Sinclair pays the price for red card
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IT was a costly exit from the David Allan Shield in more ways than one for Stuart Sinclair after his Watten troops bowed out of the competition to Top Joes last week.
Not only did they lose 5-3, Sinclair himself was the turning point of the match for the opposition as his sending off when Watten were 2-1 up switched the tide in Top Joes’ favour.
Sinclair himself had earlier got on the scoresheet – as would
Kai Cameron and Scott McAlpine.
But Top Joes replied with a superb Kris Smith hat-trick, a Harry Milton strike and Euan MacGregor penalty – which Sinclair had handed on a plate.
The Watten player/manager handled on the line and left the referee with no option but to send him for an early bath. And the red card also burnt a hole in his wallet.
“We have a fine jar for players who are booked or sent off during a game and I’ll be making a sizeable donation to that,” he said.
“We were 2-1 up and looking comfortable. Then our keeper was lobbed and, as I was tracking back at the time, out of instinct I put out a hand to stop the ball from going in.
“I knew as soon as I did it that I’d be off – although it wasn’t a bad save. But I was a bit red-faced because Top Joes not only had a chance to level the game but would be playing against 10 men from here on in.
“And fair play to Top Joes. They took full advantage of my being sent off and put in a good display to knock us out.”
Top Joes boss Bruce Cormack was delighted with his team – all the more so considering the rough start they’ve had to the season.
“It’s been tough but we finally got our first couple of wins over this past week,” he said.
“We’ve a close-knit bunch of boys who work hard and never give up and the fact we’ve turned our form around is testament to their character.
“We’re not getting carried away. We’ll see how the next few fixtures pan out first before we can say we’ve turned a corner.”
Top Joes continued their winning run when they defeated Francis Street Club 3-1 in the latest round of Division Two matches.
Derek Campbell, Derek Munro and Kris Smith netted for Joes while Francis Street’s consolation came from Mark Macdougall.
Castletown maintained their position at the top of the league with a 5-2 win over Thurso Pentland. Wick Thistle are a point behind after a thumping 9-0 victory at Keiss.
Ross Macleod (2), Marc Gunn (2), Steven Budge, Ross Macadie,
Greg Mackay, Andy Falconer and Taylor Campbell netted for Thistle.
Watten recovered from their cup exit thanks to goals from Michael Budge and Kai Cameron as they saw off FC Retro 2-1.
