Clachnacuddin Women boss Rob Macleod delighted to see Lilywhites win first Inverness derby of Highlands and Islands League season against Caley Thistle Development
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Clachnacuddin Women manager Rob Macleod was delighted to pick up the win in the first Highlands and Islands League Inverness derby of the season last Sunday.
It was a match that pitted the previous two league champions against each other, with Clach looking to return to the top of the pile after ICT Development picked up the crown last year.
Despite making the short journey across the city to Caley Thistle, though, it was the Lilywhites who came out on top, winning 3–0 thanks to goals from Chloe MacLeod (2) and Shannon Fulton.
"It was fantastic – it's always good to win a local derby," Macleod said.
"Yes, it's more about the points, there's no doubt about that. Points win prizes as we all know, but in my mind I like to win local derbies.
"I wouldn't say it's so much about bragging rights, it's just to show what we can do basically.
"It's moreso for a bit of motivation for the girls."
The three-goal winning margin could paint a picture of a one-sided affair, but Macleod says the Caley Jags did test Clach throughout the match.
Resilience and a strong team ethic were needed, then, to hold on for the points – and Macleod was pleased that the defensive work done on the training ground paid off.
"They did test us – they had opportunities to score," he reasoned.
"Thankfully our goalkeeper stood strong and made a point blank save from one of their strikers coming through.
"They put some dangerous balls in the area, but nobody could get on the end of it, so on another day it could quite easily have gone another way, or possibly ended up a draw.
"It's about remembering to do defensive drills (in training) to get the girls in a mindset that when they attack, they still have to get back and defend.
"It looks as if we have improved, and I think from the training that we do with the other coaches as well, we've got the message across."
