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| NEWTON STEWART 3 - CAITHNESS 6 by Iain Grant |
| Fri 16th Nov 2007 |
.THE Greens eked out an invaluable away win on Saturday in a tussle that turned on a sudden-death penalty shoot-out in the final minute.
A vigorously contested but less-than-riveting contest at Bladnoch Park seemed to be heading for a draw until the late drama. Such an outcome, combined with other results, would have consigned Caithness to the foot of Scottish Hydro-Electric National League Division 2.
But Blair McIntosh's second penalty, coming in the immediate wake of an abortive attempt at the other end, ensured they made the marathon trek north in high spirits.
The hard-earned first victory on the road broke a dispiriting run of seven straight defeats.
Though gutsy displays in the last two home matches against title contenders had given cause for hope, ending the barren run was vital if losing was not to become ingrained in the Greens' psyche. It also gives them the perfect lift to meet the challenge they face with tomorrow's visit of promotion hopefuls Dumfries.
Newton Stewart are still reeling from the recent untimely death of past club president Gordon Armstrong. The 59-year-old farmer was the driving force behind the club's formation in 1984 and had taken a close interest in its development since. His two sons, Niall and Graham, were in the squad for Saturday's match with Newton Stewart looking to extend an impressive home record of four wins and one defeat.
Caithness were missing their suspended skipper Ewen Boyd but were boosted by Stevie Campbell's return from injury. Their starting line-up featured the experiment of fielding regular flanker Danny Gordon at full-back, while Hamish Coghill was a last-minute replacement on the bench.
From early on, it was evident that the packs were well matched and there would be few attacking opportunities wide out as both sides favoured a route-one, direct approach. The wily Newton Stewart hooker nicked a few strikes against the head in the scrums, though the Greens replied in kind with several steals at the line-out.
Home full-back Aaron Richards and McIntosh exchanged penalties in a first half in which the buckets of sweat excreted were not complemented by the sparks of ingenuity needed to prise open the respective clam-like defences.
The deadlock continued in the second half as neither side was able to make decisive inroads.
The tryless game looked to be heading the home side's way in the final minute when a series of attacks led to the Greens being penalised at a ruck. The kick was well within Richards' range but he failed to make the proper contact and it came up short.
Caithness gamely opted to run the ball from the shadow of their own posts. A stirring sequence took play to within 35 yards of the home try-line, midway between the posts and the right corner-flag.
A home forward flopped over the ruck to illegally prevent the ball being recycled. After the resultant penalty had been unerringly struck by McIntosh, the referee blew for no-side.
Newton Stewart secretary Gregor Christie reckoned the double whammy was cruel on the home side.
"It was a very close game and probably a draw would have been a fair result," he said. "But all credit to Caithness for making the marathon trip and getting a result."
Caithness coach Jim MacMillan praised his troops for the unstinting effort they had put in. Beforehand, he had adjudged the game to be winnable and he was as "chuffed" as the players to have come home with four points.
"It wasn't a pretty game in terms of attacking rugby but the guys really stuck in well," he said. "The front five all put in a really good shift against tough opponents.
"We didn't create an awful lot but we defended well and didn't really look like we were going to concede a try. Outright scoring opportunities were few and far between."
MacMillan said the performances in recent weeks have benefited from the return of experienced players and a more settled formation. Campbell's return on Saturday had been a big boost.
Looking ahead to tomorrow's match, the coach has options – almost for the first time – as he considers the make-up of his squad and the starting XV.
"It's nice to have these selection difficulties," he said. "Obviously I will be fair to the guys who travelled to Newton Stewart. But there could be one or two players who might be disappointed that they don't get a start."
Second row John Miller is doubtful. He had to be replaced shortly before half-time on Saturday after twisting an ankle.
Stand-off Gary Mackay also faces a late fitness test after he injured a foot playing football on Monday. On the credit side, skipper Boyd is free of suspension and William Mill, David Pottinger and Norman Foubister are all available.
The Greens face a team who beat them 53-3 on their own patch in the second game of the season.
MacMillan has no illusions about the challenge his men face tomorrow. "They turned us over big-style down there," he admitted. "They are certainly the slickest outfit we have played against by quite a long way.
"One thing against them is that they have not been travelling particularly well, and if we can keep up the momentum we have built up we'll give them a decent game. It promises to be a good game to watch."
The match at Millbank kicks off at 2pm.
Caithness: D. Gordon, G. MacLeod, B. McIntosh, D. Smith, J. Sinclair, G. Mackay, K. Hamilton, L. MacNicol, H. Pottinger, R. Pottinger, J. Miller, A. Morris, G. Anderson, E. Sutherland, S. Campbell (captain). Replacements (used): C. Smith, H. Coghill, K. Gove.
* Results on Saturday have given a claustrophobic feel to the bottom of the division. Caithness are among four sides at the foot separated by just two points.
Allan Glen's showed their mettle by levering themselves off the bottom with a gritty 23-19 away win over city rivals Glasgow Accies. Allied to the Greens' success, that leaves Stewartry back in 12th and last spot after their 26-5 home defeat at the hands of Highland.
Howe of Fife made it 11 straight wins with an impressive 44-12 victory over second-placed Forrester. The Edinburgh side are now firmly in the sights of Dumfries, who racked up their fifth win on the trot by defeating Kilmarnock 30-15.
In the other match, Linlithgow won 28-5 at Grangemouth.
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| 1st XV Season (2009/10) |
| Kilmarnock 81 - 5 Caithness |
| 17th Apr 10 - KO: 12:00 |
| Venue: Bellsland |
| :: Match Report |
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| 1st XV Season (2010/11) |
| Caithness vs Kilmarnock |
| 4th Sep 10 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Millbank |
| :: More Fixtures |
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