Forres Mechanics 2-1 Clach
Sometimes, thankfully not very often, the Gaffer will refer to a performance, or even a part of a performance, as disappointing or poor. It takes me back to those days of the year when I would attempt to disguise the fact that it was School Report day. It was pointless even trying to "Doctor" the grades, as the comments would always give the game away. And no word would hurt as much as "Disappointed".
"I am really disappointed in you" my Dad would be heard to say.
And then the teachers comments would also be littered with the same. Along with "Can do so much better", or "Could try harder". I don\'t know if it actually motivated me to improve, but it certainly hurt. And it especially hurts because it was all true.
I am what you might call "laid back". Think Harry Nicolson on Diazepam.
And so it was, that the Gaffer verbalised the same sentiments following our draw with Keith on Saturday. I don\'t think Dad would have said anything about me looking tired, and if I had said that I was tired, it wouldn\'t have gone down too well either.
Now, I do not know how the Gaffer handles his half-time and post match team talks but I am guessing that he makes his feelings known. In speaking to the Inverness Courier this week, he suggested that squad rotation might be on the cards. So, it was intriguing to see how and with who, we would start with today.
And there were a couple of changes that caught the eye. A notable absentee was the aforementioned Hazza, who was named as one of the subs, whilst Ally Gillies seemed like a safe pair of hands in a midfield including our two loanees, Shae and Sam. Troy Cooper as skipper was a bold move, but a well deserved one.
So, on a largely grey and cloudy evening, the boys came into this game looking to get things back on track. Despite, losing a couple of important players, our hosts have started the season pretty well, and they started this match pretty impressively too.
The Mechanics looked well drilled and organised.
But an early sortie down the right saw Jordan Macraes header tipped away, and 5 minutes later, he also had another chance, but dragged his shot wide.
A corner from Shae Keogh narrowly eluded everyone, but in all reality we were not at the races this evening. Just minutes after this, Sam Reid of the Can Cans jinked his way into the box unchallenged, before firing home. 1-0 to Forres.
There appeared to be an imbalance throughout the team this evening, and time and again we were being exposed, as they exploted space on the left flank. I felt more than a little sorry for Craig Lawrie who looked more than a little lost at times.
Mark MacLauchlan, the Forres skipper doubled their lead on 38 minutes, but there is nothing more to be said about that. While we showed glimpses of our abilities and potential, our overall passing and possession was poor. Even the usually electrifying Mikey Mackenzie appeared sluggish.
But despite not being overly threatening themselves, Forres seemed comfortably in control throughout most of this match.
Troy Cooper cut a frustrated figure as he was substituted halfway through the second half by regular skipper Harry Nicolson. This decision was vilified, when, on 73 minutes, he toe poked us back into the game. But it was a rare moment in a game where little really worked.
The Matchday announcer got confused with his Clachs and his Caleys when the Gaffer looked to inject some fresh energy, but this was a brief moment of levity in a match that left the Lily Loyal largely scratching their heads. We huffed and puffed towards the end but, again, nothing appeared to be clicking.
So, how would this performance look as a school report?
While Troy Cooper will doubtless be thrilled to be nominated as Captain for the evening, (and this is a further sign of his ongoing maturity), maybe it was just too much of a leap right now. But he will learn from this experience, and come back stronger.
But that aside, it would be fair to use words attributed to my schoolwork back in the day. Sloppy and slap dash springs to mind.
D for Disappointing possibly. Yes, we can do better, but they know that.
But what better way to respond, than with the prospect of putting on a show at the Ferry San Siro this Saturday when we welcome Nairn County. In what is always a tasty fixture, the guys will need no additional motivation to bring their "A" game. We need to bring ours too.