Inverness & District F.A.

Premier Division

Monday 29th July 2024

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.01

Ardesier 4 Balloan/Loch Ness 1, attendance 47

22’ 0-1

55’ 1-1

66’ 2-1

71’ 3-1

86’ 4-1

@ Cromal Park

High Street (B9006)

Ardersier

IV2 7QB

No Admission or Programme.

As is the norm with this league, the fixtures/venues were only confirmed on the league’s Facebook page late yesterday afternoon. Luckily for me, I’d only previously visited two of the four hosting tonight’s games. Rather than visit bottom of the table Tomatin, who’d already been relegated, I chose third in the table (out of 8, with Avoch already crowned champions) Ardesier, who were hosting sixth placed Balloan/Loch Ness. Ardesier play at Cromal Park, which is on the right hand side of the High Street as you head northwards towards Fort George. It is just an open pitch, with grass banking along the far side, with trees rising steeply above and from this side there are superb views out over the Moray Firth. The changing room building is at the near goal end, next to some tennis courts, with houses beyond the far goal.

Despite there being nothing on the game, it certainly wasn’t played as if that was the case. It was a very even first half, where the only goal came courtesy of an own goal that saw the visitors go in front. Ardersier deservedly levelled ten minutes into the second half, before Balloan/Loch Ness thought they had gone back in front, but the goal was disallowed for offside, which was followed almost immediately with Ardersier actually taking the lead, through an angled shot in off the far post, with the game then swinging hugely in favour of the hosts. A powerful downward header at the far post, from a corner on the left, soon saw them make it 3-1 and they rounded off the scoring with four minutes left, finishing coolly when played through on goal, with the visitors then reduced to ten men, following a red card for dissent after conceding the goal.