Lovat and Glen aim for MacAulay Cup success
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LOVAT and Glenurquhart will try to overturn the weight of history tomorrow when they take their place among eight of the North’s top teams competing in the first round of the Artemis MacAulay Cup.
Glenurquhart have never won the trophy and it is approaching 60 years since the second and last of Lovat’s triumphs in 1953.
But Lovat will be buoyant mood when they face Fort William at Balgate with their confidence boosted by a 4-2 away win over the An Aird side in a recent Orion Premiership match.
Results of late mean that Lovat wear the favourites tag ahead of the clash with the Fort as the former go from strength to strength, while the latter turn to youth as they attempt a rebuilding of their squad.
The Fort are on a four match losing streak, easily their worst run in two decades, but Lovat manager Alan MacRae will be guarding against any sign of complacency among his players.
Youngster Greg Matheson has been scoring regularly and the return of Fraser Gallagher to the Lovat first team has boosted MacRae’s scoring options.
MacRae hopes to be at full strength, while the Fort look to restore Gary Innes to their line-up after he missed the league defeat at Newtonmore.
Tomorrow’s winner will face the victor of the Kinlochshiel versus Newtonmore clash at Kirkton in the next round. The Lovat against Fort William match throws up at 3pm — a similar start time for the Glenurquhart’s match against Kilmallie at Blairbeg.
Glenurquhart will be odds-on favourites to overcome basement club Kilmallie, but they will miss striker Lewis MacLennan, controversially red carded against Kingussie in last Saturday’s league clash.
After a sluggish start to the season, the Glen are beginning to find their best form, putting together a four-match unbeaten run. They eased past Kilmallie 3-2 in the first league game of the season and appear to have found their scoring touch, bagging 13 goals in their last three outings.
The winner of this tie will have a home fixture against either Lochaber or Kingussie, who meet in a fascinating tie at Spean Bridge.
Lochaber have already established themselves as Premier Division promotion favourites with a series of high scoring wins against their main rivals in North Division One, while Kingussie have developed a knack of winning important matches, despite their overall play perhaps not reaching the heights of recent seasons.
In the South, Inveraray are at home to cup holders Kyles Athletic looking for a repeat of their recent 1-0 triumph in the AJG Parcels Celtic Society Cup first round tie.
Bute, the only other Premier Division side in the South draw, will be favourites to progress at the expense of Oban Celtic.
The North’s junior and reserve sides face each other in the second round of the Strathdearn Cup and with holders and favourites Newtonmore falling at the first hurdle, the competition is open to any number of clubs to stake their claim.
Kingussie face Skye — first round conquerors of Newtonmore — in Portree, while the top tie of the second round is the derby match between Kinlochshiel and Glengarry at Kirkton.
There are two other derby matches with Boleskine and Glenurquhart fancied to progress to the last eight at the expense of Inverness and Strathglass respectively.
Elsewhere, Lovat entertain Aberdeen University and Beauly welcome Lochaber to Braeview. The Lochcarron versus Kilmallie tie completes the second round line-up.
With Lochaber away on cup business, the way is open for the other six North Division One sides to close the gap at the top of the league.
Beauly and Caberfeidh clash in the match of the day in this division with both seeking the win that they hope will kickstart their faltering league challenge.
Beauly hope to have Innes Simpson available as he recovers from a thigh injury and Jack MacDonald is also back in contention as he attempts to overcome a knee problem.
News from the Caberfeidh camp is that defender Brian MacDonald may have to call time on his long career as his attempts to overcome a persistent back injury look to be increasingly in vain.
Cabers were forced to settle for a draw when the teams met earlier in the season, but with Kevin Bartlett and Stuart Kzryzanowski in scoring form, they will be quietly confident of exploiting Beauly’s suspect defence.
Rejuvenated Inverness face Strathglass at the Bught, while in the West Highland derby Lochcarron entertain Skye with the visitors having had the upper hand in last Saturday’s Camanachd Cup tie.
