Cheers for the Blues with memorial trophy win

Shetland scored a dramatic extra-time winner against Thurso to make sure the Jock MacKay Memorial Trophy will be heading to Shetland for the first time.

Skipper Leighton Flaws, who was also selected as man of the match, stepped up to crack home the single goal of the hard-fought tussle mid-way through the first period of extra time.

His strike, from the right hand side of the box, was enough to seal a win that was more comfortable for Shetland than the scoreline suggests.

Shetland manager Niall Bristow said later that it had been a thoroughly deserved victory and that a three or four goal margin would not have ben an unfair reflection of Shetland’s dominance against Thurso.

Bristow said after the game: “It was a thoroughly deserved win and we were very much on top. They were hanging on for most of the game. We hit the post. We hit the bar and we had a couple cleared right off the line.

“I am one very happy manager and there is a very delighted squad of players.”

The win was all the sweeter for the Blues, sporting their new kit, as Thurso were effectively playing a home game at Dammies Park in Thurso after the final was switched from Orkney to Caithness.

Though Thurso registered few efforts on target if a strike late in normal time had not been superbly saved by Erik Peterson, then the “home” team would most likely have won the tie against the run of play.