Clachnacuddin captain says club are continuing good form from last season as they prepare for North of Scotland Cup final against Forres Mechanics.
HARRY Nicolson says Clachnacuddin reaching the North of Scotland Cup final for the second year running is a sign of how the club is continuing to move in the right direction.
The captain is set to lead his team out against Forres Mechanics at Station Park in Nairn on Saturday as they look to win their first trophy since lifting the Highland League Cup in 2014.
The Lilywhites have reached the final after knocking out last year’s winners Brora Rangers in the quarter finals and Ross County in the semi final.
After finishing in the top half of the Highland League for the first time in over a decade, Clach have continued their form from last season as they are in fifth place and only five points behind league leaders Brora.
Clach did reach the North of Scotland Cup final last season, but were hammered 6-1 by Brora Rangers who went on to win a historic treble.
Centre-back Nicolson (24) said his team have learned lessons from that final and have gone on to set high standards following what they achieved last season.
Now they want to show they have continued their progression by lifting a trophy on Saturday.
He said: “We have set a standard for this season and we want to keep that going. Everyone at the club is going in the right direction.
“We have learned our lesson from last season when we weren’t ready for the final against Brora.
“Saturday is massive and we have to be right at it.”
Clachnacuddin are going into Saturday’s final after losing only their second game of the season when they went down to a 1-0 defeat against Huntly in Merkinch.
Nicolson admitted it wasn’t the result the team wanted going into the final, but he said they will be motivated to bounce back by putting something in the trophy cabinet at the Grant Street Park.
Speaking about the defeat against Huntly, he said: “You want to get some momentum going into the final, but you can look at it different ways.
“It shows against any team in the league you have to work hard, but Huntly worked harder and got their reward. It gives us an insight for the final on how hard we have to work to win games of football.
“We will put it behind us, work hard in training and go for Saturday.”
Nicolson says it would mean a lot to him to become the first Clachnacuddin captain to lift a trophy since winning the Highland League Cup in 2014.
It has also been 24 years since Clachnacuddin won the North of Scotland Cup when they beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2-0 in September 2001.
However, for Nicolson, he says knowing how much it would mean to Clachnacuddin supporters, is an even bigger motivation for him and his team-mates to win on Saturday.
He said: “Even after last year’s final, we went to the British Legion after the game and there was a good crowd afterwards to cheer us, and that is when we lost.
“If we won, the place would be mobbed.
“If we could win it would be massive for the club and for the area too. People like Donnie George is over 80-years-old and puts the work in at the ground. He has been painting the lines and cutting the grass at Grant Street Park and doing it for free. We want to do it for people like him.
“I am the captain of the club, but I see myself more as a team player rather than an individual. I am not the kind of captain that shouts and bawls. I want to keep my own standards high for others to follow.
“Everyone is so hungry to win it.”