Jags maintain winning ways with 3-2 win over Cambria
South Lochaber 3 Cambria 2
South Lochaber Thistle maintained their winning ways with a solid performance which saw off Cambria AFC in the Greater Glasgow Premier Division One encounter, writes Peter Newman.
A minute’s silence was held before the game for two recent deaths in the community – Jane Morrison, mother of Chris, owner of the Tailrace in Kinlochleven, and Jason Jeffrey.
The Jags were playing comfortably in the first half, moving the ball about and not looking in any great danger of conceding. Returning to his preferred midfield berth, Dave Forbes and Andrew Maclean moved the ball well and Cameron Grant behind them put in his usual shift to shield the new-look defence.
As a result of absence and injury, the defensive unit comprised player/manager Alan Gray partnering returning fans’ favourite Mikey Rodger, while stalwart John Ferguson and debutant Steven Neil filled the fullback roles.
This new combination seemed to be working, keeping things tight at the back and allowing skipper Martin Munro to create havoc in the Cambria defence.
Munro scampered through the defence, only to see his finish rebound off the post before a second effort was scrambled behind for a corner. Half-time 0-0.
In the second half, things looked grim for the Kinlochleven club. A fine through ball from Cambria saw Andrew Brown commanding his area so forcefully that Gray was injured in the challenge and Neil could do little but divert the ball into his own net, making it 1-0 to the visitors.
However, second debutant of the day Calum-Ruairidh Foxley came on for the injured gaffer, leading to a shift in formation to 4-4-2. Grant slipped in at centre half, while Munro moved up front to partner Lewis Morrison with Foxley taking the wide berth.
This soon paid dividends as Munro made a trademark jive into the box, only to be hauled down for a stonewall penalty. Penalty specialist Sean Noble stepped up as cool as an iced coffee and dispatched the spot kick to level the score.
The Jags extended their lead as Morrison made a mazy run to confound the Cambrian defence. Slipping the ball to Munro, the captain put away a neat finish for 2-1.
He was not done, however, as another finish from the makeshift forward saw him bagging a brace and ensuring three points for the Jags.
As Cambria tried to push forward, their efforts were rewarded with a back post header being planted past Brown by Yiorgos Kanellos for a final score of 3-2. Manager Alan Gray said it was a good result with fine play on display. ‘We definitely need to up the numbers at training as players’ touches are noticeably suffering from lack of practice, but we had enough to get past a tricky opponent,’ he said. ‘It was great to see the return of Mikey Rodger, in a man of the match performance, and youngster Ross Maclean to the squad. Debuts for Calum-Ruairidh Foxley and Stevie Neil show we are moving the team in the right direction and broadening our player base.’ Man of the match: Mikey Rodger.