Last Gasp Grant Goal Gives Skye Victory - Skye Camanachd 4 Strathglass 3 - UPDATED! | |
27 April 2013 A Stewart Grant goal just 2 minutes from time gave Skye a 4-3 win over Strathglass in their Marine Harvest North Division 1 meeting at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree on Saturday 27 April 2013. The Islanders were still without the injured Chris Rose and Kenny MacLeod was another absentee. However with no second team game, manager Willie MacRae had a range of players to select from. Stewart Grant’s excellent performances in the second team were rewarded with a call up and he joined Aonghas MacDonald and Iain Murray on the bench. Jordan Murchison started in the wing centre position with Kenny Campbell starting in attack. Strathglass may be bottom of the table but it took a Neil MacVicar goal 5 minutes from time to earn Skye a 1-1 draw when the sides met at Cannich earlier in the season. The influential Donald Fraser made his return from injury for Callum Duff’s side in the Balliemore Cup win over Caberfeidh the previous weekend but Scott Douglas was out with what looks like a long-term ankle injury and player / assistant manager Innes Simpson was on holiday. Veteran Garry Reid was another notable absentee. Skye attacked from the throw up and they made the perfect start when Danny Morrison got on the end of a Kenny Campbell cross from the right to turn the ball into the net with just 50 seconds played. However the Strath were level after 3 minutes when Ally MacAdams was allowed too much space on the Strathglass right. He crossed into the goal area and Skye defender Shockie MacLennan seemed set to clear the danger. However he missed his hit and veteran Robert Geddes was lurking behind him and needed no invitation to fire the ball over Michael Nicolson’s shoulder into the net and make it 1-1. After such an explosive start, the game quietened down somewhat and the half seemed set to end all-square. However with just two minutes of the half remaining, referee Deek Cameron penalised Skye full back Steven Morrison for a challenge on Strath substitute Darren Reid and he pointed to the penalty spot. Ally MacAdams was given the responsibility of taking the penalty and he confidently struck the ball into the net to give Strathglass a 2-1 interval lead. Skye came within a whisker of levelling the game on the stroke of half time when Steve MacLachlan saved from Jordan Murchison and Kenny Campbell seemed certain to score from the rebound but he steered the ball the wrong side of the post. Worse was to follow for Skye when Darren Reid capitalised on a defensive mistake by Steven Morrison on 53 minutes. Morrison had a couple of opportunities to clear a ball down the middle but slipped at the crucial stage which allowed Reid to fire home to make it 3-1. Strathglass almost increased their advantage further on 62 minutes but Michael Nicolson did well to save a Michael Stokes shot with his foot before turning the ball away for a corner. Skye made a string of changes for the final 20 minutes of the game. First Jordan Murchison and Will Cowie were replaced by Nui MacDonald and Iain Murray with Neil MacVicar dropping back to wing centre. The Stewart Grant came on at wing centre with MacVicar slotting in at full back and Steven Morrison pushing forward to join the attack. These switches changed the course of the game with Skye taking a much more direct approach. Iain Murray reduced the deficit when he flicked a lose ball into the net on 73 minutes and the Skye players sensed that the comeback was on. Skye continued to press and Iain Murray forced a fine save from Steve MacLauchlan in the visiting goal. The Skye attack was now a more physical proposition and at one point Aonghas MacDonald bundled keeper Steve MacLachlan into the back of the net but the ball stayed out. Steven Morrison almost levelled but his drive went just past the post on 84 minutes. However Danny Morrison’s second goal of the afternoon a minute later squared the game at 3-3. Morrison collected the ball at the back post after an inital Iain Murray shot was saved by MacLachlan. Morrison's shot seemed to take a couple of deflections before eventually hitting the back of the net. The winning goal came with just 2 minutes remaining when another substitute, Stewart Grant, pushed forward from midfield to drill the ball home following a huge goalmouth scramble after a Darryl Macintosh ball was fired goalwards by Iain Murray. The two points confirm Skye’s third placing in the table as fourth place Caberfeidh lost at Kilmallie. However the Islanders sights are set on Kilmallie and Beauly who are both three points better off with the league approaching the half-way stage. The Skye defence, which had been so assured throughout the season, was not its usual efficient self with only Allan MacKinnon playing to form throughout the game. The late substitutions revitalised Skye and provided a more direct approach unsettled the Strathglass defence. It is hard not to sympathise with Strath boss Callum Duff and his players. They were in control of the game with just 17 minutes remaining and Skye will want to take the determination they showed in the closing quarter of the game into this weekend’s Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup tie at Taynuilt. Skye Camanachd from; Michael Nicolson; Steven Morrison (captain), Ally “Spod” MacLeod, Shockie MacLennan, Allan MacKinnon, Darryl Macintosh, Gilleasbuig MacDonald, Jordan Murchison, Neil MacVicar, Kenny Campbell, Will Cowie, Danny Morrison, subs Aonghas MacDonald, Iain Murray, Stewart Grant Strathglass; Steve MacLachlan, Donald Fraser, Aaron Redpath, Neil Hemmingway, George Phimmister, Michael Stokes, Seth Jones, Lawrie Wotherspoon, Robert Geddes, Ally MacAdams, Robbie Stokes, Josh Fraser, subs Ciaran Melens, Ally Rothe, Darren Reid (captain) Match Referee – Deek Cameron The match balls were sponsored by Nor-Dan
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