Unst victorious in North Isles battle
Unst won the North Isles battle in football’s premier league on Monday, beating their rivals 4-0 at Mid Yell. Whitedale’s good start the season continued with a win away to Ness United, Spurs inflicted yet another defeat on struggling Scalloway, while Lerwick teams Thistle and Celtic fought out a draw.
Madrid Cup (preliminary round)
Whalsay v Scalloway
Scalloway could not field a team and so Whalsay proceed to the quarter-finals to face Whitedale.
G&S Flooring Premier League
Yell 0, Unst 4
On a perfect night for football a large crowd gathered in Mid Yell to watch the first Isles derby of the season.
The first half was fairly even with both teams making a few chances. Danny Peterson had a 30-yard thunderbolt pushed round the post by Michael Thompson in the Unst goal. David MacMillan had a chance when he went though one on one with Matthew Saunders in the Yell goal only to see his shot saved.
However, he didn’t have to wait long before he got the opener when Ian Johnson cut in from the left and had a shot from which Saunders made a slight error. The ball looped up in the air and MacMillan nodded in from two yards.
In the second half Unst started to control the game and were soon 2-0 up when some poor marking left David Thomson free and he finished calmly. Thomson got his second when he had a solo run from inside his own half and finished brilliantly into the top corner.
With 10 minutes left Unst got their fourth when Thomson completed his hat trick. His shot appeared to be touched in by Matthew Mouat who was in an offside position, but both linesman and referee managed to miss it.
Yell will be disappointed with their performance but David Thomson for Unst had a solid game.
Ness United 1, Whitedale 2
Whitedale made the trip to the Ness looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Ness were coming into the game after a good start to the campaign and hoping to build on last week’s victory over Thistle.
The home side fielded a slightly reshuffled team with captain Craig Leslie out injured and James Jamieson out through illness and took time to settle into their new positions. This saw the visitors pounce from the start as Jamie Wilson reacted fastest to fire home from close range.
Whitedale, full of power and pace, surged forward and in less than 10 minutes were two-nil up through Duncan Anderson. The midfielder turned and fired a screamer into the top corner off the underside of the bar and the inside of the post.
The next five minutes saw the West Side men continue to stretch the home defence and could have been three up, but slowly Ness began to sort out their marking and weathered the storm.
The reds were now winning enough ball to mount attacks on the Whitedale goal and by the 25-minute mark had created some good opportunities from the wide areas. The rest of the half was a very even affair with Whitedale looking to get the ball up to their front line as quick as possible while Ness were looking to work the ball wide to Duncan Bray and Kevin Smith.
Bray was unlucky when he was blatantly taken out by the Whitedale defender as he went to run through on goal but the resultant free kick failed to test the keeper.
The teams started the second half well and looked to attack and after 55 minutes Ness pulled a goal back when Sean Grogan scored from close range following a corner.
With both defences resolute and an intense battle taking place in midfield it made a very tense spectacle for the supporters. Ness replaced Kyle Malcolmson with Kevin Manson while Whitedale also made a change but the pattern of play continued.
Ness were forced to concede territory and faced numerous dead ball situations but handled it well while they moved the ball better than the visitors and were a constant threat when in possession.
Best on the night for Whitedale were the quartet of Nicolson, Anderson, Moncrieff and Wilson. Kieran Malcolmson, Grogan and Burgess stood out for Ness in what was another very good team performance.
Scalloway 1, Spurs 5
Scalloway’s depleted squad received a boost with the return of several first team players but a strong second half performance for the visitors saw them run out comfortable winners.
The first half was a fairly even contest although Scalloway’s stand in keeper John Leask was certainly the busier of the two keepers.
With half time approaching the deadlock was broken in some style when Sam Goudie waltzed past a number of defenders before driving the ball into the net.
Spurs doubled their lead in the first minutes of the second half when Connel Gresham did well to keep the ball in play on the touchline and cut through the defence before driving the ball into the corner.
Leask brilliantly saved a Josie Kay free kick but Spurs added a third when the defence failed to clear their lines, allowing Gresham the chance to notch his second.
Gresham completed his hat trick when he latched on to a flick and rocketed the ball into the corner of the net from a tight angle.
To their credit Scalloway continued to battle and were rewarded when Gary Burns drove into the penalty area before being brought down. Referee Robert Geddes did well to allow advantage and Alan Davidson placed the ball into the bottom corner.
Josie Kay completed the scoring by firing an excellent free kick into the top corner after Leask was penalised for what appeared to be an excellent defensive block.
Scalloway will take encouragement from a solid first half but will look to cut out the second half defensive lapses in the coming weeks.
John Leask did well for Scalloway while Connel Gresham was best for Spurs and a clear choice for man of the match.
Thistle 1, Celtic 1
Keen to make amends for some disappointing recent displays, Thistle opened brightly and opened the scoring within five minutes.
A deep defence-splitting cross from Tommy Walterson found Neil Riddell at the back post and, though Celtic goalkeeper Paul Grant did well to parry away his volley, the ball fell to Craig Gerty who knocked it home for his fourth of the season.
Celtic’s response was to gain a lot of possession in midfield but the Thistle rearguard appeared stiffer than in previous weeks and chances were rare.
As half time approached both sides had what looked like legitimate penalty claims turned down by referee Mark Goodhand. First Kevin Teale clearly brought down Jordan Webb while at the other end Paul Grant cleaned out Gerty, but the man in black showed no more inclination to point to the spot than Tom Henning Ovrebo had at Stamford Bridge five days earlier.
The Jags started well in the second half and felt a deep sense of injustice when a Gerty header from a right-wing cross by Scott Morrison crossed the line by some distance before being cleared by a defender.
Celtic linesman Norrie Peterson initially signalled for the goal before swiftly pulling his flag down but Goodhand chose to wave play on, denying the home side a two-goal advantage. It was the main talking point among the liberal sprinkling of onlookers on a sunny night at Gilbertson Park, many of whom were shaking their heads in disbelief.
Celtic came more into the game in the last quarter with promising youngsters James Aitken and Connor Regan both coming to the fore. When they were awarded a free kick just outside the area, Webb struck a beautiful free kick which flew in off the underside of the bar to level things up.
Both sides then pressed for a goal which would have turned one point into three, with Celtic winning a series of corners, but it was Thistle who went closest. First, Stuart Smith got on the end of a Riddell through ball but screwed his shot wide of the left hand post, before a fine header from Kevin Teale was headed off the line in the dying minutes.
The two Jordans, Hunter and Webb, stood out for Celtic while Gerty and Kevin Teale were the pick of a much-improved Jags performance.
Shetland Chiropractic
Reserve League
Delting 1, Spurs 0
With the strong southerly wind behind them, it was Spurs who dominated most of the first half but couldn’t find a way past the Delting defence with the central partnership of Martin Binns and Alister Williamson in fine form.
In the second half Delting eventually started to dominate and in the 60th minute Shaun Manson battled past three Spurs defenders to set up his striking partner Bryden Mowat who finished well.
Scalloway B 4, Thistle B 5
Thistle got off to a flying start when they raced into a two goal lead thanks to strikes from Stevie Michael and Calum Johnson.
Scalloway replied with a fine David Sjoberg shot but Neil Riddell restored Thistle’s two-goal advantage with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Scott Henderson finished in style to bring Scalloway back into the game and minutes later the same player capitalised on a defensive error to score the equaliser.
Murray Masson put Thistle ahead but Scalloway pulled level once more when Blair Mackay’s spectacular effort from distance found the far top corner.
With time all but up Thistle broke from midfield and a clever cut back from Riddell was rifled into the net by Tommy Walterson to give the visitors all three points.
Whalsay 6, Ness United 2
Scorers for Whalsay were Danny Irvine, Gary Sandison, Martin Stevenson, Geordie Irvine (2) and a Ness own goal. Ness replied through Kyle Malcolmson and Michael Farmer.
Celtic 6, Whitedale 1
Scott Anderson, Justin Watson and Davy Reynolds all got doubles for Celtic while the Whitedale marksman was Vinnie Walterson.
Top scorers
Top scorers in the Lerwick Chiropractic Reserve League: Scott Henderson (Scalloway) 7; Bryden Mowat (Delting) 5; Geordie Irvine (Whalsay) 5; Vinnie Walterson (Whitedale) 5; Davy Reynolds (Celtic) 4.
Fixtures (All kick-offs 6.45pm)
Tonight – Madrid Cup (quarter-finals): Ness United v Delting at Boddam (referee Steven Goodlad; Thistle v Celtic at Seafield (Ivan Sinclair); Whalsay v Whitedale at Harbison Park (Robbie Goudie); Yell v Spurs at Mid Yell (Mark Goodhand).
Monday – G&S Flooring Premier League: Celtic v Whalsay at Gilbertson Park (Michael Grant); Delting v Ness United at Brae (Mark Goodhand); Spurs v Yell at Seafield (Robbie Leask); Unst v Scalloway at Baltasound (Archie Constable); Whitedale v Thistle at Strom Park (Robbie Goudie).
Wednesday – Lerwick Chiropractic Reserve League: Delting v Scalloway at Brae (Ivan Sinclair); Thistle v Ness United at Clickimin South (Michael Grant); Whitedale v Whalsay at Strom Park (Sarah Couper).
