Boyd says supporters need to be patient as Greens come a cropper at Blairgowrie
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Caithness came a cropper in their first joust at senior level with Blairgowrie.
The Perthshire outfit went into Saturday's match at the foot of Caley Regional Division 1, having lost their opening five fixtures.
But their position was misleading as they had totted up 71 points in previous narrow home defeats against the strong-going Orkney, Aberdeen Wanderers and Ellon.
They broke the sequence at Coupar Park with their 21-17 triumph leaving the Greens still seeking a maiden victory on the road.
Caithness were boosted by being able to field their first-choice half-back partnership Marc Anderson and Kris Hamilton for the first time since the opening day of the season.
But a clutch of absentees left both their pack and bench shorn of experience.
And two reshuffles were necessary when Hamilton was forced off with a pulled hamstring early on and Anderson retired with a head knock with 15 minutes left.
Blairgowrie enjoyed a strong start and were two converted tries up before the visitors opened their account.
A well co-ordinated chase of a kick-through saw the ball being recycled to give centre Charlie Quinn a free run to the posts.
Anderson added the extras before potting a 39th-minute penalty to cut the deficit to 14-10 at the turnaround.
The home side stretched their advantage with an interception seven-pointer.
But Caithness stuck to their guns and were rewarded when Scott Webster crossed with 10 minutes to go.
Craig Chambers' conversion gave the visitors hope but that proved the last score.
Head coach Ewen Boyd said: "They were a fit, well-drilled side.
"They were very physical and moved the ball well and it was a bit of a baptism of fire for some of our young guys up front.
"But after a tough opening 15 minutes, they put their hands up and got stuck in."
He singled out prop Michael MacGregor and Euan Macdonald, who did an excellent job after being switched from the wing to scrum-half following Hamilton's early exit.
Boyd says the squad is in transition and the Caithness faithful will need to be patient as a new wave of youngsters bed in.
He said North Caley 4 is proving a very competitive league with, on the basis of results to date, only Glenrothes appearing to be off the pace.
"Most of the teams have the ability to beat any of the others on their day," he said.
"We'll continue to compete as hard as we can away and put a big effort to do the business at home."
Next up for Caithness are Dunfermline, who visit Millbank on October 30.
Saturday's match was refereed by Irishman JP Doyle, who officiated at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Head coach Ewen Boyd said: "It was a joy to be refereed by him. It was like chalk and cheese compared to what we are used to.
"He let the play flow and allowed fair competition at the breakdown. The players adapted and there were hardly any penalties.
"He made it a really good game to play in and watch."
Doyle was a full-time ref in the English Premiership and the IRPB Sevens circuit as well as on the international panel before he was controversially made redundant last year.
He had a stint officiating in the USA earlier this year before recently relocating to Scotland with his family.
A gritty 31-26 win at Grangemouth on Saturday enabled Dunfermline to leapfrop their opponents into second behind leaders Orkney.
A rejuvenated Ellon steamrollered Glenrothes 106-14, while Aberdeen Wanderers were upset 24-17 at home to Hillfoots.
