High fives for Newtonmore in Strathdearn Cup Final…

Saturday 24th of August saw Newtonmore and Skye take to the field at Balgate, Kiltarlity for the Strathdearn Cup Final. The two sides had locked horns previously in the 2023 Highland Industrial Supplies Sutherland Cup Final and were separated by a mere 1 point ahead of throw up. Skye had defeated holders Fort William in the Semi-Finals 2-0, whereas Newtonmore comfortably beat Beauly 8-3.

Neilly ‘Ach’ MacRae threw the ball up into the air to start the match and, as is so frequently the case, the two sides battled frantically for control of the game with the match taking around 10 minutes to settle. When it did, it was Newtonmore that were on the front foot, and they made the most of it by opening the scoring a quarter of an hour into the match. A well struck ball out of the back line found itself at the feet of Glen MacKintosh on the left flank, his delicate pass through the legs of his marker was met with venom by Kyle Clark who smashed Newtonmore into the lead with a wicked shot into the roof of the net.

Four minutes later, it was double trouble for Skye. Ross Haig played a great diagonal ball into the path of Clark, he pushed it beyond his man and dribbled right into the islander’s box before making the unselfish decision to cut it back into the path of the onrushing Joe Coyle, the 15-year-old sweeping the ball into the bottom left corner as if he had been scoring cup final goals for decades.

On the eve of the half hour mark, it would be more joy for Newtonmore. Jacob Bain delivering a corner which was trapped by Clark who then weaved space for a shot, the ball skipping through the keeper’s legs to give Newtonmore a three-goal lead. Immediately from the throw up, and ‘More would score again, this time a ball from Declan Brannan found MacKintosh on the left wing, his strike low across the goal nestling into the bottom corner to all but end Skye’s chances with just a third of the game gone.

In the second half, Skye regrouped and were able to make it a battle with few serious chances for either side. That was until the 80th minute when Newtonmore made it 5-0. Xander Ross cutting in from the right-hand side and hitting a hopeful shot that deceived the Skye keeper and crept over the line. With that, the scoring finished 5-0 to Newtonmore who were crowned Strathdearn Cup champions for 2024. After the game, all that was left was for Finance Director Allister MacKinnon to present winning Captain, Glen MacKintosh with the trophy – to the adoration of the Newtonmore fans.

All in all, a great day for Newtonmore who were able to defy the pre-match predictions of a tight game, although there is no official Man of the Match for the Strathdearn Cup Final, the Half-Swing Podcast Man of the Match was Ross Haig for tireless and controlled play. For Skye, it will be a case of dusting themselves off and looking ahead to the Highland Industrial Supplies Sutherland Cup Final in a few weeks’ time.
Well done Newtonmore!