Halkirk United FC - Reports, Results & Photos - Season 2011-2012

North Caley League - 27/08/11
Halkirk United 4 - 4 Balintore

A new look Balintore on Saturday gave United a rude wake-up to their defence of the North Caledonian League.

The Easter Ross combine scored twice in the last seven minutes to deny new Anglers manager Jock Mackay a winning start to his league campaign.

It could have been worse, with the visitors going desperately close to claiming all three points in stoppage time.

United will rue not converting opportunities they had to pull clear during stints they were on top.

But Balintore deserved their reward after displaying admirable grit to demonstrate why they should not be viewed as makeweights in the division.

Given their memorable North of Scotland Cup run, the home side were expected to have a decided edge on sharpness.

But that did not materialise in a match which produced a veritable feast of goalmouth action.

Within eight minutes, three goals had been rattled in.

Balintore's Liam Rostock had showed early on the threat he was to pose down the left wing before his side bagged a fifth minute opener.

Andy Bell was unchallenged as he stole in at the near post to nod home a free-kick.

The lead lasted less than a minute by when Chris Sutherland sent David Cowie romping down the right and his centre was turned in by Paul Mackay.

United struck the jackpot again with their next attack.

Cowie's through-ball bisected the two central defenders to release Sutherland whose blistering shot from just inside the box beat keeper Scott MacGruer all-ends-up.

MacGruer then repelled shots by Mackay and Nigel MacKenzie before his counterpart Graeme Williamson rose to field a testing free-kick from Rostock.

Dornoch-based Chris Mailey was prominent in helping Balintore get the upper hand for a decent spell during which Williamson was forced into a smart save low to his left to again thwart Rostock.

The balance then tipped decidedly United's way for the closing 15 minutes of the first period when they could have settled the contest.

Sutherland looked set to pull the trigger after racing into the box only for David MacGruer to rob him with a perfectly-timed lunging tackle.

MacKenzie then got the break of the ball before stepping past keeper MacGruer but finding the angle too tight and having his weak shot cleared off the line by Graeme Davies.

Mackay had the next clear opening and he seemed to have done everything right only to see his effort come back off the left upright.

The home frustration levels were in danger of boiling over when Cowie's headed 'goal' from MacKenzie's cross was ruled out for offside.

On the stroke of half-time, there was audible relief in the home camp when Jordan Howden's cross was misfielded by keeper MacGruer to give Mackenzie a tap-in for 3-1.

Within three minutes of the turnaround, the lively Bell had struck again after he got on the end of a Rostock pass to shake off the pursuing Alan Sinclair before slotting past Williamson.

Colin Sinclair skated on very thin ice on 50 minutes when he escaped sanction for booting the ball off the park after his side had conceded a foul.

Having been booked in the first half, he ill-deserved the leniency afforded to him by ref Graham John.

Sub Martyn Cook was unlucky to mark his arrival off the bench with a goal on 66 minutes when his powerful header from MacKenzie's hanging cross was cleared off the line by Andy Murray.

Four minutes later, United drew 4-2 ahead when Jack Halliday's piercing run ended with his cut-back being hammered into the roof of the net by Martin Bain.

Mailey thundered a 25 yarder narrowly over before, first, Sutherland went close and Bain blazed over with the goal at his mercy.

The visitors never gave up home and seven minutes from time, they again reduced the leeway to a single goal when Bell cashed in on a slack defensive pass to run in and beat Williamson for his hat-trick goal.

Bain went close with a header before Mailey's feed to Rostock ended with the winger's rising shot producing a full-stretch tip-over from Williamson on 90 minutes.

From the corner, a partial clearance fell to sub Darren Malcolm and the Thurso-based striker smashed an unstoppable drive just inside the left post.

There was almost further heart-break for United three minutes into injury-time when Martin Farquhar had Williamson grasping thin air as it flew inches over.

Halkirk United - Williamson, C. Sinclair (Bain 58), Howden, A, Sinclair, Bremner, Henderson, Cowie, Halliday, Sutherland, Mackay (Cook 63), MacKenzie. Sub (unused) - Blackwood.

Balintore - S. MacGruer, Davis (MacLeod h/t), Metcalfe, A. Murray (r. Murray 82), D. MacGruer (Malcolm 82), Clark, Durrand, Mailey, Bell, Farquhar, Rostock.

Ref - Mr G. John.

report provided by Iain Grant

photos provided by jamesgunn.co.uk

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