Post by Brian Mackay on Sept 8, 2006 15:46:41 GMT -5
Thurso 0 V Golspie 4 - report by Iain Grant
The Vikings came a cropper on Saturday as they crashed to their first North Caley League defeat at the hands of a useful-looking Golspie outfit.
Their cause was not helped by the absence of a handful of regulars and the size of the reverse was perhaps harsh but they could not quibble with the outcome.
The Sutherland side have as good a record as any in recent years in North Caley competitions and last season’s trophy drought was hard to thole for them.
But their mix of rugged experience and youthful brio leaves them well placed to recapture their former Midas touch.
Despite major surgery to Thurso’s line-up from the previous two matches, they enjoyed a decent start and indeed could fairly feel aggrieved at going in at the break one behind.
They also were to enjoy plenty of possession in the second half but they were undone by their failures in front of goal and lapses at the back, combined with the keen cutting edge displayed by their opponents.
After going 3-0 ahead with a superb, length-of-the-park counter, Golspie contrived to grab another following striker Donald Sutherland’s sending-off.
Enforced changes meant Thurso lined up for the match at Castletown with their third different back three, with youngster Michael Steven the only constant.
There were also returns for Allan Sutherland and Phil Green and debuts for Blair McIntosh and Despy Mackay.
Donald Sutherland caught the eye early on with some nice touches and off-the-ball movement.
The first opening fell to the striker after two minutes when he made space for himself before dispatching a low shot from the edge of the box which was well held by Asa Sinclair.
Sinclair’s counterpart Grant Robertson then comfortably dealt with
Lee MacDougall’s free-kick as the sides measured each other up
After 14 minutes, a slack pass by Mark Nichol allowed Alan Sutherland to gallop through into the Thurso penalty box, with Steven doing well to make up the yards and make a block-tackle.
Three minutes later, Nichol made up for that lapse with a surging run down the left.
His low cross found Darren MacLeod whose flick from the edge of the six yard box produced a fine reaction stop from Robertson.
There was little to choose between the sides and Thurso went even closer to scoring after 19 minutes.
MacDougall’s set-piece delivery was to prove the most fruitful source of a goal.
A free-kick whipped in by the winger invited a far-post header from Nichol which came back out off the inside of the right upright.
This came in the midst of a promising spell for Ross Sutherland’s men.
Nichol sparked off the next raid with his raking, long pass sending Scott Mackay Steven racing down the right and seeing his fierce effort on goal parried wide by Robertson.
Golspie’s Alan Sutherland and Thurso’s Nichol were booked for late tackles in what was an occasionally volatile affair.
As can often happen when a side’s purple patch proves fallow, they lost a goal at the other end.
On 30 minutes, the industrious David Gray’s misplaced pass found Donald Sutherland whose angled effort from just outside the penalty box eluded Asa Sinclair and lodged inside the side net beside the right post.
Robbie Duncanson added to the crime count for encroaching as Thurso tried to take a quick free-kick.
Thurso’s Stuart Sinclair was also cautioned for a rash tackle.
In between, Donald Sutherland had wriggled clear and forced Asa Sinclair to make a last-ditch stop.
A minute from the break, a gaffe by Stuart Sinclair let in Donald Sutherland again only for Asa Sinclair to spread himself to deny the striker.
A brisk start to the turnaround by Thurso came to naught and Golspie duly doubled their lead with their first attack.
A couple of fizzing corners from MacDougall triggered panic stations in the Golspie defence before Norman Bain executed a superb saving tackle to thwart Mackay Steven as he bore in on goal.
After 53 minutes, a fast-track move down the left ended with Duncanson’s shot producing a point-blank stop from Asa Sinclair. With no defender alert enough to deal with the aftermath, Duncanson steadied himself to force in the rebound from a tight angle.
Sub Mark Makhouli quickly made an impression after entering the fray with a clever feint taking him away from two defenders.
His measured cross to Nichol saw the latter’s header being well enough directed but lacking the power to beat Robertson.
Robertson then made a fine double stop from Nichol and Makhouli as Thurso battled to find a way back.
The force however was firmly with the visitors who struck again on 65 minutes in exhilarating fashion.
Duncanson appeared trapped deep in his own half near the touch-line but he nutmegged several opponents before exchanging passes to suddenly turn embattled defence into all-out attack.
He romped clear before spotting Alan Sutherland unmarked in the inside right channel.
The latter complemented the lead-up with an exquisite chip over Asa Sinclair into the net.
After 67 minutes, Darren Pullen was yellow-carded for a dreadful tackle on Makhouli who was able to resume only after a spell of treatment.
An off-the-ball flashpoint on 73 minutes was missed by ref Willie Sinclair but spotted by his assistant Graham John.
After a confab, the ref summoned Donald Sutherland who was red-carded, apparently for a sly upper cut.
Thurso passed up a decent chance of getting a goal back after 77 minutes when Stuart Sinclair and Mackay Steven combined only for Nichol to head wide.
A minute later, it was 4-0 when Dan MacPhail seized on a loose ball to run through and try his luck from the edge of the box.
His shot came back off the outside of the left post with Gray’s venture forward paying off handsomely as stroked in the follow-up.
MacPhail then was just off-target with a header.
Thurso denied a late consolation when first a steepling cross from Steven was clawed to safety by Robertson and then the keeper got to a shot from Mackay Steven.
The first reverse of the campaign was hard to take for Ross Sutherland who was left to reflect on what might have been had his makeshift side profited from their promising start.
“Up until they scored, we were playing really well and had twice gone really close,” he said “We also started the second half well but were then made to pay because of stupid errors.”
He praised keeper Sinclair for several super stops which at the time had kept his side’s hopes alive.
Thurso have no fixture tomorrow, when they will have a training session.
Thurso – A. Sinclair, Steven, S. Sinclair, Green, Bremner, A. Sutherland (Mackay 74), Mackay Steven, McIntosh (Makhouli 58), Nichol, MacLeod, MacDougall (Makhouli 73). Sub (unused) – R. Sutherland.
Golspie – Robertson, Gray, Pullen, A. Sutherland (Duncan 85), McLeod, Bain (Whyte 74), Doull (J. Sutherland 75), MacPhail, D. Sutherland, Campbell, Duncanson.
Ref – Mr W. Sinclair.
The Vikings came a cropper on Saturday as they crashed to their first North Caley League defeat at the hands of a useful-looking Golspie outfit.
Their cause was not helped by the absence of a handful of regulars and the size of the reverse was perhaps harsh but they could not quibble with the outcome.
The Sutherland side have as good a record as any in recent years in North Caley competitions and last season’s trophy drought was hard to thole for them.
But their mix of rugged experience and youthful brio leaves them well placed to recapture their former Midas touch.
Despite major surgery to Thurso’s line-up from the previous two matches, they enjoyed a decent start and indeed could fairly feel aggrieved at going in at the break one behind.
They also were to enjoy plenty of possession in the second half but they were undone by their failures in front of goal and lapses at the back, combined with the keen cutting edge displayed by their opponents.
After going 3-0 ahead with a superb, length-of-the-park counter, Golspie contrived to grab another following striker Donald Sutherland’s sending-off.
Enforced changes meant Thurso lined up for the match at Castletown with their third different back three, with youngster Michael Steven the only constant.
There were also returns for Allan Sutherland and Phil Green and debuts for Blair McIntosh and Despy Mackay.
Donald Sutherland caught the eye early on with some nice touches and off-the-ball movement.
The first opening fell to the striker after two minutes when he made space for himself before dispatching a low shot from the edge of the box which was well held by Asa Sinclair.
Sinclair’s counterpart Grant Robertson then comfortably dealt with
Lee MacDougall’s free-kick as the sides measured each other up
After 14 minutes, a slack pass by Mark Nichol allowed Alan Sutherland to gallop through into the Thurso penalty box, with Steven doing well to make up the yards and make a block-tackle.
Three minutes later, Nichol made up for that lapse with a surging run down the left.
His low cross found Darren MacLeod whose flick from the edge of the six yard box produced a fine reaction stop from Robertson.
There was little to choose between the sides and Thurso went even closer to scoring after 19 minutes.
MacDougall’s set-piece delivery was to prove the most fruitful source of a goal.
A free-kick whipped in by the winger invited a far-post header from Nichol which came back out off the inside of the right upright.
This came in the midst of a promising spell for Ross Sutherland’s men.
Nichol sparked off the next raid with his raking, long pass sending Scott Mackay Steven racing down the right and seeing his fierce effort on goal parried wide by Robertson.
Golspie’s Alan Sutherland and Thurso’s Nichol were booked for late tackles in what was an occasionally volatile affair.
As can often happen when a side’s purple patch proves fallow, they lost a goal at the other end.
On 30 minutes, the industrious David Gray’s misplaced pass found Donald Sutherland whose angled effort from just outside the penalty box eluded Asa Sinclair and lodged inside the side net beside the right post.
Robbie Duncanson added to the crime count for encroaching as Thurso tried to take a quick free-kick.
Thurso’s Stuart Sinclair was also cautioned for a rash tackle.
In between, Donald Sutherland had wriggled clear and forced Asa Sinclair to make a last-ditch stop.
A minute from the break, a gaffe by Stuart Sinclair let in Donald Sutherland again only for Asa Sinclair to spread himself to deny the striker.
A brisk start to the turnaround by Thurso came to naught and Golspie duly doubled their lead with their first attack.
A couple of fizzing corners from MacDougall triggered panic stations in the Golspie defence before Norman Bain executed a superb saving tackle to thwart Mackay Steven as he bore in on goal.
After 53 minutes, a fast-track move down the left ended with Duncanson’s shot producing a point-blank stop from Asa Sinclair. With no defender alert enough to deal with the aftermath, Duncanson steadied himself to force in the rebound from a tight angle.
Sub Mark Makhouli quickly made an impression after entering the fray with a clever feint taking him away from two defenders.
His measured cross to Nichol saw the latter’s header being well enough directed but lacking the power to beat Robertson.
Robertson then made a fine double stop from Nichol and Makhouli as Thurso battled to find a way back.
The force however was firmly with the visitors who struck again on 65 minutes in exhilarating fashion.
Duncanson appeared trapped deep in his own half near the touch-line but he nutmegged several opponents before exchanging passes to suddenly turn embattled defence into all-out attack.
He romped clear before spotting Alan Sutherland unmarked in the inside right channel.
The latter complemented the lead-up with an exquisite chip over Asa Sinclair into the net.
After 67 minutes, Darren Pullen was yellow-carded for a dreadful tackle on Makhouli who was able to resume only after a spell of treatment.
An off-the-ball flashpoint on 73 minutes was missed by ref Willie Sinclair but spotted by his assistant Graham John.
After a confab, the ref summoned Donald Sutherland who was red-carded, apparently for a sly upper cut.
Thurso passed up a decent chance of getting a goal back after 77 minutes when Stuart Sinclair and Mackay Steven combined only for Nichol to head wide.
A minute later, it was 4-0 when Dan MacPhail seized on a loose ball to run through and try his luck from the edge of the box.
His shot came back off the outside of the left post with Gray’s venture forward paying off handsomely as stroked in the follow-up.
MacPhail then was just off-target with a header.
Thurso denied a late consolation when first a steepling cross from Steven was clawed to safety by Robertson and then the keeper got to a shot from Mackay Steven.
The first reverse of the campaign was hard to take for Ross Sutherland who was left to reflect on what might have been had his makeshift side profited from their promising start.
“Up until they scored, we were playing really well and had twice gone really close,” he said “We also started the second half well but were then made to pay because of stupid errors.”
He praised keeper Sinclair for several super stops which at the time had kept his side’s hopes alive.
Thurso have no fixture tomorrow, when they will have a training session.
Thurso – A. Sinclair, Steven, S. Sinclair, Green, Bremner, A. Sutherland (Mackay 74), Mackay Steven, McIntosh (Makhouli 58), Nichol, MacLeod, MacDougall (Makhouli 73). Sub (unused) – R. Sutherland.
Golspie – Robertson, Gray, Pullen, A. Sutherland (Duncan 85), McLeod, Bain (Whyte 74), Doull (J. Sutherland 75), MacPhail, D. Sutherland, Campbell, Duncanson.
Ref – Mr W. Sinclair.