Loch Ness manager Shane Carling says Saturday will be “interesting” as his club have a chance of winning their first North Caledonian League title.
The Fortrose-based team know if they win their final two fixtures, they will see off relentless defending champions Invergordon to win take over their crown in only their second full season at NCL level.
However, should Invergordon fail to beat visitors Orkney in their 12.45pm fixture, then Loch Ness will be over the line if they beat third-placed Fort William at King George V Park, Fortrose.
That match starts at 2pm, so word of any potential Invergordon slip-up is sure to be known early on.
Loch Ness were pipped at the death by Invergordon last season by just two points and Carling hopes they can go one better, be it this week or next when they face Alness United.
He said: “Regardless of what Invergordon do, we know we are two games away from winning the league, so fingers crossed the boys can do it.
“It’s going to very interesting. We’ll probably hear what’s happening with Invergordon, but we need to not focus on that because we will have to still beat Fort William.
“If we play football the way we can – they way we have all season – we have every chance of beating them. We have every confidence in our players and our squad. The league table doesn’t lie.
Team work makes the dream work! #FORZALOCHNESS pic.twitter.com/z3AhofzxcK
— Loch Ness Football Club (@LochNessFC) March 28, 2023
“So far, we’ve been the best team, so hopefully we can get over the line and win our first trophy.
“We came really close to winning it last season. Even if we were to finish second, it would still be a massive achievement because there are a lot of really good teams in this division.
“Of course, we’d be devastated not to win the league. We’ve a great chance of doing it now, but no one knows what will happen over the next 90 minutes.”
Fort William will be dangerous
And underlining how difficult an afternoon it might be for Loch Ness, Carling was full of praising for this weekend’s visitors from Lochaber.
He said: “Fort William are a strong outfit and, if they come up with a strong team, they will be hard opponents. We won 2-1 late on down at Claggan. We were a bit short, but still had a good starting 11.
“They were a good team and I’d say better that the team they had in the Highland League. For us to win that was a massive result for us.
“They are probably one of the best passing teams we have come up against.”
⚫️ NEXT FIXTURES ⚫️⚫️
No game this weekend, plenty of good North Caledonian FA fixtures this weekend though.
Here are our final two games of the season. Both are at home and looking to get a good crowd at each match. #FORZALOCHNESS pic.twitter.com/UEc6JKrf0R
— Loch Ness Football Club (@LochNessFC) March 31, 2023
Invergordon never give up the chase
Despite building up a healthy lead some time ago, chasers Invergordon have not stopped winning in 2023 – until last weekend.
In all competitions, they won 12 matches in succession and Carling admits he felt his rivals were going to be unbeaten in pursuit of their title defence.
He said: “With us not playing last Saturday, and St Duthus beating Invergordon, that was a massive result for us and thanks to Saints.
“The good thing from our point of view was we had the points on the board and they were six or seven games behind us in terms of fixtures played.
“If I’m honest, given how Invergordon have performed, I could see them going all the way and not slipping up.
“They are an excellent team and they always find ways to win. In recent weeks, they scored a 97th-minute winner against Clach and they beat Inverness Athletic 2-1.
“They know how to win and that’s why they’ve been champions so often recently. But, we know the league’s not over. There is still work to do.
“People might think it’s now for us to win, but it’s far from that.”
Loch Ness recovered from setbacks
Loch Ness recovered from back-to-back defeats against Golspie to strike back two weeks ago in the league by beating St Duthus 5-1 in Tain.
Golspie were 3-1 victors at Fortrose in the league on March 11 then walked off with a 2-1 victory in the semis of the North Caledonian Cup to line up a crack at Invergordon at the end of the month.
Carling was delighted by how his team responded against the Saints, especially as he felt the semi-final loss to Golspie was a particularly sore one, with key calls going against them.
He said: “I was gutted for the boys after that semi-final. We were brilliant from start to finish.
“A couple of decisions went against us. There should have been a sending off and it was a game-changer at 1-1. The boy who should have been sent off scored the winner. But that’s football.
“We then had to go to Tain. Last year, at this point of the year, we would have won the league had to won at Tain, because Invergordon lost, but we lost 3-0.
“To go 1-0 down there a couple of weeks ago, then come back to win 5-1 was terrific.
“In the second half, St Duthus began to tire and were doing a lot of chasing and we a lot better and the scoreline proved that.”
The goal that won it yesterday – an absolute beauty scored by @JamesMackay56 pic.twitter.com/IfbRVyhoMR
— St Duthus Football Club (@StDuthusFC) April 2, 2023
On Friday night, basement team Bonar Bridge are home to Clachnacuddin reserves, while it’s Thurso v Halkirk United at Morrison Park.
On Tuesday, Nairn County’s second team host St Duthus then, on Wednesday, it’s Invergordon v Golspie Sutherland, who the the sides who will contest the North Caledonian Cup final on April 29.
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