Halkirk United squad praised for ‘brilliant’ efforts after missing out on North Caledonian Cup final
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Halkirk United manager Ewan McElroy declared that his players have been “brilliant all season” after their last chance of silverware was blown away by Invergordon in almost impossible conditions at Morrison Park.
The Easter Ross side kept up their bid for the treble with a 2-0 victory in Saturday's wind-affected North Caledonian Cup semi-final. They will take on league runners-up Loch Ness in the final, having already secured the Football Times Cup and the league title.
With the stiff breeze at their backs, the Anglers had several long-range attempts on goal in the first half. The closest they came to scoring was when a strike by Aaron Wilson clattered down from the underside of the crossbar.
The game was still goalless at that point but Invergordon seized the lead shortly after the half-hour mark when Kyle Maclean found the net with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.
Maclean added his second of the afternoon from a free kick on the Invergordon right with about 10 minutes to go and there was no way back for the home side.
"It was a bit of a lottery,” McElroy said. “It was difficult for both teams. The wind obviously played a huge part and it was just about managing the weather as much as anything else.
"I thought, certainly in the first half, we were on top for the bulk of it and still managed to play some reasonable stuff despite the weather.
"Aaron Wilson's shot that came off the bar was just unfortunate. If that goes in then maybe it's a different story.
"But unfortunately then we were caught at the other end. It was a fantastic strike.
“The keeper was not at fault for either of the goals. They were two really excellent hits and probably worthy of winning the game.
"It's unfortunate. We've drawn with Invergordon twice in the league and there was really nothing in it there today. But the weather made things really difficult.
"They're on for the treble and you can see why. They're a good squad throughout and they don't really have many weaknesses.”
Halkirk United, who will finish third in the 12-team division, round off the campaign with a trip to Orkney this weekend.
“It would have been nice to have a cup final and the boys would have deserved it,” McElroy said. “They've been brilliant all season and I'm delighted with the squad – I'm delighted with their attitude and their effort.
“The margins between the top three teams, there's nothing in it. It’s full credit to the boys' attitude throughout the season that we've been unlucky not to get into a cup final and we were challenging for the league up until the final month.
“The boys have been terrific.
"We've had a lot of new faces this year as well. It's just about building on that and making sure that they push on."
Thurso managed to climb away from bottom spot in the North Caledonian League, albeit not in the way they would have wished.
League runners-up Loch Ness were unable to raise a team for Saturday's scheduled fixture at the Dammies so the North Caledonian FA awarded the Vikings a 1-0 win by default.
That meant Thurso completed the season in 11th place on 16 points, three more than Bonar Bridge, who lost 7-3 to Clachnacuddin "A".
Similarly, 1-0 wins were awarded to Halkirk United and Golspie Sutherland after Fort William and Orkney, respectively, were unable to fulfil fixtures.
Loch Ness had been deducted three points earlier in the campaign for fielding an ineligible player and Clachnacuddin "A" were awarded those points.
League placings: 1 Invergordon (played 22, points 57); 2 Loch Ness (22, 51); 3 Halkirk United (21, 47); 4 Golspie Sutherland (22, 43); 5 Fort William (22, 41); 6 St Duthus (22, 29); 7 Inverness Athletic (22, 23); 8 Orkney (21, 20); 9 Clachnacuddin "A" (22, 20); 10 Alness United (22, 19); 11 Thurso (22, 16); 12 Bonar Bridge (22, 13).
Results – North Caledonian League: Clachnacuddin "A" 7, Bonar Bridge 3. North Caledonian Cup semi-final: Halkirk United 0, Invergordon 2.
Fixture – Saturday, April 13: Orkney v Halkirk United (12.45pm).
