Caithness under-16s show patience to break down Alness defence
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Caithness United under-16s earned praise for the way they broke down Alness United's defensive game plan to record a 6-1 victory at the Dalmore Park 3G pitch.
Caithness stamped their authority on the match in the early stages but had to wait until just after the half-hour mark to open the scoring with a well-struck shot from Cory Miller from outside the box.
The second came a minute later when Tyler Gordon drilled the ball across goal for Connor Davidson to slam it into the net.
Tyler was heavily involved in the next goal too, driving through the Alness midfield before laying it off to Steven Esson who slotted the ball home from the edge of the box.
Arran Bain increased the lead, this time from close range, before Alness pulled one back when a free kick was nodded home by Ollie Macdonald.
In the second half Caithness continued to look lively and Tyler made it five after receiving the ball with his back to goal, evading his marker and dinking it over Alexander Brown in goal.
The last goal was arguably the best of the bunch as Jayden Bremner controlled the ball outside the box and struck a sweet shot low into the bottom right-hand corner.
Coach Kevin Miller said: "It was good to see the boys starting a game at a fast tempo, as we have been asking them for that all season.
"Alness had a very defensive game plan which gave the boys a different challenge, as they had to come up with different ways to break them down. Credit to them, though, as they were patient and persistent, continuing to play the way we ask of them.
“The quality of some of those goals, from some very good passages of play, was really enjoyable to see.”
Caithness United under-14s ran out 5-3 winners in a hard-fought league game against Balloan on Sunday at a rain-soaked Naver park in Thurso, with Ruaridh Kean hitting four of the goals.
Balloan scored first but Caithness responded quickly when Harris Shone powered home a header from a corner. The home side put together some excellent passing combinations, leading to two well-worked goals converted by Ruaridh.
At the start of the second 30-minute period, a slack clearance went to a Balloan striker at the edge of the box and he reduced the deficit. Ruaridh completed his hat-trick before finishing off another well-worked team goal for his fourth of the match.
From the resultant kick-off, a lapse in concentration allowed Balloan in to score again.
The Caithness boys saw the game out for the win, to the delight of the squad, coaches and home support.
