Northern Isles prepare for historic footballing occasion

February 17, 2017 at 12:40 pm

Orkney winger Joe Wilson was on the scoresheet against Invergordon in January. He and his teammates will be determined to continue their good run of form against Shetland.

The Northern Isles are braced for a momentous sporting occasion this weekend, as Orkney Football Club and Shetland meet in a historic first-ever meeting.

Earlier this week, both managers — Charlie Alway for Orkney and Niall Bristow for Shetland — said they were relishing the Jock Mackay Cup clash, with a place in the semi-finals the reward for the victor.

Orkney should start Saturday’s 12.30pm fixture as favourites, being on a three-match winning run, with Bristow conceding his team will start as underdogs. He added that he was “very wary” of a “very dangerous” Orkney side in “outstanding” form.

It will be a very youthful travelling Shetland side, according to Bristow, as Shetland’s preparations for the summer’s Island Games step up a notch, with only their fourth competitive fixture, and first since October, of the winter season.

Charlie Alway said that, despite some unavailabilites, he had a “very strong” squad to pick from, and said his side would approach the match in a confident fashion.

The venue of the match is still to be confirmed, although it appears likely it will be held in Dounby.