Wednesday, March 20, 2019 www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk Caithness Courier 27 HIGHLAND LEAGUE LATEST Nairn five-star show ahead of Megginson ends Academy clash NAIRN County will go into tonight’s Highland League clash at Wick in confident mood following a 5-0 win at 10-man Huntly on Saturday. Wick cup dream Adam Porritt put the Wee County in front after eight minutes and Huntly’s Ross Still was Football red-carded five minutes later for denying a By Ken Wood goalscoring opportunity. Adam Naismith and Max Ewan added Cove ...... 3 further goals before half Wick Acad ..... 1 time and a late double from ACADEMY’S Highland League Cohen Ramsay Cup dream may be over for completed an another season but they gave emphatic victory. a good account of themselves Chris Angus on their first visit to Cove’s helped himself Balmoral Stadium. to a hat trick in Ultimately the clinical finish- Locos’ ing of the league’s top scorer 7-0 victory over Mitch Megginson was the dif- Lossiemouth at ference between the sides in Harlaw Park. Saturday’s semi final. Fort William Cove had an early chance suffered another with a corner from Daniel Park Cohen Ramsay struck twice double-digit for Nairn County. which Jordon Brown headed defeat with a 12-1 powerfully towards goal but hammering away to Turriff United. There was a Sam Mackay was on the line to five-goal haul for Angus Grant. head it away. The far north derby between Wick Academy Gordon MacNab caused a and Brora Rangers at has scare when he broke clear but been scheduled for Wednesday, April 3. the Cove defenders quickly re- Sam Mackay of Wick Academy (No 23) beats Cove keeper Stuart McKenzie. Pictures: Mel Roger Other fixtures involving Academy newly covered to chase him down, confirmed for April are away to Rothes on MacNab then won a corner after the half-hour mark put Two minutes later Jamie Macgregor fired across goal Saturday 6, away to Huntly on Saturday 20 and on the left and Andy Hardwick’s Cove in charge. Masson seized on a rebound to to MacNab who could not con- away to Fort William on Saturday 27. header also created momen- Megginson ran up the Cove fire the ball into the net from 15 trol it quickly enough. tary panic before it was scram- right onto a clever flick from yards. Martin Scott crossed from the bled away. Brown and rifled the ball into Five minutes into the second Cove right and from 10 yards League table Then a double whammy just the far corner. half Megginson scored again, Megginson scorned the chance this time after cutting in from of a hat trick by volleying just P W D L F A Pts the left. over the bar. Cove Rangers 28 25 2 1 84 10 77 That appeared to be game Academy hadn’t given up but Brora Rangers 29 24 2 3 93 11 74 Fraserburgh 31 24 1 6 113 31 73 over but three minutes later time was running out. MacNab Inverurie 32 18 6 8 91 46 60 Sam Mackay fired low into the pulled a shot wide and Gary Formartine 28 18 5 5 81 35 59 bottom corner from the edge Manson had a drive saved by Forres 30 19 2 9 69 38 59 of the box to give Academy a Stuart McKenzie. Buckie 28 13 4 11 60 42 43 lifeline. Cove: McKenzie, Campbell Wick Academy 26 12 5 9 57 43 41 Within a couple of minutes (Kelly 67), Redford, Scully, Deveronvale 31 11 2 18 50 61 35 former Academy favourite Ross, Strachan, Park, Masson, Huntly 28 10 5 13 49 62 35 Rothes* 28 10 6 12 65 52 33 Grant Campbell unleashed Megginson, Burnett (MacRae Turriff 30 9 4 17 65 79 31 a 25-yard effort which was 86), Brown (Scott 73). Subs Keith 28 8 6 14 44 61 30 too hot to handle for Gordon not used: Watson, McManus, Strathspey 28 9 3 16 41 68 30 Clark. The keeper parried it and MacLeod, McCafferty. Nairn County 27 9 2 16 48 56 29 Danny Mackay completed the Wick Academy: Clark, M Clachnacuddin 26 5 5 16 33 60 20 clearance. Steven, Hardwick, D Mackay, Lossiemouth 31 2 2 27 29 135 8 Academy enjoyed a good Manson, Farquhar, S Mackay, Fort William* 27 0 2 25 17 199 -7 spell around the hour mark. A R Macadie (Henry 46), Gunn *Points deducted for fielding ineligible players shot by MacNab was pushed (Macgregor 46), D Allan, away and just eluded substitute MacNab. Subs not used: Marc Macgregor in the six-yard Hughes, M Macadie, R Allan. Wick’s Davie Allan drives forward at Balmoral Stadium. box. Referee: Liam Duncan. Formartine see off Brora challenge COVE Rangers’ opponents in the Highland Cove have upper hand in League Cup final will be Formartine United after the Pitmedden side defeated Brora title race, says McKenna Rangers 2-0 at Dudgeon Park in the other semi. Graeme Rodger put the visitors ahead WICK boss Tom McKenna McKenna said. “You can’t see midway through the first half and Stuart Smith believes Cove Rangers are many teams taking points off doubled their lead early in the second period. favourites to win the title on them. Brora are up there in The final will be played at Harlaw Park, the evidence of Saturday’s contention for the title but Inverurie, on Saturday, April 6. Highland League Cup semi Cove have the upper hand.” A late goal by Dale Wood gave Rothes a 1-0 final. Cove, the reigning Academy will look to put win away to Deveronvale. Highland League champions, their cup disappointment Forres Mechanics also left it late with Robbie are three points clear of behind them when they take Duncanson’s 89th-minute strike clinching a second-placed Brora Rangers on Nairn County tonight (8pm) 1-0 victory over Clach at . with a game in hand. in a rearranged league fixture Third-placed Fraserburgh were 3-1 winners “They’ve got a good budget at Harmsworth Park. McKenna over Keith at Bellslea. Paul Campbell’s opener and obviously they’re going said: “We’ll fight for that for the Broch was cancelled out by Max Berton, to attract the best players in seventh place in the league but further goals from Scott Barbour and Sean Highland League football,” now, that’s our target.” Wick’s Michael Steven stops a shot from Jordon Brown. Butcher secured all three points. Boxing Wednesday, March 20, 2019 SPORT club 12 Courier Sportsdesk email: [email protected] profile www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk Page 26 9 771354 964201 Too little, too late as Scorries bow out Football big ambitions to move for- more. It’s that old saying – By Alan Hendry ward, and they’re a very too little, too late. good footballing team. “Sam scored the goal and MANAGER Tom McKenna “But from our own point we were in the ascendancy. admitted that Wick of view we could have done Cove were still comfortable Academy paid the price better in the first half. We on the ball and still a threat for a poor first half display just couldn’t settle on the but we asked a lot more as their Highland League ball, our retention of the questions and we created a Cup run came to an end at ball was poor and we didn’t couple of great chances. Cove’s Balmoral Stadium on cause much of a threat. “All in all, Cove deserved Saturday. That’s obviously down to to win, but from our own Cove took charge of the Cove Rangers as well. point of view it was a game semi final with goals from “I made a couple of chang- of two halves – a disappoint- Mitch Megginson and es at half time. I thought I ing first half and a much im- Jamie Masson shortly after had guys on the bench who proved second half. I think if the half-hour mark, with could give us a wee bit of we had started in that vein it Megginson adding another freshness and we were a lot would have been a lot closer. five minutes into the second more effective in the second “We probably have one or half. half. two regrets about the man- Sam Mackay quickly “Unfortunately they ner of the first half, but we pulled one back and the scored a third and at 3-0 did what we could.” Scorries created further down it was a massive ask McKenna had a special chances but ultimately they for the team to come back word for the fans who turned had left themselves with too from that. out for the club’s first visit to much to do as Cove held on “But the boys never Balmoral Stadium. for a 3-1 win. stopped working and we “I must congratulate the “I think we let ourselves harassed them a lot better. Wick support – it was abso- down,” McKenna said. We were pushing forward, lutely fantastic. A lot of peo- “We’ve set high standards we were asking questions ple took the time out to trav- for ourselves and people and we were threatening el so I couldn’t fault that.” know the standard of foot- ball that the boys can play. “We just didn’t impose We’ve set high standards for ourselves on the game as ourselves... We just didn’t much as we could have done and should have done. impose ourselves on the game “You can’t take anything ‘‘ as much as we could have away from Cove Rangers – they’re league champions, done and should have done. Wick’s Sam Mackay heads it away under pressure from Alan Redford and Ryan Strachan. league leaders, they’ve got Tom McKenna Picture: Mel Roger

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