Post by Brian Mackay on Feb 14, 2006 7:48:13 GMT -5
Thurso 2 V Golspie 1 - report by Iain Grant
A late Jamie MacKenzie strike on Saturday provided the Vikings with their first win of 2006.
The result ended an unprecedented run of four straight MSIS North Caley defeats and boosts their chances of a top four finish.
With half-a-dozen regulars missing, Thurso had four trialists in their ranks with senior players in charge as manager Colin Chessor was on holiday.
The newcomers included including Brora Rangers defender Brian Gray who helped out his old side as the Highland League outfit had a day off.
The new-look formation bedded down surprisingly smoothly and were comfortably ahead in terms of possession and territory.
Against those criteria, their win was deserved but it has to be said that Golspie had the lion’s share of clearcut opportunities.
The visitors were content to play a holding game and rely on their pacy frontmen to exploit quickfire counters.
The game was one of the very few between the sides where neither were in with a shout for the title.
As a result, the atmosphere was less charged than normal.
Thurso were first to settle and went close to scoring after two minutes.
Scott Mackay Steven and Gavin Bremner linked well to give MacKenzie an opening with a defender getting in a last-gasp block to divert the netbound shot.
Golspie keeper Alan Bokas was then fully stretched to turn Shaun Forbes’ looping cross over his bar.
In between, visiting striker Walter Mackay twisted free in the penalty box before having an effort beaten away, with Mark Ford skying the rebound.
After the lively start, a stalemate developed with the respective defences seldom unsettled.
After 20 minutes, Mackay Steven gathered a through-ball and slotted the ball past Bokas only to have his effort ruled out by an offside flag from assistant ref Alec Jappy,
Four minutes later, Ross Sutherland sent Mackay Steven charging down the right flank and his early cross was bound for the unmarked MacKenzie before Graeme Grant intervened with a perfectly timed cut-out.
Thurso were calling the shots and Bokas had to look lively to keep out an angled header from MacKenzie after 27 minutes.
Golspie stunned the home camp when they took the lead a minute later.
Gordon MacRae’s cross did not appear unduly threatening but Dan MacPhail was allowed to ghost in unmarked and power a header low past Asa Sinclair.
Martin Bain passéd up a glorious opportunity on the half-hour mark when he had only Bokas to beat.
His first shot was well enough struck but when it came back to him off the keeper, he thumped the follow-up straight at Bokas.
Golspie then missed two gilt-edged chances to double their lead.
After 34 minutes, Mackay sent David Niven racing in on Sinclair.
The striker’s early shot with the outside of his right boot curled past the onrushing keeper but also a yard wide of the right-hand post.
Four minutes later, Niven passed up an even easier opportunity.
With the Thurso rearguard vainly appealing for offside, Niven again had a face-off with Sinclair.
This time, he dragged the ball past the keeper with his shot this time appearing to partially deflect off the foot of backtracking defender Kevin Miller.
That caused it to loop up and come back off the face off the crossbar with Gray displaying bravery in heading the rebound over, under extreme pressure.
The last attack of the half was sparked off by Kevin Miller whose through ball was deftly flicked on by Mackay Steven to Gary MacLeod who ended up shooting narrowly wide.
A super-charged restart from Thurso saw Golspie very much on the back foot with Bain and Mackay Steven both denied clear scoring chances by marginal offside rulings.
Golspie’s contribution was limited to a speculative long-range effort from Mackay. After 54 minutes, Gray was booked for dissent.
Despite being hemmed in their own half for long spells, the visitors continued to threaten on the counter.
Ken Whyte caused a flap with a fizzing shot-cum-cross after 55 minutes and then Gray did well to rob Niven as he shaped to shoot from prime position.
Thurso equalised after 62 minutes in the immediate follow-up to a corner. After Bokas punched out, the ball was played back towards MacKenzie.
He found the angle too tight for a shot and instead laid the ball up for Sutherland who flicked it over the prone keeper into the net from six yards.
The pressure on Golspie was reflected in bookings for Blair Duncan and Roddy Smith.
In between, Duncan almost put his side ahead from another fast-track raid.
After his shot rattled back off a post, Whyte looked certain to score but Sinclair somehow recovered to grab the striker’s would-be side-foot finish.
Thurso’s young subs Michael Steven and Andrew Richardson both showed up well.
The latter was just beaten by Bokas as he sought to get on the end of Steven’s incisive assist on 81 minutes.
Just as the game appeared to be fizzling out, the Vikings popped up with the winner.
Sutherland’s deep cross produced a strong header from Gray which Bokas did exceptionally well to reach with the fingertips of his left hand.
The ball spiralled up and then fell perfectly for Mackenzie who netted with a point-blank header.
Golspie were not finished as a minute later MacPhail let fly from12 yards out with Sinclair getting down low to turn the shot against the post and out for a corner.
A welcome win for Thurso who tomorrow entertain Bunillidh Thistle in the league. Kick-off is 2.30 p.m.
Phil Makhouli and Gary Coghill return from suspension while Ian Adamson, Alan Murray and Lee MacDougall are expected to return.
Thurso -- Sinclair, Miller, Forbes, Gray, Sutherland, Bremner, MacLeod, (Makhouli 59), Mackay Steven (Richardson 73), Bain, MacKenzie, Cook (Steven 77).
Golspie – Bokas, MacRae, Smith, Grant, Ford, Kennedy, Duncan, MacPhail, Whyte, Niven (MacLeod 81), W. Mackay (Reid 85). Sub (unused) – C. Mackay.
Ref -- Mr G. Dearie, Inverness.
Invergordon caused an upset on Saturday when they knocked Balintore out of the Jock Mackay Cup.
After the second round match finished two apiece after extra-time, Invergordon triumphed 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out.
It was a bad day for Balintore as they were knocked off the top of the league as a result of Dornoch’s 2-0 win at Bonar Bridge.
Dudgeon Park, Brora is the stage for the final of the SWL Cup tomorrow between Golspie and Dornoch.
MSIS NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
Pl W D L F A Pts
DORNOCH 14 10 1 3 38 20 31
BALINTORE 13 9 3 1 36 11 30
GOLSPIE 14 6 3 5 37 27 21
HALKIRK UTD 11 7 0 4 28 16 21
INVERGORDON 13 6 3 4 35 29 21
THURSO 12 5 2 5 28 25 17
ALNESS UTD 13 4 1 8 30 30 13
BONAR BRIDGE 11 3 1 7 19 35 10
BUNILLIDH THIS 13 0 0 13 9 67 0
A late Jamie MacKenzie strike on Saturday provided the Vikings with their first win of 2006.
The result ended an unprecedented run of four straight MSIS North Caley defeats and boosts their chances of a top four finish.
With half-a-dozen regulars missing, Thurso had four trialists in their ranks with senior players in charge as manager Colin Chessor was on holiday.
The newcomers included including Brora Rangers defender Brian Gray who helped out his old side as the Highland League outfit had a day off.
The new-look formation bedded down surprisingly smoothly and were comfortably ahead in terms of possession and territory.
Against those criteria, their win was deserved but it has to be said that Golspie had the lion’s share of clearcut opportunities.
The visitors were content to play a holding game and rely on their pacy frontmen to exploit quickfire counters.
The game was one of the very few between the sides where neither were in with a shout for the title.
As a result, the atmosphere was less charged than normal.
Thurso were first to settle and went close to scoring after two minutes.
Scott Mackay Steven and Gavin Bremner linked well to give MacKenzie an opening with a defender getting in a last-gasp block to divert the netbound shot.
Golspie keeper Alan Bokas was then fully stretched to turn Shaun Forbes’ looping cross over his bar.
In between, visiting striker Walter Mackay twisted free in the penalty box before having an effort beaten away, with Mark Ford skying the rebound.
After the lively start, a stalemate developed with the respective defences seldom unsettled.
After 20 minutes, Mackay Steven gathered a through-ball and slotted the ball past Bokas only to have his effort ruled out by an offside flag from assistant ref Alec Jappy,
Four minutes later, Ross Sutherland sent Mackay Steven charging down the right flank and his early cross was bound for the unmarked MacKenzie before Graeme Grant intervened with a perfectly timed cut-out.
Thurso were calling the shots and Bokas had to look lively to keep out an angled header from MacKenzie after 27 minutes.
Golspie stunned the home camp when they took the lead a minute later.
Gordon MacRae’s cross did not appear unduly threatening but Dan MacPhail was allowed to ghost in unmarked and power a header low past Asa Sinclair.
Martin Bain passéd up a glorious opportunity on the half-hour mark when he had only Bokas to beat.
His first shot was well enough struck but when it came back to him off the keeper, he thumped the follow-up straight at Bokas.
Golspie then missed two gilt-edged chances to double their lead.
After 34 minutes, Mackay sent David Niven racing in on Sinclair.
The striker’s early shot with the outside of his right boot curled past the onrushing keeper but also a yard wide of the right-hand post.
Four minutes later, Niven passed up an even easier opportunity.
With the Thurso rearguard vainly appealing for offside, Niven again had a face-off with Sinclair.
This time, he dragged the ball past the keeper with his shot this time appearing to partially deflect off the foot of backtracking defender Kevin Miller.
That caused it to loop up and come back off the face off the crossbar with Gray displaying bravery in heading the rebound over, under extreme pressure.
The last attack of the half was sparked off by Kevin Miller whose through ball was deftly flicked on by Mackay Steven to Gary MacLeod who ended up shooting narrowly wide.
A super-charged restart from Thurso saw Golspie very much on the back foot with Bain and Mackay Steven both denied clear scoring chances by marginal offside rulings.
Golspie’s contribution was limited to a speculative long-range effort from Mackay. After 54 minutes, Gray was booked for dissent.
Despite being hemmed in their own half for long spells, the visitors continued to threaten on the counter.
Ken Whyte caused a flap with a fizzing shot-cum-cross after 55 minutes and then Gray did well to rob Niven as he shaped to shoot from prime position.
Thurso equalised after 62 minutes in the immediate follow-up to a corner. After Bokas punched out, the ball was played back towards MacKenzie.
He found the angle too tight for a shot and instead laid the ball up for Sutherland who flicked it over the prone keeper into the net from six yards.
The pressure on Golspie was reflected in bookings for Blair Duncan and Roddy Smith.
In between, Duncan almost put his side ahead from another fast-track raid.
After his shot rattled back off a post, Whyte looked certain to score but Sinclair somehow recovered to grab the striker’s would-be side-foot finish.
Thurso’s young subs Michael Steven and Andrew Richardson both showed up well.
The latter was just beaten by Bokas as he sought to get on the end of Steven’s incisive assist on 81 minutes.
Just as the game appeared to be fizzling out, the Vikings popped up with the winner.
Sutherland’s deep cross produced a strong header from Gray which Bokas did exceptionally well to reach with the fingertips of his left hand.
The ball spiralled up and then fell perfectly for Mackenzie who netted with a point-blank header.
Golspie were not finished as a minute later MacPhail let fly from12 yards out with Sinclair getting down low to turn the shot against the post and out for a corner.
A welcome win for Thurso who tomorrow entertain Bunillidh Thistle in the league. Kick-off is 2.30 p.m.
Phil Makhouli and Gary Coghill return from suspension while Ian Adamson, Alan Murray and Lee MacDougall are expected to return.
Thurso -- Sinclair, Miller, Forbes, Gray, Sutherland, Bremner, MacLeod, (Makhouli 59), Mackay Steven (Richardson 73), Bain, MacKenzie, Cook (Steven 77).
Golspie – Bokas, MacRae, Smith, Grant, Ford, Kennedy, Duncan, MacPhail, Whyte, Niven (MacLeod 81), W. Mackay (Reid 85). Sub (unused) – C. Mackay.
Ref -- Mr G. Dearie, Inverness.
Invergordon caused an upset on Saturday when they knocked Balintore out of the Jock Mackay Cup.
After the second round match finished two apiece after extra-time, Invergordon triumphed 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out.
It was a bad day for Balintore as they were knocked off the top of the league as a result of Dornoch’s 2-0 win at Bonar Bridge.
Dudgeon Park, Brora is the stage for the final of the SWL Cup tomorrow between Golspie and Dornoch.
MSIS NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
Pl W D L F A Pts
DORNOCH 14 10 1 3 38 20 31
BALINTORE 13 9 3 1 36 11 30
GOLSPIE 14 6 3 5 37 27 21
HALKIRK UTD 11 7 0 4 28 16 21
INVERGORDON 13 6 3 4 35 29 21
THURSO 12 5 2 5 28 25 17
ALNESS UTD 13 4 1 8 30 30 13
BONAR BRIDGE 11 3 1 7 19 35 10
BUNILLIDH THIS 13 0 0 13 9 67 0