Bonar Bridge aim to reach cup final in incredible turnaround of football club
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Bonar Bridge are one game away from reaching their first cup final since returning to the North Caledonian League as they prepare to face Inverness Athletic in the Football Times Cup semi final at Migdale on Saturday.
The Sutherland club will look to continue their magnificent turnaround in form compared to last season when they lost 23 out of 24 league matches.
However, under new manager Bobby Breen, Bonar Bridge have transformed into a tougher prospect, winning two of their four league matches so far and now on the verge of a cup final.
Breen says he has been impressed with how his team have started the season and says there is huge potential for them to do well in the campaign.
“It is all a matter of getting the players to raise their game and work hard,” he said.
“We have quality players, but you need to put the effort in and give 110 per cent.
“If they do that, then we have a great chance.
“When I started the job and looked at last season, the only way was up and you can only make improvements.
“The committee are nice people and when they told me the work they had done at the club, it was obvious that they had ambition.
“If we can have a five-year plan in place and match the committee’s ambition off the field with our performances on the field, it could be a nice future for the club going forward."
Breen says it would be a huge achievement for everyone involved at Bonar Bridge to reach a cup final at the first attempt.
Bonar Bridge thrashed Inverness Athletic 5-2 at North Kessock in the North Caledonian League last month in a result which raised eyebrows.
Breen hopes the comfortable victory in August could give them a mental edge in the semi final clash on Saturday.
“I would like to hope so,” said Breen.
“At the same time, there will be no surprises for them now as they were probably expecting an easier game the last time that we faced them.
“The surprise element is out the window now and it will be a difficult game for us on Saturday.”
Breen hopes to have several players back for the semi final clash tomorrow after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Orkney at Migdale in the league last week. After a goalless first half, Orkney took a 2-0 lead after the break with goals from Chris Simpson and Jason Scott.
Aiden Stainke pulled one back for Bonar Bridge in the 63rd minute and they pressed for an equaliser.
But late strikes from Ewan Stevenson and Toby Macleod have Orkney victory.
Breen says while it was a disappointing result last weekend, couldn’t fault the commitment of his players.
“We did make silly mistakes and three of the four goals were preventable.
“However, the actual performances were a lot better than the 4-1 scoreline."
