Grange head to Vienna in confident mood

Grange head for Vienna this weekend for the EuroHockey Club Trophy and will face Post SV (Austria) on Friday, OSHVSM Phoenix Zytomyr (Ukraine) the following day, and finally Cardiff & Met (Wales) on Sunday in their pool competition. Then on Monday there are the play-off matches – that is 1v1, 2v2 and so on according to final pool positions.

There is no promotion to the top flight Euro Hockey League (EHL) as such, that is determined by each country`s ranking points at the end of the European competitions, so the higher Grange finish in Vienna the more points Scotland will gain, and that will determine how many Scottish clubs will play in next season`s EHL.

We caught up with Grange manager Martin Shepherdson who gave us his thoughts on the pool opposition.

“We have some really tough opponents in the pool. We played the host club, Post, in the EHL last year and we know how good they are. Cardiff Met are very much a club on the rise, having secured promotion to the top division in England, and will be very tough. Our third match is against a Ukrainian side that we don’t know well, but Ukrainian sides are always tricky to play against”

In the traditional format of a four team pool competition it is so important to win your opening game and that is Post SV from Austria. Grange should go into that contest with confidence, they beat the Austrians 3-0 in last season`s EHL, although they are at home in Vienna with the support on their side this time.

Grange go into the tournament with a wealth of experience on the European stage.

Martin said: “We feel we have good chance to do well. We have good experience from playing consistently in Europe the last few years and know what to expect. The Trophy is a physically demanding tournament, as we play 4 games in 4 days, but we are well prepared for that”

So how do Grange adjust to European opposition. Martin said: “Our squad is well able to adapt and play different styles. We will adjust our tactics based on the opposition as we see fit in the tournament.”

Certainly, Grange`s domestic record will be a source of encouragement for this weekend, the Edinburgh side sit in pole position in the Premiership with an unbeaten record – you can`t get much better than that.

However, last weekend`s Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Western was perhaps not the best send-off. It would be fair to say that Grange were not at their best that day. Let`s hope they peak in Europe this weekend.

Martin Shepherdson confirmed that they travel to Vienna with almost a full squad. Missing will be striker Fraser Heigh who has decided to play his trade in Australia who start their season around now, and there may be some doubt about Aidan McQuade who has a hip injury.

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