Anglers aiming to do the double over Fort William
Halkirk United have a chance this weekend to do the double over Fort William and maintain their advantage at the top of the North Caledonian League.
The Anglers ran out 2-1 winners when the sides met at Claggan Park last weekend to stay six points clear of Invergordon and Golspie, who both have games in hand. They meet again at Morrison Park on Saturday.
On their longest journey of the season, Mark Munro put the league leaders in front just before the half-hour mark when he unleashed a shot from outside the box that took a slight deflection.
Kieran MacGregor added the second with six minutes remaining. He collected the ball on the left and dribbled past several opponents before slotting home.
Fort’s Andrew McLean pulled one back in stoppage time.
Halkirk United manager Ewan McElroy said: “It was always going to be a difficult game. We knew that Fort William would be a fit and physical outfit and they made it difficult for us to break them down.
“We edged the game but we were certainly made to work for it.
“It’s not the easiest pitch to adapt to, but I thought the boys acquitted themselves really well. We should really have gone in a couple goals to the good by half-time.
“We looked really dangerous in the wide areas and a main reason for that was the composed hold-up and link-up play Kuba Koziol was able to provide while leading the line.
“Mark Munro is in a rich vein of form and he deserved his goal, while both Cameron Montgomery and Kieran MacGregor are equally able to cause opposing teams problems and looked threatening on numerous occasions.
“It was a battle in the middle of the park. Grant Aitkenhead took a sore one in the second half, but both Grant and Aaron Wilson are going from strength to strength and I thought we had really good partnerships all over the pitch.”
MacGregor has returned to Halkirk United on loan from Wick Academy until the end of the season.
“I’d like to thank both Wick and Gary [Manson] for making it possible,” McElroy said. “I was hugely impressed with Kieran last season when he joined the squad – he actually scored on his debut then as well.
“He’s an aggressive and direct forward, technically very good and comfortable on either side. He has a good attitude, always eager to improve, and I am delighted to have him back at the club.”
The Anglers have a 100 per cent record on the road in the 2024/25 league campaign, with maximum points from their six away fixtures so far.
Their two league defeats have both come at Morrison Park and they have won their other five home matches. Consequently they are sitting on 33 points from 13 games.
North Caledonian League results: Alness United 3, Thurso 2; Clachnacuddin “A” 1, Golspie Sutherland 3; Fort William 1, Halkirk United 2; Invergordon 4, St Duthus 0; Inverness Athletic 3, Bonar Bridge 1.
Fixtures for Saturday, November 23 – Football Times Cup final: Alness United v Inverness Athletic.
North Caledonian League: Bonar Bridge v Orkney; Halkirk United v Fort William (1pm); Invergordon v Clachnacuddin “A”; Thurso v Bunillidh Thistle (1pm).
