This afternoon Strathglass continued their great start to 2024, defeating local rivals Glenurquhart 3-0 in Mowi WCA North Division 2. We caught up with their top scorer, Isla Strachan to find out more…
Isla, congratulations on being the top scorer in the Mowi WCA North Division 2! How does it feel to lead the division in goals scored?
It’s exiting to be at the top so far, although it is very early on in the season and we have some tough matches coming up so I think it will be difficult to stay there. It’s nice to have a personal goal on the side of the whole team’s progression.
As a key player for Strathglass, how do you maintain your focus and motivation throughout the season, especially during challenging matches?
I think I find it easier to maintain my motivation because I want to keep getting better and be playing at the highest level of shinty I can and I enjoy playing every week with my team.
Strathglass is currently joint top of the league, tied with four other teams. What do you think has contributed to the team’s success so far this season?
I think we are doing better this year because the league this season is a lot more competitive than the last as the teams are very even and I think that has boosted our teams motivation. We’ve also had a more involved coaching and management side which has helped a lot.
What are some of the team’s goals for the remainder of the season, and how do you plan to contribute to achieving them?
A big goal for us is to make sure that the younger girls have a team that they can move up into and help them develop as well as they can, making sure that we are using them as subs is important so they build confidence straight away.
Reflecting on last season’s 7th place finish, what improvements has the team made this season to climb up the ranks?
At the end of last season we were really struggling to get the numbers to play but this season we have a lot of new and upcoming players that are motivated to play every week which has made as a lot more consistent. We’ve also had multiple players travelling home for games which makes a massive difference in numbers and the results in game.
Lastly, incredible to be saying this to someone still in school, but what advice would you give to aspiring young female shinty players?
I would say making yourself available for every game you can and being determined to play at higher levels is really important for the younger girls development.