Battling Fort make Nairn County work for the win
The scoreline does not tell the whole story of this clash at Nairn County’s Station Park on Saturday, with a stubborn Fort William side making it anything but easy for the hosts.
It was a laboured performance from Nairn, albeit one which still garnered three points.
But the home side had many more opportunities and it was only the determined Fort defence, anchored by a heroic performance from keeper Mateusz Kulbacki, that kept the final scoreline to just four goals.
Quiet afternoon
Home keeper Dylan Maclean was only really tested on the 12-minute mark by David McGurk’s low effort from 15 yards. Other than that, Maclean had a quiet afternoon.
The same could not be said for Kulbacki, who was tested throughout the 90 minutes.
Nairn took the lead on nine minutes when a cross from Gussie Dey was headed clear, but only as far as Adam Porritt who marked his half-century of appearances for Nairn by driving home a 20-yard volley.
Kulbacki was in action again 10 minutes later when he got his fingers to a free kick effort that was heading for the top corner of his goal.
Four minutes later the Fort keeper had to get quickly down to his right to halt Cohen Ramsay’s shot from 18 yards.
Kulbacki then denied Nairn vice-captain Glenn Main who fired a curling effort that was latched onto by the tireless Kulbacki.
It looked like the visitors would keep Nairn’s lead to just 1-0 on the half-time break, but a minute into stoppage time and, after his first effort was blocked, Dey made certain with his second, netting the ball in the bottom left-hand corner of the goal for his first goal for the club.
It was more than 30 minutes before Nairn got the scoreboard ticking over again but not before a heroic effort by Kulbacki, flinging out an arm, stopped Dylan Mackenzie from scoring.
Beaten
A minute later, and Kulbacki was beaten when a blocked ball fell to Max Ewan, who netted a low effort from 12 yards. The hosts then slotted their fourth successful strike, when, in the final minute, Porritt’s 20-yard free kick attempt was kept out by Kulbacki, but the ball came to Ewan to slot home his second.
For their next league game, Fort host Deveronvale at Claggan Park this Saturday in the league.