joanna Brady was right there and she's given it so you move on but I know with Rothes maybe feeling at the moment that these maybe 50-50 calls when they're struggling seem to the suit feel like more more of them are maybe going against them than they're due and in terms of the other things at the top end of the table like for martin and third place for martin lost 2-1 to wick academy at harmsworth park which was disappointing for them and you know they passed up the chance to sort of move a bit bit closer to brora the end of their 11-match unbeaten run in the league which went back to the 5th of august And really, I think they were just disappointed that when they had their spells in the ascendancy and when they created good chances, they didn't take them.
Like they were 1-0 up through Rory McAllister, but they weren't able to add to that lead.
And Wic came back with Graham McNabb and then Ewan Kennedy scoring in the closing stages.
Towsie finish a bit of what Millie and Graham McNabb and Matthew Cooper sent off but I mean for Wick you know a great result for them third league win of the season and you'd imagine or you'd hope the sort of the given who the opposition were side at the top end of the table and also the sort of manner of the win as well having to dig in at times and then coming back and winning you'd hope that would give them a good boost going forward I think Over the last, you know, recent weeks, there has been, even last week, although they got beat at Devon Vale, there's been reasonably decent signs for Wick.
The only sort of thing with that game, which is a bit of a sour note, was it emerged afterwards that there's an allegation of racist abuse towards a Firmarton player, which Wick are trying to sort of establish, you know, what happened or find the... parties who were involved in that but clearly I mean it goes without saying really but you know that's not something you ever want to you know nobody should ever have to experience really and you know it's just you know not something that should be going on in any set in football ground or otherwise and I think the challenge and you and I were speaking about this before we started but the challenge To an extent for the clubs, as much as the clubs put out messaging and it's something that's periodically reiterated about discriminatory language and all that sort of thing.
Like, if you have somebody who's coming into the ground and wants to say what they said or decides at the spur of the moment that they're going to say that, it's very hard to...
Despite all the good intentions and the message and that, it's very hard to stop it.
Because when people come in to fit the ground, you can't stop them from opening their mouth really.
But it's obviously been incidents being reported and hopefully it's dealt with appropriately.
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