Fitness concerns for Glen and Lovat ahead of cup final
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WITH the RBS MacTavish Cup final just over two weeks away, finalists Glenurquhart and Lovat are fretting over the fitness of several key players.
As the pressure mounts ahead of the Bught Park showdown, both clubs also face the possibility of players picking up injury tomorrow and next Saturday.
For Lovat, the key games are coming thick and fast and there will be no gentle run-in to the final. Tomorrow they take on Kingussie with a place in the last eight of the Scottish Hydro Camanachd Cup at stake.
The Balgate club are still counting the cost of last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Inveraray where the dropped point not only damaged their bid for the Orion Premiership league title, it also left striker Greg Matheson nursing a leg injury that may keep him out of tomorrow’s clash with the Badenoch side.
Craig Mainland (broken hand) may not be risked tomorrow, while Owen Ferguson is on a pre-arranged holiday, leaving manager Alan MacRae needing to reshuffle the side.
He should be able to field his strongest defensive line-up, however, which will be of some comfort with Kingussie expected to play both Ronald Ross and Lee Bain in attack.
The winner will have a home tie against Kyles Athletic, but Lovat will not be looking beyond the Kingussie game.
However, if MacRae was expecting a comfortable passage ahead of the MacTavish Cup final then his hopes have been dashed as the Camanachd Association confirmed that Lovat will face Fort William at Kiltarlity in the quarter-final of the Macaulay Cup, just one week before the showdown with Glenurquhart..
Meanwhile, Lovat have confirmed that former player and first-team manager John MacRitchie was voted in unopposed to the position of club President to fill the post vacated by Iain Ferguson. The club held an extraordinary general meeting on Monday night at which MacRitchie was the only candidate.
Glenurquhart head to Tighnabruaich on league business as they face a Kyles side brimming with confidence after knocking Newtonmore out of the Camanachd Cup last Saturday, but in urgent need of league points to climb away from the foot of the table.
For their part, The Glen have their own worries with a fairly extensive injury list. John Barr’s damaged hamstring may result in him being rested to avoid aggravating the problem he sustained in the MacTavish Cup semi-final win over ‘More.
Youngsters James Hurlwood and Euan Lloyd both picked up knocks against Lochaber last Saturday and face a late fitness test ahead of the Kyles match.
On a more positive note for Glen supporters, Lewis Maclennan, who can deputise for Barr at full back, is available after serving a one-match suspension but Ally MacKintosh is unlikely to be ready in time.
After the Kyles match, Glenurquhart face relegation-threatened Lochaber for the third time in four weeks and with the Spean Bridge side scrapping for every point to preserve their placing in the top flight, the Glen could hardly have imagined a more difficult preparation as they attempt to win the MacTavish Cup for the first time in their history.
Elsewhere in the Premiership, it is top versus bottom as Newtonmore host Lochaber where a win would see them extend their lead over Lovat at the top to three points.
There is a similar scenario in the Marine Harvest National Division where leaders Oban Camanachd look to strengthen their grip on first place with a visit to basement club Bute.
Caberfeidh are also on the road with a long trip to Glenorchy where the Strathpeffer side will have to be at their best against the Dalmally outfit, who held high-flying Fort William to a draw just two weeks ago.
There is just one match in North Division One where a win for Strathglass at Newtonmore would see them leapfrog leaders Skye at the top of the table, although the islanders have played two games less.
The cup competitions continue and the first-ever Plate final in the RBS MacTavish Cup goes ahead at Invergarry with Fort William facing Skye.
Fort, who are in the higher league, will start as favourites, but Skye have claimed the scalps of National Division sides Bute and Glenorchy, while they took Glenurquhart to extra-time in the MacTavish Cup.
Three of the quarter-final ties in the Aberdein Considine Sutherland Cup are scheduled with the derby between Glenurquhart and Lovat the pick of the action, while Beauly are in Kingussie looking to oust the holders. In the all-south tie, Kyles face Lochside Rovers.
The draw for the Strathdearn Cup Plate competition took place in midweek and will see Beauly facing Kingussie, while Lovat are at home to Lewis. Inverness have a bye into the last four.
