Inverness Athletic beat Alness United 3-1 to lift their first ever North Caledonian FA silverware
Picture: Scott MacDonald/Mackie Sports Photography
Competitions

First silverware for Inverness Athletic


The Appin Sports Football Times Cup has a new name amongst its list of winners after Inverness Athletic fought back from a goal down to lift the trophy at Dalmore Park.
Goals in the final twenty minutes of the game saw Athletic run out 3-1 winners against hosts Alness United in an entertaining final as supporters braved the wind and rain.
But it was the home side who got off to the perfect start when they took the lead through Iain Ross after just eight minutes.
Athletic continued undeterred, however, and they levelled the scores on 32 minutes when Dominic Macaulay fired home a loose ball from close range.
The persistence of the Inverness side was apparent early in the second half with Dawid Sienkowski the busier of the two goalkeepers, and their pressure paid off with 70 minutes gone when defender Michael Mcrobert forced the ball home from a corner inside a packed penalty area.
With Alness pushing high up the park in search of an equaliser, Luke Mackay secured victory for the Inverness side when he hit an opportunistic shot from his own half that sailed over Sienkowski into an empty net.
Post-match, North Caledonian League president Niall Harkiss awarded the man of the match plate to match-winning sub Mackay, before inviting Athletic captain Calum Neil up to collect the Appin Sports Football Times trophy.
Addressing the teams, Mr Harkiss noted that the trophy was now in its 100th year, and that in this anniversary year, it was fitting that the trophy finds a new home with a club who had yet to win a trophy in the association.
The cup win is the first senior honour for the Inverness club in its short history since forming in 2016.
They had previously played in two cup finals - in 2018 and 2023 - finishing runners-up on both occasions.
Our thanks go to Appin Sportswear for their support as cup sponsors this season.