A hard-earned three points saw Clach leapfrog Turriff United into 11th spot in the Highland League table last night, leaving valiant Fort William to collect the wooden spoon.
The rain came on at Fort William at 5pm and an hour before kick-off water was beginning to lie on the playing surface but, with both teams raring to go and after a lot of work by the home groundstaff, referee Billy Baxter gave the final fixture of the 2013-14 Highland League season the green light.
The decision to play the game on a Friday night paid off with 150 supporters inside Claggan Park, Fort’s biggest attendance of the season.
On the half-hour mark Martin Laing thought he had opened the scoring but his 18-yard curler was magnificently turned round the post by 16-year-old Fort goalkeeper Robin Harvey. The Lilywhites opened the scoring in the 37th minute when a Scott Graham cross was nodded home by Dachi Khutsishvili six yards out.
Harvey did well three minutes later to block a point-bank Graham drive with his legs when the midfielder seemed certain to score. In the 49th minute the home fans went wild. James Mackay’s threaded pass found Iain MacLellan who beat Campbell from 15 yards.
Clach regained the lead on the hour. Harvey couldn’t hold Lawrie’s blistering 25-yard drive and the ball dropped over the line.
MacLellan really should have equalised when Duncan Campbell’s head-flick set him up but with only Campbell to beat he blazed over from 12-yards.
In the 70th minute only a brilliant tip-over by Harvey denied Graham with a ferocious 10-yard volley but five minutes later Khutsishvili ended any hopes of a Fort fightback when he tucked the ball behind the helpless Harvey from 10 yards.
With four minutes left Graham made it 4-1 with a fierce 15-yard drive.