Newtonmore 4 Skye Camanachd 1. | |
06 May 2011 The Skye Camanachd second team went down to a 4-1 league defeat to Marine Harvest North Division 2 leaders Newtonmore at the Eilan Saturday 30 April 2011. Manager Davie MacVicar made six changes to the pool which narrowly lost to Newtonmore at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree the previous week. John MacLeod took over from Donald MacKenzie in goal whilst Allan MacKinnon, John MacKenzie, Ryan Nicolson, Willie MacRae, Andrew Grant and Mark Mortimer were all unavailable. To compensate, David Grant, Stewart Grant, Ally MacDonald and Jordan Murchison returned from first team duty and manager MacVicar and U17 player Ian MacPherson were added to the squad. Newtonmore were missing forward David Wilde because of work commitments. Full back Michael Russell and hat-trick hero Callum Stewart were on first team duty but the experienced Fraser MacKintosh made a return from a hernia operation and he started in attack. Liam Mullender came off the bench into the home defence whilst Neil Stewart also started in midfield. Angus Gray dropped onto the bench. Manager Cammy MacDonald also included Sean MacQuarrie in goal with last week’s keeper David Fraser taking an out-field place on the bench. Skye captain John MacLeod won the toss (for the first time this season) and the Islanders opted to play with the wind at their back in the first half. However it was Newtonmore who were first to threaten when former Scotland U21 cap Fraser MacKintosh fired narrowly wide. The Skye team, with an average age of only 18, were struggling to get a foot-hold in the game and in the next attack Chris Sellar fired just wide of John MacLeod’s left hand post. Newtonmore took the lead on 10 minutes when a long ball into the Skye defence saw MacLeod race from his goal line to the edge of the D to intercept. However the ball fell to Fraser Mackintosh who squared for Chris Sellar to fire into the empty net from wide on the left. Seconds later MacLeod atoned with a fine save from Fraser MacKintosh. With Blair MacKintosh prominent at full centre, Skye were failing to pick up any secondary balls in midfield which left the Skye forwards trying to capitalise on defensive clearances. Mid-way through the half, Skye almost fashioned an equaliser when a Daniel Morrison shy found Jordan Murchison and he set up Ian MacLellan whose one handed flick crept agonisingly past the wrong side of the Newtonmore goal. Skye gained in confidence from this and they went even closer to scoring in their next attack. Will Cowie’s shy on the left picked out Ally MacDonald whose well struck drive was saved by Newtonmore keeper Sean MacQuarrie at the expense of a corner. Newtonmore were having the bulk of possession but it was Skye who would come closest to scoring when Stewart Grant fed Ally MacDonald who was again denied by a MacQuarrie save. With Newtonmore threatening in every attack, keeper John MacLeod came to his sides rescue saving a Mark MacDonald rocket from 20 yards. Skye were trying to create opportunity from Newtonmore errors and when a Daniel Morrison shy on the right found Jordan Murchison, his superb aerial volley flew just wide of MacQuarrie’s left hand post. A double substitution 3 minutes before half time saw Ally MacLeod and Davie MacVicar introduced to the centre line with Calum Gibb and Daniel Morrison making way. MacVicar took over at full centre from Stewart Grant. The move paid almost immediate dividends as Ally MacDonald fed Iain MacLellan on the stroke of half time and he beat his man before setting up Jordan Murchison who sent in a thumping low drive that MacQuarrie could only turn into the roof of the net. The teams turned around all square at half time, but parity only lasted all of 2 minutes before Chris Sellar was allowed to run unchecked into the Skye defence before rifling past MacLeod in the Skye goal to put Newtonmore 2-1 ahead. Skye took time to recover from this set back and MacLeod prevented them from going two goals behind when he made a superb save with his hand from an Ross Aitken pile-driver that had the Geordie goal judge in raptures. Skye drew confidence from the save and they enjoyed their best spell of the game with Ally MacLeod and Davie MacVicar seeing more of the ball. In a 10 minute spell around the hour mark, Murchison twice came close to an equaliser following good work on the Skye right but on both occasions his efforts flew just wide. In the best move of the game, Ally MacLeod, Davie MacVicar, Ally MacDonald and Jordan Murchison were all involved in a move that saw a Will Cowie shot well saved by Sean MacQuarrie in the Newtonmore goal. In their next attack Newtonmore went further ahead on 70 minutes when Ross Aitken and Chris Sellar combined for Sellar to complete his hat–trick with another fine finish. Skye continued to probe for openings and Ally MacDonald was again denied following good work by Ian MacLellan. With 10 minutes remaining, MacVicar left the field to be replaced by Ian MacPherson who was making his first senior appearance. Ally MacDonald took over at centre with Jordan Murchison moving to buckshee and Ian MacPherson coming on in the wing forward position. With 8 minutes to go Newtonmore made sure of the points when substitute David Fraser scored his first ever goal with a thunderbolt which few in off MacLeod’s left hand post. A goal that would later have MacLeod question the width of the Newtonmore goals! In what was a very young team, Skye’s best performers were Ally MacDonald who put in another sterling performance as did Will Cowie, particularly in the second half. Newtonmore from; Sean MacQuarrie, Brett Munro, Martin Ivil, Liam Mullender, Conor Jones, Neil Stewart, Blair MacKintosh, Calum Binnie, Fraser MacKintosh, Ross Aitken, Mark MacDonald, (captain), Chris Sellar subs David Fraser, Angus Gray, Grant Kerr, Nathan Nish, Glen Tonkin Skye Camanachd from; John MacLeod (captain), David Grant, Martin Bruce, Scott MacLeod, Iain Grant, Stewart Grant, Daniel Morrison, Ally MacDonald, Jordan Murchison, Will Cowie Iain MacLellan, Calum Gibb subs Ally MacLeod, Ian MacPherson, Davie MacVicar Match Referee – David Mitchell |