Huge weekend of hockey in National league 1 and Scottish Cup

Cammy Fraser Grange Lee Morton Kelburne

A massive weekend of hockey awaits with the current top two in both the men’s and women’s National League 1 competitions crossing swords, not to mention the men’s Scottish Cup semi-finals on Sunday at Peffermill.

The meeting of Bromac Kelburne and Grange is always a highlight of the season, and when they clash this weekend at Glasgow Green pole position in men’s National league 1 will be the prize for the winner. While both sides have been used to winning in this season`s campaign, this fixture can always be guaranteed to come up with a surprise or two.

The Edinburgh side are two points adrift of the champions but have a game in hand, and whatever the result it is far from a title decider with most of the second half of the season still to be played. David Knipe, Grange`s coach, is content to put the occasion into perspective. “Kelburne are a good side and really either side could win this game, so we have to be ready to fight and see what happens.”

What happened when the teams last in October was a 2-1 victory for Grange, Callum Milne opened from the spot and Duncan Riddell scored late on for the winner.

“We created plenty of chances to win the game that day, we need to create and convert this time,” said Kelburne coach Gordon Shepherd.

“The game was won by Grange in the last nine minutes when we had two players sent off at the same time, they capitalised on us being short-handed as you would expect a good team to do, so discipline will be important.”

Grange have already had an outing since the winter shutdown, they beat Western Wildcats 4-1 in a catch-up fixture. Knipe said: “We were satisfied with the performance against Wildcats, I thought we played with good intent.”

If Edinburgh University have aspirations for a top four spot then three points from their away fixture against third placed Grove Menzieshill would certainly advance coach Graham Moodie`s cause. Statistics do not favour the students as they lost the earlier league game 2-1 to the Taysiders, while recent form has revealed three defeats in the four games before the winter shutdown. Defeat on Tayside could push Edinburgh out of the top four depending on other results.

Hillhead are on the same points as the students but with two games in hand, they travel to Auchenhowie to face Western Wildcats. There is a buzz about the present Hillhead squad under new coach Mark Ralph, although they suffered with postponements due to the November frosts, their last three games were comfortable victories. The earlier game in the season however ended in a ding-dong 3-3 draw.

At the other end of the table Watsonians could drag themselves out of the relegation zone with a home win over Gordonians at Peffermill. Watsonians` season has a significant imbalance; they scored 20 goals in their first four outings, then only four in their last five starts. They put five past the Aberdonians early in the season, Scott Sutherland and Mike McKenna both scored twice. The Edinburgh side will hope to kick-start their season with a victory over the bottom team in the division, but Gordonians will have other ideas as they seek to put points on the board.

Uddingston have moved out of the relegation zone and would progress further up the table if they can take the three points from their home fixture with Clydesdale. The Lanarkshire side`s belated good form at the end of the first half of the season included a big 4-2 win at Grove Menzieshill. The penalty corner form of Malaysian Mohammed Faeez was a catalyst in Uddingston`s renaissance, he picked up hat-tricks in the final two outings.

In contrast, Clydesdale occupy second bottom spot, albeit they have a couple of games in hand, but they need to start picking up valuable points to avoid the relegation play-offs.Clydesdale Western Edinburgh Uni

In women`s National League 1, champions Edinburgh University have the chance to go to the top of the table, all they have to do is to beat Kelburne and then see off leaders Milne Craig Western on Sunday.

Western, who have a perfect record so far, took the three points in the first league encounter when a penalty corner conversion by Jen Eadie separated the sides. They also have the Saturday off, which may or may not work in their favour. Statistically this looks like it will be a close game but victory against Kelburne, who currently find themselves in the tight mid-table pack, on Saturday will give the students the perfect boost going into Sunday. This one could go either way but what is certain is that it’ll produce a fantastic game of hockey.

Also at the top Grove Menzieshill could move up a couple of places if they can take full points in their visit to Watsonians and hope that third placed Wildcats struggle against Dundee Wanderers. Grove Menzieshill have a couple of games in hand over Wildcats so if results go their way this could be a very profitable weekend for them.

Meanwhile Dundee Wanderers are in fifth spot in the table but on seven points they are a long way behind the present top four. Their last outing against the Wildcats wasn’t the most encouraging, they went down 2-1 with Chloe Hardie and Heather Aitken doing the damage.

In the final game of Saturday bottom sides Hillhead and CALA clash, in the opening game of the season the former won 4-1 to give them their only points of the season so far. Victory on Saturday would put daylight between the two, but a win for CALA would make for a very interesting start to the second half of the season.

Scottish Cup

There are two mouth-watering men`s Scottish Cup ties on Sunday at Peffermill, the first game brings together Kelburne and Edinburgh University.

Although many would regard the Paisley side as favourites, after they won the league clash 5-1, but coach Gordon Shepherd is too long in the tooth to be taken in by such suggestions.

He said: “I expect a very tough game, Edinburgh are at home and will get a lift from this, and it will be competitive as a semi-final should be.”

The other tie between Grange and Grove Menzieshill is a difficult one to call, both sides are doing well in the league.

The league clash between the sides on Tayside earlier in the season is not much help either. The home side were coasting at 3-0 with only ten minutes left, but inexplicably allowed Andrew Brogdon, Duncan Riddell and Frank Ryan to claim a share of the spoils in the end.

 

Photos by Nigel Duncan Media and Duncan Gray

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