Ballachulish 0 Skye Camanachd 13 | |
25 August 2015 Skye Camanachd stay top of the Marine Harvest National Division when they beat Ballachulish 13-0 in their 3pm throw up at Jubilee Park on Saturday 22 August 2015. Skye Camanachd first team manager John MacLeod was working so Davie Pringle and Donnie “Digg” MacDonald looked after the side. Skye made three changes to the squad which beat Kilmallie in the league the previous weekend. Kenny MacLeod and Will Cowie missed out through injury whilst Gilleasbuig MacDonald was working. Neil MacVicar and Iain Nicolson returned to the squad and there was a call up for John Gillies. Neil MacVicar reclaimed his defensive spot with Iain Murray starting at full centre. Ballachulish manager Donald Wilson was without a number of players including talisman John MacDonald who has missed most of the season through injury. David Campbell served the second match of a three game ban following his red card against Caberfeidh on Saturday 25 July 2015. Defender Cain MacPhee was free of a two game ban for exceeding the disciplinary points threshold and he played at full centre. However Scott MacDonald started a four game ban after his red card in the defeat to Glasgow Mid Argyll in the team’s last outing. There was a change of match official with Deek Cameron refereeing the game in place of David Mitchell. Skye attacked from the throw up and they were 2-0 ahead within the first couple of minutes. Kenny Campbell put the Islanders in front following a nice move involving all four forwards. Skye won the ball from throw up and played it down the line to Danny Morrison who turned a pass inside to Shockie MacLennan who kept the ball moving to Jordan Murchison just around the penalty spot. Murchison flicked the ball to Kenny Campbell who was unmarked at the back post, just outside the D, and Campbell’s low shot found the corner of the net to make it 1-0. Jordan Murchison made it 2-0 a minute later when he ran onto a long ball into the D, reaching it before his marker and keeper Cameron Sutherland. Murchison took a touch past the goalie before pushing the ball into the empty net Kenny Campbell got his second on 14 minutes and this goal was something special. Shockie MacLennan came deep to collect a ball down the centre of the field and he played a 40 yard pass to Jordan Murchison on the Skye left. The ball came over Murchison’s right shoulder and he volleyed a pass towards Kenny Campbell who had peeled out to the right of the goal and Campbell hit the ball first-time, about a foot off the ground, and his fore-hand shot flew across the keeper, just inside the far post. It was a great goal and to make it 3-0. Kenny Campbell and Jordan Murchison combined once more a couple of minutes later with Campbell this time turning provider. They played three passes between eachother on the left of the goal which cut open the Balla’ defence before Murchison swiftly despatched the ball into the back of the net to leave Skye 4-0 ahead. A Shockie MacLennan goal on 29 minutes made it 5-0. There was an aerial challenge following a high ball down the middle from Neil MacVicar. The ball fell behind the Balla’ full back and Shockie MacLennan collected possession and dribbled around the keeper before scoring. Skye could have added to their first half goals total had it not been for Balla’ keeper Cameron Sutherland. The youngster pulled off several really good saves and did all the basic keeper duties well. Skye replaced Chris MacLennan, who was feeling a tight hamstring, with Iain Nicolson at wing centre. The second half was just a couple of minutes old when Danny Morrison made it 6-0 following a short corner. Morrison took a touch before scoring with a near-post shot. Danny Morrison got his second goal of the afternoon with a well-taken strike on 56 minutes. Morrison ghosted in at the back post where he collected a cross which came over the top of melee in the middle of the Balla’ goal area. Morrison took a touch before flicking the ball past keeper Sutherland from close range to make it 7-0. Skye made changes on the hour mark. Shockie MacLennan and Allan MacKinnon came off, replaced by Chris Rose and John Gillies. Rose slotted in at buckshee back with Neil MacVicar going to full centre. John Gillies went to wing forward with Kenny Campbell going to full forward. Iain Murray went to wing centre. Skye kept pressing with the ball rarely dropped deeper than Chris Rose in the Skye buckshee back position. Danny Morrison completed his hat-trick on 78 minutes when he found a bit of space on the Skye left. Morrison made a short dribble towards the keeper and slipped the ball past him to make it 8-0. Jordan Murchison notched goal number nine to complete his hat-trick a minute later. Murchison put in a good block to win the possession and he broke free before sending a low drive into the bottom right corner of the net. Skye continues to attack the over-worked Balla’ defence and Jordan Murchison scored with a rebound following a Kenny Campbell shot on 82 minutes to make it 10-0. Skye went 11-0 ahead a minute later. Iain Nicolson sent a long shy into the danger-area. Jordan Murchison fired goalwards and the ball rebounded to Danny Morrison who scored to make it 11-0. Jordan Murchison then took his tally to five goals with just 5 minutes remaining. The goal came from a corner and Murchison caught the ball really well, giving the keeper no chance, and Skye led 12-0. There was still time for John Gillies to get a first goal at senior team level. Shockie MacLennan, who had come back on for Kenny Campbell, who was suffering from a sore back, rifled a shot which keeper Sutherland blocked. The ball rebounded into the air and Gillies, rushing in at speed, pushed the ball past the keeper to make it 13-0 with 87 minutes played. Cameron Sutherland continued to keep Skye at bay for periods during the second half with some outstanding saves whilst Jordan Murchison was unlucky with one effort which hit the junction of post and bar. Skye remain two points ahead of Kilmallie, who beat Beauly 6-0 at the Canal Parks, at the top of the table. Both sides have three games remaining including a meeting at the Canal Parks on Saturday 12 September 2015. However before that, they will be focused on this weekend’s fixtures which see Skye host Glasgow Mid Argyll at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree whilst Kilmallie travel to the Bught Park to play Inverness. Both teams finish their league fixtures on Saturday 26 September - Skye at home to Beauly and Kilmallie away to Ballachulish. Ballachulish from; (to follow) Skye Camanachd from: Iain Macleod; Steven Morrison, Ally MacDonald, Ally “Spod” MacLeod; Allan MacKinnon, Iain Murray, Chris MacLennan; Jordan Murchison, Kenny Campbell, Danny Morrison, Shockie MacLennan (captain); subs Chris Rose, Iain Nicolson, John Gillies Match Referee – Deek Cameron |