Nairn County manager Ronnie Sharp says referees need to protect players
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RONNIE Sharp wants greater protection for his Nairn County players from officials amid a mounting injury list.
The Wee County manager has Cohen Ramsay and Liam Shewan as injury doubts ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Huntly in the Highland League.
The pair both picked up ankle knocks from challenges in a hard-fought 1-0 defeat to Inverurie Locos at home on Saturday.
Happy with the endeavour in his team during the match, Sharp has been left distinctly unhappy by some of the treatment meted out to his players by opponents this season.
Nairn have six others on the treatment table – Callum Ednie, Callum Maclean, Kenny McKenzie, Calum Howarth, Fraser Dingwall and Tom MacLennan – and will lean heavily on youth at Christie Park.
“We already have six out and there are now two more doubtful – they’re all the same Achilles and knee injuries,” Sharp said.
“Cohen and Liam Shewan have ankle problems now and we will just have to wait and see.
“We all like good challenges and tackles, and there’s as much an art to good defending as good attacking.
“You don’t want to see that lost from the game, but I just feel some of the skill has gone out of it.”
Sharp, though happy with Saturday’s improvement sees plenty work ahead.
“We worked a lot harder this time around, which was good.” he said.
“Huntly have had a good start and been quite impressive this season so far.
It will be a tough game for us with a lot of young boys in the team.”
Nairn County are still looking for their first win in the Highland League since their 2–0 victory on the opening day of the season at Keith. They still have to win at Station Park in the league this season.
Inverurie Locos scored the only goal of the game after 16 minutes in their 1–0 win at Nairn last weekend.
A corner kick was headed down at the far post by Ross Still and bounced up in front of goalkeeper Dylan Maclean.
Striker Neil Gauld pounced on the ball to fire it into the net after a scramble in the goalmouth.
Midway through the second half, Nairn County were reduced to 10 men when Adam Porritt was sent off.
He received a second yellow card for pulling back an opposition player.
Nairn County came close to finding an equaliser in the closing stages. Cohen Ramsay fed Scott Davidson inside the box to the left of goal and his rising effort seemed destined for the top corner at the near post. But the ball deflected off a defender to divert it off target.
