Kings' boss Gibson keen to stay in job
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KINGUSSIE boss John Gibson has said that he would be delighted to carry on in the top job but he is set to lose his assistant Barrie Dallas if so next season.
It's not known yet if Gibson will face any challengers for the managerial job come the club's AGM next month.
But after guiding the Kings to sixth place this term in the premiership and the semi-finals of the Camanachd Cup in his first season at the helm, he confirmed he would be happy to continue in the role.
However, his right-hand man Dallas will be standing down from the role. Dallas has been a great support to the Gibson but he has to make the regular commute to Kingussie from Inverness where he now lives.
Paying tribute, Gibson said: "Barrie will not be carrying on as assistant which will be a big miss. It's a real shame from my point of view as we think about the game on similar lines.
"He has been a great support this past season."
The Kings completed their schedule for the season at home to defending champions Kinlochshiel with a 1-1 draw which Gibson thought should have been two points.
They were below par in the opening half but stepped it up for the second period with Rhuaridh Anderson putting the Dell side ahead in the 53rd minute.
There were then chances to extend the margin but they came and went and they were hit with a sucker punch in the 70th minute when John MacRae was quickest to respond to a rebound to convert.
Fraser Munro had come on just before the break and he was joined by Louis Munro at the break, and that galvanised the Kings and added more experience.
"We were definitely in the ascendancy in the second half and had two or three good chances but failed to capitalise so in the end I was disappointed with a draw.
"But in the second half it was another good performance."
Gibson had been looking to build upon last season's fifth place under previous manager Dallas Young and assistant Dallas and he said it's not hard to identify what stopped that.
The Kings failed to take points off Kyles Athletic, Lovat and Oban Camananchd this time round. "We did not get enough points off the five teams above us – and these are three areas to target next season.
"We have been inconsistent but the signs are very promising given how young the team still is. We need to be more effective in front of goal in order to push on."
The Kings finished their season at home to 'Shiel on Saturday knowing win, draw or lose it would have no effect on their league position. However, the visitors were still chasing second place in the Premiership.
Kinlochshiel started the better of the two teams and were unlucky not to take the lead twice in the opening exchanges with only a bad miss and a good save by Red and Blues keeper Craig Dawson with his legs from Duncan Matheson preventing the opener.
The momentum gradually began to shift midway through the half as the Kings stirred from their lethargy and started to apply more pressure onto the 'Sheil players.
The midfield of Savio Genini, James Hutchison and Rory MacGregor gained a foothold in the game and started to supply balls to the forwards who had been living on scraps up to that point.
But neither keeper was tested significantly again for the rest of the half.
The break gave Gibson the opportunity to deliver some stern words and after half-time Kingussie came out the blocks looking much more like the team of the past few weeks.
The arrival of the two Munros – for Genini and MacGregor – added to the experience of Hutchison across the middle and Kingussie became more offensively minded.
The opening goal finally came in the 53rd minute after Kingussie pressure.
Rory MacKeachan gained possession on the left and played a long ball to Liam Borthwick who switched it to the other wing where Anderson collected.
He turned Mark MacDonald and let fly on his backhand from 10 yards to score.
The Kings looked likely to add to their lead while the defence kept the visitors quiet.
Fraser Munro and Roddy Young both then went close for the hosts as they continued to attack.
Kinlochshiel still looked dangerous on the counter-attack but Calum Grant and Robert Mabon were in good form and blocked the attacks before Dawson was troubled.
That was until the 70th minute when a speculative effort from Oliver MacRae was palmed away by Dawson only for John MacRae to be the quickest to respond to knock home the equaliser.
The hosts introduced Keiren MacPherson after conceding for his first game since breaking his collar bone against Caberfeidh earlier in the season and he immediately looked at home on the pitch.
Both James Falconer and Roddy Young went close again before MacPherson almost forced home a rebound from a Falconer shot but there were to be no more goals as the points were shared.
