Top Joes 11's

An unbiased view of each game at no cost.

Produced by Willie Budge

Edited by Bruce Cormack

Cup Report

A disappointing Cup run saw William Smith take the Player of the Tournament award for Joes.   That basically sums it up!

Cowie the Hero as brace seals Joes victory

Joes ended their league campaign the way they started it, with a win.  It turned out to be a convincing victory in the end with gangly defender Cooie managing to get on the score sheet twice at the right end.  This leaves him and Wilson on 1 own goal a piece for the season. 

Yet again the omens were not good before the match.  Preparations were thrown into disarray as Manager Cormack was frogmarched to a Wedding fayre in the week prior to the match instead of preparing for the blues. Cormack said he would be singing the Blues if he had not ran along as ordered.

Midfielder Moodier was unavailable last night due to over exerting himself at the shops in Inverness with his fiancé during the weekend..

Sponge MacDonald was on form however after doing his bit for international relations last weekend.  Most people are happy with a chocolate but sponge decided he wanted a real Belgian and therefore took her home to meet his mum.

A plus for Joes was the form of Les "Wrestler" Mackay as he crunched into tackles.  There was little need for motivation as Les tried to make it up to his team - mates after revelations he was a former Ashes midfield powerhouse.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Bruce Cormack, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Mike and Cooie, a midfield of Les the wrestler, Yugstar and Sponge with Bruce Cormack the lone striker. 

1st Half

With a strong wind behind them and playing down the slope, Joes started brightly with Les patrolling the midfield berth vacated by Moodie's tiredness.  After a couple of forays by the Blues, dealt with by Messrs Cooie and Wilson, Joes started to take a hold of the game and with each passing chance, worry grew that this was not going to be Joes' night. A splendid effort from Sponge went wide when he surprisingly went it alone rather than passing to a team - mate.  this was followed by a high up and under from Wilson from long range.  The Blues keeper did well to hold this wicked shot from the red headed defender.  Cormack made way for Smith and Joes kept plugging away.  Some good interchanges saw Yug and sponge combining well before a slick pass from smith found Sponge 20 yards out.  His shot looked to be going wide when a deflection off Blues defender Bremner saw it crash into the net.  Just the  luck the Joes bench had been waiting for.  A couple of times the Blues did get through the Joes defence, keeper Miller decided to play sweeper with a couple of tackles and mazy runs. Cormack then replaced Les with Budge with the sub playing a first time ball to Smith, unfortunately his fellow sub contrived to miss when it looked easier to score.  Joes came in at half - time with the worry their possession and wind assistance should have borne more fruit.

Half - time Top Joes 1 - 0 Rolls Royce Blues

Joes faced the wind in the second half but this only seemed to inspire them.  Five minutes in and their lead was doubled.  A shot by the Yugstar was spilled by the Blues keeper and Budge managed to reach the ball before the onrushing Blues keeper to put Joes 2 up.  Joes seemed to have the Blues on the rack now and they were in disarray.  Worse was to follow when a crunching tackle by Les saw the ball break to Kevin Cowie and he mashed an unstoppable shot past the Blues keeper.  Joes were coasting now and Cormack afforded himself the luxury of resting Budge prior to the cup competition. Cormack seemed set to not only score his first goal but also hit his first shot on target for the season shortly after returning to the field.  However he took a swing at fresh air with the goal beckoning instead and kept his unbelievable record intact.  It was perhaps not so much a fresh air swipe, more he couldn't reach it due to excessive lack of mobility!  Joes keeper Miller then had a chance for glory after an ill-advised run from the Blues keeper saw him way off his line.  However the modest Miller decided to go down the sporting route by blasting the ball out of play about the half way line mark with the ball last seen flying over the moors towards the goal course.  After a replacement ball was found, it was the defender Cooie would have the last word.  A minute from the end he scored his second and Joes' fourth to put the icing on a great season for Joes who finished fifth in the final league table.  well done the lads.  all the remains is the Cup competition and the night out which may be held in April or May, which year of course is still under discussion.

 

COACHES PLAYER RATINGS

Edward  7       Had very little to do other than a couple of runs up field and a couple of tackles.  Lest not forget his tremendous sporting play when their keeper was out of his goals….I believe the word commonly used to describe this is FANNY!! 
Wilson  7       Held things together defensively when Cowie went on his forward runs.  Possesses a radiant smile on camera.      
Cowie   8       Two good goals giving him a total of one for the season (own goals count double ya fud!)       
Spongy  7       Two good assists for Cowie’s goals and would have made the score sheet if it wasn’t for the intervention of Stuart Bremner.  Greedy to ensure Les didn’t pass him in the scoring chart. 
Leslie Warhurst 8       A battling display from the war veteran who attempted to decapitate almost everyone in his path.  The wrestling guru’s season is over as he is cup-tied from his previous efforts with Ashes.  Still equal top scorer with Spongebob.  
Yug     7       The TA newcomer used his pace well to close down space and assist as much as he could in attack.  Missing his friend Weasel who has finally come out of the closet and moved into a bachelor pad.      
Cormack 7       Held the ball up well and was unlucky not to possess the required dexterity to reach a great through ball from the Sponge.  Hoping to score in the cup competition, or even get a shot on goal.
Budge   7       Another strike for the Webmaster puts him ahead of Wills in the subs golden boot award with only the cup competition to go.  I’m sure I saw him run the length of himself last night too.      
Wills   7       Bottled a chance to go ahead of Budge in the scoring stakes and was later surpassed by Cowie too.  Never mind Wills, you’re ahead of me and Ed….       
 

MAN OF THE MATCH

A joint award this week for the Pigeon and the Wrestler, well done lads.

COACH’S COMMENTS

A good end to the season to secure fifth place which is our highest ever finish.  My thanks go out to the players for their efforts and hope we can give a decent account of ourselves in the impending cup campaign.

Smith back in hunt for Joes Goalden Boot

After scoring six last week, Joes were on the receiving end of a six goal pasting from Seaview's sister side Groats.  Had it not been for the heroics of Joes keeper Miller, it could have been worse.  The Buckies Bull was in fine form and frustrated the Groats front line, especially in the first half.

The only consolation for Joes was the return to scoring form of the left sided William Smith.  After looking menacing for a number of weeks, Smith doubled his tally for the season and has set himself a target of 5 goals in the last league match against the Blues to win the Joes goalden boot.

In a terrible night at Naver, the Yugstar felt right at home and said he was pretending this was a TA exercise, unfortunately the Yugstar has still not been taught how to tie his laces and had this been a TA exercise, he would have missed it.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Sean Moodier, Bruce Cormack, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Mike and Cooie, a midfield of Moodier, Yugstar and Sponge with Les "the Heel" the lone striker. 

1^st Half

A bright start from Joes raised hope on the Joes bench with Les Mackay playing a couple of brilliant back heels but unfortunately they were to Groats players!  After 5 minutes Groats took the lead through Derek Campbell.  Groats certainly had the bit between their teeth as they go in search of the title. They also had Sinclair back from injury as well as two former Halkirk United players as well as a current Thurso FC trialist in their ranks.  It was only the heroics of Miller which kept them out and the passing of Cowie which kept them in possession.  The only surprise being that it took Groats until close to half-time for veteran photographer Baikie to breach Miller's goal to see Joes go two down.  Still Les insisted on his rather gay back heels!

Half - time Top Joes 0 - 2 Groats

The 2nd half stared badly for Joes with Baikie adding his second and Groats' third of the evening within a minute of the restart.  Not long after Baikie had his hat-trick when he zoomed in on goal and flashed past two defenders as if they were standing still before releasing a cannonball shot that gave Miller no chance.   Smith pulled one back and thankfully he had not tied his laces properly at the start of the 2nd half.  as he slowly got up from tying them properly, a wayward Moodie shot which was hitting the corner flag, cannoned off the elbow of Smith and flew into the net.  However the fight back did not last long and Groats added a 5th when Thurso trialist Michael Steven wrong footed Miller from 12 yards.  Mark Munro of Groats scored the last goal of the night from the acutest of angles to complete the victory.

The action was not over and club captain did his best to get sent off by having a swing at Steven as well as nearly taking out three spectators close to Miller's goal.

a disappointing night in what was a dreadful night for football.  Joes are still in with a shout of 5th place but have to beat the Blues and hope RG's fall to Halkirk in the final game of the league season.

COME ON THE JOES!

COACHES PLAYER RATINGS

Miller  7               Pulled off some key saves even though he looked like he had escaped from Porridge with his choice of headgear.  Best of a bad bunch.   
Wilson  6            The temperamental centre half showed his fiery side but held together the defence as best he could – good at Murder ball too.   
Cowie   5            The pigeon’s passes flew to the opposition too often.  He spent ages pre-match working on his lace tying technique – Sponge, Wills and Yug take note!  
Spongy  4           A poor night for the equal top scorer, his passing was worse than Cowie’s and his laces were too often loose.  
Moodier  5           Battled and scrapped away but off form.  May have had his mind on his pager in case he got called out so he could earn some more money……       
Yug     5            Couldn’t get his Velcro laces to stay attached and was more often than not bent over (not in his usual TA sense though…..) trying to sort this.
Les     5             Chose not to hit the opposition as much as usual but had some choice “backheels” which found the opposition with increasing regularity.
Wills   5            Equal with Budge in the subs scoring chart now after last night’s goal but another who can’t tie his laces.    
Budge   5          Scored frequently at the weekend but couldn’t take this onto the Naver park.  Patter was brilliant as usual too.       
 

COACHES MAN OF THE MATCH

Edward Miller – the Buckies boy saved us from further humiliation.

COACH’S COMMENTS

It was poor conditions to try to play football but it didn’t stop the impressive John O’Groats side destroying us.  P*ss poor last night is all there is to say.

Seaview hit for six as Moodie hits three

It was three in a row for Joes last night in what was surely their best performance of the season.  The lads were certainly up for this one and were keen to get a win for this week’s birthday boy, William Smith.  One bystander was shocked to hear he was 23 and said, “Really? I thought you’d just be around the 19 stone”.

The major shock last night was not the fact Moodie scored three, even more shocking was the fact he managed to get three on target although he admitted after the game that two shots were miss hits and the other a miss cue.

Martin Mackay was certainly feeling the effects of a heavy weekend last night.  He stated he was up until 4am on Sunday morning, unfortunately or possibly fortunately, the Yugstar would not divulge just what he was doing to this time.  Unlike Steve MacDonald, fighting fit, after spending all weekend buying toothpaste to try and help a “brick” mark on his neck.  The mind boggles.

Weasel was yet again unavailable.  There were reports he had bumped into a car in the Naver Car park, and as is usual for Ken, he made a Sharp exit without telling the other driver.

There was certainly a lot of love being shown last night and none more so before the game than that of the referee and Moodie……..

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Mike and Cooie, a midfield of Moodier, Yugstar and Sponge with Lesley ROAR the lone striker. 

1^st Half

Joes started very brightly in the first 5 minutes and Steve MacDonald was extremely unlucky to see a rasping drive come back off the crossbar.  However Seaview found their feet and had a couple of half chances as Joes seemed to fall flat.  Somewhat against the run of play, Seaview opened the scoring with a low cross come shot and with Miller still watching out for hammers, the ball made its way to the back post and Joes found themselves behind.  Joes soon found the net but unfortunately it was Les Mackay and not the ball which saw the net bulging.  It was not long before Joes were on level terms and surprisingly it was Moodie who scored his 3^rd of the season.  Joes heads were up but it was Seaview who had the best chance to regain the lead.   A corner flighted in saw Miller trying to mount the Seaview attacker.   Unfortunately referee Makhouli saw this normal Miller mating technique as a foul and gave the penalty.  However Miller redeemed himself by saving the resultant spot-kick.  The save gave Joes a lift and Smith replaced the tired Yugstar and some fine midfield play saw Les Mackay this time put the ball rather than himself in the net.  Budge then replaced the goal scoring hero Mackay and it was to prove a masterstroke by the coach.  Only on for a couple of minutes a “cross” from Moodie found Budge in space and from three yards out a deft flick from the regular sub saw him double his scoring tally for the season and remain ahead of other “regular” subs, Smith and Cormack for the Subs’ Golden Boot award.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 3 – 1 Seaview  

The Joes started the second half where they had left off and a purple patch saw another two goals for Joes in quick succession.  Moodie hit a screamer to make it 4-1 before Steve MacDonald hit a shot which the keeper could not hold and the ball squirmed under him and into the net.  Credit to Seaview who kept battling and pulled one back.  The tiring Budge made way for Les Mackay and Cormack had replaced Smith, with Sponge off for Yugstar but it was Moodie who was to have the last say with his third to seal the victory for Joes.  At 6-2, Joes did not sit back and Smith replaced Moodie and had a chance to score in his birthday weekend.  Cormack even managed his first shot of the season which skimmed the top of the outer fence before coming to a standstill 30 yards away from the Naver Park. Budge then came back on for Les and as the match was closing down, a lung bursting run from Wilson saw him beat three players before an angled drive was saved by the Seaview keeper.  A fine performance from the Joes with their biggest result of the season.  Great performance as well as some great goals and possibly the score line could have been even higher.

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 6 – 2 Rolls Royce Blues 

COACHES PLAYER RATINGS 

MAN OF THE MATCH        For his hat trick, SEAN MOODIE just shades it from the Spongebob. 

Bruce “Rix” Cormack’s COMMENTS 

After our best start of the season, we were hit on the counter attack and ended up a goal down.  Ed pulled off an important penalty save and we led 2-1 at half time.  A good second half performance made the points safe against a stuffy Seaview side.  Well done lads.

Steve and Ken give Rolls Royce the Blues

A second week of Rolls Royce opposition saw Joes yet again pick up all three points and in a repeat of last week, possibly rode their luck a bit at times.  However in the rough and tumble of Caithness sevens you have to make your own luck.

Following on from last week’s ball and fence fiasco involving the coach, this week it was the turn of Martin “Yug” Mackay.  The problem this week was the impudence shown by Mackay when asked to retrieve a ball he had ballooned over the fence in warm-up.  Manager Cormack stated Mackay was to be banished to the bench but didn’t have the heart when he realised the time and effort Yugster had put into cleaning and polishing his new Hi-Tec’s.

In an amazing turn of events Ken Sharp actually turned up this week as he heard the end of season night out was approaching.  Sharp was also involved in a frank exchange of views with Moodie during the 2^nd half on the virtues of ball to feet and acceleration over distance and time.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Ken Sharp, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield of Moodier, Yug Mackay and Sponge MacDonald with Lesley Mackay the lone striker. 

To the game 

Rolls Royce Blues started the game very brightly and twice in the opening minutes had half chances but they were unable to punish the Joes for a sluggish start.  However Joes soon settled into their passing game.  Steve MacDonald was putting in a lot of work in the midfield area with Sean Moodie spraying some fine passes around.     The backline of Wilson and Cooie, with Miller behind were handling anything the Blues could throw at them.  Big Les was doing his best up front to scare the opposition defence and held the ball up well on numerous occasions to relieve the defence.  Yug Mackay was not quite on his good form of late.  Possibly due to the fact his new boots were covered in mud after his enforced trip to retrieve the ball pre-match.  The first change saw Ken Sharp enter the fray for the tiring Yug Mackay.  Budge then replaced Les Mackay to keep the average weight of the team up.  A Moodie shot obviously heading wide was nearly caught by Budge but his outstretched leg was nearly a yard away from it.  Wills Smith was next to come on and replaced Stevie MacDonald.  End to end stuff but no final product was to com before half-time for either side.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 0 Rolls Royce Blues  

There was no half-time changes form the coach as Joes tried to find an opener.  A bright start from Joes saw them take the lead.  A through ball from Budge to Sharp saw young Ken fire past the keeper from a tight angle.  After a heavy weekend Budge then made way for Les Mackay with Yug replacing Will Smith soon after.  A couple of fine saves from Miller and some stout defending from Wilson and Cooie saw Joes hanging onto their lead until midway through the half.  Disaster then struck when Mackay was given time to shoot past Miller with the Buckies boy having no chance.  Credit to the lads as their heads never went down and Moodie was driving on his team-mates to try and snatch a winner.  A long ball found Les Mackay and with a deft pass out to the right Moodie rounded the Blues defender and fired across what could easily have been an attempt at goal.  As it happened it also looked like a cross which Stevie Macdonald met extremely well to power a header into the corner of the net, leaving the Blues keeper Wright with no chance.  Joes were in front again and looked to be coasting to a second successive 3 points.  However Cooie was called upon to take the sting out of a shot with his better side before Cormack made an “entrance” and two corners in the last minute saw a dreadful miss from a Blues forward and relief from the Joes camp met the final whistle of the referee Makhouli.

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2 – 1 Rolls Royce Blues 

Coaches Comments and ratings

 Miller                  7     Has dealt comfortably with everything thrown at him this season, with the exception of a table of drinks in Skinandis.

Wilson                  8     Looking back to his aggressive best. Frightens the hell out of referees and opposition players alike.

Cowie             7     The pigeon swept up everything in his path very COOlly....would have gotten an '8' if he had gone for the ball he "passed" over the fence sooner....

Yug               6     Annoyed because he had to go and retrieve a ball he put over the fence, looks likely to score next week.

Moodiest Meldrew  7     I don't believe it - a shot on target?  Forced the opposition into kicking him and hissed and moaned the lads onto victory.

Spongy                  7     Bambi had a fine match once he found his feet.  No longer needs an afro comb if he keeps his hair short.

Les ROAR          7     Unlucky not to score but forgot to send the ball onto target along with the opposition player.

Budge             7     Assist for Weasel's goal and almost lasted 3 minutes (pre-match........) 10 minutes for Joes...........

Weasel                  8     Good finish by the fingerer - Freddie may have gotten fingered but Weasel does it for a living.  The dirty brute.

Wills             6     Try as he might he could not manage to get Sean to cry so he left the field.  Inspirational.

Cormack           2     Touched the ball twice, on for two minutes, rating has to be two.  He's been a great signing, really lads, he has. 

MAN OF THE MATCH        Michael Wilson just shades it from Weasel.

COACH'S COMMENTS        A great win for us against a very tough side, everyone can be pleased with their contribution.  Well done lads.

Wilson scores at right end to end Reds hopes 

A much improved Rolls Royce Reds team were the opposition as Joes hoped to get back on the victory trail.  Having dominated their opponents earlier in the season this was to be a very different game with Joes happy to leave Naver with three points in the end. 

Concentration levels were no doubt affected with the absence of Coach Cormack for the first 10 minutes of the game.  With the ball going over the fence, Cormack was to retrieve it.  However a three feet wooden fence was to be the stumbling block for Cormack as he is apparently scared of heights.

Another pre-match problem for Joes was the fact that Steven Macdonald had been posted “missing in action” on Saturday night and had not returned to the family home by 12pm Sunday lunchtime.  Thankfully Macdonald was able to take his place last night.

Yes Nick Cowie was unavailable.   

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Sean Moodier, Bruce Cormack, Kenny sharp, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield of Moodier, Yug Mackay and Sponge MacDonald with Lesley Mackay the lone striker. 

To the game 

A goalless first half was played out in blustery conditions.  Les Mackay was unlucky not to divert a Sean Moodie shot into the goal but unfortunately it went wide.  Ed Miller then pulled off a good save at point blank range.  The Reds were playing very well and saw two efforts go just wide although luckily for Joes they were content to hit long range efforts.  Joes were certainly not cruising it as in the first game between the sides this season and were quite happy to listen to Cormack’s rip roaring half-time team talk with the scores still level.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 0 Rolls Royce Reds

The Joes needed a breakthrough and it was left to inspirational club captain Michael Wilson to do just that.  The main surprise was Wilson scoring at the right end after a glorious own goal in the strokes game two weeks earlier when he completely wrong-footed Miller to hit the Joes net.  Budge received a through ball from Moodie and due to the sliding challenge from the Reds’ defender a free-kick was awarded to Joes.  After his team mates begging him not to try and shoot for goal himself, Moodie rolled the ball to Wilson who hit a thunderbolt which took a slight deflection on its way into the back of the net.  Joes had the breakthrough but no more was forthcoming and credit to the Reds’ who never stopped fighting and gave the Joes camp a number of scares before the end.  Their last chance from a corner saw Cormack head the ball clear before referee Gunn blew for time with Joes happy to pick up the three points when to be fair, the Reds probably deserved a share of the spoils.

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 1 – 0 Rolls Royce Reds

Coaches Player Ratings

Miller         7        Not much to do but dealt with it well. The Fonz                         personified (minus the hair and the being cool part).

Wilson       8        Got forward and showed Moodie how to strike a ball with the all important goal. He also showed a couple of times how to strike a player.  One goal line clearance too.

Cowie        7        Pre match "joke" let him down, but defended well.

Spongy      7        He just wants to love ya baby, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Moodie      7         His biceps didn't look as menacing as usual due to the lack of toys being thrown out of the pram last night. Good assist for the goal and played well.

Yug           7               The Midcounty gossiping winger put in a load of running with his Dunlop boots to guide him. Having a good season although he's missing the defector Titchy at times.

Les           7                ROAR went the Les Mackay into battle. He slides, he glides and nothing, I repeat, NOTHING gets in his way.

Weasel     7          Didn't run as freely as usual due to injury sustained previously, but put in a good shift as usual at work prior to the match.

Wills         7              Put in a couple of key tackles, one on a Reds player,one on Sean.

Willie        7             Probably deserved a lower mark, but gains an extra point for his "header" last night. Battled away and was unlucky not to get an opportunity at goal when unmarked.

Bruce        6            One eventual fence climb, one good pass to the man of
the match and one header (resulting in temporary loss of hat). Brilliant,
just brilliant..........

MAN OF THE MATCH (As chosen by top marksman Leslie Skacel Mackay)
MICHAEL WILSON. One goal, a goal line clearance and some poor patter makes him
the website man of the match.

COACH COMMENTS

We got the result we wanted and climbed 2 places in the league. It was
a tough match played in fierce conditions at times but the key thing is we
got the three points. Well done lads.

No points but pride is restored by battling Joes

After a mauling last week from Strokes, Joes went into this match against the table toppers with some trepidation.  Having beaten them earlier in the season, it was clear they would be out for revenge. 

Yet again there were footwear problems for the Joes.  This week it was Cormack’s turn as he actually left his playing boots at home.  It seems the wedding preparations are having an effect on our illustrious Coach.  However Yug Mackay did improve his footwear situation from last week with a brand new pair of Hi-Tec’s. 

Surprisingly enough the ever absent Weasel and Nicholas Cowie were unavailable.   

A bonus for the coach was the return to form of Steven “Sponge” Macdonald.  It’s no coincidence that since Sponge has been on the wagon and also found love with young Jodie that he has found his scoring touch again. 

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield of Moodier, Yug Mackay and Sponge MacDonald with Lesley Mackay the lone striker. 

To the game 

In possibly their best start to a match ever, Joes were 1 up within 30 seconds.  A quick ball from defence found Lesley Mackay; he played a neat one-two with the Sponge before switching play to his brother Martin.  The Yugster not only bamboozled two Halkirk defenders but also himself with his trickery before realising where the ball was and speeding past them before slotting a perfectly weighted ball across to big Les to smash it into the net from fully half a yard.  An unbelievable start with Cormack still tying up his borrowed boots.  This was the signal for Halkirk to pile the pressure on the defence.  It was Joes defector Russell Bain who was to come closest after he controlled a corner and smacked a shot off the post.  Halkirk quickly followed this up with a powerful shot from former Halkirk United defender Graham Gunn.  However a spectacular save from Miller kept it out. Budge then replaced Les Mackay but the pressure was incessant and credit must go to Wilson and Coo ee who did a sterling job with Miller saving the day on a number of occasions.   

HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – 0 Halkirk  

The only half-time change saw Yug taking a rest with Wills Smith entering the fray.  The second half started with what could be an unwanted sevens record for Joes.  Halkirk scored twice in 30 seconds with no outfield Joes player touching the ball.  Straight from kick-off a good passing move from Halkirk saw them carve out the opener.  Ed Miller kicked the ball out but it fell to Halkirk defender Elder in his own half.  He strode forward passing three Joes challenges and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner and Joes were 2-1 down and shell-shocked.  Yug Mackay replaced Smith and big Les returned with Budge coming off.   Having just about recovered from the first two goals, another double blow was to follow.  Swanson scored twice in as many minutes and Joes found themselves 4-1 down and the manager feared another demoralising rout for his team.  However Joes heads didn’t go down and they started playing some of their best football this season.  A great passing move involving one touch stuff saw Les, Yug, Sponge and Sean involved with Sponge putting the finishing touch.  Joes were creating chances and Moodier saw two shots go whistling wide before Yug Mackay chased what seemed like a lost cause on the left.  He picked the ball up and sped forward.  As he was tackled in the box the ball fell to Sponge and his shot went through the keeper’s legs and was just over the line.  However referee Makhouli saw it differently as his hat had come down over his eyes and did not allow the perfectly good goal.  With just a couple of minutes left this was a bitter pill to swallow and had Moodie put his one on one with the keeper away things could have been very different.  However the boys can take heart from their 2^nd half performance against the league leaders and probable 1^st Division team next season. 

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2(3) – 4 Halkirk  

Coach Player Ratings and Comments 

Edmund            7     Pulled off some key saves and caught a few too.Created a goal threat for us with his kick outs and created a goal threat for Halkirk with his throw outs.

Cowie                7     Better performance this week from the pigeon as he stayed in his own half.

Wilson               7     Put in some key tackles and swore like a trooper.

MacDonald (c)     8     After Bambi found his feet, it was his best performance of the season.  Scored twice but Suleiman disallowed one as he doesn't like Justin Timberlake.

Moanie                  7     Good shift from the Castletown veteran and almost hit the target with one of his shots.

Yugger                  8     Winning tackles??  No, I never dreamt it either!  Great performance by the man wearing his eighth pair of boots this season.

Leslie                  7     Harrold's Butchers would be closed without the purchases made by this man but that takes nothing away from the performance of the Mauler.

Webmaster         6     Involved in some good link up play before the weekend's exertions took their toil on the third oldest player in the squad.

Wills Alexander Smith   6     Took him a couple of minutes to get into the game but created a few chances after.

Reluctant Coach   6     Showed undoubted stamina to last two and a half minutes without looking tired. 

MAN OF THE MATCH 

It was a close run thing between Captain Spongebob and "he's just a" Yug machine, so they are tied. 

MANAGER'S COMMENTS 

It was a strange match in that we played better in the second half but were winning at half time.  Overall, we were unlucky not to take something from the match against the league leaders but if we show the same commitment between now and the end of the season we'll do alright.

Mackay gets the birthday blues as Joes are blown away 

There was no birthday treat for Yug Mackay last night, well not at Naver anyway.  The birthday boy unfortunately forgot to ask for new boots and trainers for his special day and ended up playing with one good boot and one good trainer! 

A game of two halves will never be more apt than for last night’s game.  Trailing by a solitary strike at half-time, Joes were hanging in their with the league’s top scorers and playing fairly well having had one shot cleared off the line.  However after a disastrous 2^nd half saw 8 goals fly past keeper Miller, the lads trudged off at the end demoralised and disillusioned. The only bonus being the video camera was not taking in this match! With next week’s fixture against in-form Halkirk, the coach clearly needs to rally his troops. 

Joes were boosted before the match with the return of playmaker Sean Moodie who decided he could be bothered to turn up this week.  Captain Wilson was also retuning to the fold and marked his return with a trademark own goal.  Sponge MacDonald was also back with Mr Young’s autograph still emblazoned across his chest. 

On the downside Weasel and the ever absent Nicholas Cowie were unavailable.  Butch Dunbar has been given a free transfer and is actively seeking a contract with a 1^st Division side. 

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Lesley Mackay and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson, Smith and Cowie, a midfield of Moodie and Yug Mackay with Lesley Mackay ploughing a lone furrow up front. 

To the game 

Joes held their own in the opening exchanges against their more illustrious opponents who further boosted their side over the festive period with the acquisition of former Thurso FC player, Phil Green.  Miller was certainly kept busy and made a few important stops.  Joes also had a good chance with a shot cleared off the line and a last ditch tackle preventing Joes from taking a shock lead.  However it wasn’t to last long and with 15 minutes on the clock, Strokes made the breakthrough following a corner.

 HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 –  1 Strokes

The least said about this half the better.  Strokes played quick passing football and after the 2^nd and 3^rd goals, Joes lost their shape, spirit and seemed to give up the ghost.  The only point of note was a superb flick from Wilson to leave Miller with no chance, a clear contender yet again for own goal of the season from big Michael….. 

If there is one thing Joes can take from this game, it is perhaps how their opposition cut through them by playing simple one – two’s.  The Joes will rise again and it gets no easier against Halkirk next week who will be seeking revenge for a defeat earlier in the season.

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 0-9 Strokes  

Coach Player Ratings and Comments 

Miller               4     Poor

Wilson             4     Poor

Cowie              4     Poor

Smith              4     Poor

Y Mackay        4     Poor

Moodier           4     Poor

L Mackay        4     Poor

Cormack          3     Poor

Budge             4     Poor

Spongy           4     Poor

COACHES MAN OF THE MATCH      Yug Mackay.  Well it was his birthday.  Happy 16th boyo - hope you got a new pair of boots. 

COACH COMMENTS    After a decent start, we gave up after we went 2 goals down.  Not really much more to say.  Poor performance lads.  We can only build upon our first half performance and forget thereafter.  We will have to improve tenfold if we are going to restrict Halkirk to beating us narrowly next week.  It's up to you...........

No Points but Joes break Sevens Record

There was no points for the mighty Joes against JGC but they did break their own sevens record.  The appearance of Phillip Sinclair broke Gigi Lowe’s record for the oldest player to appear in sevens football, if only by a few years.  The sprightly Sinclair belied his years with a fine performance at the back for Joes.  If he’s this good staring 50 in the face, just how good was he in his twenties?

There were a number of call-offs to Manager Cormacks squad prior to kick-off.  Nick Cowie was again unavailable due to his unwillingness to pay his signing-on fee.  Sean Moodie was also missing and it is now becoming clear he does not wear the trousers in his house, as he had to stay at home and do the housework.  As he is getting hitched this year, Manager Cormack is becoming increasingly resigned to the fact that this will be Moodie’s last season of sevens football.

Of course this creates a worrying scenario for Joes as the same thing could happen to our charismatic coach once he gets round to setting a date with his new fiancé.  Although the time it took him to buy the engagement ring, we should be ok for a few years yet.

Also missing last night was Club Captain Wilson who is still recovering from illness, Butch Dunbar who has gone AWOL after taking the pet at some statements in the match reports, as well as Sponge MacDonald who was in Edinburgh for a Will Young concert.  Sponge apparently managed to get the pop start to autograph his chest. 

The squad was Ed Miller, Kevan Cooie, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Weasel Sharpe, Bruce Cormack, Phil Sinclair and Lesley Mackay. 

This meant a starting line – up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Sinclair and Cowie, a midfield trio of Weasel, Les Mackay and Yug Mackay, with Cormack up front.

To the game  

JGC took the game to Joes in the first five minutes and Ed Miller had to be sharp to keep them at bay.  Three times they breached the defence but Miller was up to the task every time.  Joes gradually found their feet and came more into the game.  The pace of Sharp and Yug Mackay down the flanks was causing them problems.  Quick passing saw Yug Mackay with a chance but JGC keeper Munro thwarted the young Joes winger. After 10 minutes in, Budge replaced the tiring Cormack.  Budge received a fine pass from Yug Mackay and had two bites of the cherry but failed to find the back of the net with Les Mackay screaming for the square pass.  Budge did eventually find Mackay a few minutes later with a cross but big Les was unable to convert. 

 Smith then replaced Yug Mackay and he made an immediate impact.  A lung bursting run from Smith saw him clear on goal but his powerful shot went just past.  Weasel Sharp continued to cause JGC problems with his pace.  A quick break from Weasel saw him hit a delightful pass to Smith.  As Smith careered forward down the slope he had Budge free on the left.  However Smith, fresh from his penalty success before Christmas, opted to go for glory but his shot sailed past the post.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 0 JGC

After an encouraging end to the first half, Joes had high hopes of success in the second.  The half started off fairly well and then Budge was replaced by Yug Mackay.   However it was all to go wrong for Joes as JGC opened the scoring from a corner which saw Alan Sutherland rise above the Joes defence and a strong header beat Miller in the Joes nets.

The heads went down straight away and JGC took heart from going ahead.  Midway through the second half they doubled their advantage. The ball went over Sinclair and Bremner was waiting to volley to ball in at the back post for the steelmen.   From the kick out, JGC surged forward and made it three, all but killing off the game as a contest. 

Cormack then entered the fray to replace the tiring Smith.  Joes were showing better spirit now and were trying to find a way back into the game.  Cormack had a free kick which went just wide with Yug Mackay unfortunately celebrating the goal as the ball went harmlessly wide!  Les Mackay looked to be claiming for a penalty but his outstretched arms were actually raised to hail the “gaol” from Cormack! 

Les Mackay was then taken aside by referee Makhouli due to the state of his trousers, with his team mates assuming it was because of the state of his hair.

Joes did manage to get a consolation goal late in the game.  The big defender Cowie was up for a corner.  As the ball broke out to him he miss hit the ball and after a two deflections the ball somehow mad its way into the net.  Joes made a number of attacks after this to try and take something from the game but it was not to be, 

Not a bad performance but a number of chances went a begging in the first half and Joes were made to pay the price.  JGC took their chances and are a very decent side. 

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 1 – 3 JGC 

Coaches ratings and comments 

 Miller            6           The son of the local mart's main director was pretty solid and pulled off some decent saves

Cowie            7           The most minutes on the field this season resulted in his first goal of the campaign.  Solid at the back and finally took one of the many chances in attack.

Sinclair          7           A good performance at the back for the youngster, what a great find by the coach.

Yug               6           A lot of running provided by the gay Corrie legend, nothing came off for him in front of goal though.

Les                7           Wrestled his way across the midfield like a WWF seasoned campaigner.  Unlucky with a couple of chances and needs better trousers.

Weasel          7           Battled away and gave his all.  Still waiting to see if his River City contract will be extended.

Bruce            6             Still awaits his 1^st goal of the season but might be soon now he’s got the ring sorted.

Budge           6            A good shift put in both attack and midfield. Will never better his goal in the under 15s versus Castletown.

Smith            6            Fired three shots wide after sustaining a "hand" injury.  Improving every week.

MANAGERS MAN OF THE MATCH  - Has to be Kevin Cowie, I just wish I could score them like that.  Closely followed by Weasel and Les.

COACH'S COMMENTS 

Losing Sean for financial reasons, Spongy for commercial reasons and Wilson for marital reasons obviously was a blow prior to kick off and in the end it showed.  We battled well and were unfortunate not to take something from the match but credit must go to a much improved JGC side.  The final ball let us down at times and a few mistakes defensively cost us dear, but our heads shouldn't go down after a decent battling performance.  Unlucky lads.

It's a Happy New Year for Joes!

After a disappointing end to 2005, Joes started 2006 with a bang by putting four past former Joes legend Alyn Gunn.  As well as the win, it was the performance which must have pleased manager Cormack the most.

The game bore striking similarities to that of the Scottish Cup tie in Cumbernauld on Sunday.  Joes went into the match as serious underdogs against a rejuvenated Thurso Rangers side who had won 3 on the bounce before last night's game.

As a neutral bystander passed the Joes technical area he commented on the fact Joes looked to be back to themselves and regaining their early season form.

A pre-match blow to the Joes was the news that their inspirational captain, Michael Wilson, was unavailable due to illness.  However the appearance of Wilson during the second half of last night's game no doubt inspired his team to the famous win.  everyone connected with the Joes wishes Michael a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing him back playing soon. 

A boost to the morale was the news that David "Butch" Dunbar had got engaged over the festive period as well as ex Joes star Aly Mackay.  It begs the question who will be next?

Nick Cowie was missing again due to his brother Kevan telling him the game was on Tuesday night.  It seems Kevan is none to happy at his brothers presence in the ranks as he will no longer be the best Cowie on the park.

A measure of the Joes superiority was the fact that Ed Miller in goal had one of his quietest games of the season.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Bruce Cormack, Weasel, Kevan Cooie, Sean Moodier and Lesley Mackay. 

This meant a starting line – up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Weasel and Kev, a midfield trio of Sean, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Les Mackay front.

To the game 

Joes made a very bright start to the game and in the opening minutes Yug Mackay raced clear on goal only to be denied by a great save from Gunner in the Rangers nets.  Joes were passing the ball well and were in complete control of the opening exchanges.  Unfortunately it looked like one of those nights when Rangers opened the scoring against the run of play.  Weasel was caught in possession in midfield and a breakaway saw Rangers breach ed Miller's goal.  However rather than the heads going down, Joes strived to get back into the match, with Weasel going on to have a very solid match.

 The midfield trio were working their socks off and some good passing plays saw Lesley Mackay thwarted a couple of times by last ditch tackles.   a goal must come and come it did, and Les Mackay was our man.  A great ball from Yug Mackay found Moodie on the right, he evaded a Rangers challenge before sending a low cross to big Les who made no mistake, Joes were on level terms.  Sponge MacDonald was then unlucky with a volley before Joes hit the post twice and Yug Mackay had another one on one with Gunner but this time his shot went wide.  Les Mackay then made way for Budge and yet again, Rangers went ahead against the run of play.  However within a minute, it was all square yet again.  A first time ball from Moodie found Budge who slipped the ball through for Yug Mackay to burst the net and send the teams in at half-time , level.

Half Time – Top Joes 2-2 Thurso Rangers

Amazingly as the 2nd half kicked off, Joes looked the fitter of the two teams.  There was no doubt the midfield trio were putting the work in and Will smith replaced Spoonge MacDonald.  Smith made an instant impression with a great cross for Budge but the latter made a hash of what should have at least been a shot on target.  He was soon hooked by Manager Cormack with Les Mackay back on in the striking berth. 

Kevan Cooie sent in a kick in but unfortunately it never touched anyone apart from Gunner in the Rangers goal and so therefore no goal was given.  However Joes were soon to go ahead for the first time in the match.  As Moodie strolled through the midfield and evaded challenges, Manager Cormack was screaming at him from the touchline to pass.  Moodier had other ideas and kept the ball until he released a shot which sailed past the helpless Gunner and nestled nicely in the net.  As Rangers tried to push forward, Yug Mackay raced clear virtually unchallenged to put Joes 4-2 up and put the match beyond doubt with 6 minutes left.  Cormack then entered the fray for the tiring Lesley Mackay for the last 3 minutes, although he did look a bit "ring rusty".

The lads can be proud of themselves after a terrific performance which puts the Joes back above Robbie & George's team and into firth place in the table.

Miller        7           Couple of shaky moments but pulled off some vital stops.
Weasel     7           One error lead to a goal but otherwise solid throughout and                               linked well.
Cooie        8          Strong performance but the less talented brother.
Yug          9           Excellent  throughout  and  took both goals well.
                             Missed a sitter as usual but you can't have everything.  Man                              of the match.
Sponge     7           Caught out a couple of times but in the main had a much                              improved performance than of late.
Sean         8           He finally scored again!  Great solo effort though the less said                              the better about his other "shots"
Les          8            The  Mackay  mauler pulled off some of his famous wrestling                              moves to win some important free kicks and scored again.
Wills        7            Great run forward and provided a good cross which Budge                               should  have done better with.  Also produced the funniest                              moment of the season - YOU THE MAN YUG....(Slightly gay                              too....)
Willie        7           Another  assist  and  a  good  all round performance  from the                              maverick Budge.  Should have scored from an excellent
                             Smith cross though.
Bruce        6           Gave his all in a lung bursting two minute run out and had a                               free kick saved near the end.


MANAGER'S COMMENT


A much improved performance, which hopefully we can continue against JGC
next Monday.  Captain Wilson will find it hard to get his place back in the squad now!

 

No Christmas cheer for Joes

Another disappointing night for Joes saw them end 2005 with a heavy defeat.  It is perhaps fitting that in Panto season, Joes saw fit to join in the fun.  Now that's enough about the trips to Eden Court by the coach last week and the goalkeeper this week to see Sinbad.

However a 10 minute spell in the second half was a bit of a panto for Joes as three goals were lost, the coach lost his cool and the team lost their shape.

However perhaps this is understandable given the build-up to the game.  Firstly the defensive rock, Kevan Cowie was unavailable.  This was not due to an injury but the fact Kevan was at Seater dump last night frantically trying to retrieve the sacred Joes top his beloved had decided to chuck, understandably after last week's performance by the team!  Secondly the club captain, Michael Wilson, was close to being ejected from a supermarket in Dingwall after staff thought he was inebriated following his taking a tumble from a trolley in the shop.  A further blow was the absence of David "Butch" Dunbar.  Unfortunately David wanted to watch Narnia at the cinema for a second night in a row.  Apparently the lure of the talking beaver was too much for him....

A slight boost to the ranks was the return of midfield general, Sean Moodier, fresh from a weekend break visiting his footballing hero, Chris Kamara.  On the downside, Nicholas Cowie was again unavailable due to work commitments and Sponge MacDonald was still mesmerised by a couple of bottles being thrown around Liquid on Saturday night.

But perhaps the thing that damaged concentration levels the most last night was the whole team trying to work out which hair Lesley Mackay had had cut, the debate rages on.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Bruce Cormack, Michael Wilson, Sean Moodier and Lesley Mackay. 

This meant a starting line – up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Smith, a midfield trio of Sean, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Les Mackay front.

To the game 

Joes were let-off the hook with just 5 minutes on the clock after a soft penalty was given by referee Makhouli.  However Miller was there to save the day and justice was done.  That let-off was to be short-lived as RG's/Comm got their noses in front after 10 minutes.  Joes were not having much luck although the Yugster managed a couple of mazy runs with Moodie firing a shot just over.  Lesley Mackay was unlucky with a header before he made way for Budge but Joes couldn't get that all-important equaliser.  The work-rate was good but nothing would come off. Will Smith was doing well at the back in place of Cowie in what Coach Cormack described as a straight switch with both men sharing similar physique's.  His partner Wilson was also coping well with a sprightly RG's/Comm team.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 1 Robbie & Goerge's & The Comm

Joes started the 2nd half brightly and put RG's under a bit of pressure.  A through ball from Smith found Budge in space and his low cross was just missed by the Sponge. Lesley Mackay then entered the fray for the tiring Budge and then Cormack replaced Smith after Wills received a yellow card and RG's/Comm scored from the resultant free-kick.  The nightmare was soon to get even worse.  10 minutes saw the match all over midway through the second half.  Joes were all at sea, with no shape, spirit or communication.  All was not lost though as Smith replaced Wilson and was soon on the score sheet albeit from the penalty spot.  Joes had another chance soon after but the late rally did not last long enough.

As last week, one of the shortest match reports this season.  However 2006 is a new year and hopefully the time when Joes start another glory run.  With the likes of Weasel, the Bowie's and Dunbar returning.

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 1 ----  >1 & <10 Robbie & Goerge's & The Comm

The Coach’s player ratings

Miller     Some important saves but could have done better with a couple. (6)

Wilson   Mistake for the fourth but always played with his head up and gave his all. (6)

Smith     Mistake for the third but had a good game apart.  Made some good passes from defence.  Took his penalty well. (6)

Yug        Top man for Joes.  Battled and unlucky on a number of occasions.  Tired though and didn't track back towards the end. (7)

Moodie     Always looked for the ball and was vocal. Unlucky with some shots. (6)

Sponge     A much improved performance on last week and used the ball far better but tired towards the end and didn't track back. (6)

Les           A typical battling performance from the club wrestling champion.  Unlucky with a header and tracked back when the midfield went AWOL. (6)

Willie        Gave his all, won a good tackle and had to track back when the midfield began to tire. (6)

Bruce       One howler of a pass as soon as he entered the play but passing was better than usual and won a couple of tackles. (6)

MAN OF THE MATCH
It has to be the Yug machine.

COACHES COMMENTS
We had a shocking 10-15 minute spell in the second half which reflected badly on us as it was improved on last week up until that point.  As the midfield tired we lost our way.  It's important the midfield stays tight as we don't create enough opportunities to compensate for this.  When the midfield was overrun, the defence were over pressurized and mistakes occurred.   Hopefully if Cooee and Weasel can return it will add depth to the squad which is badly needed at this point to give us a boost.
 

Things can only get better for disappointing Joes

Joes recent run continued against the Penguins but in contrast to the start of the season, this is an unwanted record. Four losses in a row do not make good reading for the Joes faithful.  Perhaps more worrying was the manner of the defeat to Antarctic Thistle.  In contrast to last week’s defeat to Wick Celtic, Joes were never in this one and struggled to put an effort on target throughout the 50 minutes. 

The absent Moodie, Cowie, Dunbar and Sharp were maybe contributing factors but this takes nothing away from a well organised and sprightly Antarctic.  They were first to every ball and converted defence into attack very quickly. 

Moodier was missing due to work commitments and not a suspension as most people understandably thought.  Nick Cowie also missed out due to work with Dunbar and Sharp unavailable for no apparent reason. 

Coach Cormack returned to the fold after a week away and replaced Moodie in the pivotal central midfield role and managed about the same number of efforts on target as Moodie usually does……

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keven Cowie, Bruce Cormack Michael Wilson and Lesley Mackay. 

This meant a starting line – up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Cormack, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Les Mackay front.

To the game 

Joes were let-off the hook with just 5 minutes on the clock after a Thistle attacker managed to screw his shot wide from all of 3 yards.  Unfortunately this was a sign of things to come.  After 12 minutes Thistle took the lead through veteran Colin Macleod and the Joes heads went down.  Soon after it was 2-0 and but for a couple of great saves from Miller and a block by Cowie, it could well have been much worse at half-time.  The most entertaining point for the Joes bench was Yug Mackay succumbing to a clothes line from a Thistle midfielder! 

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 2 Antarctic Thistle 

The 2^nd half was similar to the first.  Thistle were to score another three and but for a couple of saves from Miller, yet again the score line could have been worse.  One bright spot for the Joes was a mazy run by Yug Mackay which was unlucky not to bear more fruit.  Sponge also had a good effort tipped over the bar near the end but this game looked to have been lost after about 12 minutes once that first goal went in. 

The shortest match report this season but there really was not a lot to put in this week.  Every team has a really bad week and this was and at least put in a more spirited performance against RG’s. Come on the Joes! certainly ours.  Hopefully with the absent lads back next week, the team can get a lift

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 0-5 Antarctic Thistle

The Coach’s player ratings

Miller            7         Saved us from a bigger hammering by pulling off some good                               stops.
Cowie           6         Fought to the end and tried to push forward.  Passing was
                              slack and can do much better.
Wilson          6        Fought to the end and made some decent interceptions.
                              Passing was slack and can do much better.
Y Mackay     7         Put in a power of running and unlucky on a couple of
                              occasions not to get a goal.  Best midfielder on the night.
Cormack       6        Perhaps a bit rusty after a long layoff?
Spongy         6        Poor performance from last season's top scorer.  Never
                              won a tackle or header all night and was off the pace.               Les Mackay  6        Hard working but nothing came off for the fiesta driver.
                              Received little or no support.
Budge          6         Put in a shift up front but received little or no support.
                              May be involved more next week.
Smith           6         Put in a decent shift in midfield and was one of our better
                              performers.  May be involved more next week.

 “Northern Sands” MAN OF THE MATCH – Ed Miller, a number of saves kept the score down. 

Next League Match, Monday 19^th December v Robbie & George’s 

QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER –  "We were well beaten by an impressive side on the night.  Antarctic dominated the match and we never troubled them.  We were outplayed in midfield, never threatened in attack and looked poor at the back, only Ed and Yug performed close to their standard.  We never got into the match at all and could have gone in at half time six down.  Changes will be made
for next week's match versus RG's and I hope to be able to bring in a different face to freshen things up."

 

Mackay brace not enough for Joes

Veteran Les Mackay continued his recent rich vein of form last night but it wasn’t enough to avoid Top Joes falling to their 3^rd successive loss.  Stand-in manager Wills Smith also tasted managerial defeat for the first time.  Joes were without influential coach Bruce Cormack for last night’s game.  Cormack was in an HMV store in Glasgow hoping to get his copy of Biology signed by Girls Aloud. 

Yug Mackay looked like another absentee but he thankfully managed to mend the wipers of his Rover and made the kick-off just in time.

A further boost to the Joes was the form of Sponge MacDonald, having not been partaking in beverages over the last few weeks.  Sponge confirmed he was staying in to save up for a double bed as his recent conquests have been complaining as to the size of his present one.

One notable inclusion was trialist Nick Cowie, brother of Joe’s stalwart, Kevan.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keven Cowie, Sean Moodie, Nick Cowie,  David Dunbar, Michael Wilson and Lesley Mackay.

This meant a starting line – up of –

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Les Mackay front.

To the game

The opening exchanges were fairly uneventful with stand-in coach Smith trying to gee up his troops.  The first change was trialist Nick Cowie on for Sponge after 12 minutes.  An immediate impact was made with Cowie looking very lively.  Joes were to take the lead in the 13^th minute and big Les was the man to do it albeit after a grapple with wee Cowie before dispatching one in the bottom corner.  The lead was not to last long and the pacy frontline of Wick Celtic began to ask questions of the Joes defence.  A breakaway saw Wick even up the score line.  Budge then came on for Les Mackay and soon had a great chance to put Joes back in front.  Coming in from the left side he seemed in two minds to shot or cross.  In the end a poor cross didn’t reach Yug and Wick cleared the danger.  Only a couple of minutes later and  a brilliant through ball from Yug found Budge but a shot on the turn did not possess enough power and the Celtic keeper parried it for a corner. Joes were in the ascendancy with wee Cowie posing questions but a counter attack from Wick saw great ball control from their striker to unshackle Wilson and hit an unstoppable shot past Miller to put the Wickers in front.  Joes continued to pin the Celtic side back but couldn’t get an equaliser before half-time

HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – 2 Wick Celtic

Les Mackay came back on for Budge at the start of the 2^nd half.  Dunbar then replaced Les to give him a breather and Celtic managed to sneak a third goal which proved to be the winner.  However the Joes didn’t let their heads go down and the inclusion of Smith for the tiring Yug Mackay saw a great run from Wills who saw his shot go narrowly wide.  A goal from Les MacKay 5 minutes from the end put Joes right back in it.  Moodier then saw a shot just go past the post and had another saved by the Celtic keeper as Joes tried desperately to salvage a point.  However it was not to be but Joes appeared to create a lot more chances than they have in most games this season.  Hopefully a sign of things to come and Top Joes will soon be back to winning ways.

But let’s look on the bright side.  We could have played them off the park and beat them 3 -0 only to realise we had played an ineligible player and therefore forfeit the match by 3-0.  Remember, there’s always someone worse off than you…..

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2-3 Wick Celtic

The Coach’s player ratings (by William Smith)

Miller                8      Produced some excellent saves, no chance with the goals.
Big Cowie         7      Reliable as usual. Rarely loses a tackle.
Wilson              7     Skippers performance, always encouraging his players.
Budge               6     Couple of good touches sacrificed himself for the Les late on.
Y Mackay         7      Never stops running, improving with every game.
Wills                 6     Not on for long at the end but nearly scored.
Spongy             7     Bullied by the Celtic players, never gave in thou.
Sean Moodie     7     Unlucky with a couple of long-range shots.
Butchy              6     Good hassling on the Celtic defenders as Joes pressed.
Les Mackay      8      Two cracking goals, wasn’t letting little Cowie have the first.
Little Cowie       7      First run out in a few months needs games.

“Northern Sands” MAN OF THE MATCH – Les Mackay for the extra training being put in and his 2 superb goals

QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER – Good performance from the lads after the 2 previous games not to going so well for us, we nearly snatched it in the end but for two good saves by their keeper.

Joes hit by 5-star Groats 

Another week, another loss.  This week there can be no excuses, there was no 3 legged, no night out, no new training technique.  Joes were simply beaten by a superior team.  There was no lack of effort from the team but Groats have an extremely strong squad and are certainly heading for Division 1 football. 

A change to the starting line-up saw Bruce Cormack restored to the striking berth.  The main reason for this is that Bruce picks the team. 

With the same squad as last week, Butch Dunbar and Kenneth Sharp were both missing.  After leaving his post with the council, Kenneth now realises what real work is and was feeling slightly tired last night.  Butch Dunbar could not make it last night for reasons which cannot be disclosed as he is a very sensitive young lad. 

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keven Cowie, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Michael Wilson and Lesley Mackay. 

This meant a starting line – up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Cormack front. 

To the game

The first 5 minutes were an even affair with most of the football being played in the midfield.  However with Cormack being caught in possession, the Groats defender strode forward and unleashed a terrific shot which just skidded past Miller’s post.  A clear let-off for Joes but also a sign of things to come.  Ed Miller had a couple of good stops and Joes were holding their own.  Yug Mackay was covering back well and Joes were looking fairly solid.  That was until ex Halkirk United man Stuart Sinclair charged forward unchallenged.  With an abundance of time and space on his hands, Sinclair hit a terrific shot which Miller had no chance with and Groats were in front with 14 minutes on the clock.  Cormack then made way for Les Mackay but Groats were to double their lead on 16 minutes.  Things were not looking good but two minutes later and Joes had dragged themselves back into it. A neat ball through from Yug Mackay was controlled by brother Les and he turned and smacked the ball into the back of the net.  Smith then replaced Sponge and had his best spell of the season for the Joes.  Smith was unlucky not to get the equaliser and then played a good ball to Les Mackay who was just about to pull the trigger when a last gasp Groats tackle stopped him.  As the half was nearing its close, Budge replaced Mackay to give him a breather. 

HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – 2 Groats

 The second half saw a change of referee with Bob Gunn retiring through exhaustion and replaced by Sol Makhouli.  Joes seemed to have Groats rattled but couldn’t get that elusive equaliser.  Groats were now pushing two men up and Cowie and Wilson were forced to make a number of blocks with Miller pulling off three brilliant saves in quick succession.  The third goal for Groats seemed inevitable and come it did.  This gave Groats a great lift and the Joes heads went down at the same time. Les Mackay then replaced Budge with Sponge coming on for Yug.  Soon after Groats scored their fourth and it was game over.  The tiring Smith was then replaced by Yug and Joes had a few breaks but were unable to get what would have been another consolation goal.  As the game was petering out, veteran Groats hitman, John Baikie smashed a fifth past Miller and it was truly game over.  Cowie was replaced by Smith for the last few minutes as Cormack resisted the opportunity to put himself back on. 

Well beaten in the end by the best team we have played all season.  The boys shouldn’t be too disappointed as if someone had told us at the start of the season we would have 19 points at the halfway stage and in fourth position in the league, we’d have bitten their hand off! 

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 1-5 Groats 

The Coach’s player ratings 

Miller – 8                    Produced some excellent saves and kept us in the match.

Cowie – 6                    Some key blocks.

Wilson –6                    Tried to support the midfield.

Budge – 5                   Most he has run all season.  A bit headless perhaps…..

Y Mackay – 7             Non stop running and the best midfielder on the night.

Wills –6                       Played his best match of the season and almost scored.

Spongy –5                   Lost possession too easily, not one of his better games.

Sean Moodier –6       Kept going to the end but can play better.

Cormack –5                Poor, just poor.

Les Mackay – 6         Another good goal and unlucky not to get at least another one.

 “Northern Sands” MAN OF THE MATCH – Ed Miller for some fine stops.

QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER –  

Take nothing away from John O’ Groats, they played some excellent high tempo football and were thoroughly deserving of their victory.  However, we gave up after the third goal and all too often allowed a spare man to come forward from the midfield.  I will be looking into making some personnel changes next week as we have been disappointing in the last two matches.  Hopefully Weasel will at some stage finish his River City filming and make a welcome return to the squad alongside the wallpapering Hungry Hippo Butch Dunbar.

Joes all at Sea as their knocked off top spot

After a stay of execution last week, it was not to be third week lucky for Top Joes as they were unceremoniously knocked off top spot by an impressive young Seaview side.  Joes could have no excuses, although we shall mention a few, as Seaview fully deserved their win. 

The mid-season night out on Saturday night in the Northern Sands (where a great meal was had by all and a few skeletons came out the cupboard) saw Coach Cormack attempt to lift his troops to higher levels with a new training technique as demonstrated by Will Smith.  However this backfired badly last night.  The only lifting of the team was by keeper Ed Miller on Saturday night in Skinandi’s and Will Smith is still looking for one of his child bearing accessories. 

Further problems to the preparation saw Steven “Sponge” MacDonald involved in an altercation outside the Groove Lounge on Saturday night.  Dressing older in an attempt to impress “older” ladies, Sponge thought it prudent to shout obscenities at some second cousins of his, only to result in him receiving a couple of dull thuds to the head, perhaps not too unlike some of his previous weekends’ shenanigans. 

The effects of Saturday night were clearly evident last night with most of the squad still in shock that Lesley Mackay could have so many young ladies swarming round him while dressed so “differently”.  Apparently all squad members are to cut holes in their tops from now on.  Coach Cormack would not comment if Mackay’s popularity with the ladies was the reason for him being made Captain last night. 

Also missing from the squad was David Dunbar who has now taken up a career in after dinner speeches and Kenneth Sharp who had a sore knee and didn’t want to miss River City last night. 

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keven Cowie, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Michael Wilson and Lesley Mackay.

This meant a starting line – up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Lesley Mackay up front. 

To the game

The match started at a frantic pace and Cowie was caught knapping as early as the first minute with Miller coming to the rescue of his defensive comrade.  Joes hit back almost immediately with Moodie firing a terrific effort just over the bar.  Seaview looked up for the match and played the ball around well.  Joes were looking sluggish and Wilson put his keeper under even more pressure with a high back pass.  Miller attempted to clear but the ball dropped what looked suspiciously over the line although referee Makahouli waved play on to the relief of the Joes bench.  The quick movement of Seaview was making Joes look ragged and the midfield trio were being made to work extremely hard.  Joes were relying on Les Mackay to flick on or hold the ball up which he did well.  Seaview then had another goal bound effort come back off the bar and fall perilously close to the line but this one was hastily cleared by Cowie.  Joes heads did not go down though and Moodie was trying to drive his men forward.  Yug Mackay was working extremely hard and so he should after wearing “that” pullover on Saturday night.  Budge then replaced Mackay with Smith entering the fray for Sponge.  As the game headed toward half-time, Joes were happy to go in on level terms. 

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 0 Seaview 

The second half started fairly evenly although Seaview were unlucky with a couple of good efforts which Miller did well to save.  However the opening goal was not far away and it went to Seaview.  A mazy run saw a fierce shot take a wicked deflection off a Joe’s defender and the ball nestled in the net.  Joes hit back and put Seaview under some pressure with a run of corners.  A high ball from Miller was flicked on by Budge for Smith who closed in on goal only for the Seaview defence to put in a last gasp tackle.  Seaview were then awarded a free-kick close to their own goal.  Their keeper tried a long range effort which Miller did well to punch over the bar.  Sponge then replaced Smith with Budge being replaced by Mackay soon after.  Joes continued to live dangerously but somehow managed to sneak an equaliser through Sponge Macdonald.  Joes scarcely deserved to be on level terms and it was not to last much longer.  Seaview foraged forward and a terrific effort saw them go 2-1 up.  A few minutes later and it was game over as a slack ball given away by Joes saw Seaview net number 3, again a terrific strike.

There was a last chance to salvage some pride when a free-kick was awarded to Joes just outside the box.  Moodier had been clean through on goal when he was somewhat clinically taken out by the Seaview defender.  However he was soon back on his feet after a theatrical limp for all of 10 seconds.  However the free-kick came to nothing and Joes were made to settle for a score which maybe flattered us to some degree.

Our moment in the sun has gone for now and things do not get any easier with next week’s opposition, however with no team night outs planned, maybe we can expect an improvement next week! 

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 1-3 Seaview

HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

Miller – made a number of great saves and had little chance with any of the goals.

Cowie – sluggish at start but went on to block a number of goal bound efforts.

Wilson – slack pass back but recovered well

Budge – decent head flick on for Smith

Y Mackay – terrific work rate but needs to do something with those jumpers of his.

Wills – showed a clean pair of heels to the Seaview defender but couldn’t match him for pace.

Spongy – possibly lacked energy but no wonder after jumping around Skinandi’s like a mad boy and we’ll not mention him sleeping with a couple of males on Saturday night either…..

Sean Moodier – a couple of brilliant shots and passed the ball well.

Cormack – unused sub

Les Mackay – what a performance, on Saturday night. 

“Northern Sands” MAN OF THE MATCH – Yug Mackay, worked tirelessly.

QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER – “To be honest, we got what we deserved.  We were off the pace and undeserving of anything from the match.  This is not to take anything away from Seaview however as they played very well.  There will be some changes for the next match”.

Its 4-star Joes and still on top

To happen once could be called a fluke, twice was lucky but three times top of the league is unthinkable, well it was.  After a 4-goal romp against Rolls Royce Reds, the mighty Joes once again sit proudly at the top Division 2! 

There were worries before kick-off though.  A clash of tops meant Joes would play with their 3^rd strip, which was used in the dark days of Ritchie Woodcock’s reign, when Gigi Lowe was still in his early thirties and Will Smith was slim.  However talks of them being jinxed were quickly dismissed. 

A further worry for manager Cormack was the late arrival of Sponge MacDonald.  However fears he had been grounded by his father were unfounded.  This was due to his father breaking his ankle after slipping on a discarded brassiere abandoned in the Sponge’s bedroom.  The owner is unknown but the initials “L” “H” were apparently on each cup. 

There was also a show of petulance “Laurent Robert” style after Butch Dunbar was told he was on the bench.  Dunbar said he was too good to be on the bench and walked. 

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keven Cowie, Kenneth Sharp, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Michael Wilson and Les Mackay.

 This meant a starting line – up of –

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with Les Mackay up front.

To the game 

The match started very evenly and Rolls Royce Reds did not seem like a team at the bottom of the league.  They were certainly giving as good as they got and with a couple of pacy front men they were giving Cowie and Wilson some cause for concern albeit not really troubling Ed Miller.  As the 1^st half wore on Joes began to take a hold of the midfield area with some terrific running from Yug Mackay.  Moodie was spraying good balls around with Les Mackay holding the ball up well.  Just as Cormack was about to sub Big Les, he got on the end of a Moodie shot which was spilled by the keeper and drilled the ball low into the net from 12 yards and the Joes were ahead.  This seemed to get Joes going as they begun to show more confidence in their play.  Cormack replaced Les with 6 of the 1^st half to go and then Weasel replaced Sponge as Joes went in search of a second.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – 0 Rolls Royce Reds

The start of the 2^nd half saw Joes hit a purple patch and after Weasel added a second the Joes started to play some good football.  It was one-way traffic to the Reds’ goal and Moodie was unlucky with a couple of powerful efforts and Budge even managed one on target.  A third goal looked likely and from an unlikely source it came.  Moodie yet again hit a sweet drive although it was going wide only for the “sprightly” Budge to flick the ball into the empty net and Joes had scored more goals in any of their previous games this season.  But the best was yet to come.  Having overcome his taste for putting through his own net, Wilson unleashed a ferocious strike from 30 yards which the reds’ keeper had no chance with.  The Joes were 4 up and coasting.  It seemed like a record score line could be on the cards.  However Joes eased up being 4 goals to the good and were content to control the game without ever pushing too many men forward.  Les Mackay replaced Budge with Cormack replacing Yug and Joes saw the game through, keeping a clean sheet and continuing the fairytale season.  Can it get any better?

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 4-0 Rolls Royce Reds 

HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED 

Miller – little to do but handled superbly when asked.

Cowie – not as much to do as usual and made a few forays forward

Wilson – getting more and more like Solberg every day, brilliant goal.

Weasel – got on the score sheet this week.

Budge –that’ll be his 2^nd goal of the season then….(in his own mind…….)

Y Mackay – brilliant work rate and if watching a “movie” with his good lady at the weekend makes him play like that, keep watching!

Wills – Injury meant a premature end to his appearance but was having a good game.

Spongy – Thankfully his laces were tied properly this week and put in a good shift even without any “fans” watching.

Sean Moodier – the playmaker actually hit the target a few times and had three assists, also some good tracking back.

Cormack – came on up front played a bit in midfield and ended up at the back, still looking for his 1^st shot on goal this season.

Les Mackay – great goal to settle the nerves and held ball up well

“Northern Sands” MAN OF THE MATCH – Sean Moodie, with three assists he just beats Yug for this week’s title

QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER – I was delighted with the end result and we played some good football at times.   It was also good to see the, ahem, “sprightly” Willie Budge flick a shot in to open his account for the season.  Well done lads.

Its “Miller” time as Joes climb back to the top

What a difference a week makes! Last Tuesday the Joes awoke to their unbeaten run in tatters, thrashed by their closest rivals and knocked off top spot.  To add insult to injury, their opponents in last night’s match had beaten Groats 8-3.  Suddenly all was not so rosy in the Joes garden.  However we awake this Tuesday morning with another win under the belt, our closest rivals losing to the Penguins and Joes back on top of the 2^nd Division.  You just couldn’t make it up.  For one player in particular, Sponge MacDonald, it gets even better as he has a “fan” watching him from the car park!  No doubt the red fiesta would have been “rocking” last night.

As it was Halloween night it seemed fitting that there was a few shocks in store.  None more so than Will Smith starting the game and Sean Moodie finishing the game.  Thankfully this week Sean had worked out how to pre-set his VCR so as not to miss his favourite soaps.  Butch Dunbar and Les Mackay also returned to the fold after missing out for various reasons, including a “hand” injury and lodging meetings.

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keevan Cowie, Kenneth Sharp, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack, Michael Wilson, Les Mackay and Butch Dunbar. 

This meant a starting line –up of – 

Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, Sponge and Yug Mackay, with William Smith up front.

To the game

The match started at a frantic pace and Halkirk had a couple of good chances in the opening 5 minutes but Miller was up to the task and looked in the mood to put the shutters up.  After some tireless running in the first 5, Smith made way for Sharp. The game ebbed and flowed with Halkirk having most of the play and Wilson and Cooie at the back having to be on top form.  On the occasions when Halkirk made a way through the defence, they found Miller in unbelievable form.  The bar was hit before Sponge was replaced by Budge.  A brilliant substitution by Cormack as Budge repaid the Gaffer’s faith with a “goal” just after entering the fray.  A defensive mix-up possibly saw the last touch come off ex Joes man Russell Bain but the ball was in the net and Joes were one up.  (Cormack reported the goal as Sharp’s as he is scared of Budge scoring more goals than him this season).  The goal seemed to rattle Halkirk who seemed to lose their composure.  Slackness in their defence saw Joes win a corner right after the goal.  However it came to nothing but the Joes headed in at half-time a goal to the good. 

HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – 0 Halkirk  

The second half saw Halkirk pound the Joes goal but found Miller stopping then with various parts of his anatomy.  The three times they beat Miller they found the post, the bar and Cooie’s right leg stopping them getting an equaliser.

Les Mackay replaced Budge and as Halkirk looked ever more likely to equalise, it was Joes who would get the second and ultimately decisive goal.  Again an ingenious substitution by Cormack saw Les Mackay bang one in and give Joes a bit of breathing space.  Rather than dampen the spirits of the young Halkirk team, they came back with even more urgency and gusto to put unbelievable pressure on the Joes rearguard.  Cormack then replaced Les with Butch to add even more weight to the strike force.  However it was Halkirk who were next on the score sheet as young Shane Sutherland found a way past Miller to give Halkirk hope.  However the Joes defence stood firm and with a couple of breaks from Moodie and Yug helping to relieve the pressure the end was in sight.   With 45 seconds remaining, Cormack entered the fray to replace the tiring Budge and Cormack’s two touches were faultless.

The Joes held on for a brilliant, if in all honesty, an unexpected victory.  Every man in the squad played their part with special mention for the defensive pairing and goalkeeper.  The boys are back on top, fantastic!!!

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2-1 Halkirk

HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

Miller – absolutely brilliant.

Cowie – yet again a number of blocks and saving tackles

Wilson – kept the head and makes the defence look solid, literally.

Weasel – another good show and showed his versatility.

Budge –disappointed the manger wouldn’t give him the credit for his “goal”.

Y Mackay – used his pace to great effect and continues to work hard

Wills – surprise start for the wee man and didn’t let anyone down.

Spongy – perhaps his mind wasn’t quite on the game as he was often caught longingly staring up at the red fiesta.  His mother really needs to teach him how to tie his laces.

Sean Moodie – Lasted the whole game and had some good interpassing play with Dunbar, are they brothers?

Cormack – his two touches were sheer class

Les Mackay – great goal to clinch it

Butch – ball control was excellent and a couple of good lay offs to Moodie, are they brothers? 

MAN OF THE MATCH – Ed Miller for a fantastic performance in the nets

QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER – I am obviously delighted with the result and particularly pleased to see Weasel get on the scoresheet with such a clinical opening strike…….In all seriousness, it was a great victory and everyone played a part – it was especially pleasing to see a striker actually SCORE a goal for Joes.  Now Willie, if you manage that THEN you’ll get the credit!!!!!!  Brilliant result lads against a tough team, well done!!!!

The bubble bursts as Joes lose best defensive record 

It was back to earth with a bump last night for the brave Joes on a typical Naver night for football.  As the rain lashed down, sadly the goals rained in.  The unbeaten run has ended but it was good while it lasted.  Strokes were by far the better team last night and some of their one touch passing was immense.  A measure of their strength of squad was James Mill not even getting on the bench for them last night.  They also came in to the game on the back of winning the second cup on Saturday.  Joes came into the game still suffering sore ankles and heads after the infamous 3 legged stroll around the public houses of Thurso. 

The squad was Ed Miller, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Keevan Cowie, Kenneth Sharp, Sean Moodie, Bruce Cormack and Michael Wilson. 

This meant a starting line –up of –

 Ed Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, Sharpe and Y Mackay, with Sponge up front.

 To the game

In the opening exchanges the game seemed fairly even with the Joes managing some forays into the Strokes half, Yug Mackay having a couple of promising breaks.  However Strokes soon took a stranglehold and began putting together some slick passing moves.  As the pressure mounted on Miller’s goal, the post was hit twice and it looked a matter of time before the inevitable.  However Cowie was having a brilliant game at the back and was putting in some cracking tackles.  Just as it looked as if the Joes had ridden the storm, the Strokes went ahead.  A second followed shortly afterwards but the Joes defence once again put the shutters up.  Budge then entered the fray for MacDonald with Smith coming on for Yug Mackay soon after.

HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – Strokes 2

As the rain continued, Joes started the 2^nd half brightly and really should have been back in the match soon after the restart.  A long ball was knocked down by Budge and squared to Moodie.  His shot was saved by the keeper but the ball fell to Budge.  With the goal at his mercy he somehow managed to hit the post and the ball went out to safety.  Not long after, Strokes scored a third, with some dubiety over whether the ball had crossed the line and the game was over as a contest.  Strokes scored another three goals to put a gloss on the score line that the Joes could hardly disagree with.  On a night when we had to be at our very best to have any chance, the passing deserted us as well as a wee bit of luck. 

FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 0-6 Strokes

HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

Miller – did well and saved a lot of goal bound efforts

Cowie – once again Mr Consistency

Wilson – back after suspension and played well.

Weasel – showed lots of running and never stopped working.

Budge – still having nightmares about that bloody post!

Y Mackay – terrific work rate yet again and with a little more luck might have hit the net for Joes.

Wills – played well and especially one good mazy run down the left.

Spongy – after being tied to Gigi-lo for the whole of Saturday night, reckons he’s got enough chat-up lines to pull the half of Thurso.

Sean Moodie – Sadly had to leave early to see Coronation Street.

Cormack – even in the rain and his pyjama bottoms, did a decent shift.

MAN OF THE MATCH – has to be the wee lad Cowie, brilliant game at the back yet again.

 QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER –

“Strokes thoroughly deserved the victory on a terrible night to try to play football in.  Let’s hope the return of the Gypsy King Les Mackay can inspire us to a better performance next week against the mighty Halkirk.  We will need a massive improvement – come on the Joes!!”

Joes steel a march to go top of table

 Top of the table? Surely not.  Has there been a mistake?  Well no, the infamous Joes are top of the 2^nd division tree.  It may only be for a week but who cares, to get there is an unbelievable achievement. And all this wearing the new “Northern Sands” sponsored tops!

Last night’s scalp was JGC, a new team to the league.  On that performance they will not be at the bottom of the league for long.

The win for the Joes was all the more sweet with 3 regular first team players unavailable last night.  Club captain Michael Wilson was of course suspended, with regular keeper, Ed Miller, choosing a whist drive in Staxigoe hall over last night’s game.  Influential player/coach Cormack was on the sidelines with a supposed calf strain.  He heard Rudi Skacel had the same injury and thought it sounded really cool. 

However the lads who came in, Les, Weasel and Butch made a telling contribution with Wilson and Miller sweating over their starting berth for next week.  Cormack will be ok as he picks the team.

The squad was Butch Dunbar, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Kevan Cowie, Kenneth Sharp, Sean Moodie and Les Mackay

 This meant a starting line –up of –

The Butch in goal, a back line of Weasel and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, MacDonald and Y Mackay, with Les Mackay the battering ram up front.

 To the game

 A brisk start saw JGC passing the ball well and Joes were on the back foot.  Although Dunbar was having a quiet time of it this was due in no small part to the defensive work of Weasel and Cowie.  However somewhat against the run of play a Joes corner led to the opening and match winning goal.  Flighted in from the right, Sponge MacDonald rose above everyone to gleefully nod the ball home.  He was smiling nearly as much as he was on Saturday night in Skinandi’s after a full-on snog with a certain Ms Griffiths.

  However his joy was short lived after he injured himself defending a corner for Joes.  He was replaced with the sprightly William Smith in the left midfield role.  The game ebbed and flowed with Tait giving some problems to the Joes down the left flank although some great chasing from Yug was reducing his progress.  With a lot of possession JGC were making some inroads and a clearing header from Cowie had Dunbar beaten all ends up but the post saved a Joes own goal. 

Luck is certainly on our side this season, which makes a change!  Budge then replaced the tiring Les Mackay who had put in a terrific shift up front.  Budge then managed to thread a ball through for the pacy Yug Mackay who was unlucky to see the ball cleared as he was about to pull the trigger.

 HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – JGC 0

The second was a frantic affair with Joes keen to keep their lead and JGC trying everything to get an equaliser.  Smith made way for Les Mackay to re-enter the fray with Budge dropping back to the left midfield berth. 

There were few real chances for either side as possession football was being played.  JGC tried everything to get through a stubborn Joes rearguard but with Cowie in fine form and Sharp having an excellent game there was no way through for them.  Sharp made a number of timely interceptions with Cowie always there to mop up if need be.  Moodie was always on hand to take the ball for a walk and relieve the pressures on his defenders. 

A number of breakaways saw the Joes in with a shout of a clinching second goal but it wasn’t to be and a nervy last 10 minutes ensued.

However the Joes held on with a solid performance, with team spirit overflowing and a will to win now instilled in the boys.  The bubble hasn’t burst yet but it will.  When it does the boys can be proud of what’s been achieved so far.  There are plenty of tough games coming up but with 13 points normally a full season points total, lets enjoy it while it lasts!

 FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 1-0 JGC

 HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

 Dunbar – didn’t really have all that much to do but anything that did come his way was dealt with superbly...

Cowie – in his absence he tried a Wilsonesque own goal attempt.

Weasel – fine performance at the back in place of the suspended club captain.

Budge – played last 5 of 1^st half and said to the coach give me 5 of the second, Cormack not being the brightest left him on for the full twenty five!

Y Mackay – work rate continues to improve and a number of important tackles on Tait.  Missing his Corsa but looks well in the Rover.

Wills – unlucky to see a good shot deflected and linked up well.

Spongy – failed to score with Ms. Griffiths on Saturday night but redeemed himself with the winner last night.

Sean Moodie – Once again a great display in the heart of midfield and for once didn’t fall out with Mr Wheatcroft…..

L Mackay – the battering ram up front and worked his socks off. Has he lost weight?

 MAN OF THE MATCH – In for the suspended Wilson, Kenny Sharp had a brilliant game at the back. 

 QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER - “It really happened, I just can’t believe it.  I mean, it’s been talked about for a number of years, and I knew it COULD happen, but last night I witnessed it with my own eyes.  Yes, the UNTHINKABLE happened, WILLIE BUDGE BOUGHT A ROUND!!!!!!!! 

Well done to the lads last night for a battling performance which puts us top of the table – could anyone have envisaged this in the dark days of Richard Woodcock’s managerial reign?  JGC had the territorial possession and were extremely unfortunate not to have taken anything last night in what was one of our toughest matches of the season”.

6 Man Joes take point to stay in second

 As the fair play award went out the window last night, Joes unbeaten run continued albeit not the 100% record.  However after being reduced to 6 men it will surely be Thurso Strangers who are disappointed this morning.  With a host of trialists in for the game they must have been sure of taking the scalp of Joes and bursting their bubble. However Top Joes were not overawed by playing a big club and stuck to their task well. 

The hero and villain of the peace was Michael Wilson who scored a screamer in the first half only to see red in the second half.  The biggest surprise on the sidelines was that Sean Moodie was not in the book.  However, Wilson was not alone as Kevin Cowie also saw yellow as did Coach Bruce Cormack for an unlucky challenge which saw him just clip the heels of the Strangers trialist Elder.  Certainly a foul but didn’t look too malicious……….. 

Last night saw the return of Ed Miller in goal after a week of street fighting in Glasgow.  Butch Dunbar was dropped even after a fantastic performance against Robbie & George’s team last week. 

The squad was Ed Miller, Michael Wilson, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Bruce Cormack, Kevan Cowie, Kenneth Sharp, Sean Moodie and Les Mackay 

This meant a starting line –up of – Rab C in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, MacDonald and Mackay, with Cormack picking himself for the striking berth.

 To the game

 The first half was an extremely lively affair the trialists of Thurso Strangers really putting the pressure on Joes from the outset.  It took a brilliant double block from Miller after 5 to keep the game level.  Then Cormack decided to set the tone for the rest of the match with a clinical tackle on Elder.  This meant the first yellow card from Bob Gunn in his 7’s refereeing career.  Cormack was taken off soon after with Les Mackay taking his place.

High balls were being dealt with superbly by Wilson and Cowie and the game evened out with few chances at either end.  A corner for Joes was to see the start of the move for the opening goal.  As the ball came across it came back to MacDonald.  With the shouts of Cormack ringing in his ears of “don’t pass it to Wilson”, thankfully Sponge spread the ball wide to Michael.  He unleashed an unstoppable shot which nestled nicely in the net and the Joes were 1 up.  Weasel then entered the fray for Sponge and Les Mackay made way for Wills Smith.  The game saw a few more heavy challenges before the teams came in at half-time.

 HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – Thurso Strangers 0

 The second half started as the first had ended.  No quarter being asked or given.  Smith was then replaced by Budge and Sponge re-entered the action to give Yug a breather.  Mid way through the half saw Les Mackay back on for Budge and Yug replacing Weasel.

A corner was to see the trialists get back into the match.  A ball to the near post was met on the volley and the game was tied again.

The game was still being plated at a frantic pace but with few chances for either side. Heavy challenges were the norm and one of these from the Strangers keeper was to prove fruitful for the Joes.  A rash challenge by Powell on big Les Mackay saw a stonewall penalty for the Joes.  Young MacDonald stepped up to take it but his shot was saved by Powell.  However Sponge was first to the rebound and lashed it into the far corner of the net.  Joes were ahead again.

With only 30 seconds left Wilson was a bit late with a scything tackle and he saw red before a free-kick opportunity for the Strangers.  A floated ball was met by Sutherland whose header floated over Miller and into the back of the net.  Cowie was also booked for a heated exchange.  However, Joes were unlucky not to take all three points right at the death when Yug Mackay was unlucky not to get the ball under complete control before firing his shot wide after being played through by older brother Leslie. 

The boys can be proud of another great performance against a big club and at least the bubble has not been burst yet.

 FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2-2 Thurso Strangers

 HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED 

Miller – a number of excellent saves with a double block after 5 minutes the most notable.

Wilson – is hoping to car school with Moodie for the anger management courses in Wick which Moodie has found so helpful

Cowie – unlucky to see yellow after suffering some heavy challenges

Weasel – another good performance from young Kenny

Budge – disappointing

M Mackay – continues to have his best season for Joes, used his pace brilliantly

Wills – definitely looks slimmer when it’s raining, possibly………..

Spongy – has made the midfield starting berth his own this season

Sean Moodie – Great running in the engine room, discipline really has improved!

Cormack – yellow card in an action packed first 7 minutes, hooked before Bob Gunn did it for us.

L Mackay - Another excellent display, capped off with penalty award

 MAN OF THE MATCH – If only because he never got booked, Sean Moodie. 

 QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER “I was disappointed not to get all three points but had to be pleased in the end that we took something from the match.  Obviously I was disappointed to get booked, I hardly touched him……..”

MacDonald’s double whopper’s take the points as Joes march on

A double from Sponge MacDonald saw Top Joes claim the noted scalp of pre-season title favourites RG’s last night.  It is the first season in the seven’s for RG’s, apparently named after co-managers Robbie Bell and George Sinclair.  In a pulsating match which had everything bar a Moodie booking, Joes came out on top by 2 goals to 1.  The win was even sweeter as a host of first team players were absent for Top Joes.  Gigi Lowe, Kenny Farmer, Don Rosie, Nicky Cowie, Les Mackay and Aly Mackay were all unavailable.  Regular keeper Ed Miller was dropped by Coach Cormack due to a “serious disciplinary breach”.  It was not confirmed last night whether this was due to Miller bungee jumping in skinandi’s without a rope or practicing stage diving at the same venue.  Cormack was lucky enough to be able to call up former player of the year, Butch Dunbar, to take his place in the nets.  Dunbar has not trained this year as he has spent the summer wallowing in the glory of his Reay Golf Championship.

 One disappointing aspect from last night’s game was the behaviour of some spectators on the sidelines.  Personal abuse being handed out to players from spectators is never justified even if it was only Yug Mackay.  If the spectator in question had ever attended a Joes training session on a Friday night he would realise the ball over the fence is a common occurrence not just saved for games.

 Coach Cormack refused to comment on speculation that former Joes stalwart, George “Titchy” Sinclair was angling for a return to the Joes camp.  Cormack would only say that although Sinclair did not have the legs anymore his footballing brain was still first class.

 The squad was Butch Dunbar, Michael Wilson, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Bruce Cormack, Kevan Cowie, Weasel (Kenneth Sharpe) and Sean Moodie

 This meant a starting line –up of –

 The Butcher in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, MacDonald and Mackay, with Cormack the pace merchant up front...

 To the game

 The first half was a lively affair with RG's having the better of the play but unable to really trouble the back line of Joes with Butch Dunbar only having a couple of real saves to make.  Sean Moodie was unlucky to see a free-kick skim the bar with Graeme Robertson unlucky with a similar effort at the other end in the battle of the playmakers.  Joes seemed to have surprised their opponents with a solid display throughout the first half which saw RG’s begin to get ragged in their play.  Sponge MacDonald and Yug MacKay were putting in a great shift in midfield with Moodie spraying some fine passes about.  Cormack was holding it up well with Cowie and Wilson solid at the back ably dealing with anything which came their way.  Weasel came on for the tiring Cormack midway through the half and then Smith replaced Sponge just before half-time.

 HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – Robbie & George’s 0

 The second half was a lively affair with both teams getting stuck in. Budge started the half in place of Yug Mackay. A number of crunching tackles were on display; however Ref Makhouli kept a lid on things.  Joes were to make the breakthrough first as Sponge MacDonald coolly finished off a slick move to put the Joes ahead.  RG’s were always in it and equalised 5 minutes later with a fierce shot which Dunbar had no chance with.  As the minutes ticked down it looked as if a draw was on the cards.  However a quick break from Moodie saw him unleash a terrific shot which Mac Alpine in the RG’s net could only parry.  MacDonald was on hand to scoop the ball over the grounded keeper to send the Joes fans into raptures and for the last 5 minutes Joes held on to keep their 100% record intact.  For how long remains to be seen but after beating one of the divisions top teams, confidence is sure to be soaring.  Every player played his part last night, with the Joes looking a solid bunch that also has a bit of pace to attack quickly.  It shows how team spirit, honest hard work and a bit of guile can triumph. However for a bunch of “hoofers”, and that’s without Ed Miller, they did extremely well.

 FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2-1 Robbie & George’s (whoever they are)

 HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

 Dunbar - was solid in goals making a number of good saves.

Wilson - coped well and put in a decent shift.  Kept his head when challenged to a wrestle by a spectator. Surprisingly!

Cowie - continues to be the rock

Weasel – put in some good tackles and must be thinking of a starting place next week

Budge – All-action for the 10 minutes he was on……..

M Mackay – Put in a power of running in one of his best games for Joes, unlucky with the flick at the corner flag which cleared the fence

Wills – Retrieved a number of balls and played well while on the pitch

Spongy – great game from the young lad and took his two chances brilliantly

Sean Moodie – Passing play was excellent and always there in support

Cormack – Hold up play was good, possibly could have gone and retrieved a ball from over the fence though 

MEN OF THE MATCH – The midfield were outstanding last night so a joint award for Yug, Sean and Sponge. 

 QUOTE FROM THE MANAGER “I was obviously very pleased to secure the points in what was a difficult match.  I thought Butch had a tremendous match in nets and it was good to see that the indiscipline of “mosh-pit” Miller didn’t hold back the team.  I couldn’t possibly comment on the rumour that Frantic Fred will be spinning the discs at our Christmas party however, I know who WON’T be…….Not bad for a bunch of hoofers eh? (no Butch, that’s not hoofters so don’t go getting any ideas……)”

Penguins are toppled as Mackay’s p.p.p.p.pick up the points!

 Top Joes climbed another place towards the summit of Division 2 last night after a gritty win shocked the Penguins.  Only Strokes with a slightly better goal difference are stopping the famous Top Joes from sitting in the Champions position.

The signing of Les Mackay looks a masterstroke after a fine performance from the former body builder last night.  There was also the added boost pre-match of the signing of Sean Moodie, the former championship winning Castletown man.

 Wills Smith also returned last night after missing training on Friday night as he was attending his first night at Scottish Slimmers.  After his haircut he is looking slimmer already………. 

The biggest disappointment for Cormack last night was he had forgotten his hair gel as the cameras were taking in the Joes game.

 The squad was Ed Miller, Michael Wilson, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Bruce Cormack, Kevan Cowie, Les Mackay, Sean Moodie and Weasel (who will get his proper name in next week once I find it out!)

 This meant a starting line –up of –

Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, MacDonald and Mackay, with Mackay the lone striker.

 To the game

 Joes looked to be up against it as the match started against a strong looking Penguins side who even afforded themselves the luxury of starting Andy Taylor on the bench.  However it was Joes who came closest in the opening minutes when a fine drive from Moodie saw the new signing rattle the bar for the second game in a row.  This seemed to awaken the Penguins and with veteran Colin Macleod they were posing the Joes defence many a question.  Although Cowie and Wilson seemed to be up to the task with the last line of defence, Miller making a couple of crucial blocks.  Les Mackay was taking a lot of the pressure off the defence with some good hold-up play.  He certainly made his presence felt with a powerful tackle on Macleod with the latter coming off worse. Sponge then made a terrific run down the left to leave his marker chasing shadows but unfortunately his final ball was out of the Mo Camara handbook. The Penguins then introduced Taylor to the game and Joes withdrew Sponge for Weasel.  The sub was soon sent flying after a crude tackle by Macleod Jnr and soon after the Penguins took the lead.  A corner to the near post saw Taylor rise unchallenged to nod the ball past Miller and the Penguins were ahead.  However to Joe’s credit, the heads never went down and Wilson and Cowie were instrumental in blocking a number of goal bound efforts.  Budge then entered the fray for Les Mackay who had done a sterling job up front, with Smith then coming on for Yug Mackay.  Te Penguins kept pressing but the Joes held firm to go in at half-time only a goal down.

 HALF TIME Top Joe's 0 – 1 Antarctic Thistle 

The Joes started the second half with Les and Yug back on but the heads seemed to be down a bit.  Thistle were playing well and the omens did not look good.  However a corner which was not cleared properly fell to Les Mackay on the edge of the area.  His powerful shot back into the mixer took a deflection off a penguin and nestled nicely in the back of Mowat’s net.  1-1 and game on! The goal seemed to lift the Joes boys and the Penguins seemed rattled.  Within a few minutes good pressuring by Yug saw him steal the ball off a defender and stride through to fire the ball past Mowat and the Joes were ahead.  It was a lead they rarely looked like losing as their opponents started to pump long balls up the field.  Another corner for Penguins was the only anxious moment for the Joes bench when a magnificent reflex save from Miller stopped a certain equaliser.  In fact Joes could have increased their lead after Moodie was cynically taken out on the edge of the Penguins box.  A carefully rehearsed training ground free-kick did not bear fruit.  Cormack then entered the fray for Les Mackay but his only moment of note was rushing to take a corner as Joes tried to slow the game down and play for time.

A great result for the lads to win against a strong Penguins side who have a lot of good players.  Not before time a bit of luck with the own goal which is usually against Joes and Wilson normally the scorer.

 FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2-1 Antarctic Thistle

 HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

 Miller – One brilliant reflex save in particular.

Wilson – once again solid at the back and physique definitely improving after all those visits to the gym

Cowie – the rock that the Joes early season success has been built on.

Budge – on for 10 minutes to give Mackay a breather

Yug – took his goal brilliantly to seal the win.

Wills – enjoyed the failing light to glide up the wing unnoticed.

Spongy – brilliant turn for the camera and worked well

Sean Moodie – terrific shot off the bar and always looking to receive and make passes

Les – Penguins didn’t know how to handle him, great challenge on Macleod

Cormack – Ran well to take corner near the death

Weasel – Took a couple of bad challenges but didn’t let it faze him.

 MEN OF THE MATCH – The two MacKay’s, are they brothers?

Opening Night Joy for TOP Joes

Top Joe's started their 2005/06 sevens season with a fine win against Wick Celtic last night. A spirited Joe’s display gave manager Bruce Cormack plenty of hope for the rest of the season.  Joes now sit in 3^rd place in the division with the best defensive record so far.  Cormack is also hopeful two trialists from last night’s game (Les Mackay and Sean Moodie) will sign within the next week.  There was a question mark over Moodie’s signing due to the midfielder’s indiscipline last season although Cormack is confident that a dressing down for Moodie has cured the problem.

 Last night’s victory was even more pleasing as Joes seemed to adapt to life without their influential playmaker from last season, Titchy Sinclair, who has chosen to jump ship to new 7’s outfit RG’s.  Manager Cormack said that had left a huge gap but was hopeful Will Smith would fill it.

 Club captain Mike Wilson returned to the fold after playing for Halkirk in the summer league and also missed numerous pre-season trainings.  However Wilson was influential last night despite wearing a different trainer on each foot.  He hopes this may help his own goal scoring sprees of past seasons.

 The squad for the 1^st game of the season was Ed Miller, Michael Wilson, William Smith, Martin Mackay, Willie Budge, Sponge MacDonald, Bruce Cormack, Kevan Cowie, Les Mackay and Sean Moodie

 This meant a starting line –up of – 

Miller in goal, a back line of Wilson and Cowie, a midfield trio of Moodie, MacDonald and Mackay, with Budge adding some weight to the strike force.

 To the game

 Joes started fairly brightly and were passing the ball well. However Wick Celtic looked a decent side and seemed to be taking control of the game when a defensive lapse saw Budge take advantage and side foot the ball across goal for the in rushing Martin “Yug” Mackay to blast the ball home and the Joes were on their way.  With Wick playing only their 1^st game at Naver, their keeper kicked the ball out assuming a centre would be taken.  As this is not the case, Moodie let rip on the half volley only to see his shot rattle the bar.  Budge made way for Smith with 11 minutes gone and Joes were on the defensive.  Cowie made a number of tremendous blocking tackles with Miller and Wilson also keeping out a couple of certain goals.  Moodie was doing a power of running in the midfield, with Yug and Sponge also putting in a great shift.  The Wick lads seemed to be slightly deflated at their lack of success and the introduction of Les Mackay up front seemed to unnerve them.  In the closing stages of the half Joes introduced manager Cormack and looked confident as referee Makhouli blew for half-time. 

HALF TIME Top Joe's 1 – Wick Celtic 0 

At 1-0 up the Joes were always wary of an equaliser but Moodie, continuing his good work of the 1^st half slotted past the tic keeper and Top Joes were well on their way to an opening night win.  A lot of defensive work was still needed though with a late onslaught from the Wick boys but the Joes defence stood up to the test and passed with flying colours.  Cowie was again inspirational with some last ditch defending with Cormack showing some flashes of his former self with one particularly exquisite pass down the flank for Yug to chase.  Excellent vision which was even noticed by the referee.  With the seconds ticking down there was still time for a Joe’s player to be involved in an altercation.  Surprisingly it was not Moodie this time but Wilson who saw the red mist descend.  Fortunately no cards were shown to the Joes stalwart or the Wick player.

 All in all a terrific effort from the lads which sets things up nicely for the new strip which is coming soon.

 FINAL SCORE Top Joe's 2-0 Wick Celtic

 HOW THE PLAYERS PERFORMED

 Miller – Made a number of important stops.

Wilson - great game at the back even with those odd trainers

Cowie - yet again a top display with numerous last ditch tackles.

Budge – Set up 1^st goal for Yug

Yug – Put in a really good shift and worked very hard.

Wills –- had some nice touches and was unlucky with bouncing ball for second goal.

Spongy – great running in the midfield.

Sean Moodie – Midfield powerhouse, seems to have put his disciplinary problems behind him

Les – Caused problems in the Wick defence and had some good lay-offs.

Cormack – Fantastic vision

 MEN OF THE MATCH – Sean Moodie & Kevan Cooie, both made major contributions to the win