Pentland United had to dig deep for title triumph, says proud captain
Captain Luke Manson praised his Pentland United team-mates for the way they dug deep to bring the county league title back to Dunnet for the second time in three years.
The Stabbies were presented with the Caithness AFA Division One trophy before their match against John O’Groats at Ham Park on Tuesday night.
United’s 2-1 victory meant they remained unbeaten throughout the league campaign, finishing four points clear of nearest challengers Wick Groats.
Manson said: “It has been a brilliant season from the boys and it’s a very proud moment for myself to be lifting the trophy. And, after the result tonight, it's an unbeaten season in the league which is an achievement as well. It shows the consistency that we've played with the whole season.
“To be fair, at the start of the season we were really struggling for numbers and in a lot of games we had to really dig deep. There are a few individuals that have played nearly every minute of every game, so we owe a lot of our success to them.”
James Murray put the champions in front with a chipped effort after 12 minutes, taking his goal tally to 38 in all competitions this season. He had received the Caithness AFA first division player of the year award prior to kick-off.
Craig Kennedy broke through to equalise with a composed finish on 37 minutes. United regained the lead nine minutes into the second half when Cameron Montgomery’s cross was headed in by Andy Mackay.
Manson highlighted the Stabbies’ work ethic.
The 27-year-old midfielder said: “There have been some really good teams in the league this year – you don’t really have an easy game in the league. In every game we’ve had to work hard.
“Some of our games with the top four in the league have been extremely tight, but the whole squad has done really well.
“We’ve had a lot of boys that have played a lot of football and there have been a lot of great performances. James Murray is county player of the year and he has had an outstanding season. But it’s not just James, we’ve had good performances throughout the team.”
United’s focus is now fully on Saturday’s Highland Amateur Cup final against Avoch.
John O’Groats co-manager Mark Robertson said: “I believe that we gave a good account of ourselves. There wasn’t much in it. The lads should all be proud of themselves.
“Even though we didn’t win, it was a very close game against the team that won the league and they’re in the Highland Amateur Cup final on Saturday.
“Everyone, including the substitutes, played their part. Our bench was strong and all the boys that came on made a good impact.
“All the best to Pentland United on Saturday. Maybe they would disagree, but I would say a draw would have been a fair result. It’s not as if they played us off the park.”
Results – David Allan Shield final: Staxigoe United 2, Wick Groats 1 (after extra time).
Division Two: Halkirk 12, Pentland 0; Acks 3, Keiss 2; Top Joe’s 5, Pentland 2; Watten 1, Swifts 3.
Division One: Castletown 3, Staxigoe United 2; Pentland United 2, John O’Groats 1; Wick Groats 4, Wick Thistle 1.
Fixtures – Wednesday, August 14 – High Ormlie Hotspur v Lybster (6.45pm).
Friday, August 16 – Promotion/relegation play-off: John O’Groats v Thurso Swifts (Dunnet, 6.30pm).
Saturday, August 17 – Highland Amateur Cup final: Avoch v Pentland United (Harmsworth Park, 2pm).
CAFA league standings – Division One: 1 Pentland United (played 14, points 36); 2 Wick Groats (14, 32); 3 High Ormlie Hotspur (13, 24); 4 Staxigoe United (14, 20); 5 Castletown (14, 19); 6 Lybster (13, 12); 7 John O’Groats (14, 6); 8 Wick Thistle (14, 4).
Division Two (after 12 fixtures each): 1 Keiss (27 points); 2 Swifts (25); 3 Acks (24); 4 Halkirk (22); 5 Watten (15); 6 Top Joe’s (8); 7 Thurso Pentland (1).
