Castletown boss ‘absolutely gutted’ after Stannergill Cup final loss
Manager Tom McKenna was “absolutely gutted” about the goals Castletown conceded in their Stannergill Cup final loss to Staxigoe United.
The inaugural final, played in front of a bumper crowd at Castletown’s Back Park, resulted in a 2-1 victory for Staxigoe.
Matthew Aitkenhead made the breakthrough for Staxigoe after 26 minutes. Michael Smith thumped in an equaliser for Castletown with 72 minutes gone, but less than a minute later Staxigoe broke upfield and Jack Henry headed in the winner.
“I thought the game overall was evenly balanced,” McKenna said. “We tried to be difficult to break down, but for the first goal there was a massive hole and that shouldn’t have developed.
“We should have been a lot more compact. As a unit, we just gravitated to the ball rather than focusing on their players.
“In the second half I thought we were in the ascendancy and dominated possession, then we got the goal to put us back in the game.
“The thing you learn at schoolboy level is when you score a goal you get yourself back in and you’re resolute for the next five or 10 minutes, you soak up any pressure that comes your way, you’re disciplined in your shape.
“But within a minute the guy goes up the right-hand side, crosses in and there's a free header. We make it so easy for teams at times.
“You get what you deserve in football. If you don’t outscore the opposition, they’ll come away with the win. That’s the way it is.
“I’m absolutely gutted in the manner we’ve conceded two goals. But overall I can’t ask for any more from the players regarding their effort. It was just a lapse of concentration in the two goals we conceded.”
Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League, attended the game and he presented the man-of-the-match prize to Castletown’s Lewis Swan.
Results – Friday – Division Two: Swifts 0, Halkirk 0; Top Joe’s 0, Wick Thistle 10; Watten 2, Thurso Pentland 0.
Saturday – Stannergill Cup final: Castletown 1, Staxigoe United 2.
Sunday – SWF Highlands and Islands League: Orkney 5, Caithness 1.
Fixtures – Tuesday, June 10 – Caithness AFA Division One: Castletown v Lybster; John O’Groats v Staxigoe United; Pentland United v High Ormlie Hotspur; Wick Groats v Keiss (all 7.30pm).
Wednesday, June 11 – Division Two: Acks v Top Joe’s; Wick Thistle v Watten (both 7.30pm). Thursday, June 12 – Division Two: Thurso Pentland v Swifts (7.30pm).
Saturday, June 14 – Highland Amateur Cup, round two: Wick Groats v CK Interiors (1pm; winners at home to Avoch on Saturday, June 21).