Whalsay finish season with a victory
THE SENIOR football season was completed last weekend with Whalsay winning 4-1 at home against Unst in the sole remaining fixture in the G&S Flooring Premier League.
Meanwhile Shetland Football Association held its end-of-season awards evening at The Shetland Hotel on Saturday where the guest speaker was comedian and Albion Rovers director Patrick Rolink. Football bashes traditionally favour the risque stuff and Rolink certainly appeared to fit the bill. According to one source he was about “10 times bluer” than Chubby Brown.
The senior Shetland player of the year, voted for by club representatives, was Ross Moncrieff of Celtic. The young full back or midfield player was highly instrumental in his side’s excellent season where they captured the Manson Cup, while he also scored the opening goal in this year’s Milne Cup victory in Orkney.
Moncrieff, believed to be the first Celtic player to the trophy since Basil Thompson in 1968, follows in the footsteps of illustrious names such as Bert Sinclair, Terry Johnson, Ian Gray, Ernie Smith and Sidney Goodlad (all Scalloway), Ian Manson (Ness), Gordon Smith and Alex Watt (Spurs), John Johnson and Michael Johnson (Thistle), Michael Williamson (Whalsay) and more latterly Stuart Hay and Ross Jamieson (Delting).
Unfortunately Moncrieff was not present on Saturday to pick up his award, but his father Peter, likened by the guest speaker to one of the “Chuckle Brothers”, did so on his behalf.
The senior top scorer trophy was awarded to Whitedale’s Paul Molloy with 23 goals, although match reports clearly show that Neil Riddell of Thistle was on the same tally. They were closely followed by Alan Davidson (Scalloway), Lawrence Pearson (Whalsay), Connell Gresham (Spurs) and Lowrie Simpson (Celtic).
It is understood that the association, having kept no accurate record of this season’s scorers, were relying on clubs to send in their own listings, a situation one manager described this week as “ridiculous”.
The problem was further exacerbated by the fact that several clubs this year failed to submit reports or even a list of scorers when they were the home team. Delting (four times), Spurs, Yell and Ness (twice each) and Celtic (once) were all found lacking.
Press secretary Robbie Goudie said this week that they may be looking into the matter of the top scorer award.
G&S Flooring Premier League
Whalsay 4, Unst 1
Unst started the stronger in this match and deservedly took the lead after 20 minutes when a Paul Henderson free kick was met by the head of Darren Thomson. His effort came off the post only to rebound off unlucky Whalsay keeper Grant Thomson into the back of his own net.
Whalsay started to come more into it after that and shortly before half time hit back with two well-taken goals.
The first came after good work by Stuart Goodlad in disposessing the defender and supplying the perfect pass for Ian Simpson to drill a shot from the edge of the box into the corner of the Unst goal.
The second followed almost immediatly with Keith Pearson popping up at the back post to head a Magnus Polson cross past Unst goalkeeper Liam Spence.
In the second half Whalsay began to gradually stamp their authority. However, Unst were defending well and Spence in goals was looking very assured, catching crosses under pressure. He also producing a stunning save from an Ian Simpson effort that came through a ruck of players from 12 yards.
The third goal did come for Whalsay although it was from a rather unlikely source. Defender Richard Arthur, on a rare foray upfield, showed the forwards how it was done with a blistering volley from six yards.
With almost the last kick of the game Whalsay scored a fourth following a foul inside the box. Player/manager Richard Hutchison, turning back the clock somewhat, placed the ball outwith the keeper’s reach to make the final score 4-1.
