Post by Brian Mackay on Sept 21, 2006 15:23:27 GMT -5
Thurso 0 Balintore 2 - report by Iain Grant
Thurso’s bright start to the season is starting to fade after they succumbed on Saturday to their second successive North Caley League reverse at home.
Of special concern to player/manager Ross Sutherland is his side having again failed to score despite manufacturing enough chances to win the game.
The match was bookended by goals by Caithness exile Tony Farquhar and his strike partner Ewan Dance.
In between, Thurso called most of the shots but their efforts went in vain as they failed to seriously trouble visiting keeper Neil Mackay.
Darren MacLeod’s energetic hassling of defenders on the ball caused some early flutters with Balintore fortunate not to be punished when John Skinner’s hurried pass-back to Mackay forced the keeper to botch his clearance.
Balintore showed early menace when Farquhar got on the end of a corner but found the angle too tight in shooting into the side net.
The visitors specialise in fast counters and after nine minutes, one was launched after Nigel Mackenzie lost possession on the edge of the Balintore penalty box.
Ross Powell romped upfield and picked out Dance who would have scored had keeper Asa Sinclair not got the merest touch to send the ball behind for a corner.
The let-off proved temporary as Powell’s corner from the left found Farquhar who headed powerfully into the net.
Mackenzie was proving Thurso’s best bet to pierce the Balintore defence.
After 17 minutes, he effortlessly stepped past Powell before sending over a diagonal cross.
It landed near the penalty spot where Scott Mackay Steven had a clear view of goal, only to scuff his shot straight at a grateful Mackay.
The Vikings were seeing plenty of the ball with the visitors happy to soak up the pressure and use Dance as their solitary outlet up front.
Mackenzie shot over before one of his crosses produced a cracking volley from Lee MacDougall which went just the wrong side of the post.
Another golden chance went abegging after 24 minutes.
Mackenzie was again the instigator with his dinked pass seeing MacLeod race into the box.
He elected not to try and find the gap between Mackay and his left-hand post, instead playing the ball across to strike partner Alan Murray.
Six yards out, Murray, to use a cricket analogy, played and missed.
Mackay Steven then failed to make a proper connection with a half-chance after 29 minutes.
The latter came close to more than atoning six minutes later with a marvellous weaving run in which he went past three opponents, only to be foiled by a last-ditch challenge from John Skinner as he shaped to shoot.
The half ended with a sizzling long-range strike from Mackenzie going a foot wide, with Mackay beaten all ends up.
Bit players in the first period, Balintore – while still defensively minded – were too pack more of a punch in the second.
James Skinner’s free-kick after 53 minutes needed to be closely watched by Sinclair.
Four minutes later, the young keeper again showed sure handling to reach an overhead effort from Farquhar.
Thurso were now struggling to make much inroads on a rearguard, well marshalled by John Skinner.
Moves too often fizzled out with a careless pass or an overhit cross, with Thurso’s setpieces being particularly unproductive.
Their first genuine attempt on goal came after 73 minutes when MacDougall’s cross led to a well-struck volley from Mackenzie which was beaten away by Mackay amid hopeful claims that the ball had crossed the line.
A minute later, MacKay Steven was unlucky to see an improvised shot in a packed penalty box sneak past the left upright.
The pendulum then swung the way of the visitors with Sinclair doing well to hold Liam Taylor’s fierce daisy-cutter from the edge of the box.
The killer second goal came six minutes from time. A miscontrol on the part of Thurso defender Kevin Warner was seized on by James Skinner who played in Dance. Unmarked in the six yard box, Balintore’s top scorer blasted the ball into the net.
In the dying minutes, MacLeod headed a Mackenzie cross over and then skied an effort well over when presented with a clear opening from a free-kick.
The crime count was restricted to second half bookings for Dance and Farquhar, each for rash tackles.
Ross Sutherland was left to reflect on what might have been had his side cashed in on the opportunities they had in the first half.
He said: “Over the piece, they didn’t really create many problems for us.
“It was a sloppy goal we lost and we went on to create a lot of chances but we just having been firing on the scoring front.
“Late on, we were pushing on and that left gaps at the back.”
The manager took greater heart from his side’s display in a friendly versus
Wick Academy on Tuesday night, which ended 1-1.
He is hoping to reproduce that type of performance in tomorrow’s away Port Services Cup clash in Alness.
He expects Stuart Sinclair, Paul MacCallum, Jamie Mackenzie and Mark Nichol to return to the squad for the quarter-final tie.
The only absentee will be Mark Makhouli, who is unavailable.
Thurso – Sinclair, Steven, Miller, Warner, Green (Sutherland 63), Bremner, Mackay Steven, Mackenzie, Murray (Makhouli 63), MacLeod, MacDougall. Sub (unused) – Reid.
Balintore – Mackay, Stuart McCallum (Steve McCallum 27), Powell, John Skinner, MacKenzie, S. Skinner (Davis 89), James Skinner, MacGruer, Dance, Farquhar, Taylor. Sub (unused) – Stainke.
Ref – Mr E. Robertson, Inverness.
Other games on Saturday saw an injury-time goal allow Inverness City to score a 1-0 victory at Alness while Bunillidh Thistle won by the odd goal in nine on their trip to Dornoch.
NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
P W D L F A Pts
HALKIRK UNITED 4 4 0 0 11 2 12
BALINTORE 5 2 2 1 10 6 8
INVERNESS CITY 4 2 1 1 13 9 7
GOLSPIE 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
THURSO 4 2 0 2 8 11 6
INVERGORDON 4 1 1 2 12 11 4
ALNESS UNITED 4 1 0 3 11 9 3
BUNILLIDH THISTLE 4 1 0 3 6 17 3
DORNOCH 3 0 0 3 9 22 0
Thurso’s bright start to the season is starting to fade after they succumbed on Saturday to their second successive North Caley League reverse at home.
Of special concern to player/manager Ross Sutherland is his side having again failed to score despite manufacturing enough chances to win the game.
The match was bookended by goals by Caithness exile Tony Farquhar and his strike partner Ewan Dance.
In between, Thurso called most of the shots but their efforts went in vain as they failed to seriously trouble visiting keeper Neil Mackay.
Darren MacLeod’s energetic hassling of defenders on the ball caused some early flutters with Balintore fortunate not to be punished when John Skinner’s hurried pass-back to Mackay forced the keeper to botch his clearance.
Balintore showed early menace when Farquhar got on the end of a corner but found the angle too tight in shooting into the side net.
The visitors specialise in fast counters and after nine minutes, one was launched after Nigel Mackenzie lost possession on the edge of the Balintore penalty box.
Ross Powell romped upfield and picked out Dance who would have scored had keeper Asa Sinclair not got the merest touch to send the ball behind for a corner.
The let-off proved temporary as Powell’s corner from the left found Farquhar who headed powerfully into the net.
Mackenzie was proving Thurso’s best bet to pierce the Balintore defence.
After 17 minutes, he effortlessly stepped past Powell before sending over a diagonal cross.
It landed near the penalty spot where Scott Mackay Steven had a clear view of goal, only to scuff his shot straight at a grateful Mackay.
The Vikings were seeing plenty of the ball with the visitors happy to soak up the pressure and use Dance as their solitary outlet up front.
Mackenzie shot over before one of his crosses produced a cracking volley from Lee MacDougall which went just the wrong side of the post.
Another golden chance went abegging after 24 minutes.
Mackenzie was again the instigator with his dinked pass seeing MacLeod race into the box.
He elected not to try and find the gap between Mackay and his left-hand post, instead playing the ball across to strike partner Alan Murray.
Six yards out, Murray, to use a cricket analogy, played and missed.
Mackay Steven then failed to make a proper connection with a half-chance after 29 minutes.
The latter came close to more than atoning six minutes later with a marvellous weaving run in which he went past three opponents, only to be foiled by a last-ditch challenge from John Skinner as he shaped to shoot.
The half ended with a sizzling long-range strike from Mackenzie going a foot wide, with Mackay beaten all ends up.
Bit players in the first period, Balintore – while still defensively minded – were too pack more of a punch in the second.
James Skinner’s free-kick after 53 minutes needed to be closely watched by Sinclair.
Four minutes later, the young keeper again showed sure handling to reach an overhead effort from Farquhar.
Thurso were now struggling to make much inroads on a rearguard, well marshalled by John Skinner.
Moves too often fizzled out with a careless pass or an overhit cross, with Thurso’s setpieces being particularly unproductive.
Their first genuine attempt on goal came after 73 minutes when MacDougall’s cross led to a well-struck volley from Mackenzie which was beaten away by Mackay amid hopeful claims that the ball had crossed the line.
A minute later, MacKay Steven was unlucky to see an improvised shot in a packed penalty box sneak past the left upright.
The pendulum then swung the way of the visitors with Sinclair doing well to hold Liam Taylor’s fierce daisy-cutter from the edge of the box.
The killer second goal came six minutes from time. A miscontrol on the part of Thurso defender Kevin Warner was seized on by James Skinner who played in Dance. Unmarked in the six yard box, Balintore’s top scorer blasted the ball into the net.
In the dying minutes, MacLeod headed a Mackenzie cross over and then skied an effort well over when presented with a clear opening from a free-kick.
The crime count was restricted to second half bookings for Dance and Farquhar, each for rash tackles.
Ross Sutherland was left to reflect on what might have been had his side cashed in on the opportunities they had in the first half.
He said: “Over the piece, they didn’t really create many problems for us.
“It was a sloppy goal we lost and we went on to create a lot of chances but we just having been firing on the scoring front.
“Late on, we were pushing on and that left gaps at the back.”
The manager took greater heart from his side’s display in a friendly versus
Wick Academy on Tuesday night, which ended 1-1.
He is hoping to reproduce that type of performance in tomorrow’s away Port Services Cup clash in Alness.
He expects Stuart Sinclair, Paul MacCallum, Jamie Mackenzie and Mark Nichol to return to the squad for the quarter-final tie.
The only absentee will be Mark Makhouli, who is unavailable.
Thurso – Sinclair, Steven, Miller, Warner, Green (Sutherland 63), Bremner, Mackay Steven, Mackenzie, Murray (Makhouli 63), MacLeod, MacDougall. Sub (unused) – Reid.
Balintore – Mackay, Stuart McCallum (Steve McCallum 27), Powell, John Skinner, MacKenzie, S. Skinner (Davis 89), James Skinner, MacGruer, Dance, Farquhar, Taylor. Sub (unused) – Stainke.
Ref – Mr E. Robertson, Inverness.
Other games on Saturday saw an injury-time goal allow Inverness City to score a 1-0 victory at Alness while Bunillidh Thistle won by the odd goal in nine on their trip to Dornoch.
NORTH CALEDONIAN LEAGUE
P W D L F A Pts
HALKIRK UNITED 4 4 0 0 11 2 12
BALINTORE 5 2 2 1 10 6 8
INVERNESS CITY 4 2 1 1 13 9 7
GOLSPIE 2 2 0 0 9 2 6
THURSO 4 2 0 2 8 11 6
INVERGORDON 4 1 1 2 12 11 4
ALNESS UNITED 4 1 0 3 11 9 3
BUNILLIDH THISTLE 4 1 0 3 6 17 3
DORNOCH 3 0 0 3 9 22 0