Lovat Reach 2015 SSE Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup Final | |
10 August 2015 Lovat are through to the 2015 SSE Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup Final after they beat Inveraray 3-1 in their 4.05pm throw up at An Aird on Saturday 8 August 2015. Inveraray were without John Kennedy who has a fractured finger. Chris Crawford was still out with a shoulder injury whilst David MacPherson, who has been suffering with a hamstring problem, was named on the substitutes’ bench but was unable to take part. Grant Griffin was also a miss. A serious road accident on the A82 at Loch Lomond disrupted Inveraray boss Joe Fyffe’s plans further with Douglas Dando held up so Ally Munro was a late replacement in defence. Lovat boss John MacRitchie returned to the dug-out after missing the Balgate sides’ last two matches when he was on holiday. He had to do without the services of injured ace marksman Greg Matheson although he was named as substitute goal keeper. Defender Daniel Grieve served a one game ban for a disciplinary points accumulation and Fraser Gallacher was recovering after an operation. The attendance was smaller than usual for a Scottish semi-final. However this would have been influenced by a number of Lovat supporters attending the Belladrum Music Festival. The Inveraray support was reduced given the road accident which blocked the A82. Another factor, especially for neutral supporters, was that the match was televised live by BBC ALBA. Lovat, with wind advantage, didn’t allow the rejigged Inveraray defence time to settle and they took the lead with less than 2 minutes played. Callum Cruden played a terrific shy from the right onto the Inveraray goal and although keeper Graham MacPherson palmed the ball away, Lewis Tawse ran in and took the dropping ball first time, volleying it into the net for a glorious opener which made it 1-0. Garry MacPherson went close to conjuring up an immediate leveller from the restart as his shot from a tight angle on the left crashed off the crossbar and went out for a shy on the far side of the park. The game was very open and Graham MacPherson saved a Kevin Bartlett shot from the left with his foot on 14 minutes. MacPherson saved again with his feet on 18 minutes from Lorne MacKay following a set-piece on the right. Lovat’s Lorne MacKay went down in a tangle with Inveraray’s David Robertson on the half hour mark. Robertson fell on MacKay’s leg which twisted and the Lovat player was left in some distress and he was replaced by Jamie Matheson. And Matheson almost made an immediate impact with his first touch of the match. Kevin Bartlett took a touch to beat his marker and broke down the Lovat left and picked Matheson out in space in front of goal. However Matheson missed his first hit but recovered to shoot goalwards but Graham MacPherson turned his shot away. Lovat defender Michael MacKenzie was booked by referee Billy Wotherspoon for throwing his caman at the ball as Inveraray attacked on 40 minutes. Lewis MacNicol found Garry MacPherson from the free hit and MacPherson’s low shot from wide on the right went across Lovat goalie Stuart MacDonald and he flicked the ball away for a corner on the left. Inveraray continued to press and when a Euan McMurdo shot was deflected for a corner by Drew Howie, the Winterton side made the set-piece count. Ruairidh Graham played in the corner from the left and when the ball fell for top scorer Euan McMurdo, he took it under control before rifling in a terrific 20 yard drive which beat Stuart MacDonald just inside his left post to make it 1-1. Graham MacPherson saved a swerving Danny Kelly ball from distance, which dropped into the D from wide on the left of the Lovat midfield, and the keeper raced off his line to clear the danger with 57 minutes played. Lovat responded and Kevin Bartlett played in Euan Ferguson on 66 minutes and he turned his man and ran into the D but his shot hit the side-netting. Inveraray’s Ally MacDonald was booked a couple of minutes later for a trip on Lewis Tawse as the Lovat scorer broke down the Lovat left. Lovat’s Danny Kelly was next into the book a minute later for speaking out of turn. Stuart MacDonald had to look lively as he turned away a Garry MacPherson shot following a free-hit on 77 minutes. At the other end, Graham MacPherson saved a low Kevin Bartlett shot from distance. After a period where Lovat had the better of the possession, Inveraray came more into the game in the closing stages of the second half. Inveraray made a change as Lewis Montgomery replacing Fraser Watt as the tie moved into injury time. With no further scoring, referee Billy Wotherspoon took the keenly contested affair into an extra-time period. Lovat had the wind advantage once more and Allan MacDonald played a long ball into the Lovat goal-area from the restart and Inveraray’s Garry MacPherson turned and slotted the ball home however he was harshly penalised by referee Billy Wotherspoon for a shove on Drew Howie. Inveraray veteran Ruairidh Graham was booked for a late challenge on Callum Cruden 97 minutes. Inveraray boss Joe Fyfe made another change with Scott Robertson coming on for Ally MacDonald. A Jamie Matheson shot was saved with feet by Graham MacPherson at expense corner. Craig Mainland was booked for a late challenge on Garry MacPherson. Inveraray made a third change as Fraser MacNicol came on for an injured Ally Munro. The second half of extra-time was barely a minute old when Euan Ferguson made just enough space to turn and shoot but the ball came back off the inside of the post and the ball was cleared for a corner. Lovat grabbed the decisive second goal from the resultant corner. And it was substitute Jamie Matheson who got onto a Euan Ferguson corner from the left and he struck the ball low into net, under Graham MacPherson’s feet, to make it 2-1 with 106 minutes played. Lovat had their tails up and Graham MacPherson got his caman to a Jamie Matheson shot from distance with the ball deflecting to safety off the post. Jamie Matheson’s eventful afternoon continued as he was yellow-carded for delaying a Euan McMurdo free-hit from midfield on 111 minutes. Lovat sealed their place in the final with just 5 minutes remaining. Euan Ferguson won possession and flicked the ball into the path of Kevin Bartlett who ran across the goal before shooting home from the left, across keeper MacPherson, into the far corner of the net to make it 3-1. Callum Cruden became the fourth Lovat player to be booked as he was judged to have been wasting time whilst taking a shy with just 3 minutes remaining. There were emotional scenes in the Lovat camp as the final whistle sounded and they will now watch on as Newtonmore and Kyles Athletic play the second SSE Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup semi-final this coming weekend at the Taynuilt Sports Field. This will be Lovat’s first appearance in a Scottish Final since their all-conquering team lifted the trophy in 1953. Inveraray defender Nicholas Crawford was named man of match by BBC ALBA match analyst Ally Ferguson. The Winterton side will look back at points in the match where the outcome could have turned their way. However they still have much to play for including an Artemis MacAulay Cup Final appearance against Newtonmore whilst they will also look to pick up more league points to haul themselves out of the Marine Harvest National Divison relegation zone. Inveraray from: Graham MacPherson; Allan MacDonald, Andrew McMurdo, Nicholas Crawford, Ally Munro; Ally MacDonald, David Robertson, Ruairidh Graham; Lewis MacNicol (captain), Garry MacPherson, Fraser Watt, Euan McMurdo; subs Lewis Montgomery, Fraser MacNicol, Scott Robertson, David MacPherson, Scott MacLachlan Lovat from: Stuart MacDonald; Drew Howie (captain), Martin Mainland, Michael MacKenzie, Craig Mainland; Ryan Ferguson, Lorne MacKay, Lewis Tawse; Callum Cruden, Kevin Bartlett, Danny Kelly, Euan Ferguson; subs Jamie Matheson, Martin Bell, Greg Matheson Match Referee – Billy Wotherspoon
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