Post by Brian Mackay on Feb 25, 2005 16:42:01 GMT -5
Thurso 13 Tain St.Duthus 0 - Report by Iain Grant
Dreadful weather has featured as much as the football in recent MSIS North Caley League reports.
The elements dipped to a new low in Saturday's match at the Dammies when the players and officials emerged from the pavilion to face a blizzard.
Players cowered and shivered as sheets of hail swept remorselessly down the pitch like ack ack fire for much of the first half.
Had the conditions persisted, sheer humanity would have forced ref David Anderson to abandon ship.
While the Siberian wind persisted, the showers eased off to allow Thurso to complete a clinical, if unedifying demolition job.
Had the game ended prematurely, it would have been the football equivalent of a mercy killing on the visitors, who ended the match drookit, downcast and demoralised.
Any vestige of a contest had vanished long before the interval when the Vikings had defied playing into the face of the storm to gain a vice-like grip on proceedings.
When home keeper Michael Gray departed after showing signs of 'flu, his brother Brian took over between the sticks.
But for all the action he saw -- a couple of passbacks and the odd jog to retrieve a ball out of play -- a fibreglass dummy would have kept a clean sheet.
Tain have not had their troubles to seek this summer with this rout taking their goals conceded column past the century mark.
Disorganised at the back and without a leader, they could count themselves fortunate the final tally was not far more embarrassing.
The first three strikes in Thurso's record victory all fell to Jamie Mackenzie.
He had gone close twice before latching on to a through ball from Gordie Steven and firing low past Steven Munro.
Tain's cause was further hit after 20 minutes when one of their most creative players, Colin Burry, was carried off with a leg knock.
Lee MacDougall had a netbound shot cleared off the line by Kenny McNab and Alan Murray was just of-target before Mackenzie struck twice in a minute.
After 29 minutes Murray's romped down the right and saw his hard-struck cross lashed home by MacKenzie.
The latter then dispossessed Darren Gilmore from the restart and ran on to beat Munro from the edge of the box to claim his hat-trick.
Murray passed up a couple of half-chances before finally getting on the score-sheet on 39 minutes.
Four minutes before the break, Gavin Bremner got in on the act to make it 5-0.
A bedraggled and bewildered Tain were being savaged and it only got worse after the turnaround.
Within seven minutes they had leaked another three, with Murray racing to his hat-trick with two classy finishes in between a MacNab own goal.
Phil Makhouli was inches away with a cute chip before Murray bagged his fourth on the hour-mark to make it 9-0.
Tain's replacement keeper Davie Matheson deserves credit for his efforts in the last half-hour when he pulled off excellent stops to deny Bremner, Murray, twice, and Makhouli.
The latter two also each missed open goals before Murray grabbed his fifth -- his 31st of the season -- and Makhouli got off the mark.
Young sub Graham Bain weighed in with his first goal for the club and a Steven tap-in completed the rout 10 minutes from the long-awaited final whistle.
Makhouli and MacNab were the only bookings.
The win cuts Alness's lead over Thurso to four points though the Easter Ross men can clinch the title with a win in their final league game at home to Bonar Bridge tomorrow.
Thurso assistant manager Richard Hughes said: "We have done our best to keep the pressure on Alness though it has not been in our hands since our 1-0 defeat against them.
"We can't dwell on that game and we just have to pray that Bonar can at least get a draw tomorrow.
"If it doesn't go in our favour, we'll just have to concentrate on the two remaining cups."
Thurso face a quick return to Invergordon tomorrow following their narrow 2-1 win there a fortnight ago.
A hamstring injury makes MacDougall a doubt but defender Shaun Moar and striker Mark Nichol are set to return for the SWL Cup second round tie.
Invergordon almost pulled off a shock win in the Jock Mackay Memorial Cup final on Saturday.
They twice levelled against Balintore who had Ally MacDonald red-carded shortly before half-time.
Scott Wilde's second equaliser two minutes from the end of extra-time took the final to a penalty shoot-out, where Balintore prevailed largely thanks to keeper Eddie Shearer's four saves.
Alness advanced to the last four of the SWL Cup with a comfortable 5-2 win at home versus Dornoch.
Thurso v Tain: M. Gray (R. Sutherland 45), B. Gray, Moar, Baker (M. Steven 60), A. Sutherland, Bremner, G. Steven, MacKenzie, MacDougall (Bain 45), Murray, Makhouli.
Ref -- Mr D. Anderson, Melvich.
Halkirk's scheduled cup-tie in Golspie fell victim to a snowbound pitch.
Tomorrow, they head for Helmsdale for a league match versus Bunillidh Thistle.
Young midfielder Alan Farquhar misses out as he is in action for his school but Mark Munro is available again
MSIS NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
Pl W D L F A Pts
ALNESS 17 15 0 2 65 16 45
THURSO 16 13 2 1 83 11 41
GOLSPIE 15 11 1 3 61 21 34
BALINTORE 17 8 4 5 47 26 28
HALKIRK 14 7 1 6 39 23 22
DORNOCH 16 5 2 9 37 54 17
BONAR 14 5 1 8 27 54 16
INVERGORDON 14 4 2 8 25 42 14
TAIN 18 2 1 15 22 106 7
BUNILLIDH 15 1 0 14 18 71 3
Dreadful weather has featured as much as the football in recent MSIS North Caley League reports.
The elements dipped to a new low in Saturday's match at the Dammies when the players and officials emerged from the pavilion to face a blizzard.
Players cowered and shivered as sheets of hail swept remorselessly down the pitch like ack ack fire for much of the first half.
Had the conditions persisted, sheer humanity would have forced ref David Anderson to abandon ship.
While the Siberian wind persisted, the showers eased off to allow Thurso to complete a clinical, if unedifying demolition job.
Had the game ended prematurely, it would have been the football equivalent of a mercy killing on the visitors, who ended the match drookit, downcast and demoralised.
Any vestige of a contest had vanished long before the interval when the Vikings had defied playing into the face of the storm to gain a vice-like grip on proceedings.
When home keeper Michael Gray departed after showing signs of 'flu, his brother Brian took over between the sticks.
But for all the action he saw -- a couple of passbacks and the odd jog to retrieve a ball out of play -- a fibreglass dummy would have kept a clean sheet.
Tain have not had their troubles to seek this summer with this rout taking their goals conceded column past the century mark.
Disorganised at the back and without a leader, they could count themselves fortunate the final tally was not far more embarrassing.
The first three strikes in Thurso's record victory all fell to Jamie Mackenzie.
He had gone close twice before latching on to a through ball from Gordie Steven and firing low past Steven Munro.
Tain's cause was further hit after 20 minutes when one of their most creative players, Colin Burry, was carried off with a leg knock.
Lee MacDougall had a netbound shot cleared off the line by Kenny McNab and Alan Murray was just of-target before Mackenzie struck twice in a minute.
After 29 minutes Murray's romped down the right and saw his hard-struck cross lashed home by MacKenzie.
The latter then dispossessed Darren Gilmore from the restart and ran on to beat Munro from the edge of the box to claim his hat-trick.
Murray passed up a couple of half-chances before finally getting on the score-sheet on 39 minutes.
Four minutes before the break, Gavin Bremner got in on the act to make it 5-0.
A bedraggled and bewildered Tain were being savaged and it only got worse after the turnaround.
Within seven minutes they had leaked another three, with Murray racing to his hat-trick with two classy finishes in between a MacNab own goal.
Phil Makhouli was inches away with a cute chip before Murray bagged his fourth on the hour-mark to make it 9-0.
Tain's replacement keeper Davie Matheson deserves credit for his efforts in the last half-hour when he pulled off excellent stops to deny Bremner, Murray, twice, and Makhouli.
The latter two also each missed open goals before Murray grabbed his fifth -- his 31st of the season -- and Makhouli got off the mark.
Young sub Graham Bain weighed in with his first goal for the club and a Steven tap-in completed the rout 10 minutes from the long-awaited final whistle.
Makhouli and MacNab were the only bookings.
The win cuts Alness's lead over Thurso to four points though the Easter Ross men can clinch the title with a win in their final league game at home to Bonar Bridge tomorrow.
Thurso assistant manager Richard Hughes said: "We have done our best to keep the pressure on Alness though it has not been in our hands since our 1-0 defeat against them.
"We can't dwell on that game and we just have to pray that Bonar can at least get a draw tomorrow.
"If it doesn't go in our favour, we'll just have to concentrate on the two remaining cups."
Thurso face a quick return to Invergordon tomorrow following their narrow 2-1 win there a fortnight ago.
A hamstring injury makes MacDougall a doubt but defender Shaun Moar and striker Mark Nichol are set to return for the SWL Cup second round tie.
Invergordon almost pulled off a shock win in the Jock Mackay Memorial Cup final on Saturday.
They twice levelled against Balintore who had Ally MacDonald red-carded shortly before half-time.
Scott Wilde's second equaliser two minutes from the end of extra-time took the final to a penalty shoot-out, where Balintore prevailed largely thanks to keeper Eddie Shearer's four saves.
Alness advanced to the last four of the SWL Cup with a comfortable 5-2 win at home versus Dornoch.
Thurso v Tain: M. Gray (R. Sutherland 45), B. Gray, Moar, Baker (M. Steven 60), A. Sutherland, Bremner, G. Steven, MacKenzie, MacDougall (Bain 45), Murray, Makhouli.
Ref -- Mr D. Anderson, Melvich.
Halkirk's scheduled cup-tie in Golspie fell victim to a snowbound pitch.
Tomorrow, they head for Helmsdale for a league match versus Bunillidh Thistle.
Young midfielder Alan Farquhar misses out as he is in action for his school but Mark Munro is available again
MSIS NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
Pl W D L F A Pts
ALNESS 17 15 0 2 65 16 45
THURSO 16 13 2 1 83 11 41
GOLSPIE 15 11 1 3 61 21 34
BALINTORE 17 8 4 5 47 26 28
HALKIRK 14 7 1 6 39 23 22
DORNOCH 16 5 2 9 37 54 17
BONAR 14 5 1 8 27 54 16
INVERGORDON 14 4 2 8 25 42 14
TAIN 18 2 1 15 22 106 7
BUNILLIDH 15 1 0 14 18 71 3