Invergordon take on Golspie Sutherland in North Caledonian Cup final as coach praises the influence of club’s manager on their success
GARY Campbell’s influence as manager has been one of the major reasons for Invergordon’s success in the North Caledonian League according to coach Shaun Kerr.
Invergordon are set to head to Golspie Sutherland in the North Caledonian Cup final on Saturday as they look to finish the season with a double after successfully retaining their league title.
Invergordon won their third North Caledonian League title in the last four seasons when they won 20 out of 22 matches during this season.
Kerr praised Campbell setting high standards on the squad for the club’s success in recent years, saying he is an outstanding manager.
“Gary has drilled into the boys about winning constantly, the boys have taken that on board,” he said.
“A lot of our success has been down to Gary as he is constantly on to the team about keeping up standards.
“We played St Duthus on the final day when there was nothing in the game.
“But Gary was constantly on the team as every game is must win and everyone has bought into that. It shows on the pitch as there is a good winning mentality.
“He is unbelievable and perhaps should be managing at a higher level.
“His attention to detail is frightening, but he is such a winner and the boys have bought into it and you can see the difference it has brought to the club.
“It doesn’t matter if you are a young lad or a player who has won the Highland League, if you make a mistake, he is on to you. It is a way that works.”
Invergordon will travel to Golspie Sutherland to face them in the North Caledonian Cup final on Saturday at 1pm looking to retain the trophy. They claimed a treble last season, but failed to win the Football Times this campaign.
Kerr says the team are determined to at least finish the season with a double but knows the threat Golspie possess.
He said: “We set out at the start of the season to win as much as possible. Unfortunately we haven’t retained all of our trophies but we will do our best to win this one.
“It has been a fantastic season, we brought in some of the young lads from Ross County and mixed them with experience like Dale Gillespie and Ally Macdonald. It has been good for the younger lads having that experience.
“They obviously have home advantage and will have their fans behind them. But we are confident whereever we play.
“I do fancy our chances, however Golspie are a strong team with the firepower of Craig Gunn and Liam Bremner.
“They will be a threat, but we have played them before and come out on top and hopefully we will do the same again.”