Caithness United coaches pleased with performances in Orkney festival
A football festival in Kirkwall proved to be a “great experience” for Caithness United teams in two age groups, according to the coaches.
The event was hosted by Orkney Youth Development Group, with sides from Shetland and Tain also invited to take part.
It was split into two age groups, under-11s and under-12s, with all the teams playing each other once throughout the course of the day.
Due to ferry timings, it was an immediate start for the Caithness contingent as they were put straight into games but they held their own over the course of the day.
Caithness United U11 results – Game 1, lost 4-0 v Shetland “B”; game 2, won 2-0 v Orkney “B”; game 3, won 2-1 v Shetland “A”; game 4, drew 1-1 v Orkney “A”; game 5, won 3-1 v Orkney “C”.
Caithness U11 coach Chris Sutherland said: “We had a slow start, probably due to us being asked to go straight off the bus into the first game, but the boys battled well and missed a couple of big opportunities which cost us in the end.
“However, that match was a bit of a wake-up call and proved to be a good lesson in getting the boys properly prepared for the rest of the day.
“Games two and three were both tough, especially the Shetland game. But our squad played extremely well in those matches, scoring the opportunities when created.
“Game four was very tricky, as both teams appeared to cancel each other out. Caithness took the lead early on, but just when they thought they had secured the win they were on the receiving end of a sucker punch when Orkney equalised right at the end.
“In our last match of the day we played Orkney’s youngest team, who were a very good footballing squad and deservedly took the lead in the first half. However, our boys rallied well at half-time and upped their game, and eventually came out on top after scoring three good goals.”
Sutherland added: “All in all it was a great experience for the boys to travel to Orkney and be tested against different opposition to the normal. The lads can all be proud of their performances.”
Caithness United U12 results – Game 1, lost 1-0 v Shetland “A”; game 2, drew 0-0 v Orkney “A”; game 3, lost 1-0 v Tain; game 4, won 5-0 v Shetland “B”; game 5, won 4-0 v Orkney “B”.
U12 coach Gordie Reid said: “Similar to the under-11s, we had a bit of a slow start to the festival but our performances got a lot better as the day went on.
“From a coach’s point of view, it’s great to see how far the boys have developed and improved individually and as a group over the course of the year we’ve been working together.
“Everyone at Caithness United would like to thank Orkney Youth Development Group for the invite and for hosting a very well-run festival, and I’m sure we will return the compliment in the coming months.”
Caithness United’s 25th anniversary presentation evening was held in Wick recently.
