Sinclair hopes Staxigoe United victory will boost confidence
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Manager Colin Sinclair is hoping his Staxigoe United side can start to move up the Caithness AFA Division One table after getting their first league win of the season.
The 3-1 home victory over Lybster on Tuesday night marked a significant improvement for Staxigoe, who had been struggling for confidence.
Staxigoe dominated possession and produced a more polished performance than in previous outings.
Sinclair expressed his satisfaction with the team’s display, saying: “It was a much better result for us this time round.
“I thought we played much better, kept the ball better and moved it around better. We had a bit more quality on the ball this time and managed to take some of our chances.
“Confidence has been a bit low lately, but I’m hoping this win in a difficult game can change things for us now and push us on to get a few more wins and hopefully push us up the table.”
From the outset, Staxigoe looked more composed, controlling the tempo and creating numerous opportunities. Their efforts paid off with three well-taken goals, leaving Lybster with an uphill battle.
The Staxigoe scorers were Jimmy Budge, Graham MacNab and David Murray, with Andrew Sutherland on target for Lybster.
Lybster did have moments where they looked threatening. However, they failed to capitalise on their opportunities, a fact lamented by their manager Cameron Mackenzie.
“I felt we were our own worst enemy,” he said. “Staxigoe have some extremely dangerous players, but we had big chances we could have and should have taken.
“Similarly, at the other end of the park, I felt we could have done much better in defending their goals. We learn from our mistakes, however, and take those lessons into our next game.”
Mackenzie was keen to praise individual performances within his squad.
“Donnie Ross had a great game, moved around the park in terms of positions, never complained, and excelled in every role. He’s a key asset to our squad, and I hope to have him for many years.
“Martin Sutherland, also now signing on after his trialist game tonight, is an excellent addition –an experienced player with a great engine, a massive boost going into the second half of the season.”
However, Mackenzie acknowledged that Lybster’s tactical set-up had not yielded the desired results.
“I felt our newly adopted 3-5-2 didn’t work as well as it has been,” the manager said. “It’s a formation that requires a lot of understanding and communication, and that wasn’t 100 per cent.
“A few key players missing didn’t help this, but it isn’t an excuse given the quality of depth we have.”
Referee unavailability means a new date will have to be found for the Castletown v Lybster match that was scheduled for this Friday.
Results – Colin Macleod Memorial Cup, semi-finals: High Ormlie Hotspur 0, Wick Groats 3; Pentland United 5, Staxigoe United 3. CAFA Division Two: Keiss 4, Halkirk 1.
SWF Highlands and Islands League: Caithness 1, Sutherland 5.
CAFA Division One: Castletown 2, Wick Groats 6; High Ormlie Hotspur 2, Pentland United 3; John O’Groats 2, Wick Thistle 2; Staxigoe United 3, Lybster 1.
CAFA Division Two: Keiss 2, Top Joe’s 3.
Fixtures – Thursday, May 23 – CAFA Division Two: Acks v Pentland; Halkirk v Watten; Keiss v Swifts (all 7.15pm).
Friday, May 24 – Division One: High Ormlie Hotspur v Wick Thistle; John O’Groats v Wick Groats; Staxigoe United v Pentland United (all 7.15pm).
Tuesday, May 28 – Eain Mackintosh Cup, first round: Castletown v Pentland United; High Ormlie Hotspur v Wick Groats; Keiss v Lybster; Swifts v John O’Groats; Wick Thistle v Staxigoe United (all 7.15pm).
Wednesday, May 29 – Eain Mackintosh Cup, first round: Top Joe’s v Halkirk; Watten v Pentland (both 7.15pm). Acks have a bye.
