Match Stats

(Subs used marked)

North Regional Cup

With a few guys missing today and the bus getting to Nairn late it wasn’t the best of starts. Add the howling gale, hard pitch and sun (eh!), it was not going to be pretty today and so it proved.

Having said that, after 3 minutes we could have taken the lead when a shot by Dane took a deflection and bounced off the top of the crossbar. After 10 minutes Gav got the ball on the edge of the box and hit a low shot that the keeper did well to fingetip away for a corner. The game then descended into a mess where Nairn were packing the back 4 (back 6 or 7!) and so making it difficult to get through but we didn’t help ourselves by not playing the football we all know we can. In the 16 minute Stevie Hart had to come off when he fell awkwardly on the hard ground and jarred his knee so Richard Wisely came on with a few changing position to suit. It wasn’t until the 24th minute when we got a free kick wide right that was hit right across to Zander coming into the box from the left who hit a first time volley that the keeper again did well to save. Eventually, after a lot of really boring stuff we got an other free kick about 20 yards out that Gav decided to take, he hit the ball in through a crowd of bodies across the keeper and into the net. Now according to Stevie Whyte he got his head to it so once you two have decided who scored it I can change it. Just before the break we had a scare when they got a free header in the box and Pus had to make a great save to prevent the equaliser. So half time and the lead, thats all that could be said really !

In the first minute of the 2nd half, Ross had a shot from outside the box that again the keeper tipped around the post. After 10 minutes Stevie and Dane played some nice 1 - 2’s on the edge of the box but Danes final shot was saved. On 12 mins a long ball from Razor was almost converted by Ush but he was stretching and it went over. Gibby came on for Shaun after 15 minutes but it was Puds who had to make a great save on 23 minutes when they got a free kick about 20 yards out.Gibby had a header saved again from Razor cross and with 10 mis to go Dane had a long distance shot that went wide. The last 10 minutes were spent chewing nails because we just couldn’t clear out lines and with better finishing this could quite easily ended in a draw and penalties.

Luckily it didn’t and despite a pretty patchy performance at least we got the win and another clean sheet.

Zander is away to get married next week so everyone at the Club would like to pass on our congratulations, hope the heads aren’t too sore on Sunday !

MAUD SCRAPE THROUGH TO NEXT ROUND

In bright but blustery conditions, Maud kicked of this North Regional Cup tie. Within a couple of minutes Ballard was unlucky when his shot deflected off a defender and rattled the cross bar and out for a corner to nothing. Further good play by Maud allowed Whyte a shot on target but was denied by Brown in Nairn's goal. Hart took a tumble in the 14th minute and was required to be replaced by Wisely, Quickly shuffling the back 4, Maud faced up to Nairn's attack. First corner of the game went to Nairn, crossed in but was well held by Simpson. Maud won a free kick out on the right, crossed over to A Davidson whose shot was pushed out by the keeper for a corner which again came to nothing. Winning another corner this time from the left side was crossed into the box for Middleton to knock back to Walker who should have buried it. First yellow went to Riddell of Nairn who took down Jamieson on the left wing. A deliberate handball gave Maud a free kick 20 yards out on the right, Sent in hard by Middleton to the far post for Whyte to head in to the net in the 40th minute to break the deadlock. Nairn tried to come back into the game from a couple of corners and a free kick but Maud held on to go in at the break with their noses just in front.

Straight from the restart Maud squandered a couple of chances as they struggled to make an impact on the game. Play flowed from end to end as both teams tried to play decent football. Nairn won a free kick on the edge of the D, hit in low by Annand to the right it forced Simpson into a great save to deny them the equaliser. A great ball in by Rae was headed goalwards by Stephen but somehow the keeper got a finger tip onto it and out for a corner which was cleared up field. A quick throw in by Whyte found Rae whose cross in was headed over the bar by Middleton. In the dying minutes Nairn forced a series of corners all to no avail leaving Maud the winners at the final whistle. Not the tidiest of performances by Maud against a determined Nairn but are now through to the next round of this cup. Next Saturday Maud are back on league duty away to Hermes with a 2.30pm K.O.   

Grahams Report