We've made such progress, says Erridge as Caithness Ladies make sure of third place
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Captain Carly Erridge says Caithness Ladies have benefited from having greater depth to their squad this year with players fighting for a place in the starting line-up.
She was speaking after the team secured third place in the SWF Highlands and Islands League by beating Nairn 7-0 in their last match of the season. It was a campaign that also saw Caithness reach the Highlands and Islands League Cup final for the first time, losing out to double winners Buckie.
They needed a win from Sunday's match against Nairn at the Naver all-weather pitch in Thurso to be sure of finishing in the top three behind Buckie and Orkney. The outcome was never in doubt as Caithness raced to a four-goal lead at half-time and went on to add three more, the last two goals coming in stoppage time.
Erridge was also keen to highlight the impact Tom McKenna has made since becoming head coach.
"We've made such progress from last year," she said. "I think last year we were either second or third from the bottom and knocked out in the first round of the cup – so to get to the final and third in the league, we're pretty chuffed with that.
"This man [McKenna] has got big plans for next season.
"He has done so much for the club and I can't thank him enough. He has brought us on so much from where we were last year, with kind of the same players.
"This is the first year we've actually had enough players to be able to pick a team. In previous years it was a case of 'you've been to training once, you make the squad and the starting eleven'.
"But this year everybody has had to fight for their jersey, so it's good to have that depth in the squad."
After early pressure, Sophie Kinghorn opened the scoring on 15 minutes with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box. Four minutes later Sarah Henderson doubled their lead from close range and Kinghorn added her second of the afternoon after 34 minutes when she broke through to slot the ball beyond the Nairn keeper.
Another spell of pressure brought the fourth on 40 minutes when Hannah Hutson was on hand to lash the ball home.
The game fell flat in the second half and the fifth goal didn't arrive until the 84th minute when Rachel Campbell found the net after a shot from Erridge came off a post.
In stoppage time, Erridge ran through unchallenged on the left and fired the ball high into the net to make it 6-0. There was still time for one more as Erridge again outpaced the Nairn defence on the left and her cutback gave Campbell a simple finish.
McKenna said: "I think we calculated 30 shots and seven goals.
"I thought it was a scrappy affair. The girls didn't get the ball down and display the standard of football they're used to playing. I don't know why that was.
"We've got to try and maintain the standards we've set for ourselves, and push ourselves to keep those standards up."
Assessing the season as a whole, McKenna said: "We've got to a final, we've finished in third place in the league – the hard thing is trying to better that next year. But they're capable of doing that.
"We'll change the amount of times they train. The ladies have only been training once a week – it was only prior to the final that we were training twice a week, so hopefully we can go to twice a week next year and that'll give a better foundation to move forward."
Meanwhile, Erridge picked out two teenagers who featured in Sunday's game.
"Our keeper is 15 years old, Geena Hossack, and she has had a phenomenal year," Erridge said. "And Kayleigh Henderson, who is 17, that was her first game today."
Erridge (31), who works as a Dounreay contract manager, feels it is important to ensure there is a pathway for girls keen to get involved in the game locally.
"I think that's the next step forward for us," she said. "Growing up, there wasn't a pathway for me to follow – I pretty much didn't play eleven-a-side football until I went off to uni, so yes, it's something that we would like to get set up in the county."
Carly Erridge is among the nominees in this year's ScottishPower SWF Awards.
The Caithness captain is shortlisted in the Highlands and Islands Player of the Year category along with Franci Hutchison (Sutherland), Lisa Mason (Nairn) and Sophia Golebiewski (Buckie).
Caithness head coach Tom McKenna said: "What a fantastic achievement for Carly and another first for the club."
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Hampden Park on November 25.
