Scottish Hydro Premier Division

Kilmallie 10-0 Glenorchy

Game number 13 of Glenorchy's league season saw them make the relatively short trip north to meet fellow newly-promoted outfit Kilmallie. Kilmallie have reached the semi-finals of the Camanachd Cup and lie in 5th place in the league table so they were overwhelming favourites to add 2 more points in this game. I doubt many people would have predicted just how easy it would be though!

Glenorchy went into the game on the back of a narrow defeat at Newtonmore last week and were confident of finally landing that elusive first point of the season.

There was no Ewan Murray or Kenny MacDougall to call upon this week though and Fulton Ronald and Andy McLean returned to the starting line up in their place. As the rain battered down, Glenorchy's hopes would take a massive blow after just 4 minutes played through a somewhat freak goal. Liam MacDonald collected the ball just inside the Glen half and lofted an effort on target for his fellow forwards to run in on, however Glenorchy keeper Graeme MacKechnie misjudged the flight of the ball and it sailed into the net to make it 1-0. It only took another couple of minutes for Michael Rodger to make it 2-0. He collected the ball with his back to goal and turned to unleash an unstoppable shot across MacKechnie into the net.

These early setbacks prompted John MacPherson, in charge for the day in the absence of Allan MacKechnie, into making some positional switches with Alec MacPherson moving to full-back, Findlay Ross into the centre and Fulton Ronald moving up to half-forward. These changes seemed to finally settle the Glen down and they began to create some chances to trouble Kevin Toye in the Kilmallie goal through Ronald, John McNulty and Duncan Smith.

Kilmallie were looking formiddable up front though and they added a third goal after 18 minutes when Rodger reacted quickest to a rebound a slotted past MacKechnie. Goal number arrived just 5 minutes later courtesy of Peter MacIntyre after he collected a corner on the canal side of the pitch and drilled home a low drive from a tight angle.

The hosts were very much in the ascendancy in they added a fifth after 35 minutes when that man Rodger completed a first half hat-trick after he jinked in from the left and unleashed a powerful drive high into the net. There was still time for another goal for the home team before the break. It came after 43 minutes through the player who started the scoring, Liam MacDonald.

Mr MacPherson is never usually slow in voicing his opinion on the game and today was no exception as he demanded his players show a bit more fight and determintaion as this was fast becoming an embarrassment!

Neither side made any positional switches at the interval as the second period got underway with wave after wave of Kilmallie attacks'. Glenorchy made their first substitution after 52 minutes with Iain Livingstone coming on in place of Andy McLean up front.

Glenorchy were defending much more resolutely in this half though and began to believe that no more goals would be conceded. This belief was shattered after 58 minutes through MacDonald with his 3rd of the afternoon to make it 7-0. Number 8 arrived after just 63 minutes played when Peter MacIntyre got his second ot the day with a 25 yard effort from the left hand side.

Although it only takes a second to score a goal in shinty there was definately no way back for Glenorchy at this stage and it was just a matter of how many for Kilmallie. The answer would be TEN!!

Kilmallie substitute Mark Graham, who had scored for the second team earlier in the day, made it 9-0 after 72 minutes when he reacted fastest in a scramble on the penalty spot to shoot home. The only surprise for the home side was that the only forward not to get on the scoresheet was international marksman John Stewart. It seemed inevitable he would get one, and this he did after 76 minutes when he finished off a lovely passing move to make it 10-0 to the hosts.

With 14 minutes still to play, Glenorchy could maybe count themselves fortunate the scoring finished there. The sooner this result is out of the systems the better for the away side. After such a positive display away at Newtonmore to such a dreadful showing at Kilmallie, the question must be why? Why can the floodgates open so easily?

Next up for Glenorchy is a home tie against local rivals' Oban Camanachd in the Premier League. You could not pick a better game to bounce back from a setback in and the Glen players will certainly have no problems motivating themselves for this one. It's just a question of which Glenorchy side will show up!