Manager Shane Carling over the moon after seeing Loch Ness win North Caledonian League title
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Three days on from sealing the North Caledonian League title, Loch Ness manager Shane Carling says the club's triumph has not sunk in yet.
A 5-0 win over Fort William, coupled with Invergordon's 1-1 draw at Orkney, gave Loch Ness an unattainable lead at the top of the table.
With Loch Ness knowing that Invergordon had dropped points by the time their own match reached half time, it was something of a procession in the second 45 minutes as they would score two final goals to get over the line.
Carling, though, admits there were a few nerves going into the contest with the potential prize on offer at the forefront of players' minds.
"I'm completely over the moon," he enthused.
"I'm just absolutely buzzing, it hasn't even properly sunk in yet.
"The boys played well. We started off a bit shaky, I'm sure the boys were a bit nervous because they were giving the balls away.
"That first 10 or 15 minutes was a wee bit nervy, but once we got the first goal everyone settled down.
"We just went on to stroll it after that. The boys' performance was really good, so I'm delighted for them."
Part of the reason nerves may have come into play was the lingering memory of last season's title race.
For the majority of the 2021/22 season, Loch Ness were a long way in front, only for a late season collapse to allow Invergordon to pip them to the crown.
This year, both teams threatened a repeat, as even going into the start of this month Invergordon's destiny was in their own hands with Loch Ness having lost to Golspie Sutherland.
However, when Invergordon lost 1-0 to St Duthus on April 1, the advantage swung back towards Carling's side.
"Getting beaten by Golspie in the league and then the cup semi final, I was wondering how we were going to respond," Carling reasoned.
"It was easy to wonder if it was the start of a repeat of last year. Fair play to the boys, they carried on and didn't let it get to them.
"You're always going to have a panic. Knowing that you're so close to it, and knowing that Invergordon are such a good team – they have been for a long time – you think they're going to win all their games.
"Invergordon went and dropped points, so everyone in the team was buzzing because we knew it was back in our hands.
"On Saturday they started a while before us, so we were keeping an eye out for their score. To go in at half time 3-0 up and knowing that Invergordon had drawn 1-1, we just knew that was our best opportunity.
"I told the boys that our game wasn't over, so make sure you've got the right attitude and carry on playing, and we'll be fine. That's what they did.
"I've been very impressed with them this season, they have been absolutely tremendous.
"To lose two games the whole season and only draw two, and beat the champions twice, I thought the title was well-deserved. We were definitely the best team in the league this season, without a doubt."
While the title has been sewn up, there is still one more challenge standing in Loch Ness' way before they get their hands on the actual trophy.
A home match against Alness United this Saturday will wrap up their season, and Carling insists his players will not have switched off with the league in the bag.
"We're still going to go out there wanting to win that game and finish on a high," he added.
"Getting another three points to go with the trophy, that's what we'll be looking to do.
"We're not going to turn up on Saturday treating it as a Mickey Mouse game, we want to get those three points before celebrating like we did last Saturday again."
