Anglers can take plenty of positives from battling display at Invergordon as they face St Duthus
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Manager Ewan McElroy reckons his Halkirk United side can take a lot of encouragement from their battling display at Invergordon last weekend as they prepare to face St Duthus at Morrison Park on Saturday.
McElroy felt the Anglers were unlucky not to earn a point against the North Caledonian League leaders after fighting back from being three goals down at the break. The match ended 3-2 as Invergordon continued their 100 per cent start in Division One.
"There were a lot of positives from Saturday and I have no doubt the boys will be looking forward to doing it all again this weekend," McElroy said. "Regardless of previous results or upcoming opposition, everyone wants to play every week and there is a healthy competition among the boys."
Halkirk have made a promising start to life in the six-team top flight, having beaten Thurso 4-0 in their opening fixture. However, McElroy acknowledged before the campaign began that the Anglers would be considered outsiders in the title race.
"I spoke at the start of the season with the boys and emphasised that we are focusing on their performances rather than results at this stage," he said. "Obviously you want to compete and get points on the board, but we are also realistic and know it takes time and hard work to challenge any of the top five teams."
Central defence has been a worry for United recently, with McElroy having to reshuffle his line-up.
"We are still a little light at centre-back," he said. "However, we will hopefully have one back for Saturday and I don’t think Ryan Sutherland will be out for as long as we first feared.
"We have picked up a few niggles from last Saturday, and some of the boys sat out training, but hopefully that is just precautionary."
The manager is delighted with the attitude and commitment of the squad.
"The boys have been fantastic in training and I think that has been reflected in our games so far," he said. "I am big believer in the way boys train will be replicated in matches, so it is vitally important.
"As a squad they take on board any instructions and I have no complaints about their commitment, that’s for sure."
In last Saturday's game Invergordon took the lead after 11 minutes through Russell MacIntyre. The home side doubled their advantage on 26 minutes courtesy of a Shaun Kerr penalty and added a third on 37 minutes with a deflected 20-yard shot from Steven Mackay.
The Anglers reduced the deficit five minutes after the restart when Andy Mackay fired in a right-foot rocket from 25 yards and the Anglers piled on the pressure. Mark Webster smashed home a 30-yard free kick in the closing stages.
McElroy said after the match: "It was basically a game of two halves, with the wind playing a significant part. We really got to grips with the game in the second half and in fairness we battered Invergordon for most of it.
"All in all I was really pleased with the second-half performance from the boys in coming from 3-0 down."
North Caledonian League fixtures: Friday – Division Two: Loch Ness v Nairn County "A".
Saturday – Division One: Golspie Sutherland v Thurso; Halkirk United v St Duthus; Invergordon v Orkney. Division Two; Inverness Athletic v Bonar Bridge; Scourie v Alness United.
