Ross County Under-14 girls win Highland League Cup final in Nairn
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Ross County saw two of the club’s girls’ teams taking part in finals last weekend – winning one and losing one.
The Staggies’ under-14s went to Nairn’s Station Park looking to get the better of Nairn St Ninian in the Highland League Cup, duly delivering with a 5–0 victory.
It was not so positive for the under-16s, though, who lost 4–1 to fierce rivals Caley Thistle in the final of the North of Scotland Cup.
Both teams have seen the level of competition step up this season.
The elder group moved from a four-team Highland League into competition with sides from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, while the under-14s saw their own Highland League grow in size.
So for both teams to reach their respective cup finals for the second year in-a-row was something that delighted the club’s head coach Iain Maciver.
“For both of them to get to the final was a huge achievement in itself,” he said.
“It was a huge challenge for the under-16s moving into a new league, and the under-14s are in an expanded Highland League, so they both had much bigger challenges this year.
“Having them both play on the same day through at the stadium in Nairn was a good occasion for everyone.
“A lot of parents came through, and a lot of supporters came to back both teams which was really appreciated. Everyone got a boost from playing in front of a good crowd.”
The under-14s, coached by Dwain Chisholm and Donna Marshall, swept away their competition with the margin of victory surprising even Maciver.
“It was a fantastic performance from the under-14s, who won their game in style,” he added.
“The under-14 Highland League is really close – first place and fourth place are separated by two points.
“Ourselves and Nairn are both in that group, and Nairn have a game in hand against us so they can go top of the league if they win that.
“The league is exceptionally close, so we would have expected the game to also be exceptionally close.
“Nairn played really well for large parts of the game, and it was tight for a while, but once we got a goal we relaxed, got a second and built on it from there.
“They were absolutely over the moon and delighted to be able to win the cup for the first time. They will be absolutely buzzing for the rest of the season.”
