Fort William dig deep to earn a point
Fort William 1 Clachnacuddin 1 Highland League
FORT William picked up their second point of the league campaign on Saturday after earning a draw with Clachnacuddin, despite playing almost 20 minutes with 10 men.
An early Darren Quigg penalty helped earn the Lochaber side their second draw of the season as they fought hard to resist a second-half Clach resurgence.
The result follows the news last week that the entire board at Fort William Football Club will be stepping down at the end of the season.
The off-field developments didn’t seem to distract the players, however, as they put in a fine performance which possibly deserved more than the solitary point they picked up.
The Fort began the match with intensity and looked to put pressure on the visitors.
Their bright start paid off and after just five minutes, the Fort were awarded a penalty after a clear foul in the area.
Darren Quigg stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball home, netting his first goal since his return to the squad.
The Fort continued to take the game to Clach in the opening exchanges and grew in confidence as the first half went on, with confidence continuing to build.
The half-time whistle blew with the score still at 1-0 and the home dressing room was buoyant after a solid first half performance.
As expected, Clachnacuddin came out in the second half determined to make amends and pushed Fort William back.
They finally got a breakthrough after Kevin Ferguson brought down his man inside the area. Judged to be a foul, the referee blew for a penalty - a decision that was met with doubts in the home support.
Contention
Michael Finnis converted the spot-kick in the 64th minute and put Clach back in contention.
As players tired and tension mounted, the match became fraught with both sets of players giving their all. After a scrappy passage of play and a few tough tackles, Michael Gillespie went in hard on his man.
The strong challenge caught the attention of the referee and Gillespie was soon shown a red card and given his marching orders for the foul. With just 76 minutes on the clock, the Fort had to see out the remaining time with just 10 men.
The Lochaber men dug deep, however, and resisted the Clach pressure. Seventeen-year-old goalkeeper Martin MacKinnon put in a fine performance on his return from a lengthy injury absence and was solid between the posts. The Fort remained resolute in the closing exchanges and managed to see out the draw and secure their second point of the season.
Co-manager Paul MacLellan was pleased with the point: ‘The result was very pleasing. It was especially pleasing to have a good squad to choose from on Saturday as we’ve been hit by a lot of injuries and absences recently.
‘We’ve brought some ex-players into the squad again who have been a big help, especially for the younger players. Their experience was very valuable in a physical match like that.’
Although MacLellan had reservations about the sending off, he was happy with the way his team responded: ‘There were three or four heavy challenges going in right before the foul and so I thought that Michael was a bit hard done by.
‘The boys did well to play almost 20 minutes with a man down though.
‘Having Martin MacKinnon back in goals was a huge bonus, he gives the whole team a great boost in confidence.
‘I also thought John Treasurer did a great job leading the line up front on his own, especially after a number of weeks out through injury.’
Fort William play Fraserburgh away in the Breedong Aggregates Highland League Cup this Saturday, February 10. The side returns to league action next Wednesday, February 14, against Nairn County at Claggan Park.