Kyles Athletic retained the Gregor Cameron Consultancy Glasgow Celtic Society Cup with a 3-1 win over Inveraray at the Taynuilt Sports Field on Saturday 25 June 2016.
Inveraray didn’t have a fixture the previous weekend and player / manager Ruaraidh Graham had seen several absentees return over recent weeks. Wing centre David MacPherson would have benefited from the break as he missed the Artemis MacAulay Cup win over Bute a fortnight earlier with a tight hamstring and he started on the bench.
Kyles Athletic co-managers Fraser MacDonald and Kenny MacDonald had a number of injury problems to contend with. They had a comfortable 5-0 win over an under-strength Lovat side the previous weekend. They have been without the injured Andrew King and Scott MacDonald for a number of weeks as well as longer-term injury victim David Zavaroni and Roberto Zavaroni who has missed matches through work commitments and all four were absent for the final. Innes MacDonald was substituted for the final third of the Lovat match as he manages a quad injury and he started the final in attack.
The players were piped onto a superb looking playing surface, and once the formalities were complete, we got down to action and Kyles started with the wind in their favour.
Kyles, just as they did against Oban Camanachd in last year’s final, went ahead in the opening minute. Roddy MacDonald picked up a clearance out of the Inveraray defence and he played the ball into the middle from the Kyles right. Andrew McMurdo missed the cross and Dunkie Kerr was on hand at the back of the D and he slotted the ball low past helpless keeper Scott MacLachlan.
Scott MacLachlan made a great save with his caman, above his head, from a Robbie MacLeod shot from distance.
Dunkie Kerr then twice tested the Inveraray keeper; first with a lofted ball from the left which MacLachlan again kept out with his caman followed by a low drive which the goalie saved with his feet. .
It would have been easy for Inveraray to have buckled at this stage but they hung in there and weathered the Kyles storm and a Garry MacPherson ball was taken down by Lewis Montgomery and although his snap-shot was deflected for a corner, it at least gave Inveraray encouragement.
And more was to follow as Garry MacPherson turned along the by-line after collecting a corner from the right and he cut the ball back to Lewis Montgomery who slammed a shot over keeper John Whyte’s left shoulder to make it 1-1 with 17 minutes played.
Allan MacDonald was spoken to by referee after a wild swing which caught Roddy MacDonald with the Inveraray man taking a blow to the thumb moments earlier.
Inveraray were now more in the game but when Kyles went back on the attack, Innes MacDonald took down a cross from the left and a spectacular Thomas Whyte strike from the left went past the far post.
It was a much more even contest as the final moved into the final 15 minutes of the first half.
Inveraray made the first change of the match on 34 minutes when David MacPherson replaced Lewis MacNicol at wing centre.
A late David Robertson challenge with his foot caught Grant Irvine on the knee and left the Kyles man writhing in pain. The incident was missed by referee Deek Cameron who was following play but, after consultation with fourth official Lachie Wood, he yellow-carded Robertson.
Innes MacDonald tried to power a shot goalwards but a good Ally Munro block contributed to the effort going past the keeper’s right post.
With a couple of first half minutes remaining, another Inveraray change saw Grant Griffin taking over from David Robertson with Kyles replacing Innes MacDonald with Rupert Williamson.
With just seconds of the first 45 minutes to go, Kyles went back in front. Inveraray defender Ally Munro was harshly punished for a shoulder to shoulder challenge on Sandy MacKenzie and this gave Kyles a free-hit in a central position around 20 yards from goal. The set-piece from Gordon Whyte was slightly over-hit but Dunkie Kerr managed to keep the ball in play on the Kyles right and his low cross deflected off Douglas Dando and was turned into the net by a gleeful Sandy MacKenzie and the Tighnabruaich men took a 2-1 lead into the break.
Grant Irvine surged forward from midfield in the opening minute of the second half but his low shot went just past Scott MacLachlan’s right post.
A nice touch from Fraser Watt got him away from Grant Irvine but his shot was blocked and moments later, Allan MacDonald came within a whisker of steering a Fraser Watt corner from the right on target.
Inveraray made another change as Lewis MacNicol and David Robertson both returned to the field at the expense of Garry MacPherson and Fraser Watt as the final approached the hour mark.
As play switched to the other end, a good run and bouncing shot from Sandy MacKenzie was well dealt with by Scott MacLachlan and, shortly after, a nice Kyles passing move ended with Gordon Whyte shooting past the post.
Kyles were next to make a switch as Martin MacFadyen took over from a limping Rupert Williamson.
A brilliant Scott MacLachlan save, high above his head, kept out a fierce Sandy MacKenzie drive from the right.
Fraser Watt came back on with David MacPherson taking a break as both teams continued to combat the humid conditions by taking advantage of the rolling substitutions.
John Whyte saved with his feet from Alan MacDonald following an Inveraray free-hit on the left and the keeper then cleared the ball and, as played moved to the other end, Martin MacFadyen sent a low shot goalwards which Scott MacLachlan saved with his feet.
Fourth official Lachie Wood was having a busy afternoon with Garry MacPherson coming back on for Inveraray in place of Lewis Montgomery as the final moved into the final 15 minutes and MacPherson joined the attack.
Scott MacLachlan used his hand to divert away a Robbie MacLeod ball from the right wing into the D.
Dunkie Kerr just missed a Gordon Whyte free-hit to the back post as Kyles continued to press, pinning their opponents back.
The Kyles pressure paid off on 82 minutes when a Dunkie Kerr ball into the D from the Kyles right was taken down by Thomas Whyte. Scot MacLachlan came off his line and he blocked Whyte’s first attempt with his foot but the Kyles man forced the rebound just over the line to make it 3-1.
Lewis Montgomery came on for Grant Griffin who needed treatment after taking a blow to the hip.
Another brilliant MacLachlan saved, this time just under his crossbar, kept out a Dunkie Kerr piledriver.
With 4 minutes remaining, there was a scuffle following a late Andrew McMurdo swing which caught Dunkie Kerr across the legs. McMurdo was shown a straight red card by referee Deek Cameron probably for his role in the aftermath rather than the initial challenge.
Sandy MacKenzie came off for Kyles as the final moved into the closing stages and his side safely saw out the closing minutes to win the win gives Kyles Athletic their fourth successive Gregor Cameron Consultancy Glasgow Celtic Society Cup success, a feat they last achieved between 1920 and 1923.
Mairi MacNiven presented the Donald J MacNiven Memorial Medal for man of the match to young Inveraray goalie Scott MacLachlan; a deserved accolade for a one of shinty’s brightest prospects who produced a number of fine saves during the game.
A delighted Kyles Athletic captain John Whyte lifted the famous trophy and the celebrations began.
Inveraray from: Scott MacLachlan; Andrew McMurdo, Ally Munro, Douglas Dando, John Kennedy; Nicolas Crawford, Lewis MacNicol, Garry MacPherson; Alan MacDonald (captain), Lewis Montgomery, David Robertson, Fraser Watt; subs Grant Griffin, David MacPherson, Ruaraidh Graham, Ross Montgomery, Ally McDonald
Kyles Athletic from: John Whyte (captain); Callum Miller, Cammy Keith, Ross MacRae Roddy MacDonald,; Robbie MacLeod, Grant Irvine, Thomas Whyte; Sandy MacKenzie, Innes MacDonald, Gordon Whyte, Dunkie Kerr; subs Rupert Williamson, Craig Martin, Martin MacFadyen, Christopher Blair, George Thomson
Match Referee – Deek Cameron
Goal Judges – John MacGregor, Willie MacDonald
Fourth Official – Lachie Wood