Whitehills boss Craig Stewart was ‘delighted’ to see his team rise off the bottom of the North Region Junior Championship table with a 3-1 win away at Cruden Bay. First half goals from Alfie Wood, Ross Fiske and Vinnie Ingleby give The Hills a first away win of the season.

Despite a fine goal from Joshua McRae, Cruden Bay struggled to muster any quality with the remnants of Storm Eowyn blowing sternly through Watson Park.

Whitehills made the stronger start with the wind blowing in their favour. It would take just 10 minutes for the away side to break the deadlock, through Alfie Wood’s deflected strike. He gathered the ball on the edge of the Cruden Bay box and fired through the encroaching defence. The ball took a nick off a Cruden Bay player and looped over a rooted Riley Stephen and in.

Cruden Bay almost scored a freak equaliser from inside their own half, but Whitehills keeper Lucas Farquhar managed to grab the windswept ball.

Whitehills pressed on and took full advantage of their first-half dominance, with a second goal prevented in the 19th minute by a great save from Stephen.

The second would come moments after, when Peter McLachlan’s pass back was intercepted by Ross Fiske, who had the time to look up and place his shot beyond Stephen and goalwards in the 23rd minute.

Cruden Bay pushed on and managed a route back into the game at the half hour mark, with Joshua McRae’s fine strike. The ball fell to the winger after a corner and he curled his shot into the top left corner.

McRae’s goal turned the tides as Cruden Bay pushed for an equaliser. They came closest in the 34th minute, with Andrew Bicknell-Paine heading over after clever play from Jack Sutherland on the left wing.

Just as Cruden Bay thought they could end the half the stronger team and a single goal behind- Whitehills grabbed a killer third. Vinnie Ingleby found himself in the perfect place as a loose ball fell to his feet. He made no mistake and striked the ball in on the stroke of halftime.

The second half brought less action to Watson Park, as players struggled with fatigue and the relentless wind.

Cruden Bay almost gave themselves a route back into the game on the 66th minute with a fast counter, but the final shot from Matthew Bruce was weak and easily saved by Farquhar.

Whitehills controlled large portions of the second half without managing many shots. They looked comfortable with their two goal cushions and managed the game towards its conclusion well. Their best chance came in the 75th minute, when the ball landed to the feet of Ritchie Gibb from close range. His reactionary shot was on target but saved by the keeper.

Referee Dave McLaren blew the final whistle after five minutes of added time, to confirm Whitehills first away win since 28/10/23, also at Watson Park

Full time: Cruden Bay 1-3 Whitehills

Whitehills manage Craig Stewart reacted to the first away win during his tenure.

He said: “I’m delighted, there’s been a lot of positive performances recently. I felt we well deserved the win today, we were good going forward and defensively.”

Stewart praised the quality of his forwards, despite the strong winds making a big impact.

He said: “The first half especially, our three forwards were continual threats and in the second half they defended well from the front. Another day we might have extended our lead in the second half but it wasn’t to be. Overall I’m delighted with the performance.”

Whitehills endured a tough start to the season that jeopardised the future of the club, but Stewart is pleased to have brought stability and progress.

He said: “Comparing how things were before we came in and now- it’s chalk and cheese. There’s been a turnover in squad which was needed. Gone are the days of double-digit loses and we are continually more competitive. We’re looking to get more players in soon and pick up more points.”