https://embo-afc.pendlesportswear.co.uk/

Embo Afc, The Back Park, Embo (2026)

06/09/2026

From his day job at Murform to the football pitch — Leigh certainly knows how to keep busy! ⚽

Throughout the summer, Leigh swaps the work boots for the football boots as he co-manages Embo AFC, Dornoch, who compete in the North West Sutherland Amateur Football League.
We were delighted to get behind the team by sponsoring their brand-new away kits! 👕

Fully self-funded, Embo AFC provides a brilliant opportunity for players from school age right through to adulthood to get involved, enjoy the game, stay active, make friends and, most importantly, be part of something positive in the local community.

It’s fantastic to see the team going from strength to strength, and we’re proud to play a small part in supporting the club and the people behind it. 💙
Keep up the great work, lads.

28/08/2026

Embo AFC – 2026 Season Summary⚽️ 🐟🐟

Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved with the club in one way or another throughout the season. Without the efforts of so many people behind the scenes, it simply would not be possible to field a team each week.

The season started on a positive note with the completion of the new substitutes' huts and the arrival of new portable goals. The much-needed huts have provided valuable shelter from the Highland elements, while the portable goals should hopefully allow the goalmouth areas to take a little less of a hammering over the course of the season.

The committee has continued from last year and has provided valuable support throughout the season, continuing to do so through thick and thin.

A big thank you must also go to the ground staff for their continued efforts in maintaining the pitch each week. The club is now very fortunate to have one of the best parks and facilities in the league, something that everyone involved should be proud of.

On the playing side, the squad has welcomed a few new faces this season, which has been great to see. The majority of the squad returned from last season too, which must have been for football reasons and definitely not for the banter!

As it turns out, it takes a little more time to develop a squad made up largely of school leavers into seasoned campaigners. This is particularly evident when competing against some of the teams at the upper end of the table, as well as the ever-increasing number of dual-registered players who seem to be saturating the local game and, at times, limiting opportunities for local players.

The only real way for young players to develop, learn and improve is by playing competitive football and we will continue to provide those opportunities.

After two seasons with the current management structure, the final league position may suggest that there has been little improvement. However, the performances, game statistics and individual results would suggest otherwise.

The team has conceded significantly fewer goals, although there are still clear areas for improvement if we are to return to being the formidable, hard-to-break-down defensive side that the club has previously been known for. Several score lines have been a lot closer than last season against the same opposition.

Going forward, there is also plenty of room for improvement in the attacking areas. More players have contributed goals this season, which is encouraging, but there is still the potential to score far more with a little extra directness, confidence and belief in the final third.

Following the conclusion of the 2026 season, the management team were unfortunately relieved of their duties.

Unfortunately, as nobody else appears daft enough to take the job on, the same team will somehow return for the 2027 season!

On a wider note, the post-league split clearly remains an issue and, in its current format, does not appear to be working as intended. Hopefully, a serious review will take place in the coming months ahead of next season.

Despite the challenges, there have been plenty of positives throughout 2026. The squad continues to develop, new players have come into the club, the facilities continue to improve, and the foundations remain in place to keep moving forward.

Players player of the year award 2026 - Curtis Cross

Coaches player of the year award 2026 - Shaun Anderson

Young player of the year 2026 - Brodie Munro

Thank you once again to everyone who has played, coached, supported, sponsored, volunteered or helped Embo AFC throughout the season.

🔴⚪️⚫️

🐟🐟

22/08/2026

Pitch ready ⚽️
Looking like a nice day to watch a game of football 🐟🐟

22/08/2026

Matchday in Embo
Our final game of the season versus Melvich Football Club

Looking for something to do today?

🏟 The Back Park Embo

⏰️ 2pm kick-off

📅 22nd August

Refreshments available 🫖🥤

Today’s game is kindly sponsored by John W Bonthrone Roofing Embo 🔨

19/08/2026

This Saturday we host Melvich Football Club in our final game of the season ⚽️🐟🔴⚪️⚫️

This weekends game is kindly sponsored by John W Bonthrone Roofing Embo.

📅 22nd August

⏰️ 2pm kick-off

🏟 The Back Park Embo

19/08/2026

Embo v Inver Fc — 18th August 2026

Embo welcomed Inver to Back Park for the penultimate game of the season, with the visitors arriving with plenty of intent. Despite apparently being depleted, Inver still fielded a core of seasoned North Caley campaigners.

Inver started at a relaxed pace, looking to retain possession and build confidence. Embo, however, afforded them far too much time and space to play into, and the approach paid off in the 10th minute. Inver won a corner from the left and a young Inver player rose completely unmarked to guide a header into the net. 0–1.

Going a goal down failed to spark Embo into life, and the home side continued to trudge along as Inver pushed forward freely. The visitors doubled their advantage in the 26th minute when their No.9 once again found himself completely unmarked, recreating last week’s solar eclipse and dispatching another header into the net. 0–2.

A couple of mid-game tweaks to the formation finally seemed to wake Embo up. The passing became sharper, the closing down improved and, suddenly, there was a bit more urgency about the home side.

That change paid dividends in the 33rd minute. Billy Knox played a perfectly timed slide-rule pass behind the napping Inver back line, releasing Innes McAffer. Even after affording the On we a few yards of a head start, Innes left the Inver defence for dust before calmly slotting the ball underneath the advancing goalkeeper. 1–2.

Half-time: Embo 1–2 Inver

The second half began in much the same fashion as the first, with Embo once again allowing Inver too much time and space in possession. To Inver’s credit, they weren’t creating a huge number of clear chances, but in the 61st minute they extended their lead.

The Inver No.9 reacted quickest to a scrappy loose ball, accepted the gift and finished well and give Inver a 1–3 advantage.

Embo made further changes, bringing some much-needed energy to the side, and the home team began to build momentum.

Then, in the 69th minute, the Inver CDM appeared to decide he was playing a completely different ball sport, opting to rugby-tackle an Embo player inside the box. The referee, only a few yards away, had no hesitation in pointing to the spot — although the Inver midfielder was fortunate to escape without a yellow card.

The resulting penalty crashed off the crossbar. The rebound was headed back into the box and, with a turn of pace rarely witnessed before, Curtis charged through the ball-watching Inver defence to get his head on it and send it into the net.

2–3. Game on.

The final 20 minutes saw both sides enjoy possession and create moments, with Embo probably having the better of the chances. Unfortunately, the equaliser just wouldn’t come.

Full-time: Embo 2–3 Inver

Another frustrating result for Embo, with the slow start and too much time afforded to a mostly experienced Inver side ultimately proving costly. There were, however, plenty of positives once Embo found the urgency and intensity that had been missing early on. Lots of younger players involved on both side to ensure the next generation develop within the game.

And now, we go again.

Final Game of the Season

Embo v Melvich
Saturday — 2:00pm
Back Park

Melvich will no doubt arrive fully loaded and highly motivated, knowing that victory will secure the lower league title.

One final game. One final battle. Let’s finish the season with a performance to remember. ⚽️🔴⚪️

18/08/2026

Tonight team ⚽️⚽️🐟🐟

16/08/2026

Quick turnaround for us this week, we welcome Inver Fc to The Back Park for Tuesday night Football ⚽️🐟

16/08/2026

Embo v Brora Wanderers — Post-Split Battle at Back Park

14th August 2026

Friday evening saw us welcome Brora Wanderers to Back Park for our first post-split fixture, some four weeks after our last competitive league game. Four weeks without competitive football is far from ideal preparation, particularly when it comes to fitness and match sharpness.

Once both sides settled into the game, Embo struck first after 10 minutes. A corner from the left was met perfectly by Billy Knox, who powered an unstoppable header past the Brora goalkeeper to give Embo a 1–0 lead.

Brora responded around the 20-minute mark. A dangerous floated free kick was delivered towards the penalty spot, where a Brora player physically outmuscled the Embo goalkeeper to force the ball home. 1–1.

Both sides then exchanged good passages of play as they looked to gain the upper hand.

Two minutes before half-time, Embo goalkeeper Tom Sowerby came out to claim a bouncing long ball, only to be met by a slightly late challenge that left him carrying an injury. Tom bravely stayed on to assess the damage at half-time.

Brora immediately recognised the situation and began launching balls into the Embo box, repeatedly targeting the back post. Their strategy paid off when Aaron Penny rose highest to head home and put Brora ahead.

Brora have employed this tactic very effectively this season — loading the back post with big players and putting quality balls into the danger area — and it proved difficult for Embo to deal with.

It was a fairly even half overall, but Brora went into the break with a narrow 2–1 advantage.

Half-time brought an enforced change, with Tom unable to continue. A huge thanks to Ben, who stepped into goal at a moment’s notice and took up a very unfamiliar position.

Brora’s eyes undoubtedly lit up when they realised the Embo left-back was now between the sticks.

For the opening 10 minutes of the second half, Brora pushed hard for a third, putting pressure around the box and repeatedly looking for balls in behind the Embo defensive line.

Around the 55th minute, the pressure finally told. A ball was played in behind and met by the lightning pace of Charlie Dunbar, who finished to make it 3–1.

Embo refused to fold and pushed hard for a way back into the game, creating several very good chances but failing to convert them.

Then, on 65 minutes, too much space was afforded to the experienced Scott Miller, who took full advantage to make it 4–1.

From there the game began to get away from Embo, with the lack of competitive football beginning to show in the final 20 minutes. Gaps appeared all over the pitch and the match-sharper Brora side exploited them well.

There was, however, another positive moment for Embo as Robert Sutherland grabbed our second goal of the evening — a goal that perfectly summed up his contribution. Robert competed for and chased down every ball and deserved his reward for the effort.

The final scoreline ultimately became 2–7, a harsh reflection of a game that was much more competitive for long periods.

After four weeks without competitive football, Embo simply couldn’t maintain the intensity required for the full 90 minutes, while Brora’s greater match sharpness allowed them to take advantage when the spaces began to open up.

We now look forward to our penultimate game against Inver on Tuesday 18th August, followed by our final fixture against Melvich on Saturday 22nd August.

And remarkably, here we are — last year’s Highland Amateur Cup runners-up now fighting it out at the other end of the table.

Melvich, meanwhile, will be looking to secure the lower-league trophy.

Two games left.

Two chances to finish the season with a bit of pride.

Come on Embo! 🐟🐟🐟

14/08/2026

Tonight's line up 🐟🐟

Embo Afc

06/09/2026

28/08/2026

22/08/2026

22/08/2026

19/08/2026

19/08/2026

18/08/2026

16/08/2026

16/08/2026

14/08/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request