Uddingston and ESM Lions Top the Bill in the Open/Men’s Premiership

An encouraging feature of the Open/Men’s Premiership this season has been the continued emergence of ESM Lions and Uddingston, both are now challenging at the top table. Last year they made the top six split but didn’t really trouble the top sides for honours.

But it is different this season. The Lions are second in the Premiership and Uddy lie third, only two points adrift and with a game in hand, so nothing in it really.

They have also had their successes on the pitch. Uddy beat Watsonians last weekend and earlier drew with Western Wildcats and champions Edinburgh University and are as yet unbeaten. The Lions have also made their mark with a goalless draw with Watsonians.

And so Saturday at Bothwell Castle sees the showdown between Uddy and the Lions

Recently we talked to Uddy manager Gordon Moore on his side’s rise to fame, now we caught up with the Lions’ captain Sam Tait.

We started by asking what he thought of the season so far. “It has been good to string together a run of results recently. It has also been positive to see how new additions have settled in and contributed as well, both within the playing group and with the additions of David Knipe and Stevie McCurry in the coaching group.”

On targets for the season, Sam remarked: “Our main focus is just on developing together as a group going forward: hopefully we can keep putting in good performances and try to improve on our league position from last year.”

But the acid test question, can you beat Uddingston on their own patch. “Uddingston have put together strong results this season so it will be a challenging game on Saturday,” said Sam. “We have had tight games with them in recent seasons, and we know they are well-coached and are playing good hockey, so we will go and try to put together a good performance and hopefully it’s another good quality game.”

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, and it is likely to be close, it’s almost certain that both sides will still be challenging at the top at the season’s denouement.

However, Western Wildcats still rule the roost with only a draw with Uddingston to blemish an otherwise perfect record. Although the goal spree has dried up a little, only two goals against Hillhead in their last outing. On Saturday they are away to Grange, in the past this was a top fixture but now the Edinburgh side are in the process of rebuilding and results have been mixed. Two recent victories have pushed Grange up to seventh, and they had a Scottish Cup victory last Sunday, but whether they can stave off Western’s goal machine is another matter.

Meanwhile, Watsonians will try to pick up the pieces with a trip to Hillhead, perhaps not as easy as it looks, the home side are famed for rising to the occasion at times and the games they have lost have only been by a single goal. So far from a foregone conclusion but the Edinburgh side need to get back to winning ways after dropping five points in their last two outings.

Champions Edinburgh University are still stuck in sixth place but should see off bottom side Dunfermline Carnegie at Peffermill and be ready to move up the table.

The final fixtures see Inverleith travel to Tayside to take on Grove Menzieshill with both sides anxious to emerge out of the bottom rungs. Neither have had the best of seasons so far with points at a scarcity. Menzieshill have only scored five goals in seven games while Inverleith have conceded 48, so not easy to predict this one.

There seems no stopping the relentless progress of Watsonians and Azets Clydesdale Western in pursuit of the Women’s Premiership title and this weekend’s fixtures don’t hold out much hope of a respite.

In fact, Clydesdale should catch up on their rivals, at least on points, as they have a double outing this weekend. On Saturday they travel north to take on Gordonians who have yet to score a goal in their five matches so far. In contrast finding the net has certainly not been the Dale’s problem, the complete reverse. Last weekend they put eight past Grange with Jenny Eadie and Sophie Hinds scoring two each. That result dropped Grange from fourth to seventh in the table, and it is their turn for a day off on Saturday, so no chance to retrieve the situation.

On Sunday Clydesdale welcome St Andrews University to Titwood in a catch-up fixture, but it unlikely the students will endanger Clydesdale’s unbeaten run.

Leaders Watsonians should pick up another three points with some ease against a Hillhead side that have not won since the opening game of the season.

The mid-table is a clutter, four teams, Uddingston, Wildcats, St Andrews and Grange share eight points, and Edinburgh University are only one behind. So, who is going to move out of the clutter, not Grange as they have no game. The St Andrews students are the most likely as they are at home on Saturday to a Glasgow University side that are propping up the table with no points and a goal deficit of 40. An opportunity too good to miss for Jamie Carnegie’s charges to miss.

Perhaps the game of the day in the women’s competition is at Auchenhowie where Wildcats entertain a GHK side that seem secure in third place. GHK are on a roll of three consecutive victories, the latest being a 3-1 win over Uddingston with Lucy Williamson continuing her recent lethal touch in front of goal with a double, and that makes eight for the season so far. However, the Cats have also made a promising start to the season, after losing the opening game of the season to Watsonians they have embarked on a four-match unbeaten run, so it could be an interesting contest at Auchenhowie.

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