Caberfeidh 4 Skye Camanachd 2 | |
06 May 2019 Skye Camanachd lost 4-2 to Caberfeidh in their Artemis Macaulay Cup first round tie at Castle Leod on Saturday 4 May 2019. National Division team in the north to qualify for this year’s tournament and they started brightly in this 3pm throw up with Iain Nicolson, who came back into the side at buckshee forward, failing to get a snap-shot on target. Some good defending from William MacKinnon set up a Skye counter-attack but Will Cowie’s effort missed the goal. The Skye midfield of John Gillies, Stewart Grant and Ally “Cleodi” MacLeod were playing some nice balls to the forwards but their final third play let the Islanders down with Ewan Pilcher in the home goal not really having a save to make. Skye goalie Ryan Morrison didn’t have much to do during the first 20 minutes but he was beaten on 21 minutes when, against the run of play, wing centre Ryan MacKay received the ball 20 yard out and, with a number of bodies in front of him, he managed to score high into the goal to make it 1-0. Skye immediately responded and almost equalised following a quick move involving Will Cowie and Iain Nicolson with the ball eventually falling to Jordan Murchison who looking destined to smash a shot home but he took an extra touch which allowed the Caberfeidh defenders to block the goal and the shot was deflected away for a corner. Skye were punished for their missed opportunities when, in Caberfeidh’s next attack on 29 minutes, Ryan MacKay’s beautiful, low drive beat Ryan Morrison at the far post. The hosts went further ahead just 5 minutes before half-time when Colin MacLennan produced a smart finish to make it 3-0 at the break. The pattern of play continued into the second half with Will Cowie, James Pringle and Jordan Murchison having good early chances but failing even to hit the target. Craig Morrison added a fourth on 64 minutes to put the game beyond Skye. The Islanders dug in though and continued to attack the home goal, eventually finding the net through Jordan Murchison’s unstoppable shot from outside the box. However, with just 3 minutes remaining, they had left themselves too much to do. Ross Gordon had an opportunity to score on the goal line but just couldn’t make connection with the ball above him. Skye’s Stewart Grant got his name on the scoresheet with just seconds remaining to make it 4-2. The Skye defence, all aged under 18, did really well, especially William Mackinnon who was outstanding and gave Kevin Bartlett an uncomfortable afternoon. All the players will be better for the experience including the midfield of John Gillies, Stewart Grant and Ally “Cleodi” MacLeod who worked tirelessly throughout the 90 minutes and although the forwards created some really nice build up play, they were frustrated with their finishing. The defeat means Skye have exited three cup competitions in successive Saturdays. It was also the side’s fourth successive away game so they will look forward to this Saturday’s Tulloch Homes Camanachd Cup first round tie against Taynuilt at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree. Caberfeidh have an away tie in the next round of the Macaulay as they head for the Dell to face Kingussie. Skye Camanachd from: Ryan Morrison: Jamie Gillies, Martin Pringle, James Morrison, William MacKinnon: Ally “Cleodi” MacLeod, John Gillies, Stewart Grant: Iain Nicolson, Will Cowie (captain), Jordan Murchison, James Pringle: subs: Iain MacLellan, Ross Gordon Match Referee – Brian MacKay |