Lochaber 7 Skye Camanachd 2. | |
13 July 2011 Skye Camanachd lost 7-2 to Lochaber in their Marine Harvest North Division 1 meeting at Spean Bridge on Saturday 9 July 2011. Skye boss Aonghas MacDonald was forced to make four changes to the squad which beat Lochcarron 10-4 the previous weekend. Club captain Somhairle MacDonald began a 5 week absence whilst defender John Moir was unavailable. Shaun Hedley and Malcolm Moir were on the bench last week and they were also absentees. Iain Morrison came into the side in place on Somhairle MacDonald. Iain Nicolson returned to the starting line-up and he took over from Moir in defence. However the flooding in the Inverness area had meant Nicolson had been working through the night which affected his preparation from the game. Andrew Banks also showed great commitment by travelling overnight from London to play and he arrived by train less than 20 minutes before throw up. Stewart Grant and Ally MacLeod were also added to the squad and they started on the bench. Lochaber first team manager Michael Delaney was without full back Andrew “Fleck” MacDonald and forward Scott Patterson. However James MacRae and Daniel MacRae returned after missing the last couple of matches through work commitments. The Lochaber bench included four players from last season’s successful U17 side and the quartet of Danny Delaney, Brennan MacDonald, Connor Sweeney and Stuart Callison will all travel to Ireland later this month with the Scotland U17 side. Lochaber were first to threaten when a terrific Ben Delaney snap-shot was saved with his hand by Michael Nicolson, low to his left, and he put the ball out for a corner which was cleared by the Skye defence. It was the first of many fine saves which Michael Nicolson was to make throughout the afternoon. Skye took the lead from their first serious attack after 9 minutes. Iain Morrison found Gilleasbuig MacDonald on the Skye right. MacDonald sent a low ball across the face of the Lochaber goal and Darryl Macintosh whipped a low shot past Lochaber keeper Callum MacDonald to put the visitors 1-0 in front. Lochaber came within a whisker from leveling the game after 11 minutes. A looping ball from the Lochaber midfield from Hughie Innes seemed to be dropping under the Skye cross-bar but Michael Nicolson some-how kept the ball out of the net. Lochaber came close again on 16 minutes when full forward Lachlan Campbell shot narrowly wide. Michael Nicolson made another great save from Ben Delaney after 21 minutes when he stopped a rasping 35 yard effort with his hand. The ball was only cleared as far as Lochaber full centre Shaun Nicolson but his shot from even further out was again saved with his hand by Nicolson. There seemed to be a personal dual developing between Skye’s Nicolson and Lochaber’s Delaney as the keeper kept another effort out with his legs on 22 minutes and he put the ball out for a corner. Nicolson saved well from Shaun Nicolson after 26 minutes although Skye defender Iain Nicolson seemed to be fouled in the lead up to the shot. Skye suffered a blow a minute later when Alan Palmer stretched to reach a high ball and injured his back. Palmer was clearly unable to continue and Stewart Grant came on in his place. Lochaber scored a deserved equaliser on 29 minutes when youngster Ryan Toal shot into the net from the Lochaber left. Skye keeper Michael Nicolson made the save of the match on 32 minutes when he stopped a waist-high Lachlan Campbell shot with his caman. However, unfortunately for Skye, the rebound came back to Campbell 15 yards from goal and he buried the ball into the back of the Skye net to give the home side 2-1 advantage. Skye could have buckled at this stage but their response was almost immediate. There seemed little danger when the ball broke to Skye wing centre Kerr Gibb in the middle of the park but he sent a great shot from just inside his own half into the roof of the Lochaber net to make it 2-2. Michael Nicolson made another superb save on 38 minutes when he stopped a 30 yard Lachlan Campbell drive with his hand and he knocked the ball for a corner. Skye created the final chance of the half when Darryl Macintosh won possession on 42 minutes and he played a good ball up the Skye right to AB Connor who side-stepped his marker and shot into the side-net. Skye manager Aonghas MacDonald was forced to make some changes at the break. Iain Nicolson had received a knock mid-way through the first half and he was pushed into attack. Kerr Gibb dropped back into defence with Stewart Grant moving from the forward line to take up Gibb’s wing centre position. The second half followed a similar theme to the first 45 minutes when Michael Nicolson saved with his feet from Lachlan Campbell after 49 minutes and he kept out a Ben Delaney strike on 52 minutes. However the crowd could sense a Lochaber goal was coming and a minute later Lachlan Campbell took down a ball from the right and expertly dispatched a shot into the back of the Skye net for his second goal which put Lochaber 3-2 ahead. Michael Nicolson stood between Lochaber and another goal when he saved with his feet from Ryan Toal after 56 minutes and the Skye keeper was again defiant a couple of minutes later when he saved with his feet from Ben Delaney after the Lochaber forward had produced a shimmie to create enough space to shoot. The home side went 4-2 in front on the hour mark. Shaun Nicolson burst forward from midfield and sprayed a pass left to Ryan Toal and he tucked the ball behind Skye keeper Nicolson for his second goal of the game. Skye made another change after 63 minutes. Ally MacLeod came on to make his top team debut in place of Stewart Grant. MacLeod joined the attack whilst Darryl Macintosh dropped back to cover Grant’s midfield role. Lochaber keeper Callum MacDonald did well to deal with an AB Connor shot after the Skye forward had conjured up a volley from a dropping ball a minute later. Skye manager Aonghas MacDonald made his final change on 72 minutes when veteran Willie MacRae came on in attack in place of Iain Morrison. Skye noticeably tired in the final quarter of the game and the Islanders lost three goals in the final 11 minutes. First Ben Delaney was given too much time to collect a Hughie Innes corner and smash the ball into the net to give Lochaber a 5-2 lead with 79 minutes played. Kerr Gibb had to come off a minute later which meant a return to action for Stewart Grant. Lochaber substitute Connor Sweeney broke down the Lochaber left on 80 minutes and whilst the Skye defence should have cleared the danger, they tried to let the ball run for a corner, and Sweeney prodded the ball into the net to make it 6-2. Lochaber rounded off a 7-2 win on 86 minutes when Ben Delaney made space to fire into the net for his second goal of the game. Lochaber were well served by Zander Ferguson in defence and Shaun Nicolson in the middle of the park whilst their forwards always looked a threat. Skye keeper Michael Nicolson was probably the best performer on the pitch whilst Shockie MacLennan and Gilleasbuig MacDonald also stood out for the Islanders. Lochaber from; Callum MacDonald, James MacRae, Donald MacRae, Neil MacDonald, Zander Ferguson, Ian Love, Shaun Nicolson, Hugh Innes (captain), Martin Johnstone, Ryan Toal, Ben Delaney, Lachlan Campbell subs Danny Delaney, Stuart Callison, Brennan MacDonald, Connor Sweeney Skye Camanachd from; Michael Nicolson, Neil MacVicar, Shockie MacLennan (captain), Andrew Banks, Iain Nicolson, Gilleasbuig MacDonald, Iain Murray, Kerr Gibb, Alan Palmer, Iain Morrison, AB Connor, Darryl Macintosh subs Stewart Grant, Ally MacLeod, Willie MacRae, Aonghas MacDonald Match Referee – Billy Wotherspoon |