Ahead of this weekend’s cottages.com MacTavish Cup 1st Round clash between Caberfeidh and Kingussie we caught up with Connor Golabek. Caberfeidh inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Kingussie in the league at the weekend, this Saturday’s game is a repeat of the 2022 cottages.com MacTavish Cup Final which saw Kings win 5-2 at Bught Park. We will also be catching up with returning Kingussie star Alexander Michie later this week…
Connor, a successful start to life at Caberfeidh so far, 3 games – 2 wins and draw including a 3-0 win against the Grand Slam Champions in their back garden – what’s the atmosphere like at the club just now?
Yeah it’s been a good start. Every match in the premiership is difficult but to start with the two Camanachd cup finalists from last year and the long away trip to Kyles it could have been start, but to take 5 out of 6 points is very good going and you can imagine the atmostphere at the club is great and the moment but we need to keep it going.
How has the team been preparing for the cottages.com MacTavish Cup game against Kingussie?
No change from what we have been doing. Pitch was very heavy at the weekend with the weather which was hard going, so personally getting recovery in ready to go again at the weekend
What kind of physical and mental preparation do you need to perform well in a game like this?
All the physical preparation for games like these are done with the work pre season, going from game to game it’s just about getting the right recovery in to give you the best oppurtunity to perform. Full focus on the game prior and during is crucial, especially against a team like Kingussie. If your concentration isn’t there then they are going to capitalise on that.
What do you think went right in the last game and can you replicate that this time out?
Our keeper and defence were superb for the 90 mins and the forward line took their chances when they fell to them so it will need to be more of the same. If we are wanting to compete for the league and the cups which we are, then we need to replicate last weeks performance week in week out.
How much confidence does that 3-0 win give you that you can progress in the cottages.com MacTavish Cup this weekend? Or are you worried that you might have “poked the bear” so to speak?
Yeah huge confidence from the result, they were Grand Slam champions last year and to beat them at the Dell shows that we are capable of beating anyone. It’s going to be a totally different game and we are expecting a reaction from Kingussie because they are a top team and will be wanting to bounce back quickly. I feel there are areas we can improve on from last week though so it sets up to be an exciting game.
What, if any, new ideas has the Manager brought in?
I think like most teams there was a big emphasis on fitness pre season. We seen the benefits from it towards the latter stages of the game on Saturday.
