Post by Brian Mackay on Jan 11, 2008 14:58:51 GMT -5
Nichol leads charge in crushing win
Thurso 12, Dornoch 0 - Published: 11 January, 2008
THE yawning gap between title contenders and also-rans in the MSIS North Caledonian League was cruelly exposed on Saturday as Dornoch succumbed to a crushing defeat.
With the other three teams in the hunt for the championship all winning, the stage is set for an intriguing run-in.
While competition at the top is red-hot, the campaign has been blighted by a number of unedifying one-sided contests.
This was one such mismatch. Two up within seven minutes, the Vikings were five ahead at the interval as their young, inexperienced opponents were put to the sword.
Mark Nichol had by then registered his fourth hat-trick of the season and last year's North Caley golden boot winner enhanced his prospects of retaining the award by ending the day with a haul of seven.
The visitors did not lack in application, but an absence of leadership and some naive defending meant keeper Angus Hutchinson was regularly confronted by unmarked opponents.
Thurso quickly shrugged off the effects of a month-long dead spell as they seized the initiative from the kick-off.
Within a minute, a long-range assist to Nichol ended with his whipped ball across the goalmouth being turned behind. Brian Gray's meaty header from the resultant corner grazed past the left post.
The first goal arrived after five minutes when Martin Bain profited from the ball breaking off Des MacLeod to steer a low shot low past Hutchinson from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later, Nichol opened his account when Bain and MacLeod set him up and he netted with a neat first-time strike.
Dornoch's defence was too easily being pierced as chances continued to pile up.
Hutchinson reacted well to divert Lee MacDougall's fierce effort away from goal and then get to Nigel MacKenzie's well-struck free kick.
Dornoch's teenage strikeforce of Kieren Rooney and Scott Miller looked lively on the thin rations they had to exist on.
Rooney provided his side's first threat on 23 minutes when he ended a probing run down the inside-right channel with a hanging cross-cum-shot which Lee Allan did well to hold.
The outcome of the match was put beyond doubt when the Vikings struck three times in six minutes.
Nichol was sent clear on the half-hour mark and he finished with an inch-perfect shot across Hutchinson which went in off the inside of the right post.
The keeper was left exposed again after two minutes when MacLeod tricked three opponents in the penalty box before dispatching a low shot past Hutchinson.
The keeper did well to dash out to thwart MacKenzie and was then relieved to see a MacLeod effort from Michael Petrie's assist slip just past.
The fifth goal was created and finished by Nichol as he rounded Hutchinson before squeezing the ball in from close to the by-line.
Before the interval, MacLeod had a goal disallowed after being ruled offside as he dispatched Graeme Reid's head-on from a free kick.
Thurso striker Mark Nichol (right) celebrating a goal against Alness earlier this season with team-mate Lee MacDougall. Nichol's seven-goal haul against Dornoch last weekend boosted his chances of retaining the North Caledonian League's golden boot award. John Baikie 07789 557586
Dornoch's cause was further hit four minutes after the turnaround when Roddy Mackay was red-carded for directing a head-butt at MacKenzie.
Hutchinson continued to see plenty of action, keeping out stinging efforts from MacKenzie and MacLeod.
Nichol struck again on 62 minutes, though he looked a yard offside as he sped forward to convert MacDougall's through ball.
Two minutes later, MacDougall was again the architect when his centre was netted with a rasping volley by MacLeod. The striker was hurt in the act of scoring and could face a spell on the sidelines after damaging knee ligaments.
MacDougall almost got on the scoresheet after 67 minutes when his net-bound effort was tipped over.
Three minutes later, a MacKenzie cross picked out Nichol whose powerful header blurred past Hutchinson.
An injury which ended the involvement of defender Robert Flett left Dornoch temporarily down to nine men when they conceded a ninth on 74 minutes. It stemmed from a corner when Gray's cushioned header was volleyed home by Reid.
The margin extended into double digits in the 77th minute when Nichol put away a penalty after MacDougall had been upended at the corner of the box by Garry MacLennan.
MacDougall had seen a searing effort crash back off the crossbar before Nichol grabbed his seventh of the afternoon on 83 minutes with a rasping drive from just outside the box.
Reid almost struck again a minute from time when his headed attempt from Nichol's lay-off produced a fine full-stretch stop by Hutchinson.
But the Australia-bound defender was to round off the rout with an injury-time second. He was on hand to net after MacKenzie's cracking drive rebounded off the face of the bar.
Thurso manager Duncan Gray was pleased with his team's performance.
"It was a game we wanted after a month break," he said. "I thought we played well, with the only sour note being Des's injury."
MacLeod will be missing when the Vikings travel to play Bonar in a league match tomorrow.
Thurso: Allan, Gray (Inrig 75), Reid, Miller, Sutherland (Coghill 59), Petrie, MacKenzie, Bain, Nichol, MacLeod (Forbes 66), MacDougall.
Dornoch: Hutchinson, R. Flett (MacLeod 74), A. Flett, Shepherd, Sutherland, R. Mackay, MacDonald, Mailey, Rooney, Miller (MacLennan 64), D. Mackay.
Referee: D. Anderson.
Thurso 12, Dornoch 0 - Published: 11 January, 2008
THE yawning gap between title contenders and also-rans in the MSIS North Caledonian League was cruelly exposed on Saturday as Dornoch succumbed to a crushing defeat.
With the other three teams in the hunt for the championship all winning, the stage is set for an intriguing run-in.
While competition at the top is red-hot, the campaign has been blighted by a number of unedifying one-sided contests.
This was one such mismatch. Two up within seven minutes, the Vikings were five ahead at the interval as their young, inexperienced opponents were put to the sword.
Mark Nichol had by then registered his fourth hat-trick of the season and last year's North Caley golden boot winner enhanced his prospects of retaining the award by ending the day with a haul of seven.
The visitors did not lack in application, but an absence of leadership and some naive defending meant keeper Angus Hutchinson was regularly confronted by unmarked opponents.
Thurso quickly shrugged off the effects of a month-long dead spell as they seized the initiative from the kick-off.
Within a minute, a long-range assist to Nichol ended with his whipped ball across the goalmouth being turned behind. Brian Gray's meaty header from the resultant corner grazed past the left post.
The first goal arrived after five minutes when Martin Bain profited from the ball breaking off Des MacLeod to steer a low shot low past Hutchinson from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later, Nichol opened his account when Bain and MacLeod set him up and he netted with a neat first-time strike.
Dornoch's defence was too easily being pierced as chances continued to pile up.
Hutchinson reacted well to divert Lee MacDougall's fierce effort away from goal and then get to Nigel MacKenzie's well-struck free kick.
Dornoch's teenage strikeforce of Kieren Rooney and Scott Miller looked lively on the thin rations they had to exist on.
Rooney provided his side's first threat on 23 minutes when he ended a probing run down the inside-right channel with a hanging cross-cum-shot which Lee Allan did well to hold.
The outcome of the match was put beyond doubt when the Vikings struck three times in six minutes.
Nichol was sent clear on the half-hour mark and he finished with an inch-perfect shot across Hutchinson which went in off the inside of the right post.
The keeper was left exposed again after two minutes when MacLeod tricked three opponents in the penalty box before dispatching a low shot past Hutchinson.
The keeper did well to dash out to thwart MacKenzie and was then relieved to see a MacLeod effort from Michael Petrie's assist slip just past.
The fifth goal was created and finished by Nichol as he rounded Hutchinson before squeezing the ball in from close to the by-line.
Before the interval, MacLeod had a goal disallowed after being ruled offside as he dispatched Graeme Reid's head-on from a free kick.
Thurso striker Mark Nichol (right) celebrating a goal against Alness earlier this season with team-mate Lee MacDougall. Nichol's seven-goal haul against Dornoch last weekend boosted his chances of retaining the North Caledonian League's golden boot award. John Baikie 07789 557586
Dornoch's cause was further hit four minutes after the turnaround when Roddy Mackay was red-carded for directing a head-butt at MacKenzie.
Hutchinson continued to see plenty of action, keeping out stinging efforts from MacKenzie and MacLeod.
Nichol struck again on 62 minutes, though he looked a yard offside as he sped forward to convert MacDougall's through ball.
Two minutes later, MacDougall was again the architect when his centre was netted with a rasping volley by MacLeod. The striker was hurt in the act of scoring and could face a spell on the sidelines after damaging knee ligaments.
MacDougall almost got on the scoresheet after 67 minutes when his net-bound effort was tipped over.
Three minutes later, a MacKenzie cross picked out Nichol whose powerful header blurred past Hutchinson.
An injury which ended the involvement of defender Robert Flett left Dornoch temporarily down to nine men when they conceded a ninth on 74 minutes. It stemmed from a corner when Gray's cushioned header was volleyed home by Reid.
The margin extended into double digits in the 77th minute when Nichol put away a penalty after MacDougall had been upended at the corner of the box by Garry MacLennan.
MacDougall had seen a searing effort crash back off the crossbar before Nichol grabbed his seventh of the afternoon on 83 minutes with a rasping drive from just outside the box.
Reid almost struck again a minute from time when his headed attempt from Nichol's lay-off produced a fine full-stretch stop by Hutchinson.
But the Australia-bound defender was to round off the rout with an injury-time second. He was on hand to net after MacKenzie's cracking drive rebounded off the face of the bar.
Thurso manager Duncan Gray was pleased with his team's performance.
"It was a game we wanted after a month break," he said. "I thought we played well, with the only sour note being Des's injury."
MacLeod will be missing when the Vikings travel to play Bonar in a league match tomorrow.
Thurso: Allan, Gray (Inrig 75), Reid, Miller, Sutherland (Coghill 59), Petrie, MacKenzie, Bain, Nichol, MacLeod (Forbes 66), MacDougall.
Dornoch: Hutchinson, R. Flett (MacLeod 74), A. Flett, Shepherd, Sutherland, R. Mackay, MacDonald, Mailey, Rooney, Miller (MacLennan 64), D. Mackay.
Referee: D. Anderson.