Halkirk aim to keep up unbeaten start as injury overshadows Thurso defeat
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Halkirk United manager Ewan McElroy has hailed the "brilliant attitude" of his players as the Anglers aim to continue their unbeaten start to the North Caledonian League season.
They twice recovered from being two goals down to earn a 4-4 draw in an incident-packed match against St Duthus in Tain at the weekend. Following their opening-day win against Thurso, it means Halkirk occupy top spot in the table.
"All things considered I am absolutely delighted to be sitting on four points after the first two games," McElroy said. "In a footballing sense it was not our finest performance but coming from behind twice at 2-0 and 4-2 showed real determination from the boys and I think if the game had gone on much longer we looked the more likely to win.
"The effort and the amount of work the boys put in was particularly pleasing.
"We were light on numbers for Saturday for a variety of reasons and thankfully both Ben Gordon, who was with us last season, and Saleem Bremner came in at short notice to help us out. Both put in solid performances and helped set the tone for the rest of the squad.
"The boys have shown a brilliant attitude in the first couple of games and, despite missing a large number of bodies on Saturday, coming away with a point shows the competitive nature of the squad."
Goals by Billy Cairns and Ben Bruce had St Duthus two up inside the first half-hour. Andy Mackay reduced the deficit from the penalty spot and Jonah Martens got Halkirk level at the start of the second half.
Jake Lockett put the Tain side in front again before Bruce added his second of the afternoon. Martens pulled one back and the Anglers' fourth, with a couple of minutes to go, was credited as an own goal after keeper Ryan Renwick misjudged the flight of the ball.
There was still time for St Duthus to be awarded a penalty but Liam Rostock fired it wide.
The Anglers will be seeking to build on their encouraging start when Nairn County "A" visit Morrison Park this Saturday.
"We are still a good few weeks away from getting up to speed, that is absolutely certain," McElroy said. "However, I think most teams are the same. The current Covid situation is probably playing a part and maximising points at home is going to be important if we want to push on.
"I expect another tough game on Saturday. Nairn got off to a solid start themselves with a 3-2 win against St Duthus.
"We are still missing a few boys but I am expecting a few more bodies back and fingers crossed we can continue on from our positive start."
Thurso's 3-1 defeat to Loch Ness was overshadowed by a serious injury to Shane Kennedy, who was making his first start for the Vikings.
The 26-year-old suffered a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle, both to his left leg, in an incident during the first half of Saturday's game at the Dammies. Kennedy underwent a two-hour operation on Monday at Raigmore Hospital to insert a plate and screws.
"Shane got a really nasty one," manager Stevie Reid said. "He is dead keen and he had got himself fit, and everyone is gutted for the boy."
The Vikings had lost their opening fixture to Halkirk United 3-0 and were severely under-strength going into Saturday's match, while Loch Ness were missing a number of key players too.
Darren MacGregor opened the scoring for the visitors after nine minutes. Second-half goals by Glenn Donoghue and Andrew Miller put them further ahead before Conor Trueman pulled one back for Thurso.
"We were short of vital players," Reid said. "We just didn't defend as a team.
"We'll take it on the chin and move on. Anyone can beat anyone in this league.
"It upset a few of the boys seeing Shane going off – it was a nasty one. It was just a horrible day."
Loch Ness manager Shane Carling said: “It’s a hard place to go. Not many teams will go to Thurso and get a result.
“The boys dug deep and worked really hard – they deserved it."
Bonar Bridge came from 4-0 behind inside the first half-hour at Alness to claim a point in a 4-4 draw, while Orkney had a 3-2 victory away to Inverness Athletic.
North Caledonian League fixtures for Saturday: Bonar Bridge v St Duthus; Golspie v Invergordon; Halkirk United v Nairn County "A"; Loch Ness v Inverness Athletic; Orkney v Alness United.
