MARINE Harvest Premiership leaders Kyles Athletic slipped back into second place after losing 2-1 away to Camanachd Cup finalists Lovat at Balgate – while rivals Kinlochshiel picked up a point against Newtonmore at the Eilan.
For Kyles, the failure to pick up any points at Kiltarlity was made worse by the fact that they also lost top forward Roddy MacDonald to a second-half red card, meaning he must now serve an automatic two-match suspension.
The fact that those games are against Kyles’ closest challengers – Newtonmore and Shiel – only makes matters worse for the Tighnabruaich side.
Without MacDonald, the man whose four second-half goals brought them the Macaulay Cup in last month’s epic final clash with Newtonmore – the odds on them landing their first Premiership title have lengthened considerably.
Not that the day had started out badly for Kyles. Having weathered a first-half attacking flurry which saw goalkeeper John Whyte make three superb stops from Lovat’s new signing Mark Maclachlan, they took the lead early in the second half.
Unsurprisingly, MacDonald was the scorer, wrong-footing his marker, Calum Cruden, before shooting low past Lovat’s international goalkeeper Stuart MacDonald for the opener.
The home side quickly struck back through top scorer Greg Matheson after a free hit from Calum MacAulay had sought him out at the edge of the D. The Lovat front man quickly controlled the ball before guiding it up over Whyte with a flick of his wrist for the equaliser.
The game continued to swing from end to end, with both sides looking equally dangerous. Then, in the 64th minute, MacDonald was red-carded for retaliation by referee Archie Ritchie – and when he left the field Kyles chances of keeping their title challenge on track probably went with him.
It did, however, take an exceptional goal – again from Matheson to finally see off the Argyllshire side. Profiting from the extra man, Lovat played with three at the back and when defender Cruden, without the worry of shackling MacDonald, sent over a low corner, Matheson was able to cushion the ball up in the air before volleying it decisively into the roof of the net for the winner.
The main beneficiaries of Kyles’ lapse were Shiel, who moved a point clear at the top of the league table courtesy of their 2-2 draw away at defending champions Newtonmore.
In a keenly contested encounter, Shiel made the early running but went behind after nine minutes. In More’s first attack of the afternoon, a Glen Mackintosh strike bounced up off Shiel keeper Scott Kennedy’s outstretched foot and into the net.
Shiel levelled within two minutes when, under pressure from John MacRae, More’s Andy Mackintosh scored an own goal. Despite continuing pressure, Kinlochshiel could not add to their tally and Newtonmore, who put in a much better second-half performance, took a deserved lead in 58 minutes through a neat Fraser Mackintosh finish.
Shiel, however, eventually equalised through Keith MacRae and were able to see out the match to a successful conclusion.
Also in the Premiership, the question of relegation remains open after Glenurquhart and Glasgow Mid Argyll shared the points in a 2-2 draw at Drumnadrochit.
James MacPherson opened for Glen but second-half goals for GMA by Craig Anderson and Calum Maclay had the Loch Ness-side team chasing the game until David Smart’s last-minute strike eventually earned them a share of the points.
Elsewhere in the Premiership, Kingussie defeated Oban Camanachd 4-3 away.
Skye ensured their promotion to play among the sport’s elite next season when they secured the National Division title with a 2-1 victory over Caberfeidh.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here