42

Harlaw Park

Wednesday 7^th October 2026

My first trip back to the Highland League this season is a visit to a team with one of the best names anywhere in Scotland. Inverurie Loco Works were founded, unsurprisingly, by employees of the Great North of Scotland Railway Company in 1904. Their choice of name might not have been particularly imaginative given their origins but it does stand out these days as one of the more unusual team names around.

The Railwaymen had a fairly miserable season last year finishing 15th in the league with just 30 points from 34 games. This year however things have looked much more promising and with just over a third of the season complete they are riding high in second place with 26 points already in the bank after just 13 games.

They come into the game on a bit of a downer though. Last weekend was the first round proper of the Scottish Cup and Locos had been handed a tough but potentially winnable away fixture against Lowland League East opponents Lochee United. They took the lead in the first half, grabbed a second after the break, and even hit the post in search of a third. So far, so routine until penalties conceded and converted in the 85th and 88th minutes saw the scores levelled. For the final crushing blow Lochee United sealed the comeback win with a header from a corner in the 92nd minute.

The visit of newly promoted whipping boys Invergordon might be just what the doctor ordered. Although they only sit third from bottom in the Highland League at the moment, Invergordon have been on a fairly dreadful run of form. They have somehow managed to concede 29 goals in their last six Highland League games and also showed Inverurie what real Scottish Cup pain looks like. They too decided to throw away a two goal advantage to West of Scotland First Division side Threave Rovers, a team that are two divisions below them and had never reached this stage of the competition before. At least they had plenty of time to reflect on the result during their five hour, 270 mile journey home…

I’m running out of Highland League teams that are a manageable drive away on a Wednesday night but Inverurie, at just 17 miles away, is definitely one that can be done. As I now often have Wednesday off work it means that I can make sure I get things done during the day to free up the evening for another game and another ground.

I set off and made it through to Inverurie in no time. There was little sign of other fans heading to the ground so I made it through the turnstiles in time to pick up a cup of tea, a pin badge, and a 50/50 ticket well before kick-off. The ground was your classic Highland League affair. A single relatively small stand, a covered terrace, and the ability to wander around the ground fully and watch from every possible angle. The pie hut was a fairly professional looking endeavour and certainly proved popular before the game and during half-time.

I walked round half the pitch during the opening stages of the first half before settling on a position near the goal that Locos were attacking. The early stages were pretty scrappy with the only clear chance falling to Locos after an Invergordon defender was caught on the ball and needed a good save from Jayden Reid to bail him out. Invergordon couldn’t get much going and didn’t have their first shot on target until around the half hour mark.

Locos looked like the team 12 places ahead in the league and started to make their presence felt as we approached half-time. First Ethan Cairns managed to create some space with a bit of tidy footwork but Reid got a good hand to his shot and turned it over the bar. With 38 minutes on the clock Locos got the breakthrough when Oliver Green was played in down the right hand side and crossed low into the six yard box where Daniel Agnew had an easy tap in.

Invergordon almost levelled the game immediately when Blessing Oluyemi in the Locos goal played a pass straight to Joe Coyle but he made up for his error by keeping the resulting shot out. Locos did manage to put the ball in the net again before half-time but the linesman signalled that the ball had gone out for a corner before it was crossed and they couldn’t make anything from the set piece.

During half-time we had the wonderful experience of the playlist over the tannoy system stopping because the phone that was clearly being used to play it started to ring. It went unanswered for almost two minutes. I also missed the 50/50 prize by just three numbers, my closest ticket yet.

The second half started with lots of pressure from Locos but they couldn’t find the final ball. They were much happier in possession whilst Invergordon seemed to just knock it long and hope for the best. The home fans weren’t happy with their side’s performance and if you had just been listening to them you would have thought that they were several goals down.

One of Invergordon’s long balls found its way into the box and Oluyemi was challenged for possession by an Invergordon forward. He went down and initially wasn’t moving. Thankfully he got up but was unable to continue which saw Locos have to change their keeper. Given he hadn’t managed to stop much in the warm-ups there was a noticeable anxiety in the terracing. Lucky for the home fans Invergordon didn’t do much to test him and his only real action was a point blank save which almost certainly prevented an equaliser.

After a period of sitting back and inviting pressure Locos went on the attack again in the last few minutes. A break down the left saw Agnew slide a through ball across the box. It was missed by both the keeper and two defenders but when it reached Cairns, who only had to tap it in, he put his laces through it and saw it somehow rebound off the crossbar. Cue loud groans from all around me.

Locos managed to avoid a similar fate to last weekend and saw out the final stages to seal the win. Inverurie’s last six games had seen 24 goals and Invergordon’s last six had seen 37, inevitably I managed to see them play out a 1 – 0. Despite the fairly mediocre game it was another good Highland League ground and one that I can see myself heading back to at some point in the future.

The Facts

• Ground
  • Harlaw Park
• Home
  • Inverurie Loco Works
• Away
  • Invergordon
• Competition
  • Scottish Highland League
• Result
  • 1 – 0
• Scorers
  • Daniel Agnew
• Attendance
  • Not announced
• Cost
  • £12
• Total distance travelled
  • 35 miles
• Transport
  • Car
• My MotM
  • Ethan Cairns, despite a few heavy passes he looked like the best player on the pitch and it was clear that he’s played a higher level previously. There really wasn’t much to choose from though. Graeme Shinnie was at the game and you could argue he was MotM without even getting on the pitch.