We have no room for error, warns Pentland United boss Gray
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PENTLAND United kept the pressure on Caithness AFA Division One leaders Wick Groats with a 2-0 victory against Thurso Acks in a rearranged match at the Dammies.
United could not afford any slip-ups ahead of their top-of-the-table clash with Groats this Thursday night but it took a couple of second half goals from Michael Petrie and Andy Mackay to get the job done against a depleted Acks side.
“We struggled for fluency early on but it got a bit better in the second half,” admitted United manager Michael Gray. “Overall it was a deserved win but a lot of credit goes to the Acks who remained competitive throughout.”
Looking ahead to what could be a title-defining clash against Groats, he added: “We know if we want to win the league this year we are going to have to win all our games – there is no room for error.
"Groats have had the upper hand against us this season. They've won all four games, and that's a disappointment. In a lot of those games the big moments have not gone in our favour and we came up a little bit short.
"But we remain full of confidence. We think the guys we have are good enough to get the job done. Hopefully that starts on Thursday night.”
Wick Thistle and High Ormlie Hotspur will contest the Steven Cup final on Friday, August 9, at Lybster, after winning their respective semi-final ties.
Thistle took the lead midway through the first half against Thurso Pentland when Andy Falconer netted from the penalty spot. But it was all square again after Ewan Scott scored with a screamer of a shot just before the break.
We think the guys we have are good enough to get the job done. Hopefully that starts on Thursday.
Two late goals finally saw Thistle through. Marc Gunn tapped in at the back post to put Thistle 2-1 up before Colin Henstridge added a third with a side-foot finish.
Thistle boss Alan Farquhar said: “Thurso Pentland are a much-improved squad than the last time we played them. It was a very close game but we made a couple of changes after an hour which gave us the boost we needed to go on and win.”
High Ormlie Hotspur powered their way into the final after an 8-0 romp against Watten.
James Mackenzie scored a hat-trick, while Liam Bain chipped in with a couple of goals. Ryan Sutherland jnr, Lee Sutherland and Korbyn Cameron got the rest as Spurs went on a goal spree.
