Match report - Bonar Bridge 5 V Thurso F.C 2 - 23/8/03

Bright, sunny and warm conditions welcomed The Thurso Squad from their long trip down The A9 to Bonar Bridge in The opening fixture of The MSIS North Caledonian League season.

New additions to the squad who defeated Castletown 5-0 in a friendly on Wednesday night were Castletown players Iain Begg in goals and Chris Dunnett plus Philip Green.

Early pressure from Bonar Bridge and Brian Gray had to head clear a dangerous cross off the line after 2 minutes. A scrappy start to the game by Thurso but gained some composure and started some constant pressure on the Bonar goal after 4 minutes with a run and cross from Nigel MacKenzie was headed out to the edge of the box to Mark Makhouli who volleyed wide of the target. Then after 5 minutes a Lee MacDougall header was saved by the Bonar keeper Lannon.

Then the opening goal of the game came in the eight minute with some excellent passing involving Jamie MacKenzie, Gavin Bremner and Nigel MacKenzie saw Willie Inrig join in the move where he played a 1-2 with Jamie MacKenzie and strode on into the box and dispatched a left foot shot low in the right hand corner of the Bonar net past Lannon.

This gave Thurso a huge boost after starting the game so poorly and they increased the lead in the eleventh minute with a Jamie MacKenzie header from a Lee MacDougall free kick from the right.

Next to test the Bonar keeper was Nigel MacKenzie who drifted in to the centre of the pitch and finished with a curling effort just over the cross bar.

Thurso then missed a golden opportunity to put the game out of sight after eighteen minutes when Jamie MacKenzie brilliantly turned a Bonar defender and crossed for Lee MacDougall to glance a header straight at Lannon from six yards.

This seemed to be the turning point of the game and Bonar started to cause a threat on The Thurso goal with their formation and were missing out the midfield and playing long balls up field putting the inexperienced Thurso defence under pressure.

This was underlined when a long free kick into the box was headed down into the ground over Begg in The Thurso goal after twenty one minutes by Shane Sutherland which put Bonar right back into a game they should have been three or four goals down in.

The pressure from the home side was building and Brian Gray brought down Bonar striker Mcleod right on the edge of the box after 23 minutes. The resultant free kick was deflected over the bar by a Thurso defender and the corner kick cleared easily by Ryan Farmer.

Bonar's come back was complete after 28 minutes when Walter Mackay equalised for the home side after some awful defending from Thurso not able to get the ball clear ending up with Mackay scoring from close range.

With then minutes to go to half time Munro for Bonar had a free kick over Iain Begg's cross bar and Ross Sutherland had an 18-yard effort saved by Lannon.

Thurso almost regained their lead in the 39th minute from a Jamie MacKenzie header which looked to be creeping in the far post but for a brilliant tip round from Lannon for a Thurso corner. The resultant corner went out for a goal kick after Gray failed to connect at the far post.

Half-time – Bonar 2 V Thurso 2

Thurso started the second half on the attack with an Inrig shot from distance saved by Lannon after 46 minutes, then a minute later a Lee MacDougall cross saw Jamie MacKenzie shoot over the bar from six yards when it looked easier to score.

Then Begg came out to block a McVicar effort as he broke free of The Thurso defence in the 50th minute.

Disaster for Thurso when Gray upended a Bonar player in the box and Walter Mackay stepped up to score from the spot and put Bonar three two up.

Gray then tried to make up for conceding a penalty when he received the ball on the left and unleashed a cracking drive off the face of the cross bar with Lannon helpless. Then Gray spoke out of turn to the official and was shown a straight red card. The game was getting more physical and players were loosing control, as was the referee.

In the 59th minute Bonar made a change and Argyle came on for Grant. A minute later Bonar increased their lead with a second goal of the match from Shane Sutherland. In the 61st minute Thurso tried to make their way back into the match as Chris Dunnett had a shot saved by Lannon.

A minute later Philip Green replaced Mark Makhouli who was tiring in the warm conditions as both sets of players started to feel the heat.

With twenty minutes to go Jamie MacKenzie headed a Lee MacDougall cross over Lannon's bar, then a minute later Nigel MacKenzie had a brilliant shot tipped round the post by Lannon.

Thurso were now putting on constant pressure to the Bonar goal which was leading a charmed life and after a threaded ball from Inrig to Nigel MacKenzie on the left wing, his cross was put wide from six yards by Lee MacDougall with the goal gaping.

The Thurso squad and supporters started to realise it was not going to be their day as further efforts on goal by Bremner and Lee MacDougall were blocked and went just off target with ten minutes remaining.

Then in the 82nd minute a blatant offence on Jamie MacKenzie by a Bonar player was only punished with a yellow card when the red card should have been brandished by the referee who had lost control of the game.

With five minutes to go Lee MacDougall had a shot just past the post with a brilliant angled shot from outside the box, then two minutes later David Argyle headed past Begg from a corner to put the result well beyond ten man Thurso and complete the scoring.

Final score - Bonar Bridge 5 V Thurso 2

Bonar Bridge line-up – Lannon, Bonnar, Munro, Clark, MacCrae, Mclaren, Grant (Argyle 59), Mackay, Mcleod, Shane Sutherland, McVicar.

Thurso line-up – Begg, Gray, Farmer, Dunnett, Ross Sutherland, Inrig, N.Mackenzie, Bremner, M.Makhouli (Green 62),
J.MacKenzie, MacDougall. Subs not used – Chessor and Coghill

Thurso's day of misery was complete after the match, in the changing rooms as Thurso midfielder Ross Sutherland was shown the red card for comments made towards the officials and Sutherland and manager Duncan Gray were called into the referees room to be informed their comments would be added to the referee's report.