Post by Brian Mackay on Sept 4, 2006 12:28:33 GMT
Saturday 9th September 2006 - Port Services Cup 1st Round
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DORNOCH 0 v INVERNESS CITY 4
INVERGORDON 2 v GOLSPIE SUTHERLAND 4 (aet)
2.30 P.M KICK-OFFS
Saturday 9th September 2006 - League Games
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BUNILLIDH THISTLE 0 v BALINTORE 3
HALKIRK UNITED 2 v ALNESS UNITED 0
Halkirk United goals by Gordon MacDonald
3.00 P.M KICK-OFFS
report from The Halkirk V Alness game
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MacDonald at the double - from The John O'Groat Journal website
Halkirk United 2, Alness United 0 - Published: 15 September, 2006
THIS win, secured on the back of two first-half strikes by Gordie MacDonald, sustains Halkirk’s powerful start to the North Caledonian League.
Ian MacDonald’s men looked on course early on to exploit a lack of pace and cohesion in Alness’s rearguard to post a much more comfortable victory than was eventually achieved. But the spurning of a string of inviting chances, combined with a souped-up display by the visitors after the interval, produced a genuine contest.
Alness are a much-changed outfit this term under the charge of Alan Brindle, who parted company with Balintore after helping steer them to last year’s championship. He was able to take satisfaction from seeing his team recover from a decidedly wobbly start.
Keeper Alan Elder, one a trio of Gairloch-based players in the Alness starting line-up, impressed early on when he was repeatedly left exposed by his defence.
Twice within the opening five minutes, Halkirk midfielder Colin Davidson had clear openings. Gordie MacDonald teed him up for his first effort which Elder dashed out to block with his feet.
Lee Elder’s cross was then missed by defender Ross Buntain to put Davidson in again, only for his angled shot on goal to again come back off the keeper’s legs.
The visiting defence was breached once more on 12 minutes when Sean Henstridge created an opportunity for strike partner MacDonald. His attempt produced a hat-trick of leg-blocks for the keeper.
Six minutes later, a long-range break from Stuart Florence saw him exchange passes with Gordie MacDonald to gallop into the opposition penalty box. With just the keeper in his sights, the defender unselfishly squared to Henstridge whose shot – you’ve guessed it – was diverted to safety off Elder’s legs.
While struggling to contain Halkirk, Alness impressed going forward with the bleach-blond Harry Rae pulling the strings in midfield and Nicky Dunn and Garry Calvert looking lively up front.
That said, Halkirk’s young keeper Matthew Maythingy – deputising for cracked-rib victim Shaun Henderson – had a virtually untroubled afternoon. Calvert was to blow his side’s best chance after 22 minutes when he raced clear only to fire wildly over from the edge of the box.
Gordie MacDonald was not far away with a fierce shot from an acute angle which whistled across the face of the goal.
The home camp were becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of tangible rewards for their dominance when the opener arrived on 31 minutes.
The prelude saw Davidson pick out Elder near the right touchline with a pinpoint overhead pass. He made ground before clipping a pass low for the advancing Gordie MacDonald just inside the six-yard box.
The Wick man arrived fractionally before keeper Elder, with the ball ending in the net and MacDonald left prone on the ground after coming off the worst in the challenge. He missed out on the celebrations but was able to resume after treatment.
Maythingy was having little to do, though he did impress with a confident take under pressure from an up-and-under after 37 minutes.
Three minutes from the break, Halkirk grabbed their second. While stemming from a missed interception by Alness’s Kenny MacAskill, the execution of the goal was exemplary.
Feinting to shoot, Gordie MacDonald’s disguised pass to Henstridge saw the latter return the favour as Elder sought to extend his run of blocks. Faced with two outfield players on the goal-line, MacDonald coolly netted his fourth of the season just inside the left post.
Alness sought to take the initiative, with Robert MacLeod trying to beat one too many opponents in the box and Rae then being denied by a crucial intervention from defender Colin Munro.
The half ended with Maythingy clutching MacLeod’s headed attempt from a corner and Gordie MacDonald bowing out with the recurrence of a hamstring injury.
His replacement, Stevie Reid, provided a new challenge for the Alness defence and within a few minutes of the turnaround he created a decent opening for Henstridge.
Alness were to see far more of the ball in the second half as they spent most of the game in opposition territory.
Maythingy’s one blemish came on 54 minutes when he came out to meet MacAskill’s dinked pass to Dunn eight yards from his goal. The latter beat him to the punch, though Dunn failed to make proper contact with his attempt on goal and Graham MacDonald was able to make a comfortable clearance.
Halkirk’s John Farquhar was the first in referee Willie Sinclair’s notebook after 57 minutes and he was joined by MacLeod shortly after.
In between, Buntain was inches away from reaching a glorious diagonal pass from fellow wing-back Jamie MacDonald which flashed across Halkirk’s six-yard box. Henstridge then turned smartly to clear the way for a shot which was diverted wide by a defender.
A goal for Alness would have changed the whole complexion of the game and it almost arrived on 67 minutes when MacDonald and Rae linked to produce an inviting chance that was fluffed by substitute Jamie Sinclair.
Halkirk were playing in fits and starts, with the early fluency lost amid a stream of miscued passes.
Elder rose above the mediocrity with a glorious, rising snap-shot after good play by Florence. His first-time crack at goal looked a winner only for his namesake to leap high to palm the ball over.
Alan Elder then did well to make a full-stretch tip-over to deny Reid before the keeper watched a Farquhar effort from the left blur past him and glance off the top of the bar.
The last chance of the game fell to Alness stalwart Keith Dingwall, who headed a corner narrowly over.
The game was the latest to witness a bust-up over a team not obeying the unwritten and – to this correspondent – unfathomable law that someone who appears to be injured should automatically trigger a player kicking the ball out of the park. That Halkirk did not do so when an Alness player went down led to an angry aftermath which resulted in bookings for Rae and Halkirk substitute Gavin Henderson three minutes from time.
In my view, the referee should be the judge of when a match needs to be stopped to allow treatment and, in this instance, Mr Sinclair was seen during play to check with the player that he was all right.
The sooner players – at all levels – recognise that the referee should be left to decide when the game should be stopped for an injury, the better it will be.
While I am on what has become a hobbyhorse of mine, just what has led to demise of the contested stot-up after a stoppage in play which neither side was responsible for?
After the game, manager Brindle said: “We recovered well after a difficult start and I felt we more than held our own in the second half. We just never created enough in the final third, but we’ve a lot of new boys and it will take a wee while for them to settle in.”
Ian MacDonald said: “I thought we were going to blow them away in the first half and we really should have made a lot more of the opportunities we had. But we never really started the second half, when our midfield was sitting too close to the defence and there was nothing to clear the ball out to.”
MacDonald’s main headache just now concerns who fills the No. 1 jumper. With Henderson likely to be sidelined for several weeks and Maythingy back at university, he had yesterday still to confirm who would be playing in goal against Invergordon on Saturday.
Defender Scott Manson also misses out the home league match, which kicks off at 3pm. Gordie MacDonald will face a late fitness test but Gary Coghill could make his first appearance of the season. As well as league points, Halkirk have chosen this match to play for the Ian Cameron Memorial Cup. Proceeds of a raffle will go to MacMillan Cancer Support.
Halkirk United: Maythingy, Florence, Munro, Manson, Graham MacDonald, Sinclair, Davidson (Henderson 63), Elder, Henstridge (Bremner 73), Gordie MacDonald (Reid h/t), Farquhar.
Alness United: Elder, MacDonald (Coutts 74), Buntain, Smith, MacLean, MacAskill (Dingwall 82), Rae, MacLeod, Calvert, Dunn (Sinclair 67), Keveren.
Referee: W. Sinclair.
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DORNOCH 0 v INVERNESS CITY 4
INVERGORDON 2 v GOLSPIE SUTHERLAND 4 (aet)
2.30 P.M KICK-OFFS
Saturday 9th September 2006 - League Games
################################
BUNILLIDH THISTLE 0 v BALINTORE 3
HALKIRK UNITED 2 v ALNESS UNITED 0
Halkirk United goals by Gordon MacDonald
3.00 P.M KICK-OFFS
report from The Halkirk V Alness game
###########################
MacDonald at the double - from The John O'Groat Journal website
Halkirk United 2, Alness United 0 - Published: 15 September, 2006
THIS win, secured on the back of two first-half strikes by Gordie MacDonald, sustains Halkirk’s powerful start to the North Caledonian League.
Ian MacDonald’s men looked on course early on to exploit a lack of pace and cohesion in Alness’s rearguard to post a much more comfortable victory than was eventually achieved. But the spurning of a string of inviting chances, combined with a souped-up display by the visitors after the interval, produced a genuine contest.
Alness are a much-changed outfit this term under the charge of Alan Brindle, who parted company with Balintore after helping steer them to last year’s championship. He was able to take satisfaction from seeing his team recover from a decidedly wobbly start.
Keeper Alan Elder, one a trio of Gairloch-based players in the Alness starting line-up, impressed early on when he was repeatedly left exposed by his defence.
Twice within the opening five minutes, Halkirk midfielder Colin Davidson had clear openings. Gordie MacDonald teed him up for his first effort which Elder dashed out to block with his feet.
Lee Elder’s cross was then missed by defender Ross Buntain to put Davidson in again, only for his angled shot on goal to again come back off the keeper’s legs.
The visiting defence was breached once more on 12 minutes when Sean Henstridge created an opportunity for strike partner MacDonald. His attempt produced a hat-trick of leg-blocks for the keeper.
Six minutes later, a long-range break from Stuart Florence saw him exchange passes with Gordie MacDonald to gallop into the opposition penalty box. With just the keeper in his sights, the defender unselfishly squared to Henstridge whose shot – you’ve guessed it – was diverted to safety off Elder’s legs.
While struggling to contain Halkirk, Alness impressed going forward with the bleach-blond Harry Rae pulling the strings in midfield and Nicky Dunn and Garry Calvert looking lively up front.
That said, Halkirk’s young keeper Matthew Maythingy – deputising for cracked-rib victim Shaun Henderson – had a virtually untroubled afternoon. Calvert was to blow his side’s best chance after 22 minutes when he raced clear only to fire wildly over from the edge of the box.
Gordie MacDonald was not far away with a fierce shot from an acute angle which whistled across the face of the goal.
The home camp were becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of tangible rewards for their dominance when the opener arrived on 31 minutes.
The prelude saw Davidson pick out Elder near the right touchline with a pinpoint overhead pass. He made ground before clipping a pass low for the advancing Gordie MacDonald just inside the six-yard box.
The Wick man arrived fractionally before keeper Elder, with the ball ending in the net and MacDonald left prone on the ground after coming off the worst in the challenge. He missed out on the celebrations but was able to resume after treatment.
Maythingy was having little to do, though he did impress with a confident take under pressure from an up-and-under after 37 minutes.
Three minutes from the break, Halkirk grabbed their second. While stemming from a missed interception by Alness’s Kenny MacAskill, the execution of the goal was exemplary.
Feinting to shoot, Gordie MacDonald’s disguised pass to Henstridge saw the latter return the favour as Elder sought to extend his run of blocks. Faced with two outfield players on the goal-line, MacDonald coolly netted his fourth of the season just inside the left post.
Alness sought to take the initiative, with Robert MacLeod trying to beat one too many opponents in the box and Rae then being denied by a crucial intervention from defender Colin Munro.
The half ended with Maythingy clutching MacLeod’s headed attempt from a corner and Gordie MacDonald bowing out with the recurrence of a hamstring injury.
His replacement, Stevie Reid, provided a new challenge for the Alness defence and within a few minutes of the turnaround he created a decent opening for Henstridge.
Alness were to see far more of the ball in the second half as they spent most of the game in opposition territory.
Maythingy’s one blemish came on 54 minutes when he came out to meet MacAskill’s dinked pass to Dunn eight yards from his goal. The latter beat him to the punch, though Dunn failed to make proper contact with his attempt on goal and Graham MacDonald was able to make a comfortable clearance.
Halkirk’s John Farquhar was the first in referee Willie Sinclair’s notebook after 57 minutes and he was joined by MacLeod shortly after.
In between, Buntain was inches away from reaching a glorious diagonal pass from fellow wing-back Jamie MacDonald which flashed across Halkirk’s six-yard box. Henstridge then turned smartly to clear the way for a shot which was diverted wide by a defender.
A goal for Alness would have changed the whole complexion of the game and it almost arrived on 67 minutes when MacDonald and Rae linked to produce an inviting chance that was fluffed by substitute Jamie Sinclair.
Halkirk were playing in fits and starts, with the early fluency lost amid a stream of miscued passes.
Elder rose above the mediocrity with a glorious, rising snap-shot after good play by Florence. His first-time crack at goal looked a winner only for his namesake to leap high to palm the ball over.
Alan Elder then did well to make a full-stretch tip-over to deny Reid before the keeper watched a Farquhar effort from the left blur past him and glance off the top of the bar.
The last chance of the game fell to Alness stalwart Keith Dingwall, who headed a corner narrowly over.
The game was the latest to witness a bust-up over a team not obeying the unwritten and – to this correspondent – unfathomable law that someone who appears to be injured should automatically trigger a player kicking the ball out of the park. That Halkirk did not do so when an Alness player went down led to an angry aftermath which resulted in bookings for Rae and Halkirk substitute Gavin Henderson three minutes from time.
In my view, the referee should be the judge of when a match needs to be stopped to allow treatment and, in this instance, Mr Sinclair was seen during play to check with the player that he was all right.
The sooner players – at all levels – recognise that the referee should be left to decide when the game should be stopped for an injury, the better it will be.
While I am on what has become a hobbyhorse of mine, just what has led to demise of the contested stot-up after a stoppage in play which neither side was responsible for?
After the game, manager Brindle said: “We recovered well after a difficult start and I felt we more than held our own in the second half. We just never created enough in the final third, but we’ve a lot of new boys and it will take a wee while for them to settle in.”
Ian MacDonald said: “I thought we were going to blow them away in the first half and we really should have made a lot more of the opportunities we had. But we never really started the second half, when our midfield was sitting too close to the defence and there was nothing to clear the ball out to.”
MacDonald’s main headache just now concerns who fills the No. 1 jumper. With Henderson likely to be sidelined for several weeks and Maythingy back at university, he had yesterday still to confirm who would be playing in goal against Invergordon on Saturday.
Defender Scott Manson also misses out the home league match, which kicks off at 3pm. Gordie MacDonald will face a late fitness test but Gary Coghill could make his first appearance of the season. As well as league points, Halkirk have chosen this match to play for the Ian Cameron Memorial Cup. Proceeds of a raffle will go to MacMillan Cancer Support.
Halkirk United: Maythingy, Florence, Munro, Manson, Graham MacDonald, Sinclair, Davidson (Henderson 63), Elder, Henstridge (Bremner 73), Gordie MacDonald (Reid h/t), Farquhar.
Alness United: Elder, MacDonald (Coutts 74), Buntain, Smith, MacLean, MacAskill (Dingwall 82), Rae, MacLeod, Calvert, Dunn (Sinclair 67), Keveren.
Referee: W. Sinclair.