Fort back in big time after Oban victory
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FORT William are back in the Orion Premiership just 12 months after being relegated.
Their 2-0 win at the home of promotion rivals Oban Camanachd means that irrespective of the outcome of forthcoming league reorganisation proposals, the Fort are back in the big league.
Fort’s triumph brought club legends Adam Robertson and Victor Smith rapid redemption after their first season in charge led to the humiliation of relegation from the top league where the club had been a main player, becoming the only one outside of Badenoch to win the Premiership title.
Saturday’s victory in front of the biggest crowd seen at Mossfield all season came courtesy of two first half goals from youngsters Daniel Stewart and Arran MacPhee. Oban made a better fist of matters after the interval but could not break down a determined Fort William rear-guard.
At the end of the match Fort keeper Paul MacKay was presented with the newly introduced trophy by a representative of the league sponsor Marine Harvest.
The red card administered to Fort’s Stephen Stewart took the shine of the Fort’s victory celebrations but worse news was to follow when Gary Innes, their talisman throughout the glory years, announced his retirement from the sport at the relatively youthful age of 33.
Innes had been at the heart of the successful Fort teams of the past fifteen years and played in eight Camanachd Cup finals, winning five of them. Innes shared the shinty limelight along with Kingussie’s Ronald Ross and won all the sport’s major honours including captaining the Scotland hurling side to victory at Croke Park.
He also joined a select group which includes Ross, Oban’s Nonnie MacInnes and team mate James Clark in winning the prestigious Albert Smith medal twice in their careers. The medal is awarded to the man of the match at a Camanachd Cup final.
Innes decision to step down has been driven by his increasing commitment to increasingly popular Gaelic band Manran for whom Innes is the accordionist.
