The new season kicks off
Thursday 9th April 2009
The opening round of Skye and Lochalsh Bagshaw League fixtures went very much with the form book on Saturday, as champions Skeabost along with Sleat, Kyleakin and Dunvegan all recorded comfortable victories.
Sleat, despite having played with 10 men for close to an hour after goalkeeper John Davy was red-carded, looked impressive on their way to a 4-1 victory at Plockton.
Norman Finlayson converted the penalty which followed Davy's early indiscretion and Plockton continued to lead at half time. Sleat, however, carried too much pace in attack during the second period and the match was turned on its head following three quick goals at the start of the half. Gordy McCarroll fired in the equaliser and Lauchie MacIntosh popped up to head Sleat ahead soon afterwards. McCarroll's second of the day gave the islanders a cushion they never looked likely to relinquish and the same player went on to complete his hat-trick in the closing stages.
Skeabost, meanwhile, began their defence of the league title with a 6-2 win over a determined Portree Juniors in Uig.
An under-strength Skeabost side took over half-an-hour to break down a dogged Juniors defence. The deadlock was eventually broken when a terrific run from Stephen Cormack took him past three players before he was upended in the box by Iain MacLeod. Cormack converted the resultant spot kick himself, and within two minutes the hosts added a second when Hugh Campbell met a through ball and finished clinically.
On the stroke of half time Juniors hit back with a penalty of their own after a deliberate handball in the box. Andrew "MC" McCaherty sent keeper Michael Nicolson the wrong way to give Juniors some hope at the interval.
But Skeabost reaffirmed their superiority early in the second half when Campbell struck from the edge of the box after being set up by Heckie Cormack. A 30-yard strike from Chris Rose, which was going wide before it took a deflection off Juniors defender Tommy MacDonald, then put Skeabost 4-1 ahead. Juniors, to their credit, continued to pour forward in search of some consolation and their endeavour was rewarded when Andrew Sandison's through ball found young debutant Andrew Wilson who showed a cool head to slot past the keeper and make it 4-2.
Skeabost, however, added a fifth when Donnie MacPhee's speculative 35-yard cross-cum-shot sailed into the net. The hosts put the gloss on victory in the final minute when Ali MacIsaac was brought down and then converted the third spot kick of the match.
Kyleakin had to work hard to take all three points against a largely-youthful Struan side in south Skye.
Keith MacKenzie side-footed home Euan Park's cross to give the home side an early lead, but Struan's veteran striker Iain MacPhie stabbed in an Iain Beaton corner to level proceedings midway through the first half. Kyleakin, however, quickly regained the initiative and again forged ahead with a second from MacKenzie, this time following nice wing play from youngster Ryan Graham on the right.
Ally "Bean" Nisbett slid home the third after latching on to a clever lofted through ball from his brother Calum to make certain of the points on the hour mark.
ELSEWHERE, Dunvegan got off to a winning start as they beat Kyle 5-2.
Stuart MacLean burst through to grab the opener after 10 minutes, with Sandy Phelps cutting in from the left to add a well-taken second goal before the quarter-hour mark. It looked like Dunvegan were home and hosed after Iain Munro's speculative free kick bounced into the net after half-an-hour, but Kyle rallied and hit-back with two quick counters. Jamie Taylor struck the first and moments later Innes Thompson reduced the arrears further.
Hopes of completing a comeback, however, were dashed when Calum Alston tapped in a fourth in the closing minutes of what had been an eventful first half.
The second period proved somewhat pedestrian in comparison, but Phil Ruddy rounded off Dunvegan's nap-hand in some style, rifling into the top corner from fully 30 yards to make certain of the victory.
The day's other scheduled fixture between Portree and Staffin was called off - rather worryingly, for league administrators, due to the unavailability of a referee.
