Invergordon manager Gary Campbell expects a tough test on their travels to Fort William in the North Caledonian League on Saturday, saying neither side can afford slip-ups.
The defending champions have plenty of work to do if they are to prevent Loch Ness being the 2022/23 NCL league winners.
They are in fifth position and trail Shane Carling’s high-fliers by 14 points, with second-placed St Duthus and Fort William, in third, the only teams with outside chances of hitting top spot.
However, with four games in hand, Invergordon are the side everyone has their eyes on, but their quality will be tested to the full on Saturday when they travel to Fort William.
Invergordon have begun 2023 with two big results in very different ways. A 3-1 home win against St Duthus was a crucial one to keep the dream alive before they hit seven without reply at Thurso.
While the weather hit the card badly last week, Fort William benefited as they ran out impressive 6-1 victors at Nairn County reserves in the only fixture on.
Updated league table after the weekend's only result where @FortWilliamFC climbed to 3rd, with a 6-1 win at Nairn #NCFA #Northcaley pic.twitter.com/mPPJTo8xvn
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) January 23, 2023
Invergordon have four games in hand
Campbell, whose team had been set to host Inverness Athletic last week, knows any slip-up from the chasers will only benefit front-runners Loch Ness.
He said: “I think ourselves, St Duthus and Fort William need to go on runs if we are to do anything and hopefully Loch Ness drop more points.
“However, there’s a lot to play for. We’re not even halfway through our season, so it’s still all open.
“It was disappointing our game was off last week, because we’d played so well the week before and we wanted to keep the run going, so we’re looking forward to this one.”
Goalscorers:
Andrew McLean 55’
Iain MacLellan 62’, 66’, 79’Congratulations to Maccy on a magnificent second half hattrick😍 pic.twitter.com/72rfhvDh9v
— Fort William FC (@FortWilliamFC) January 21, 2023
Campbell says only the best will do
And Campbell says Saturday’s opponents Fort William have the quality to make it a tough 90 minutes for his men in a crunch encounter.
He added: “This will be the first time we’ve played Fort William this season.
“I’ve seen them play and they certainly look like a decent side, so this will be a hard game for us – we’ll need to be at it.
“They have brought back experienced players (with Highland League experience).
“We’ve had a couple of players struggling with injuries, but all going well come Saturday we’ll have 16 all ready and available.”
Campbell says if the Claggan clash is thrown into doubt by any potential postponement due to the weather, his club can host the match as they have yet to play them at The Recreation Grounds.
Invergordon’s players made use of some of last weekend’s call-off by training at the Highland Football Academy.
Loch Ness on hunt for points in Nairn
Loch Ness will aim to keep the chasing pack well behind on Saturday when they travel to second-bottom Nairn County reserves, second-placed St Duthus play 11th-placed Thurso at the Naver 3G pitch, and Inverness Athletic, in fourth, are expected to beat basement visitors Bonar Bridge.
Clachnacuddin reserves are home to Halkirk United, but Golspie Sutherland’s game away to Orkney has been postponed due to a lack of an available referee.
Next weekend's league fixtures. As always, wherever you are, there are some cracking matches to watch again #NCFA #NorthCaley pic.twitter.com/6974chGHV6
— North Caledonian FA (@NorthCaleyFA) January 24, 2023
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