Whalsay into final four of Highland Amateur Cup after withdrawal
WHALSAY are through to the final four of football’s Highland Amateur Cup after their quarter-final opponents pulled out of Saturday’s fixture.
The side from the Bonnie Isle had been due to travel to Orkney this weekend to take on Inver FC, from Ross-shire, in the last eight of the cup competition.
However Inver announced on social media this week that they had pulled out due to a clash with a squad member’s wedding.
The club said it had requested a date change and been refused.
Inver then asked for the game to be played on the Scottish mainland – which would have resulted in more travel for Whalsay – which was also refused by the Highland Amateur Cup’s committee.
Whalsay clarified that they had “sought to be flexible where possible” and had made every effort for the game to go ahead.
Inver said they had left them unable to field a team, adding they had “tried everything we could to honour the tie”.
In their own club statement, Whalsay said they were “disappointed” to learn that Inver FC had withdrawn from the quarter-final match.
“We feel it is important to note that Whalsay FC, along with the competition organisers, explored every available avenue to try and accommodate Inver’s requests,” it said.
“The club was keen to find a solution that would allow the match to be played while enabling Inver’s players to attend the wedding celebrations.
“Unfortunately, despite efforts to find a workable solution this time, the tie will now not go ahead.
“Most importantly, our players are hugely disappointed not to have the opportunity to contest a place in the semi-final on the pitch.”
Whalsay said the timing of the withdrawal was also disappointing, as the club had already incurred travel and accommodation costs for travelling to Orkney on Saturday.
“With arrangements made close to the fixture date, the club has now been left with costs that we are unable to recoup from accommodation providers.”
The club said it was now looking forward to its semi-final tie, which will be played on 1 August.
They will face either Black Rock Rovers or Avoch in that fixture, with the final of the Highland Amateur Cup being played on 15 August.
Whalsay’s third round opponents – Ardersier FC – also withdraw from the competition last month.
The Highland Amateur Cup is the premier cup competition for the Highlands and Islands, with eight Shetland teams entering this season.
No Shetland team has ever won the trophy, with Lerwick Spurs coming closest – losing 2-1 in extra-time to Pentland United un 2018.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
