St Duthus manager John Maclellan pleased to shake off ‘difficult week’
St Duthus tasted victory for the first time under manager John Maclellan on Saturday, advancing to the quarter final of the Football Times Cup at the expense of Bonar Bridge.
The Saints boss praised his charges for “bouncing back” after suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Orkney last weekend.
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Goals from Jack Wardrop and Adrian Voigt were enough for Saints as they took a 2-0 win away from Migdale Park, also recording their second clean sheet of the season.
The manager said: “I was very pleased with our response as a team, every credit to the boys for bouncing back after what was a difficult week, and for putting in a good performance.
“Bonar is a tough place for any team to go, so to come away with a clean sheet, no injuries and positive contributions from all 16 players is a great Saturday for me.”
St Duthus broke the deadlock after 34 minutes when an incisive ball into the box from Adrian Voigt was knocked into the path of Jack Wardrop by Liam Rostock, and the dynamic midfield reacted to slot the ball under Rory Maclean.
The Tain side enjoyed the majority of possession as the half progressed, and got their reward for it midway through the second half when Voigt finished off a good move down the right flank to cut inside and curl the ball into the far corner from the edge of the box.
A late free kick for Bonar Bridge saw John Allan called into action, having to tip a Robbie Breen header over the bar from close range after good delivery from Jordan Hailes.
The win sends St Duthus into the quarter final of the competition, where they will meet Golspie Sutherland at King George V Park on Saturday September 28.
Three other quarter final ties have been confirmed for the same date, including Inverness Athletic v Fort William, Bunillidh Thistle v Invergordon and Alness United v Clachnacuddin ‘A’.
St Duthus this weekend turn their attentions back to North Caledonian League action, traveling to Evanton to meet Clachnacuddin ‘A’ at Black Rock Park.
The Easter Ross club will be aiming to break their duck in the league, having earned just one point from three games thus far.
Maclellan is still awaiting the availability of recent signings Neil Moir and Joe Cuthbert who remain on the recovery trail after suffering pre-season injuries, alongside winger Scott MacDonald and last season’s top scorer Thomas Lewis.
He added: “We’ve got a lot of boys coming back from injuries soon, which is going to mean competition for every place in the squad. Everyone staked a strong claim on Saturday and I was particularly impressed with all our subs.
“I love seeing boys come on and get busy straight away trying to get on the ball.
“I’m now looking forward to two good training sessions this week to prepare for another big game on Saturday.”