Post by Brian Mackay on Jan 17, 2007 7:38:27 GMT -5
Dornoch 0 Thurso 2 - report by Iain Grant
The Vikings made hard work of seeing off a plucky Dornoch side on Saturday to extend their winning North Caley run to six matches.
A goal in each half settled a drab league encounter in which the visitors looked a pale shadow of the stylish, swashbuckling outfit who won in Golspie before notching up back-to-back wins over Halkirk in the run-up to Christmas.
Gone was the sparkle and pizazz which characterised these victories – and the remarkable 7-1 cup success on their last visit to the Meadows.
Dornoch were then top of the table while Thurso’s manager had just resigned and they were missing several key players.
The background to this fixture was very different with the visitors on a hot run of form while Dornoch were anchored at the bottom of the table.
The latter approached the game on the back of their first win the previous week though five involved in that 2-1 win in Invergordon were unavailable on Saturday.
The match was too prove as dreich as the weather, with a steady drizzle erupting into a heavy downpour for the closing quarter.
Thurso never seriously looked in danger of losing, with keeper Asa Sinclair not called on to make a save worthy of note all afternoon.
But an error-strewn display, featuring a string of botched goal-scoring opportunities, stoked Dornoch’s hopes of pulling off an upset.
These were killed off by Mark Nichol’s 75th minute addition to Graeme’s Reid’s opener 11 minutes from half-time.
Dornoch manager Stuart Morrison was forced to again field himself between the sticks but he was to give a man-of-the-match display in the emergency role.
Morrison was regularly involved and early on required to be smartly off his line to prevent Nigel Mackenzie latching on to a through ball from Nichol.
Mackenzie -- part of a three-pronged attack in his first game back from a lengthy injury – had the first shot on goal after 12 minutes which drifted harmlessly past the left post.
Thurso started sluggishly and were unable to lift the tempo of their game or replicate the slick development and execution of moves which had troubled their previous recent opponents.
An exception was Scott Mackay Steven whose trickery and speed down both flanks regularly worried the home defence.
His cross after 14 minutes was marginally too high for Jamie Mackenzie.
The latter passed up a snip a minute later when he took one too many touches after being set up by Nichol’s flick to allow Morrison to make the block.
Lee MacDougall then screwed a close-in volley wide while Morrison did well to tip over a Gavin Bremner piledriver from 30 yards.
Dornoch’s first venture into enemy territory after 23 minutes ended with Jamie Shepherd’s powerful run and accurate cross being wasted by a woeful header from Ryan Kay.
Dornoch’s rearguard manfully stuck to their collective task, supplemented by a midfield which was almost exclusively deployed on deep, defensive duties,
They also had a keeper in inspired form with Morrison doing well to fend away with his feet a well-struck, first-time effort from Nigel Mackenzie after 31 minutes.
The opener came from a Nigel Mackenzie corner. The looping delivery from the left was claimed by Reid who outleaped friend and foe to powerfully net.
Within a minute of the restart, it could have been 3-0.
Nichol’s measured shot from the edge of the box beat Morrison only to come back off the outside of the left post before an angled strike from Mackay Steven flashed less than a foot wide of its target.
Half-time could not come too early for the home camp who had another let-off when Jamie Mackenzie shot wildly over after being blessed by a favourable deflection from a MacDougall free-kick.
A minute from the break, MacDougall’s astute reverse pass pick out Nichol who would have scored but for a brave, full-frontal block by David Mackay
Jamie Mackenzie then squandered another decent opportunity when his close-in attempt was placed straight at Morrison.
After the interval, Mackay Steven continued to enjoy plenty of licence down the right wing.
Neither Nichol nor Kevin Miller were able to convert two chances the winger created as Thurso continued to dominate.
Dornoch’s resistance was by now occasionally straying over the line of acceptability with David Mackay’s late challenge on Reid fully meriting his 62nd minute booking.
Nichol’s frustrating day in front of goal continued as he failed to connect with MacDougall’s inviting assist and then dragged his shot wide when put in the clear by Nigel Mackenzie.
The striker’s gremlins multiplied on 67 minutes when Jimmy Gunn was adjudged to have fouled MacDougall in the penalty box.
Nichol’s drilled the spot-kick low and hard but Morrison sprang to pull off a marvellous stop just inside the right-hand upright.
Dornoch continued to defend in depth with their desultory counters packing little in the way of threat.
On 74 minutes, a Thurso attack ended with Willie Inrig’s pinpoint pass releasing Nichol who again was unable to find the target.
A minute later, Nichol finally broke his duck when he raced on to a long-range pass from Miller before steadying himself and firing an unstoppable shot past Morrison.
Dornoch’s Craig Mowat volley of abuse to an assistant ref before the restart led to his dismissal. As the heavens opened, the crime count multiplied with MacDougall booked for dissent and Gunn and Thurso sub Martin Bain booked for late tackles.
Thurso manager Ross Sutherland acknowledged it was not a vintage display by his side.
“Getting the three points was the main thing,” he said.
“We didn’t start very well and didn’t play together as a team.
“We tried to do too many individual things which didn’t come off.”
The manager said there were no shortage of opportunities for his side though they made life difficult for themselves.
“We needed to try and play the final ball in a bit a quicker.
“We didn’t get it into the final third quickly enough and it was giving them a chance to get back and regroup.”
On Saturday, the Vikings will be hoping to extend their winning sequence at home to Bunillidh Thistle.
Jamie Mackenzie will miss the next couple of games through work commitments but Des MacLeod and Michael Steven are set to return,
Dornoch – Morrison, Gunn, B. Mackay, Macleod, D. Mackay, Shepherd, Sutherland (Impallomeni 55), Campbell. Kay, Mowat. A. Mackay (Munro 55).
Thurso – Sinclair, Makhouli, Miller, Reid, Inrig, Bremner, Mackay Steven, J. Mackenzie (Bain 65), Nichol, N. Mackenzie (Tait 83), MacDougall. Sub (unused) – Sutherland.
Ref – Mr M. Dalton, Nairn.
The Vikings made hard work of seeing off a plucky Dornoch side on Saturday to extend their winning North Caley run to six matches.
A goal in each half settled a drab league encounter in which the visitors looked a pale shadow of the stylish, swashbuckling outfit who won in Golspie before notching up back-to-back wins over Halkirk in the run-up to Christmas.
Gone was the sparkle and pizazz which characterised these victories – and the remarkable 7-1 cup success on their last visit to the Meadows.
Dornoch were then top of the table while Thurso’s manager had just resigned and they were missing several key players.
The background to this fixture was very different with the visitors on a hot run of form while Dornoch were anchored at the bottom of the table.
The latter approached the game on the back of their first win the previous week though five involved in that 2-1 win in Invergordon were unavailable on Saturday.
The match was too prove as dreich as the weather, with a steady drizzle erupting into a heavy downpour for the closing quarter.
Thurso never seriously looked in danger of losing, with keeper Asa Sinclair not called on to make a save worthy of note all afternoon.
But an error-strewn display, featuring a string of botched goal-scoring opportunities, stoked Dornoch’s hopes of pulling off an upset.
These were killed off by Mark Nichol’s 75th minute addition to Graeme’s Reid’s opener 11 minutes from half-time.
Dornoch manager Stuart Morrison was forced to again field himself between the sticks but he was to give a man-of-the-match display in the emergency role.
Morrison was regularly involved and early on required to be smartly off his line to prevent Nigel Mackenzie latching on to a through ball from Nichol.
Mackenzie -- part of a three-pronged attack in his first game back from a lengthy injury – had the first shot on goal after 12 minutes which drifted harmlessly past the left post.
Thurso started sluggishly and were unable to lift the tempo of their game or replicate the slick development and execution of moves which had troubled their previous recent opponents.
An exception was Scott Mackay Steven whose trickery and speed down both flanks regularly worried the home defence.
His cross after 14 minutes was marginally too high for Jamie Mackenzie.
The latter passed up a snip a minute later when he took one too many touches after being set up by Nichol’s flick to allow Morrison to make the block.
Lee MacDougall then screwed a close-in volley wide while Morrison did well to tip over a Gavin Bremner piledriver from 30 yards.
Dornoch’s first venture into enemy territory after 23 minutes ended with Jamie Shepherd’s powerful run and accurate cross being wasted by a woeful header from Ryan Kay.
Dornoch’s rearguard manfully stuck to their collective task, supplemented by a midfield which was almost exclusively deployed on deep, defensive duties,
They also had a keeper in inspired form with Morrison doing well to fend away with his feet a well-struck, first-time effort from Nigel Mackenzie after 31 minutes.
The opener came from a Nigel Mackenzie corner. The looping delivery from the left was claimed by Reid who outleaped friend and foe to powerfully net.
Within a minute of the restart, it could have been 3-0.
Nichol’s measured shot from the edge of the box beat Morrison only to come back off the outside of the left post before an angled strike from Mackay Steven flashed less than a foot wide of its target.
Half-time could not come too early for the home camp who had another let-off when Jamie Mackenzie shot wildly over after being blessed by a favourable deflection from a MacDougall free-kick.
A minute from the break, MacDougall’s astute reverse pass pick out Nichol who would have scored but for a brave, full-frontal block by David Mackay
Jamie Mackenzie then squandered another decent opportunity when his close-in attempt was placed straight at Morrison.
After the interval, Mackay Steven continued to enjoy plenty of licence down the right wing.
Neither Nichol nor Kevin Miller were able to convert two chances the winger created as Thurso continued to dominate.
Dornoch’s resistance was by now occasionally straying over the line of acceptability with David Mackay’s late challenge on Reid fully meriting his 62nd minute booking.
Nichol’s frustrating day in front of goal continued as he failed to connect with MacDougall’s inviting assist and then dragged his shot wide when put in the clear by Nigel Mackenzie.
The striker’s gremlins multiplied on 67 minutes when Jimmy Gunn was adjudged to have fouled MacDougall in the penalty box.
Nichol’s drilled the spot-kick low and hard but Morrison sprang to pull off a marvellous stop just inside the right-hand upright.
Dornoch continued to defend in depth with their desultory counters packing little in the way of threat.
On 74 minutes, a Thurso attack ended with Willie Inrig’s pinpoint pass releasing Nichol who again was unable to find the target.
A minute later, Nichol finally broke his duck when he raced on to a long-range pass from Miller before steadying himself and firing an unstoppable shot past Morrison.
Dornoch’s Craig Mowat volley of abuse to an assistant ref before the restart led to his dismissal. As the heavens opened, the crime count multiplied with MacDougall booked for dissent and Gunn and Thurso sub Martin Bain booked for late tackles.
Thurso manager Ross Sutherland acknowledged it was not a vintage display by his side.
“Getting the three points was the main thing,” he said.
“We didn’t start very well and didn’t play together as a team.
“We tried to do too many individual things which didn’t come off.”
The manager said there were no shortage of opportunities for his side though they made life difficult for themselves.
“We needed to try and play the final ball in a bit a quicker.
“We didn’t get it into the final third quickly enough and it was giving them a chance to get back and regroup.”
On Saturday, the Vikings will be hoping to extend their winning sequence at home to Bunillidh Thistle.
Jamie Mackenzie will miss the next couple of games through work commitments but Des MacLeod and Michael Steven are set to return,
Dornoch – Morrison, Gunn, B. Mackay, Macleod, D. Mackay, Shepherd, Sutherland (Impallomeni 55), Campbell. Kay, Mowat. A. Mackay (Munro 55).
Thurso – Sinclair, Makhouli, Miller, Reid, Inrig, Bremner, Mackay Steven, J. Mackenzie (Bain 65), Nichol, N. Mackenzie (Tait 83), MacDougall. Sub (unused) – Sutherland.
Ref – Mr M. Dalton, Nairn.