Beauly 0 Skye Camanachd 1 - UPDATED! | |
08 June 2015 Skye Camanachd are through to the SSE Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup quarter-finals after they beat Beauly 1-0 in their 3pm throw up at Braeview Park on Saturday 6 June. 2015. This tie was originally scheduled for Pairc nan Laoch, Portree but overnight heavy rain left the Portree pitch unplayable and the game was transferred to Beauly’s Braeview Park. The tie had been scheduled to take place a week earlier but Skye agreed to Beauly’s request for a postponement to allow several of their players to cheer on Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup Final. Skye Camanachd manager John MacLeod was working so Davie Pringle looked after the side. The Islanders were without injured duo Shockie MacLennan and Iain Nicolson whilst forwards Danny Morrison and Kenny MacLeod were also missing. Beauly were along usual lines and Conor Cormack was given a marking job on Skye’s Will Cowie. The Braeview pitch was in great condition on a day that many games on the fixture schedule were either postponed or switched to other grounds. There was a minute’s silence ahead of throw up as a mark of respect for June McCaherty, wife of Skye Camanachd Social Club Secretary / Treasurer Phil McCaherty, who passed away earlier on Saturday morning. Skye started with a strong breeze in their favour and they created five excellent goal-scoring opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the game but they were unable to score. First, Beauly keeper Josh Grant swept away an Allan MacKinnon ball into the D before Jordan Murchison could get to it. Then, Jordan Murchison came deep to collect a clearance from Skye keeper Iain Macleod and Josh Grant was forced to save Murchison’s long ball forward with his feet and the goalie cleared under pressure from Kenny Campbell. David MacLean surged forward from midfield for Beauly but Allan MacKinnon tracked back to foil the attack. Josh Grant was back in action as he saved a Chris MacLennan shot, again with his feet, after MacLennan brought down a Gilleasbuig MacDonald free-hit but he was unable to get any power in the shot. Chris MacLennan set up Kenny Campbell in space on the Skye right but Campbell pulled his shot past the far post at the second attempt. Murchison and MacLennan combined before Grant palmed a Kenny Campbell shot away for a corner as Skye continued to press. Jordan Murchison fired just past the post as Skye threatened to over-run Beauly. With the rain getting heavier, Beauly came more into the game but the Skye defence gave nothing away. The Skye forwards continued to move the ball about well and there was a degree of frustration that they couldn’t find a first half goal. Skye goalie Iain MacLeod made a good save from Calum Morrison and Steven Morrison cleared the ball for a corner as Beauly launched a rare attempt on the Skye goal. Beauly’s Barrie MacDonald made space on the right before flashing a shot across the Skye goal. Good battling from Gilleasbuig MacDonald freed the ball for Willie Cowie who played in Jordan Murchison but Josh Grant saved the low shot. The closest Skye came to getting the opener was when Will Cowie laid off a high ball and Jordan Murchison’s shot rattled the crossbar. Beauly broke down the left and Calum Morrison found Marc MacLachlan but he lashed the ball over the bar. The game was very open and a one-touch Skye passing move saw the ball played from Will Cowie to Kenny Campbell and Allan MacKinnon shot wide with Josh Grant racing from his goal line to narrow the angle. Josh Grant palmed away a bouncing Gilleasbuig MacDonald ball into the D As much as Skye dominated the first half, the teams went into the interval on level terms. Skye faced a slightly weakened wind in the second half and their midfield of Gilleasbuig MacDonald, Iain Murray and Allan MacKinnon were dictating play and MacKinnon was coming on to his best game of the season with his trademark commitment and runs towards the Beauly goal. Iain Murray won possession on the left before being brought down by Jack MacDonald. Iain Murray found Chris MacLennan with the free-hit but he shot over the bar. Jack MacDonald was booked for persistent fouling after a push in the back on Gilleasbuig MacDonald. Skye were building serious momentum and Jordan Murchison collected a long ball forward and found Kenny Campbell on the Skye left. Campbell’s ball across goal picked out Chris MacLennan just outside the D but he shot wide. John Gillies replaced Chris MacLennan for the Islanders. Jordan Murchison forced a good diving stop from Beauly goalie Josh Grant following a Gilleasbuig MacDonald free-hit from inside his own half on the hour mark. Skye took the lead when Allan MacKinnon played the resultant corner short to Kenny Campbell and he slipped the ball back to MacKinnon. The Skye wing centre has been threatening a goal for a few weeks now and he took a touch inside to take the ball past an onrushing Conor Cormack before driving a great back-hand strike high into the net to make it 1-0 with 61 minutes played. Skye’s Allan MacKinnon was booked by referee Graham Cameron for a challenge on Sean Stewart around 15 yards from the Skye goal. Beauly fought back into the contest and they started to take the game to Skye without troubling keeper Iain MacLeod. Josh Grant tried to play away a Gilleasbuig MacDonald free-hit into the goal area but he miss-hit the ball and it came quickly at Kenny Campbell who flicked the ball just the wrong side of the post. Skye's Steven Morrison, who commanded the defence well, was fortunate not to find himself on the scoresheet for all the wrong reasons when he raised his caman to stop a Sean Stewart shot only to see the ball deflected up and it clattered off the Skye crossbar. A Marc MacLachlan turn and shot saw the ball fly wide of goal. Skye brought on Stewart Grant and David MacInnes for the closing stages. Kenny Campbell and Iain Murray came off with Allan MacKinnon joining the attack. Visiting goalie Iain MacLeod then pulled off a terrific save from a 22 yard Jack MacDonald drive, tipping the ball over the top for a corner. Marc MacLachlan was booked for a display of dissent after being penalised for a kick. Skye came within a whisker of doubling their lead when a quick passing move saw Allan Mackinnon play the ball to John Gilles and he set-up Jordan Murchison but his shot went agonisingly wide of goal. Beauly finished the tie with a sustained period of pressure on the Skye goal but Steven Morrison and Neil MacVicar were excellent at the back for the visitors. Beauly had a dangerous free-hit at the death but David MacInnes blocked Jack MacDonald’s effort and the final whistle was a welcome sound for the Skye support. Allan MacKinnon was Skye’s top performer and Will Cowie wasn’t far behind. Skye will now travel to Tighnabruaich on Saturday 11 July 2015 to play Kyles Athletic in the last eight of shinty’s top competition. Beauly from: Josh Grant: Ewen Campbell, Ryan MacKay, Ross Forbes, Conor Cormack: Barrie MacDonald, David MacLean, Jack MacDonald: Calum Morrison, Conor Ross, Sean Stewart, Marc MacLachlan: subs Andrew Morrison, Sandy Elrick Skye Camanachd from: Iain MacLeod: Steven Morrison, Ally MacDonald, Ally “Spod” MacLeod, Neil MacVicar: Iain Murray, Gilleasbuig MacDonald (captain), Allan MacKinnon: Will Cowie, Jordan Murchison, Chris MacLennan, Kenny Campbell: subs David MacInnes, Stewart Grant, John Gillies Match Referee – Graham Cameron |