Vikings aiming to kick-start their North Caledonian campaign in return fixture against Golspie
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Thurso will be looking to kick-start their North Caledonian League campaign on Saturday when they take on Golspie for the second time in just over three weeks.
The Vikings have yet to pick up a point or even score a goal after their opening two fixtures, but manager Stevie Reid has faith in his young squad and knows it will take time for them to get fully up to speed with life in Division One.
Golspie will not exactly be an unknown quantity for Thurso when the teams meet at King George V Park. The Sutherland side – consisting largely of Caithness-based players – won 3-0 at the Dammies as recently as October 17, the opening day of the season.
"I find it strange because we just played Golspie a few weeks ago in our first game and now we're playing them again," Reid said. "I can't fathom that one out, but never mind – it is what it is.
"Golspie are always one of the top teams in it. We know all the players, it's mostly Caithness folk anyway.
"We know what to expect. We know it'll be a really hard game as normal. It's just a matter of hopefully taking our chances when they come.
"We haven't even scored a goal yet. Something has got to give.
"In the first game against Golspie we certainly deserved a goal. Young Sam Barclay was unlucky. But there is plenty to encourage them, and they seem in happy fettle, so we should be good to go."
Reid says this season is a learning curve for his youngsters, while the experience of the injured James Murray is a big miss.
"We've had a clutch of new faces in this year and a lot of younger boys, so it's understandable that it's going to take a bit of time to get where we want to be," the manager said. "But they are all training well so they can look forward to it.
"It's all a learning curve for a lot of them.
"We miss the likes of James Murray. He brings such a lot when he takes the ball in and starts the game from further up the park – there's probably nobody in the league that's as good at it. Shaun Kerr at Invergordon is maybe similar.
"We haven't had that year – James is still out with a knee injury and could be for a while, which is a shame, so we don't have that focal point."
It will be Thurso's first match since the 4-0 loss at Halkirk on October 24. Last weekend's scheduled game against Orkney was called off after the Vikings were unable to raise a team.
Reid had warned last midweek that a number of his players had misgivings about making the trip across the Pentland Firth amid the coronavirus restrictions, with concerns around transport issues and the lack of access to changing facilities.
"It just didn't sit right with me and obviously with most of the boys as well," Reid said. "For this season as well in the North Caledonian League you're not allowed to play trialists, so you couldn't even go hunting around looking for boys to help you out for a game."
The Vikings understand there will be no points deduction or fine resulting from the call-off.
"I'm waiting for confirmation that it was just postponed – I don't think we concede points," Reid said. "The league secretary more or less said that to me when I phoned him. These are extreme circumstances.
"Usually it would incur a fine as well, but because of the scenario that's going on just now it can't be helped. We've just got to do what we can."
Golspie Sutherland manager Andrew Banks says having most of his squad coming from Caithness makes them fully aware of the challenge from Thurso on Saturday, writes Will Clark.
The Golspie side is largely made up of players from John O’Groats, Staxigoe United and Wick Groats who play in the Caithness AFA league during the summer. They have also signed former Wick Academy midfielder Sam Mackay this season.
Banks, who played for and managed at Staxigoe United, says it is always an advantage to have that kind of knowledge in his squad when playing Thurso or Halkirk United.
“It is always like a derby when we play Thurso,” he said. “Most of our players come from three clubs – John O’Groats, Staxigoe United and Wick Groats – so we know the players at Thurso.
“We were quite surprised how they got beaten at Halkirk United so heavily [4-0]. But we know that it will be a tough game against them and hopefully we can get another three points.”
Golspie beat Thurso 3-0 at the Dammies on the opening day of the season thanks to goals from Eddie MacGregor, Sam Mackay and Craig Ross (penalty).
Banks says it is surprising that the fixtures have been planned so the two teams are playing each other again so quickly, as they have yet to meet other teams in the league.
But he says Golspie will have to improve from their injury-time 2-1 win against St Duthus in Tain last weekend as they remain three points behind league leaders Invergordon.
“We weren’t playing particularly well in the first hour of the game, but once we got back in it there was only one team that was going to win it,” he said. “I didn’t think the goal was going to come for us after launching attack after attack, but it did.
“It was an important win as it keeps us on track.”
North Caledonian League fixtures: Friday – Division Two: Loch Ness v Nairn County "A".
Saturday – Division One: Golspie Sutherland v Thurso; Halkirk United v St Duthus; Invergordon v Orkney. Division Two; Inverness Athletic v Bonar Bridge; Scourie v Alness United.
