we had the hardest of the draw even with ICT dropping out of our group.
I can't fault the effort of any of the players who turned up today - each one showed a lot of determination & kept playing away to the very end.
dissapointed with the results - losing by a 1 goal margin after being the better side in each fixture.

thanks also to the club for the lend of shirts for the occassion!
team:
1 Fraser Newlands (vc),
3 Brian Higgins
5 Mark Allan
6 Andrew Hassan
8 Neep (c)
9 Alan Shearer
10 Stuart Allan,
14 Colin Shanks,

I was meant to be captain but relinquished the captains armband after the 1st game. handed it to keeper Fraser Newlands who had 3 great games!

1st Game v Clach: lost 1-0
played them off the park for most the game.
I was unlucky with 2 early efforts (save by keeper & a shot which skimmed the bar) while Shearer & S Allan came close also.
unsure about the goal.

2nd vs Ross Co: lost 2-1
we did well to equalise then after my throw-in to S Allan they go and get the winner. bit of fisticuffs from the County boys after the winner - Huntly player Brian Higgins booked and punched, ref pushed Fraser who tried to break the 2/3 players up!
oh, A.H missed a sitter very late on!

3rd game vs Nairn: lost 2-1
I missed a chance from feet away - ok, I was down after a 50-50 with the keeper and it hit me when I was on the deck & went wide.
went up 1-0 then they hit us on the break.
and five minutes to go I get injured following a dreadful challenge from behind.
The young Nairn first team player has fairly left his stud marks on the side of my leg.
Free kick was given & as I'm lying in a heap, Fraser's going mental on the ref, as is the rest of my team-mates who said it should've been a straight red!
Was forced to watch the dying stages from the sidelines following that challenge.
Fraser Newlands & Alan Shearer were outstanding for us today.
Fraser had some great saves in goals while. hopefully he'll be good for the youth team after that showing!
Alan showed exactly why he's been doing a job up front for the youth team causing the opposing teams a lot of problems with several good effort on goal.

Grant 'Neep' Turner

I have to agree with Grant, fantastic effort from the boys today. Didnt deserve to lose any of those games, outplayed them all, but unlucky to lose by one-goal margins in each.

Great fun in the bus trip.

Hope everyone puts in for Ah's shirt, it may get him over the sitter he missed.

Yeah, Grant's summary's spot on as usual. Great effort from our young team today. Was disappointed to have missed that sitter against County, having expected Shearer to crack one on target rather than cross to me, saw it late and it 'skimmed' the outside of the post - honest! I was personally more disappointed to "set-up on a plate" the Nairn winner -really sorry guys. Thot all-round we were good, wasn't having one of my best days on the park, & got winded in the Clach game during a protest for a not-given foul on Higgins (Clach boy decided to clear the ball from the incident straight into my chest - later spewed up at home). Should say well done to Nairn 2 who beat them in the quarters, and Locos who got the result (that We deserved) against County - oh and that fat keeper got cramp in that game (so funny).
Thanks for sorting the team Grant - did a great job even though we could get a full contingent of 10, and already looking forward to next year. (& thanks to our 1 fan on the day as well - it was a great win on the pool table in the Nairn Regal).

r.e my post from last week - apologies to Mr & Mrs Newlands, we had 3 fans last week (no offence intended!)

hard luck lads, sorry you didn't win but at least you took part which was more than some HL teams, better luck next year

just want to say it was a pleasure playing alonside the boys who travelled up to Inverness. If another competition is arranged I only hope the backbone of the existing team manages to travel for the next one, as they were good enough to win the previous comp. Pity it turned out to be one of those days when it just didn't happen for us.