Coaches full of praise as Caithness United squads impress at three age levels
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Caithness United's under-16s and under-14s returned to action with emphatic wins against opposition from Easter Ross and Inverness respectively.
There was also success for a Caithness United team as the club hosted its first under-12 Moray Youth Development League Football Festival.
After a lengthy lay-off from matches, the United under-16s travelled to Balintore’s Seaboard Park to play Do Soccer Academy (Tain) in the Highland Youth League.
The game ended in a convincing 7-2 victory for the Caithness boys. From the outset they put in a commanding performance, scoring a couple of early goals that settled them down before going on to dominate each third and add another five to their tally.
Caithness coach Ross Sutherland said: “We hadn’t managed to play a match in eight weeks, for one reason or another. For our comeback game to be on as difficult a surface as this was, it could have led to a far more challenging match.
"But credit to the lads for the effort they put in as, apart from a couple of defensive lapses, it was relatively straightforward.
"That was due mainly to the squad’s attitude from the start of the match. They looked eager to impress, adapted well to the conditions and produced some impressive periods of high-intensity football.
"The coaches are content with what the team produced and we will now look to build on that performance, while also increasing the fitness of the squad over the next few weeks. All in all it was a very satisfying day.”
Caithness United's goalscorers were Scott Durrand (2), Lee Gordon, Joshua Hughes, Matthew Aitkenhead, Morgan Kennedy and Rory Taylor.
The United under-14s faced Balloan at Wick's Upper Bignold Park and the opening 15 minutes were keenly contested, with Caithness hindered by having to play against a strong breeze. They managed to score two goals in quick succession around the 20-minute mark, though, and this seemed to settle them down and allow them to get into their groove.
More goals followed and Caithness ended up cruising to a 9-0 victory.
Coach Garry MacLeod said: “The boys played really well. They continually tried to get the ball down and keep it moving among each other, and that led to a few well-worked goals.
"The lads at the back must take some credit too for putting in a strong performance and keeping a clean sheet."
Sam Reid got three of the Caithness United goals, with the others coming from Jamie Steven (2), James Boyd, Cory Miller, Arran Bain and Logan Kirman.
Caithness United hosted their first U12 Moray Youth Development League Football Festival at Wick's Bignold Park. The teams taking part were Caithness United Team 1, Caithness United Team 2, Alness United, Do Soccer, Invergordon, Muir of Ord and East End.
Caithness 1s took advantage of their home advantage with dominant displays through the day, scoring freely and winning all their matches while not conceding a goal. A strong defence proved to be the foundation for their ruthless attack.
United coach Stewart Ross was full of praise for the young side, saying: “It was really encouraging to see the boys becoming more comfortable with one another and working together as a team.
"The format meant it was quite intense for them to maintain the concentration and workrate levels required to keep producing winning performances, but they did just that. It was very impressive.”
The Caithness 2s also produced some fine performances, and their only defeat of the day was to their Caithness team-mates.
Coach Sean Moodie praised the team's character, saying: “They all showed a great attitude right from the first whistle. What was most pleasing was that they persisted in trying to play a passing game from the back, and when they got it right they created chances and scored some lovely goals.
"The festival was a great success and a brilliant experience for everyone involved.”
