Thurso manager sees ‘massive improvement’ ahead of Caithness derby
Thurso will be looking to make life as difficult as possible for table-topping Halkirk United in this weekend’s North Caledonian League derby at the Dammies.
The Vikings remain third from bottom, having lost their last nine league matches, and they have now gone five games without scoring after last Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to St Duthus.
However, manager Tom McKenna took great encouragement from the performance against the Tain outfit.
“The boys did well,” he said. “There was a massive improvement.
“Speaking to the lads afterwards, they enjoyed it as well. We played a new formation and the boys really embraced it.
“Outwith the result, the performance was really positive. I think if we had a player in the final third who had a striker’s instinct, regarding their movement in and around the box, it would have been a different result.
“I was really chuffed with the boys.”
St Duthus moved into the top half of the table as a result of their win at Thurso. The goal arrived on six minutes when Liam Rostock bundled the ball in from close range.
McKenna said: “They beat us 6-0 down there [in September] and they came up here and just beat us 1-0. When you look at it that way, there’s progression.
“That’s all we can ask for, where we are in the league and at this stage in the season. I was really proud of the guys.”
Thurso had a night to forget when they were hammered 9-1 by Halkirk United at Morrison Park in September.
The Anglers will be looking to get back to winning ways after having to settle for a 0-0 draw with Invergordon.
McKenna said: “Halkirk United have got some of the best players in the county. They do have a lot of quality, hence they are top of the league.
“A lot of them have grown up together, they’ve played in certain teams over a period of time, so they’ve got a great understanding of one another.
“It’ll be a difficult ask for us, but the lads will give 100 per cent. It’s a derby and hopefully the guys turn up with the right attitude and the right frame of mind to go out and make it very difficult for Halkirk United in every aspect of the game.”
North Caledonian League results: Alness United 2, Orkney 3; Golspie Sutherland 0, Inverness Athletic 4; Halkirk United 0, Invergordon 0; Thurso 0, St Duthus 1.
Fixtures – Saturday, February 22 – North Caledonian League: Bonar Bridge v Invergordon; Fort William v Bunillidh Thistle; Golspie Sutherland v Alness United; Orkney v Inverness Athletic; St Duthus v Clachnacuddin “A”; Thurso v Halkirk United (1pm).