Glen reach the tricky part of the season

Glen 0 Fort 3 (Premier League)

It was hard to make any sense of this actual game. What do you do when you have a team that appears to play well enough but cannot score? Probably take up another pastime because who can bear the frustration of watching a group of guys perform with all the urgency of a cat sleeping in front of the fire after the intensity and energy displayed the last week against Newtonmore. The only upside to the whole thing is that Neil Paterson the photographer was kind enough to send a pic or two. The other saving grace is that the Glen spectators were able to welcome Fort legend James Clark back to Blairbeg where once upon a time he played as a youngster in the black and red. Don’t believe that? It was for the school when the other wee Fort (aka Kilchumein) and Drum (aka Glen Urquhart) combined to produce a competitive squad in the MacBean. Someone must have a picture.
Whatever- Glen went in to this game five players down which sounds bad but when you have Kingussie with seven players down going off to Bute and winning 3-0 in the Camanachd Cup, then perhaps it is time to shut up and get on with it. However, let’s put the cards on the table- the absence of Eddie Tembo in midfield and Davie Girvan at the back is not going to be fixed any time soon so we are going to have to work round it. Work round it eh? That is exactly what Bryan “Boob” Simpson of Fort William did in the first five minutes of this game. With the Glen having conceded a foul out on the A 82 side of the field, Gary Innes sent the ball out to Simpson who bashed the ball into the net from a narrow angle. Glen were left to chase the game.
The notes in the little note book from this point on lack detail- but they add up to one thing overall-Glen failed to score. Have a read yourself; “8 mins-Glen pressed but N Reid’s final attempt went wide.10 min Lewis M. found himself in some space but the ball went past. 16 min ball was played through to Reid who came off the back to make space but once again the ball ran out of play. 25 min- a long ball from Arran Macdonald but went past-worth a try. 29 min –foul by Robertson on Reid ball slipped across to B Urquhart but too far ahead and ball went past. Good thing Ally Mackintosh and Liam Girvan playing well at back-just as well. Fort wing centre Alex Duncan injures shoulder-game stopped for a time. 34 min drive on target from N Reid after BU sent ball through to him- well saved by Mackay. 36 min S Mack volleys ball away in air after shot from Simpson. 40 mins- Gary Innes scores- ball comes down the left-red haired sub-where is the marking? Innes runs through pops ball over the line. 2-0. Glen attack -44 mins-Lewis M -long ball on keeper but knocked away. H.T.”
And there they are- the last words that went down in the notebook. Fort two up- goals pinched at the start and end of the first half.
There is nothing more frustrating than watching the Glen- unless, having seen them in the Balliemore semi, it is watching Beauly. There you have a team with all the talent in the world but they don’t win when it matters. It has got to be a psychological thing.
Anyway the Wing Centre went home and did not bother with the second half though it transpires that Glen played with more conviction and hit the post twice. It was left to youngster Ryan Campbell to seal the Fort victory with a late goal when Glen were pushing up to try to get something back.

Hendo’s Crowd 4 Kingussie 0 (North Div 2)

There are no notes on this game only a note of surprise at the result. But then not really because it turns out that the Kingussie top side were so short that they had to play a team of kids and granddads in the King’s seconds to complete the fixture- though it has to be said that their granddads are something else- Davy Anderson and Dallas Young put in performances and well done to the pair of them. Gregor MacCormick scored three excellent Glen goals in the first half and Daniel Mackintosh again kept up his goal a game average. The seconds now have to prepare for a semi against Kyles in the Sutherland down in the depth of Argyllshire-it will be a tough gig- and they will be without big Donald Fraser at the back. He twisted his ankle badly and will be on the side-lines for a few weeks.

Glen 4 Oban Camanachd 1 (Premier League)

This was a game the Glen had to win - and said win was delivered-but it is to be hoped it was not a pyrrhic victory since Andrew Corrigan was sent off on a red card after having a dispute with his Oban opponent. Seems the young lad was a Macmillan-indeed an historic name in this area and so he will not have been the first Macmillan to have been involved in a scrap in the Glen.
As far as the game went the word is that apart from the fact it was somewhat tousy it was pretty flat and the Glen played well in parts though Oban are a talented team They were missing Aiden Macintyre for some reason, which was just as well for the Glen . Oban had come off a close game in the Celtic final with Kyles where they almost made something happen and then had the fixture reversed since Mossfield was not available for some reason which turned out to be a lucky break for Glen.
The first goal too came shrouded in good fortune when a shot from David Smart was deflected home. Then came two goals from John Barr-he had been switched up front in the manner of a Hector Whitelaw as a tactical move to make sure Glen won a game it had to. With the side feeding the ball into his feet, though not as often as they ought, he had the beating of the back and proved it with two goals, the first of them a very well taken strike and the second a well-judged tap in. One would not like to see John up there all the time but depending on the opponents it is sensible to “do a Hector” from time to time.
The final goal was good also and came at a time when Oban were on the way back into the game having scored to make it 3-1. Ruaraidh Cameron who had played and competed hard against opponents who were not slow to let the stick go, stuck to his task and got the ball over to Neale Reid who brought it down and smashed it home to make it 4-1 and get the points.
The verdict? A must win which was won but tinged a little with the disappointment of the Corky sending off.
So where are we? There is a must win at Glenorchy-one remembers how in a similar situation points were lost at GMA. Something can be done against Kyles at Drum though now that they are surprisingly out of the Camanachd they will be desperate for League success. We probably have to do something against Inveraray at Drum too and hopefully they will be on a Camanachd mission which will distract them. There are also chances at Oban and Kilmallie but these will depend on our commitment and just how much we want it. Even a couple more draws would make a difference. We do want it, don’t we? I’ll take that as a yes.
Thanks to Neil Paterson for the photos: quality!! (www.neilgpaterson.com/ )
The other piece of quality is Mr Tembo who was unable to play on Saturday but took in a few minutes of the Oban game –his tartan is Macleod after his Mam’s side of the family. Get fit quick , Ed

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