Boyd happy with squad depth as Greens seek first away win of campaign
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Caithness 1st XV on Saturday face the second of what was meant to have been back-to-back long-distance journeys in Caley Division 1.
But they are preparing for the trip to Tillicoultry after their scheduled trek to Glenrothes last Saturday was a victim of Storm Arwen.
Head coach Ewen Boyd said: "We made the decision before training on Thursday that we weren't going to travel.
"I thought it was only fair to our boys and Glenrothes that we made the decision then, given the weather forecast.
"There was a red weather warning which we have not had since the Beast from the East [in 2018]. It included a risk to life in travelling in the affected area so we obviously had to take heed of that."
While the break in competitive action is unwelcome, it applies to all clubs in the league as all four games on the card were called off.
Boyd said: "We trained well last week. We had more than 20 on Tuesday and 30 on Thursday, with the numbers making it a bit of a challenge to coach."
Saturday's opponents, Hillfoots, went down 43-3 to the Greens on the first day of the season at Millbank. But they have recovered from a sluggish start by coming out on top in their last three fixtures – a home win over Ellon sandwiched between victories away to Aberdeen Wanderers and Grangemouth.
The Greens will be without injured duo Kris Hamilton and Douglas Webster, while Grant Anderson and Hamish Coghill are unavailable.
Boyd said: "In the not-too-distant past, we would struggle without guys like that but we have much better depth to our squad now.
"We're going down with a pretty decent squad and we will be giving it a good shot.
"The pitch at Tillicoultry is very exposed and it's not the best of surfaces but we have to deal with that."
Boyd continued: "We haven't won away this season and we're looking to break that duck. However it works out, we'll be looking to try and build some momentum and gain preparedness for next week's match against Orkney."
Caithness are going down and back on the day to the Clackmannanshire town, which nestles below the Ochil Hills, five miles west of Stirling.
Caithness Krakens will be looking to clear the mothballs as they prepare to return to action after a five-week break.
They are at home to Aberdeen Quines on Saturday as they continue their first season in the North Region League.
Coach Mike Flavell hopes to have a full squad, with the prolonged rest having allowed several players to recover from assorted injuries.
Shannon Pasotti (shoulder) and Shauna Malcolm (knee) are primed to return to the fray, while newcomers Lauren Gunn and Susie McLean-Smith are set to make their debuts.
Flavell said: "There been a bit of a break since our last outing but we will looking to show progression from that win against Fraserburgh."
The match at Millbank has a 2pm kick-off.
