Loch Ness facing major injury crisis ahead of quarter final cup clash with Golspie Sutherland
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LOCH Ness are facing an injury crisis with 12 players set to miss tomorrow’s North Caledonian Cup quarter final clash at Golspie Sutherland.
But manager Shane Carling still believes he has players available good enough to win the match and secure their place in the last four of the competition.
The match was originally meant to take place last weekend but was postponed due to extreme weather conditions.
Carling says facing the current league champions is a big task even with a full strength squad.
But he says due to the strength in depth at Loch Ness, he believes his team have every chance of winning tomorrow afternoon in Sutherland.
“I think the boys can do it,” says Carling.
“Our squad is good enough, even when we have a lot of boys missing like we do this weekend.
“This is probably our worst weekend yet for players who are unavailable as we will have at least 12 out.
“I have five boys out injured, two players out with Covid, one out for personal reasons and players who work offshore stuck because no flights are available due to the weather.
“I have got a goalkeeper on loan for this weekend’s match.
“But that is the way things are and that is football.
“We want to play every week and we have a big enough squad to play the game.”
Meanwhile Loch Ness are top of the North Caledonian League, seven points ahead of second placed Invergordon with five games remaining.
Invergordon are realistically the only team that can stop Loch Ness winning their first league title and Carling is taking nothing for granted.
“If we want to win the league, I don’t think we can afford to drop any more points. We have Halkirk twice, Invergordon, St Duthus and Alness.
“It is a tough run to win the league.”
