Forres and Nairn welfare champions FC Thistle complete fourth trophy treble in four years with AJ Engineering Cup glory while FC Bishopmill claim maiden silverware success

It’s a quadruple treble for the all-conquerors.

Forres and Nairn welfare league kingpins FC Thistle won their 15th trophy of their four-year existence on Sunday.

A 3-0 win over Forres neighbours Carisbrooke at Burghead’s Forest Park secured the AJ Engineering FNWFA Cup for the mighty Jags.

Thistle have now completed four seasons in the league and won 14 out of 16 domestic cups available to them in their entire history, winning at least a treble in every single campaign.

They also won the Highland Welfare Cup in 2024, and were cruelly defeated in a penalty shoot-out in this season’s Scottish Welfare Cup final.

The ‘Brookie didn’t make it easy for their derby rivals in Sunday’s final, and the 3-0 final scoreline doesn’t reflect the full battle.

Even after having Logan Appleyard sent off on the hour mark, Carisbrooke thwarted Thistle’s efforts for a goal until the closing six minutes.

And it took a stroke of luck to give the champs their breakthrough, as a Tony Ross effort hit the post and rebounded in off the back of ‘Brookie keeper Phil Coulby to finally break their resistance.

The heat was off Jags, and they added two more in stoppage time through Calum Gemmell and Ross, who scored a last-gasp penalty in his final match before retiring from the game.

Just days short of his 45th birthday, the former Highland League and junior star was made captain for the day and lifted the AJ Engineering Trophy in front of his jubilant team-mates.

Unlucky Carisbrooke couldn’t quite halt the champs or add to their recent Calum Riddell Cup final triumph, when they defeated Elgin Thistle 4-0 thanks to Olly Mitchell’s first half hat-trick and a late Grant Napier clincher.

Elgin Thistle had defeated FC Thistle in the semis, the only defeat in the Forres club’s domestic campaign.

There was one more piece of silverware up-for-grabs in Burghead on Sunday, and it gave Elgin club FC Bishopmill their first-ever trophy success.

The recently-formed Gleaner Arena club, bringing football back to the north side of Elgin after the demise of former junior outfit Bishopmill United, have competed well in two seasons of Forres and Nairn welfare football.

They so nearly ended FC Thistle’s interest in the AJ Engineering Cup in the semis, leading until the final minute when an equaliser forced a penalty shoot-out, which the Forres team won.

North of Scotland League side Lossiemouth United entered their B team into the Forres and Nairn league for the first team this season and finished runners-up after a fine campaign from a young squad of players.

They lost to Carisbrooke in the cup semi, but the FNWFA offer up the Alan ‘Shaka’ Roddie Cup to the defeated last-four teams, played in memory of a former league stalwart.

FC Bishopmill duly avenged two league defeats against Lossie this season by winning 2-0, thanks to goals from veterans John Leggat and David Blackhall.