Fired-up Glen aim to deny cup odds
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE 108th final of the Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup goes ahead at Inverness’ Bught Park tomorrow with Glenurquhart meeting Kingussie.
It is a repeat of their classic 1988 final which also took place in the Highland Capital and ended in a 4-2 win for the Badenoch side.
The intervening 25 years not been particularly kind to Glenurquhart, who are seeking a maiden win in the competition in only their second final. In contrast, Kingussie have contested 18 finals in that time, winning 13 of them, and tomorrow they are bidding for their 23rd triumph in shinty’s most prestigious competition.
The weight of history hardly favours the Glen and Kingussie have been installed as favourites by the bookmakers.
But there is a stoicism around the current Glen side and co-manager Billy MacLean is happy to go into the match in the role of underdog.
"I think it is going to be close. This season they beat us in the league at home and we got their revenge at Blairbeg, so it is level-pegging and probably too close to call. We are not going to be too fazed by what has gone on in the past or what the bookies are saying.
"What I will say is that we are ready and raring to go. Apart from a couple of players carrying minor injury niggles we have have a full squad at our disposal and the lads have really buckled down at training and I sense a really positive mood in the camp."
Maclean and his co-manager Dave Menzies supervised a final full training session on Wednesday evening but have yet to name their starting line-up.
There are no surprises expected with the Glen likely to put their faith in the players who have taken the club to its highest ever position in the sport.
Maclean, who played in the 1988 final, readily agrees and hopes that tomorrow the class of 2014 will finally realise its potential.
"This present Glen team now are at a different level from the squad I played in," he said. "This is their fourth major final in the last few seasons, though in saying that, none of them had played in a Camanachd Cup semi-final before this year’s win over Skye."
Maclean and Menzies have built on the platform provided by the Glen’s previous managerial team of Drew MacNeil and Fraser MacKenzie but essentially, the core of the team has been at the club for at least a decade now.
Maclean is particularly pleased that long-term injury victim Ally MacKintosh will definitely be in tomorrow’s squad.
"I am delighted for the boy," he said. "He has worked so hard and diligently on his recovery.
"Long physio sessions mostly on his own shows his passion for the club and the sport.
"During his time on the sidelines he attended just about every training session just to support the lads and he was there on match days too."
It is likely, however, that MacKintosh, whose father Ally won the man of the match award in 1988, will start on the bench, but his versatility in midfield and defence could prove invaluable on the day.
Looking towards the match MacLean is playing down the significance of the return of Ronald Ross, the Kings’ 1000-goal-scoring icon, to the squad.
"Ronald is a fantastic player and will be a threat all right," he said. "But they have other terrific players in their forward line and to focus on just one player would be foolhardy.
"We carry a scoring threat ourselves and James MacPherson is the top scorer in the competition."
Meanwhile over in the wolf’s lair in Badenoch, Kingussie are quietly plotting to turn Glenurquhart’s Camanachd Cup dream into a nightmare.
Assistant manager Russell Jones reports a fully-fit squad and attests that "everyone is raring to go".
"We came through three tough matches in the early rounds and were written off at every stage," he said. "We are here on merit and eager to bring the cup — the only one that really matters — back to the village.
"Eight years is too long a wait for a club like Kingussie.
"I am happy to report that we have no injury worries and the fitness levels of the lads is excellent. We have prepared for a hard game and even extra time".
Jones dismissed criticism of Kingussie’s recent record in the Camanachd tourney which shows the Badenoch side losing in their last three finals.
"That doesn’t overly concern us as in each case we lost by a single goal and with the rub of the green maybe should have won at least two of them," he said.
"It is perhaps true to say that the club lost its focus for a year or two but we are back hungrier than ever and we will battle to the last to take the cup back home."
The last word though is MacLean’s.
"This chance may not come around again and we all have to be at our best to bring the cup back for our fantastic supporters," he said. "The names of just about all our neighbours, like Beauly, Caberfeidh, Inverness, and Lovat are on the trophy. It is time we joined them."
