Kingussie seconds boss John Gibson hails his team’s big game mentality
Kingussie seconds co-mananger John Gibson has hailed his team for stepping up in the big occasions as they close in on promotion.
The Kingussie colts are on the brink of taking the Mowi North Division 2 title after coming from behind to beat the Kilmallie colts 3-1 in their top of the match at the Canal Parks on Saturday.
The Kings went into the game eight points ahead of second placed Kilmallie although they had played two games more.
Shane O’Rua gave Kilmallie a six-minute lead and the Kings went on the hunt for an equaliser but were foiled by some excellent goalkeeping.
The second half was pretty much one-way traffic towards the Kilmallie goal, and the visitors had the chance to level on the hour when they were awarded them a penalty.
Michael Slimon stepped up and struck the ball well, but his spot-hit smashed off the crossbar.
The hosts held out until 20 minutes from time when Jack Nelson fired high into the top corner of the net, across the goalkeeper.
Jack Nelson then turned provider as he made a really good block on the edge of the box allowing Toby Thain to drill home the loose ball to make it 2-1 with five minutes remaining.
Michael Slimon got his goal in the final minute to round off the scoring.
Reflecting on the 90 minutes, Kingussie co-manager John Gibson said: “That was a big win for us and the final scoreline doesn’t tell the full story.
“We knew it would be tough as Kilmallie are a strong team and the weather was pretty poor with large puddles all over the pitch.
“We didn’t start well and lost an early goal. We started to compete after that and probably had the better opportunities in the first half but struggled to get the first goal.
“We had a number of excellent performances with the pick being Somhairle Fraser, Macleod Dawson and James Hutchison who controlled the midfield.
“I’m really delighted with how our guys dug in with a really gritty performance in tough conditions.
“Our best two performances this season have probably come against Kilmallie in the league.”
Next up for the Kings is a Mowi North Division 2 game against Boleskine at the Dell on Saturday.
Lewis Camanachd’s win against the Inverness second team at the weekend moves them into second place, but Kingussie could clinch the league title if they beat Boleskine and Lewis lose at third placed Kilmallie.