High spirits on a Highland Amateur Cup away day
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The Highland Amateur Cup for many can be the highlight of their summer. With eight leagues eligible to take part, the cup is filled with surprises, upsets and joy. Teams from all over the Highlands and Islands take part in an attempt to win the trophy or at least have a good run. As a bonus, there are fantastic opportunities to play against teams from different leagues and to experience your own away days.
This was no different for Lybster as they were drawn against Lochinver away in the preliminary round. An exciting but nervy trip to the west coast of Sutherland followed. The boys were anticipating a tough game, knowing only so much about their opponents; we can’t be too hasty to judge them as we’ve never played them before. This brings a sort of unpredictability which I can only imagine professional teams must feel when drawn against opponents in European competitions.
Saturday had finally come around and at 10.45am we gathered on the bus. Tactics discussed, shirt and tie packed, speaker blasting and crates of beer at the ready for after the game, we were all set to kick-start our Highland Amateur Cup run.
The three-hour journey was filled with nerves as well as energy. We eagerly awaited our arrival as we passed time predicting results for other Caithness teams involved in preliminary ties. Today, only football seemed to exist. We would discuss Premier League football, Scottish football and, of course, our own county league which has recently started.
Finally we arrived and wasted no time changing and getting out to warm up. Drills were quickly set up to give everyone a feel for the ball, tactics and roles announced and explained.
Kick-off only minutes away, this is the moment you have been preparing for. The exuberant atmosphere as we kick off the tie, the chance to be a hero for the team, fills the mind for everyone on the pitch. Energy levels soar for both teams as they hope to gain an early advantage.
Lybster started strongly and we were rewarded with the opening goal. A free kick in a dangerous area gave Gary Swanson the chance to deliver a teasing ball into the box for his team-mates to attack. Greg Mackay met the ball at the back post and nodded it in. At this point we were ecstatic – this was the ideal start we were hoping for before the game. Unfortunately, as we would come to find out, there was a lot of football still to be played. Lochinver were not going to be eliminated from the Highland Amateur Cup this easily and showed their fight by snatching an equaliser with a terrific goal from Jake Lockett, who found himself outside the box with enough space to curl a bending shot into the far corner on his left foot.
The game was on now, there for the taking for whoever wanted it more. Following his curling strike, Lockett would see himself transition from goalscorer to playmaker with his delicate through balls to set up the second and third goals to take Lochinver into a 3-1 lead at the break.
We gathered around the manager Cameron Mackenzie and listened keenly to what he had to say. The Highland Amateur Cup is only one game per round: you lose and you are out. We had made the three-hour trip for this chance to progress further in the competition and had to leave everything on the pitch in our efforts to come away victorious. Cameron explained that he expected everyone to come off that pitch thinking they had put everything into their performance and not feeling they could have tried harder.
With the manager's orders we returned to the pitch with a willingness to burst back into the game and give it everything we had. We didn’t get off to the start we were hoping for in the second half, as we conceded again to make the score 4-1. With our backs really against the wall now, we committed more players forward to try to score and give the team a boost which could see us back into the game.
Lewis Mackillop scored a header at the back post, towering over a scramble in the box to nod in a potential lifeline for Lybster as we rushed to get another. Lochinver then scored a fifth, which only pushed us further away from making a comeback. With not long left, I latched on to a through ball played by Lewis Mackillop to strike home our third. Unfortunately, this would only be a consolation goal as we were beaten 5-3.
In the changing room the boys, disappointed with their defeat, showered and prepared for the night ahead. Shirt and tie on, we had a meal at the local pub provided by our hosts before returning to the bus.
The journey home began with less enthusiasm than on the trip to Lochinver. However, the atmosphere changed as we began to look forward to the night ahead when we got back. Beers being shared among team-mates with bottle tops popping and music playing, we were soon in high spirits enjoying the trip home. Any new players were encouraged to do initiation songs, which made for a laugh and positive atmosphere.
Although we had not got the result we wanted, we made sure to not let it affect our night out. The players shared jokes and laughs, building the team camaraderie that will hopefully be reflected in our performances this season as we look forward to an exciting campaign ahead of us.
- Andrew Sutherland is completing the first year of a BA (Hons) Journalism degree course at Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University and will be playing for Lybster while he is at home in Caithness during the summer.
