McKenna will urge Caithness Ladies to improve in front of goal
Head coach Tom McKenna will challenge Caithness Ladies to show a more clinical edge in their next SWF Highlands and Islands League campaign.
McKenna says the players can be proud of their achievements this year but he believes they could have been title contenders if they had turned more of their scoring opportunities into goals.
Caithness reached the final of the Highlands and Islands League Cup last month and are well placed to finish in the top three in the league. A win in their last match of the season, against Nairn in Thurso on Sunday, will make sure of third place and a draw should be enough.
On Saturday they underlined the progress they have made when they travelled to Stromness and beat second-placed Orkney 5-3 with two goals by Sarah Henderson followed by a treble from Sophie Kinghorn. It was 2-2 at half-time but Caithness took charge after the break.
McKenna said: “It was a fantastic statement, to beat a strong Orkney team 5-3.
“You could say they took their foot off the pedal but they had a good squad out. It's a kind of derby, a Caithness v Orkney fixture, so there is a rivalry and it was a very competitive game.
“It was somewhat scrappy but we created 12 opportunities in front of goal just in the first half. That has been the story of our season, without exaggeration.
“I thought we were the dominant team and we played the better football. We created by far the better chances.
“In the second half our retention of the ball was a lot better and we looked as though we wanted it a lot more. We were more purposeful in our approach in every element of the game.
“I thought we deserved to come away as victors.”
In a player-of-the-match display, 41-year-old Kinghorn scored the "perfect hat-trick" of right foot, left foot and header.
“I gave them all targets and goals throughout the season and she told me she had achieved her objectives so she was absolutely thrilled about that as well," McKenna said.
Looking to the future, the head coach said: "We've got to become more clinical and that's something we will work on for next year.
"If we'd scored the goals we should have scored, we would probably be fighting with Buckie [the champions] to win this league. For me as a coach, that's what I find frustrating.
"It's something I've got to work on with these girls, to improve in front of goal.
"When they sit down and reflect on the season, from where we were last year, they've got themselves to a final and they'll hopefully finish third in the league. That's a fantastic achievement.
"It is testament to everybody's commitment and the work they've put in this year. They've done well. Next year we've got to try and take that forward again."
Although the Caithness Ladies usually play their home games in Castletown, Sunday's match against bottom club Nairn takes place at the Naver all-weather pitch in Thurso with a 2pm kick-off.
Caithness won 8-1 when the teams played at Nairn in June.
