Double Header for the Women’s Premiership

Even after only three Premiership games in the Women’s competition, Watsonians and Azets Clydesdale Western have opened up a four-point lead with the former slightly ahead on goal difference. Both sides have won all their games, scored plenty of goals and conceded very few, in fact Watsonians still have a clean sheet.

This weekend sees a double header for most of the sides, but Watsonians and Clydesdale Western are only involved once, so there may be a catch-up opportunity for some of the chasing pack.

On Saturday, Watsonians entertain fourth placed Grange in an Edinburgh derby, and that is likely to give the Premiership champions more of a test than they have had so far. Grange have made a solid start to the campaign with a win and two draws and appear fairly tight defensively. Coach Sean Hadfield also has an enlarged squad to work with. However, Watsonians have been free scoring so far with 22 goals in their three matches, so it will be interesting to see if the Grange rearguard can stem this goal flow and upset the champions.

Grange then turns their attention to Edinburgh University on Sunday. If early results are anything to go by the students do not look the force they have been in previous years, conceding 15 goals to Clydesdale Western and Watsonians would not have happened previously. That must serve as a source of encouragement to Grange who have had the occasional upset result against university in the past. It will be interesting to see what Grange take out of this weekend.

On Saturday it is the clash of the students with Edinburgh travelling to a Glasgow side that have fallen to the foot of the table. Edinburgh would hope for three points here.

Clydesdale Western take to the field on Sunday against St Andrews University at Titwood and you would expect their winning run to be extended. While Clydesdale are clear favourites for this one, St Andrews have a lot of fresh talent in the ranks and have moved into fifth spot with a promising start to the campaign.

It is still very much early doors but there is a similarity of progress regarding Uddingston, Grange, St Andrews University and GHK, only a single point separates these four sides. Further, they have all won one game, there are several draws and only a single defeat. They currently occupy positions three to six in the top echelon of the table.

This weekend could tease out the situation as some are up against Watsonians and Clydesdale Western, some play each other, while Uddingston have a home encounter with a Gordonians side that have yet to score a goal in the topflight. So, the league table could look markedly different come Sunday evening.

Wildcats finally came out of hibernation with a 1-1 draw against Uddingston last weekend and will now look to shoot up the table against Hillhead and bottom side Glasgow University and so threaten for a top six place if successful.

Western Wildcats sit snuggly in pole position in the Open/Men’s Premiership after five straight wins and plenty of goals. On Saturday they welcome Edinburgh University to Auchenhowie in the game of the card. Certainly, Western Wildcats’ success can be put down partly to a benign opening set of fixtures but then again, you can only deal with the opposition in front of you each week. It will now be interesting to see if Vishal Marwaha’s all-conquering pack can see off last season’s champions.

Edinburgh have already dropped points in draws with Hillhead and Uddingston and have slipped back to fifth, but with a game in hand. Last weekend, manager Martin Beckford announced that seven of the players who were at the EHL were missing for various reasons.

The question is how many will return for the Auchenhowie clash. Much may depend on the availability of the likes of Jamie Golden, Jamie Green and Keir Robb, but we will have to wait and see.

The Western Wildcats will certainly be purring if they can secure the three points on Saturday.

Uddingston are in second spot but now two points adrift of Western Wildcats after their draw with Edinburgh University. The Lanarkshire side will host a Hillhead side that have drawn three times and lost two, so coach Tom Hyndman will be hoping for a return to winning ways.  But beware, Hillhead have a reputation for springing the odd surprise, witness the earlier draw with the Edinburgh students.

Third placed Watsonians are a further point adrift but with a game in hand and with a string of four convincing victories under their belt. They also have the hat-trick king Charlie Jack to boost their goal tally. It would be a surprise if they did not take the three points against a Grange side still trying to find their sea legs this season.

ESM Lions lie fourth, also on twelve points, the result of four straight wins after an opening reversal against Edinburgh University. The Lions should extend their run of success at home to Inverleith. A couple of weeks ago that might have been straightforward, but Inverleith have come to life recently with back-to-back wins and have moved up to seventh. Perhaps not so easy for the Lions.

Towards the bottom end of the table, you would expect FSEG Clydesdale to take the three points against winless Dunfermline Carnegie and go back up the table again. Finally, Kelburne are at home to Grove Menzieshill with both sides eager to add to their points tally and move out of the nether regions.

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