Post by Brian Mackay on Oct 21, 2009 6:07:59 GMT -5
Balintore 0 V Thurso 3 - report from Iain Grant
Despite not being at their sharpest, the Vikings returned with the spoils from their trip to the seaside village on the Moray Firth peninsula. They were denied a more convincing score-line as a result of a succession of clear chances squandered against a young side very much in rebuild mode.
While the visitors’ failings in front of goal concerned manager Stevie Reid, he was happy to harvest another three points.
The win keeps his side unbeaten record and a point ahead of neighbours Halkirk United at the top of the PSG North Caley League.
The manager was also pleased his stitched-together defence achieved a second shut-out of the season.
The game turned on two goals in as many minutes just into the second quarter by Stuart MacKenzie and Jamie MacKenzie.
The home outfit grew in confidence after the interval and worked a couple of decent openings before conceding a horror third nine minutes from time to sub Cieran Duffy.
Absentees meant Gary MacGregor dropping back to partner Andrew Bremner in the centre of the Thurso defence while there was a first start for Stuart MacKenzie on the right side of midfield.
The reshuffle could charitably be used to account for early gremlins which created unobstructed sights of goal for Gus MacDonald and Mark O’Connor.
Their final efforts lacked pith and visiting keeper Michael Gray gathered both comfortably.
The Vikings were soon pressing for an opener with Stuart Mackenzie inches away from connecting with Mark Nichol’s inswinging cross.
Lee MacDougall then overlapped Nigel MacKenzie before his centre was headed narrowly past by Jamie MacKenzie.
MacDougall’s near-post free-kick on 21 minutes found Stuart MacKenzie whose shot-on-the-turn was parried to safety by keeper Ross Henderson.
Two minutes later, Wayne Monkman was left with the goal at his mercy only for him to stab the ball wide from the edge of the six yard box.
Balintore almost rubbed salt in the wounds with a lighting counter ending with Josh Melville’s firm header shaving the outside of Gray’s left upright.
Stuart MacKenzie had gone close again before he opened his account for his new side when Nigel Mackenzie’s corner was headed across goal by Monkman for the Castletown man to nudge home.
Nichol was then foiled by Henderson though the keeper was left exposed from the resultant corner when Jamie MacKenzie rose unchallenged to put his side two up.
The goals serve to settle the visitors with Michael Petrie’s industry in the middle of the park and the guile of Nigel and Jamie MacKenzie given them the firm upper hand.
The visitors however struggled to translate their dominance into a more solid lead.
A clever piece of play by MacDougall on 54 minutes put Monkman in on goal but the out-of-sorts Orcadian wasted the opportunity.
A Nigel MacKenzie effort was then turned away by Henderson before O’Connor survived an own goal appeal in the aftermath to a corner.
On 62 minutes, Monkman and Jamie Mackenzie did the spadework for Nichol who skied the inviting opportunity.
Jamie MacKenzie then toed-poked just past and Henderson was relieved ref Ryan Johnstone saw nothing amiss after Nigel MacKenzie went down as the pair tangled near the right touchline.
Having soaked up a lot of pressure, Balintore almost got one back on 69 minutes when Ross Powell’s long-range angled strike almost found the far corner of the net.
A couple of minutes later, Steven Alexander sent MacDonald haring towards Gray only for the striker to lose his footing as he shaped to shoot.
Thurso should have punished an error from Henderson when he spilled a Nigel MacKenzie but teenage sub Gavin Sinclair sent the rebound high over the unguarded net.
Fellow sub Duffy did not fluff his lines after Alexander’s ill-judged back-pass was compounded by a heavy touch from Henderson.
The seventeen-year-old striker’s challenge on the edge of the penalty box sent the ball into the back of the net.
MacGregor picked up the only booking of the day before Duffy headed Nigel MacKenzie’s injury-time centre narrowly over.
Pocketing the three points to keep his side at the top of the table was mission accomplished for manager Reid though he fretted over some aspects of the performance.
“I thought we were a bit too predictable early on and our finishing regularly let us down. “But once we got the first two goals, we played a lot better. “I think the game was harder than some of our guys thought it would be.”
Tomorrow, the Vikings are on the road again with centre-backs Stuart Sinclair and Grant Steven still missing as they visit Tain Thistle.
Sean Stewart and Martin Sutherland return to the squad while Stuart MacKenzie has committed himself to play for the rest of the season.
Balintore – Henderson, Davis, MacGruer, Stewart, Powell (Bell 80),O’Connor, Melville (Smith 57), Alexander, MacDonald, Ripley, MacKenzie (Metcalfe 62). Sub (unused) – Robb.
Thurso – Gray, Munro (Robertson 81), Bremner, MacGregor, Petrie, S. McKenzie (G.Sinclair 67) N. MacKenzie, Monkman (Duffy 73), Nichol, J. MacKenzie, MacDougall.
Ref – Mr R. Johnstone.
Despite not being at their sharpest, the Vikings returned with the spoils from their trip to the seaside village on the Moray Firth peninsula. They were denied a more convincing score-line as a result of a succession of clear chances squandered against a young side very much in rebuild mode.
While the visitors’ failings in front of goal concerned manager Stevie Reid, he was happy to harvest another three points.
The win keeps his side unbeaten record and a point ahead of neighbours Halkirk United at the top of the PSG North Caley League.
The manager was also pleased his stitched-together defence achieved a second shut-out of the season.
The game turned on two goals in as many minutes just into the second quarter by Stuart MacKenzie and Jamie MacKenzie.
The home outfit grew in confidence after the interval and worked a couple of decent openings before conceding a horror third nine minutes from time to sub Cieran Duffy.
Absentees meant Gary MacGregor dropping back to partner Andrew Bremner in the centre of the Thurso defence while there was a first start for Stuart MacKenzie on the right side of midfield.
The reshuffle could charitably be used to account for early gremlins which created unobstructed sights of goal for Gus MacDonald and Mark O’Connor.
Their final efforts lacked pith and visiting keeper Michael Gray gathered both comfortably.
The Vikings were soon pressing for an opener with Stuart Mackenzie inches away from connecting with Mark Nichol’s inswinging cross.
Lee MacDougall then overlapped Nigel MacKenzie before his centre was headed narrowly past by Jamie MacKenzie.
MacDougall’s near-post free-kick on 21 minutes found Stuart MacKenzie whose shot-on-the-turn was parried to safety by keeper Ross Henderson.
Two minutes later, Wayne Monkman was left with the goal at his mercy only for him to stab the ball wide from the edge of the six yard box.
Balintore almost rubbed salt in the wounds with a lighting counter ending with Josh Melville’s firm header shaving the outside of Gray’s left upright.
Stuart MacKenzie had gone close again before he opened his account for his new side when Nigel Mackenzie’s corner was headed across goal by Monkman for the Castletown man to nudge home.
Nichol was then foiled by Henderson though the keeper was left exposed from the resultant corner when Jamie MacKenzie rose unchallenged to put his side two up.
The goals serve to settle the visitors with Michael Petrie’s industry in the middle of the park and the guile of Nigel and Jamie MacKenzie given them the firm upper hand.
The visitors however struggled to translate their dominance into a more solid lead.
A clever piece of play by MacDougall on 54 minutes put Monkman in on goal but the out-of-sorts Orcadian wasted the opportunity.
A Nigel MacKenzie effort was then turned away by Henderson before O’Connor survived an own goal appeal in the aftermath to a corner.
On 62 minutes, Monkman and Jamie Mackenzie did the spadework for Nichol who skied the inviting opportunity.
Jamie MacKenzie then toed-poked just past and Henderson was relieved ref Ryan Johnstone saw nothing amiss after Nigel MacKenzie went down as the pair tangled near the right touchline.
Having soaked up a lot of pressure, Balintore almost got one back on 69 minutes when Ross Powell’s long-range angled strike almost found the far corner of the net.
A couple of minutes later, Steven Alexander sent MacDonald haring towards Gray only for the striker to lose his footing as he shaped to shoot.
Thurso should have punished an error from Henderson when he spilled a Nigel MacKenzie but teenage sub Gavin Sinclair sent the rebound high over the unguarded net.
Fellow sub Duffy did not fluff his lines after Alexander’s ill-judged back-pass was compounded by a heavy touch from Henderson.
The seventeen-year-old striker’s challenge on the edge of the penalty box sent the ball into the back of the net.
MacGregor picked up the only booking of the day before Duffy headed Nigel MacKenzie’s injury-time centre narrowly over.
Pocketing the three points to keep his side at the top of the table was mission accomplished for manager Reid though he fretted over some aspects of the performance.
“I thought we were a bit too predictable early on and our finishing regularly let us down. “But once we got the first two goals, we played a lot better. “I think the game was harder than some of our guys thought it would be.”
Tomorrow, the Vikings are on the road again with centre-backs Stuart Sinclair and Grant Steven still missing as they visit Tain Thistle.
Sean Stewart and Martin Sutherland return to the squad while Stuart MacKenzie has committed himself to play for the rest of the season.
Balintore – Henderson, Davis, MacGruer, Stewart, Powell (Bell 80),O’Connor, Melville (Smith 57), Alexander, MacDonald, Ripley, MacKenzie (Metcalfe 62). Sub (unused) – Robb.
Thurso – Gray, Munro (Robertson 81), Bremner, MacGregor, Petrie, S. McKenzie (G.Sinclair 67) N. MacKenzie, Monkman (Duffy 73), Nichol, J. MacKenzie, MacDougall.
Ref – Mr R. Johnstone.