WATCH: Skye aim to end 125 years of hurt in first shinty final of 2023
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SKYE won the first MacTavish Cup final back in 1898, but haven’t lifted the trophy since.
Captain John Gillies hopes the long wait to bring the trophy back to the island ends with victory against Kingussie at Bught Park in Inverness on Saturday.
Skye have marked their return to the top flight of shinty this season, after winning the National Division in 2022, by reaching the first major final of the campaign.
Skye haven’t won a major trophy since lifting the Camanachd Cup back in 1990.
Gillies says despite winning minor trophies, the club have been starved of success in major competitions for too long. He hopes that will end with a famous victory against Kingussie in the Highland captial on Saturday.
“It is fair enough to say that it has been a long time coming,” said Gillies.
“We have had a good squad together for four or five years now.
“We are starting to click now, we socialise together, the management has been training us well so hopefully we can end 125 years on Saturday.”
A big crowd is expected to travel from Skye for the cup final and Gillies says they have received a lot of support and backing from the community.
“It has been 33 years since the last major final,” he said.
“We have reached a few Balliemore Cup finals but nothing as big as the MacTavish Cup.
“When we reached the Camanachd Cup final in 1990, it was a case of the last person to leave Skye to turn off the lights.
“Not sure it will be that many, but there will be a fair few.”
Skye have been in good form since promotion, beating Caberfeidh 5-1 at Strathpeffer last weekend and most notably winning 2-1 at leaders Newtonmore.
But Gillies says he knows it doesn’t get tougher than facing Kingussie in a cup final.
“We have had a good run of games beating big teams like Caberfeidh and Newtonmore so we are holding our own.
“We are ready for the big guns on Saturday and you can’t deny Kingussie aren’t that.
“They have the grand slam, but somebody has to knock them off their pedastal and hopefully it will be us.
"They can’t win everything, it has to change at some point.”
