"They didn't win - we lost" - Andrew Findlater says Highland only have themselves to blame after National Shield final loss
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MURRAYFIELD try-scorer Andrew Findlater pulled no punches in his assessment of Highland’s National Shield final defeat to Carrick.
Findlater pulled Dave Carson’s men back into the game with 13 minutes to go but the damage had already been done, with a clinical Carrick side punishing their opponents mistakes.
The final nail in the coffin came with four minutes to go when Highland, driving for a match-winning score, saw the ball go 70 yards the other way when Tam Magowan had his pass intercepted by Lewis Clark and he raced the length of Murrayfield to clinch the Shield.
It was the harsh exclamation point on a fantastic Shield run for Highland, who were unable to replicate Carrick’s cutting edge when capitalising on errors.
Findlater, who took to the field at Murrayfield alongside brother Craig, said Highland had no-one to blame but themselves following their 34-27 loss.
“We talked about scoring first at half-time and we didn’t do that. We made our mistake after they scored with a kick that went out on the full, and that was a momentum-swinger,” he said. “They wore us down. We conceded and our kick chase was nonchalant. They got one or two penalties, wandered into our 22 and scored again. They didn’t win – we lost. We were in control for about 80 per cent of the game but we lost the ball in the middle, which allowed them to counter.
“It’s disappointing but it’s one of those things. It’s on a knife-edge on finals day but mistakes have cost us, which you can’t afford to make against a team with good backs like Carrick.”
Given they had an unbeaten record stretching back to November 2014 heading into the game, Highland were understandably favourites, given that their counterparts are third in West Division One and have lost three games this season.
Finishing the Caledonia League Division One campaign on a high is now a must, with a win against Carnoustie on Saturday enough to guarantee Highland an emphatic promotion to National League Three.
“We’ve not won anything yet,” added Findlater, who returned to the Highland setup this season. “We didn’t get over the line on Saturday and we’ve not done it in the league yet.
“I’d expect a reaction at training tonight and on Thursday and then to beat Carnoustie when they come up. They’re down the bottom but they’re safe.
“We’ve got to make a point of turning them over.”
