Caithness ladies earn first points of season with 4-0 win against Orkney
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Caithness Ladies' Football Club picked up their first points of the season after a dominant display against their Orkney counterparts at the weekend.
Anna Foubister, Donna Majilton, Morag Mackay and captain Carly Erridge were on target in a 4-0 victory at the Dammies in the SWF (Scottish Women's Football) Highlands and Islands League.
Caithness went into Sunday’s game eager to get their first points on the board having been edged out by reigning champions Clachnacuddin in a seven-goal thriller in their opening fixture.
The Orkney keeper put in an outstanding performance but was powerless to prevent Caithness easing to a comfortable victory.
Some early Caithness attempts were blocked by the keeper but the breakthrough came after 35 minutes. A run down the park by Erridge created the opening for striker Foubister to net her debut Caithness goal in her first season.
Now that Caithness had found their rhythm it only took another five minutes for Majilton to hammer home the second. Not satisfied with that, Mackay made it 3-0 to the home side just before half-time.
The second half began with plenty of back-and-forth between the teams and Orkney earned a free kick near the Caithness box. Their captain stepped up but couldn’t get the ball over the Caithness defensive line.
Frustration grew as more Caithness shots were either blocked or sent wide, but 15 minutes into the second half Erridge managed to slot one into the bottom left corner to put Caithness four up.
With the three points secure, Caithness opted to give some more debut appearances to up-and-coming players from the subs' bench.
The islanders fought hard but couldn’t quite breach the Caithness back four to test the home keeper.
Caithness will take on Orkney again in the League Cup quarter-finals next month, but will first cross the Pentland Firth to take on Kirkwall City on August 1 in their third league fixture.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Clachnacuddin were denied all three points by a late penalty at Buckie in a 3-3 draw.
Gemma Nutt gave Clach the lead after 20 minutes only for Emily McAuslan to level for the hosts. Betty Ross put the Inverness team 2-1 in front, then McAuslan again got Buckie back on level terms.
Clachnacuddin restored their lead through Ross but Lorna Young's spot-kick ensured the game finished level.
In the other match, Sutherland won 4-2 at Brora Rangers.
It had taken a late penalty to separate the sides when Clachnacuddin visited Caithness last month.
Betty Ross put the Inverness side ahead at the Dammies and Claire Masterton doubled their lead. Caithness came storming back to take the lead with two goals from Chloe Stebbing either side of Erridge's equaliser.
Clach levelled with a Kathleen Mackay free kick and Ross sealed the points for the visitors from the penalty spot with five minutes remaining.
Speaking ahead of the start of the season, SWF chairperson Vivienne MacLaren said: “One of our key goals is to get more girls and women playing, and this league epitomises this.
"Girls and women should have the opportunity to participate in structured football regardless of their geography – the creation and success of this league is one of our proudest achievements."
