Caithness United hit four to secure first win of the under-16s Highland League season over Fort William in Wick
Three goals in the last 17 minutes of Caithness United’s match against Fort William ended any hopes the visitors had of forcing a draw at Upper Binold Park last Sunday.
The hosts in Wick took the lead midway through the first half of the under-16s Highland Football League fixture when Max Ross timed his run well to nip in front of his marker and neatly finish from Cory Miller’s cross.
From there, Caithness looked comfortable controlling play, although Fort William did still pose a threat on the counter attack.
Home goalkeeper Kyle Bain did have work to do from those quick breaks, ensuring Caithness held on to their lead going into the closing stages of the match.
With just over 15 minutes left to play, Jamie Steven would make it 2-0 with a beautifully executed half volley from the edge of the box that flew into the top corner.
That proved to be a sucker punch to Fort William’s players, and Caithness would capitalise by adding to their tally.
They would hit the post twice before Cory Miller finally made it 3-0, and that was not all as Liam Semple was rewarded for his efforts by adding the cherry on top with a fourth, as opening scorer Ross turned provider with the cross from the left wing.
Securing the three points meant that Caithness got their first league win of the season, having previously lost to Clachnacuddin and Inverness Athletic.
Caithness coach Alan Kennedy noted after the match that his side is still adapting to this level, commenting: “We’ve been a little unfortunate the first two games of the season not to have taken any points, but for me that wasn’t the most disappointing aspect of those defeats by the odd goal was our performance levels.
“We know we have a talented squad of players this season, but they need to want it more and adapt quicker to under-16s football at this level, rather than simply coast through games and expect a positive outcome.
“We have made demands on them that they’ll have to take on board if they want to be competitive in this league, and in fairness they have made a big step towards that today.
“It was much better – the desire and hunger they showed this afternoon was more in-keeping with our expectations.
“It was by no means perfect, and I know they have more to give individually & collectively, but they have set the bar now, and we have emphasised to them the importance of raising that bar progressively through the remainder of the season.
“Today’s victory has definitely given the lads a positive bounce, so we are now all looking forward to getting back on the training ground and working harder still on improving the squad.”
