Date	Saturday, 24 October 1936
Competition	Highland League
Fixture/Score	Ross County 1:2 Buckie Thistle
Venue	Victoria Park
Referee	A. Sutherland
Ross County
Manager	The Management Committee
Starting 11	1: R MacNeil, 2: W.J Ross, 3: J Stewart, 4: J.G MacKay, 5: Robert Corbett, 6: K Moir, 7: J Black, 8: J.A MacKay, 9: Morgan MacKay, 10: J.A Ross, 11: W.W MacKenzie 1
Bench
Attendance
Match Report	Report from the Ross-shire Journal. Ross County 1 Buckie Thistle 2 At Dingwall, on Saturday, Buckie Thistle defeated Ross County by 2 goals to 1. The visitors could not have grumbled if they had been defeated; they would have been lucky to get off with a draw; they must be charmed with themselves that they were able to carry home with them both points. For their success they have to thank two of their players. Wood, in goal, was superb. He could do nothing wrong. His anticipation was marvellous. He clutched the ball with perfect precision and cleared strongly. Even if he hesitated, his error, if it could be called one, was nullified by his backs, who covered up well. It must not be thought that he was invulnerable. Twice he was in a hopeless position, but he had the satisfaction of seeing his opponents throwing away golden opportunities. In the second half in particular, Wood defied the whole Ross County forward line. The other cause of Ross County's defeat was Calder at centre. He was a constant raider, tireless and fearless. He worthily deserved the two goals he got; he might easily have got more. And Ross County. Where did they fail? At centre-half and in the forward line. Corbett was the weak link. Great in defence, he was of less value to his front men. He lay too far back with the result that there was a huge gap in the middle of the field. On several occasions there were four Buckie men on the ball and not an opponent within measurable distance. In consequence the inside forwards had to forage for the ball, which gave the Buckie defence ample time to take up position. Again the shooting of the forwards was very weak. A little coolness and defeat could have been diverted. Black was good and bad in turns, but he deserved credit for three magnificent efforts in the second half, when nothing but the sheerest bad luck kept him from scoring. Both J. A. Mackay and Morgan Mackay were off-colour; the ball would not come right to them and their passing was not up to their usual high standard. James Ross was virile till he hurt his shoulder; W. Mackenzie was very fast, but had little of the ball. Both wing halves did more than their share, and the backs were sound. Macneill was several times caught guessing. On one occasion, J. G. Ross kicked the ball off the goal line with Macneill out of position. Stewart gave away the first goal, but later got in the way of a certain counter. Little Duncan, a veteran visitor to Ross County in many colours, was in great form on the wing. The positional play of the Buckie men was better than that of Ross County by many lengths. A strong wind, accompanied by showers of rain, and a very wet ball, all proved detrimental to a good exhibition of football. Yet the play was fast and interesting throughout. Ross County had the wind behind them in the first half. The first incident was a magnificent run by W. Mackenzie. He cut in and shot, but Wood saved at the expense of a corner. This was not improved upon. At the other end, Calder shot high over the bar. A long shot by James Ross just failed. Black was fast but Bowie gave him little rope. A well-placed corner kick by Mackenzie saw Morgan Mackay head narrowly past. Immediately Black shot into Wood's safe hands. Thanks to the wind, Ross County were pressing hard, but Buckie defended well. When their forwards got away they kept the ball low and making good progress were ever dangerous in front of goal. Four corners fell to the County in quick succession, but Wood brought off two grand saves and defied the whole line. Morgan Mackay let Mackenzie away. Wood stopped the shot but James Ross, when perfectly placed, sent wide—very wide. Then came Calder's goal. Getting the ball in the centre of the field, he ran on. He was tackled by Stewart; Macneill ran out, which gave Calder an easy scoring chance, and the centre accepted it. With the wind at their backs in the second half Buckie put up a strong attack and within a few minutes, Calder had counted number two. Immediately after, W. G. Ross cleared a Calder shot on the goal line when Macneill had run out. It was a narrow escape for the county. A period of midfield play was followed by a determined effort on the part of Black. Wood was completely beaten but the ball struck the top of the upright and rebounded into play. Black was now playing magnificently and he tested Wood on two occasions with real hard shots. However, Wood gave nothing away. He also defied James Ross, when the latter closed in. Black failed incredibly when from three yards, he lifted the ball over the bar. Eventually Ross County did score. A delightful pass by Morgan Mackay let Black away. He crossed to perfection. J. A. Mackay missed the ball, but Mackenzie always lying handy, made no mistake. Till the end the County played desperately for the equaliser but luck was against them.