Red and blacks get a share of the points
Saturday March 23 saw three local derbies in the Mowi Premiership and the continuation of Fort William’s good start to their Mowi National Division campaign. Stephen Sloss had Chrissie MacMillan free of suspension but a knee problem meant he started on the bench alongside Keith MacMillan and Ross Campbell.
Scott MacKillop remained out with a foot injury and Daniel Madej was not risked as he had a hamstring niggle.
Kinlochshiel manager Johnston Gill was content to allow Keith MacRae to continue his return from a serious knee injury with the club’s second string. Defender David Falconer had a shoulder problem so he also missed out.
Kinlochshiel started towards the golf course end of Mossfield with the wind at their backs but the first chance of the match fell to Oban Camanachd after two minutes. Scott MacMillan played the ball to Daniel MacCuish who gave Andrew MacCuish the chance to shoot, but he was denied by a good save by Stuart MacRae who turned the ball away low to his right.
Lorne Dickie, Aidan MacIntyre and Scott MacMillan in the Oban Camanachd midfield struggled to get into top gear and, midway through the half, Oban Camanachd changed formation in attack from the traditional two-two to a three-one formation with Andrew MacCuish alone up top on the ‘D’.
The hosts had a great chance to take the lead on 28 minutes when Daniel MacVicar was hacked down inside the ‘D’. Referee Ross Brown awarded a penalty but Andrew MacCuish, who rarely misses from the spot, saw his effort go agonisingly wide of the keeper’s left post.
Oban Camanachd got the goal they craved a couple of minutes before the break. Aidan MacIntyre sent the host’s first corner of the match into the danger area but neither Daniel MacVicar nor Andrew MacCuish could get on the end of it and the ball was turned away for another corner. This time McIntyre drifted the ball to the near post where a defender turned it away. Scott MacMillan ran in on the far side and shied the ball down into the net to give his side the lead.
Oban Camanachd manager Stephen Sloss asked more of his players at the break and the home side now had the wind in their favour.
Chances were few and far between, however, with most of the game now played out in the midfield.
Aidan MacIntyre sent a ball into the goal area on 63 minutes and, when Kinlochshiel failed to clear, Daniel MacVicar whipped a shot over the top so it remained 1-0.
Oban Camanachd made changes with youngster Ross Campbell coming on in attack where he went on to do well against Scottish international Connor Cormack.
Malcolm Clark, who did well as a make-shift half back, was replaced by Keith MacMillan.
With the match finely balanced, Kinlochshiel drew level on 71 minutes. Jordan Fraser, who was well policed by Garry Lord, got away from his marker and his shot from the angle on the left beat keeper Cameron Sutherland at his near post.
Oban Camanachd went back on the attack and a Daniel MacCuish shot fizzed wide on 78 minutes.
It was Kinlochshiel who produced a storming finish. Cameron Sutherland did well to use his hand to keep out Duncan Matheson’s strike on 87 minutes.
Jordan Fraser crashed a shot over before Finlay MacRae’s effort was parried with his legs by keeper Sutherland with a minute of regulation time remaining.
Oban Camanachd’s Daniel Cameron picked up a yellow card for persistent fouling which means he will miss his side’s next match at Kingussie in early April.
Oban Camanachd assistant manager Kenny Wotherspoon said: ‘We are aiming high this season so we’re disappointed with another draw.
‘I think it will be a season where all teams in the league will drop points and no-one is going to win all their games.
‘We don’t have a match this Saturday which is frustrating as the season has been stop-start so far.
‘On the plus side, it will give the players who are carrying injuries the chance to rest and recover.’
Lochaber 1 Kilmallie 2
Kilmallie and Lochaber were scheduled to meet at Canal Parks but wet weather meant the fixture was reversed to Spean Bridge on Friday.
Kilmallie attackers Calum MacDougall and Bryan MacKay were added to the squad which beat Newtonmore on the opening day of the season with the latter starting on the bench.
Martin Stewart also returned and played at wing back. Key defenders Steven Stewart and Stephen McAlister were unavailable so Craig MacIsaac was pulled in at half back with Robbie McFadyen going to full back. Both were outstanding.
Lochaber have Calum MacDonald back in goals after missing most of last season through injury but they were without Martin Johnstone.
This was a very close match and Calum MacDonald made good saves in the first half.
Kilmallie’s Liam MacDonald broke the deadlock on 57 minutes after a period of sustained pressure.
Lochaber came right back into it though with a Ben Delaney goal a couple of minutes later. Calum MacDougall had a reasonably quiet afternoon by his standards. However, he proved to be the match-winner, finishing high into the top corner of the net on his back hand, with just 14 minutes to go.
Kilmallie manager John Stewart said: ‘It was a very tough match. Lochaber keeper Calum MacDonald had some very good saves in the first half and you start to think it’s not going to be your day.
Liam [MacDonald] gave us the lead but, to be fair to Lochaber, they came right back at us and they levelled through Ben [Delaney] soon after.
‘Calum [MacDougall] got us back in front and, thankfully, we held out. It’s four points from two away games so we are delighted and it’s great to finally have a home match, against Kyles Athletic, this week.’
Newtonmore 1 Kingussie 3
Kingussie were 3-1 winners against Newtonmore in the first Badenoch derby of the season at the Eilan.
Newtonmore skipper Evan Menzies recovered sufficiently from injury to play at full forward but Glen MacKintosh was unavailable as he was on holiday. Steven Macdonald was free of a three-match suspension and started in defence.
Kingussie’s Lee Bain was manager John Gibson’s main concern and he missed out with a hamstring problem.
Kingussie won the corresponding fixture last season and took the lead after 19 minutes. Savio Genini ran infield to just outside the penalty spot where he got onto a Fraser Munro hit-in from the right. The ball took a bounce and Genini, who was afforded too much space, took a touch before firing the ball low into the net, beating keeper Kenny Ross