MacTavish success has ’More looking for treble
NEWTONMORE have taken the first step on the road to a possible cup treble
this season with a 5-1 victory at Inverness’s Bught Park over North First Division Lochaber.
Anyone looking at the score and the opposition might conclude that claiming
the MacTavish Cup was a walkover for the Badenoch side.
But in fact the game was more about the Blue and Whites’ instinct for pulling out wins on the big occasion rather than dominating from throw-up to final whistle.
That was acknowledged by Newtonmore boss Norman ‘Brick’ MacArthur after the game and what had been a tough week for him following the death of his nephew, Victor Stockwell.
MacArthur was full of praise for Saturday’s opposition.
“Lochaber played really well and they were only beaten in the end by our greater experience,” he said.
Lochaber had travelled to the Bught knowing that they had so far lost only a single game all season – and that was against Kingussie.
The 3-0 defeat of Newtonmore at the hands of Lovat the previous weekend had also given them much encouragement.
But ‘More’s Glen MacKintosh was there to dent Lochaber hopes in seconds – 41 of them to be exact – with a shot from a tight angle following a corner from Blair MacKintosh.
The ball flashed into the Lochaber net before anyone could blink.
At that point it seemed that a landslide would follow – but the Spean Bridge outfit were not to be beaten so easily.
Lochaber showed plenty of fight, and indeed created probably more chances than Newtonmore. However, it was ‘More’s Chris Sellar who was to figure next on the scoresheet, in the 14th minute.
He was on hand to pick up a contested ball in the left side of the D and flick home for a 2-0 lead.
Lochaber threatened with both Sean Nicolson and Stuart Callison causing problems.
Ben Delaney forced a save out of Michael Ritchie in the ‘More goal on 24 minutes, and two more saves followed on the half hour mark as Lochaber turned up the heat.
Newtonmore manager Norman MacArthur subbed Blair MacKintosh with Connor Jones in the 33rd minute.
However, the key turning point of the game came just before the half time whistle when Callison, one on one with Ritchie, fired wide.
But rather than being only one goal down it was 3-0 just six minutes into the second period.
Sellar scored again this time with a looping shot from a pass by Danny MacRae, who had come on in place of Glen MacKintosh after he picked up a head injury.
Lochaber still forced Ritchie to look lively in the ‘More goal, and got some reward on the hour mark.
Sean Nicolson let fly with a ground shot from distance through a ruck of players that eluded Ritchie.
The heavily-bandaged MacKintosh had come back on for Fraser MacKintosh.
And not long after it was Newtonmore’s skipper, John Mackenzie, who made it 4-1 in the 76th minute.
A Danny MacRae pass had put Glen MacKintosh through on goal, but his shot rebounded off the post and Mackenzie snapped up the opportunity with delight.
The final act of the game saw Danny MacRae run onto a loose ball inside the area and slip it past the keeper for Newtonmore’s fifth.