Our Special Correspondent 15-16 preview

Tomorrow sees the return of top flight hockey in Scotland for both Men and Ladies. In the first round of games for both there are some mouth-watering ties. Title hopefuls Western Wildcats make the long trip to Dundee to face evergreen and fellow title hopefuls Grove Menzieshill. A home win is expected in this fixture but will the Wildcats spring out of hibernation and surprise the Dundonians? Kareena Marshall has been slowly improving the Ladies side from Milngavie whilst her former team mate, Linda Clement, is still getting her feet under the table in her first club coaching role since exiting the international stage. This one could be intriguing.

 

ESM re-join the top flight after a hiatus in the second division and start against a young looking CALA team hoping to build on the steady progress of recent years where they have been ‘best of the rest’ around play-off time. This all Edinburgh affair is a nice way for both teams to ease back into the swing of things with a view to ironing out any pre-season problems. CALA should hope to take three points in this one but an early season upset could be the catalyst for ESM’s prolonged stay in the top flight.

 

Watsonians made moves in the summer to appoint Keith Smith as Head of Youth to keep the talent flowing and they will be reliant on Scotland U18 stars Katherine Holdgate, Mairi Shaw and Laura Swanson to move away from that bottom end of the table.  Swanson is a recent acquisition from Inverleith and veteran Nikki Robertson will once again don the pads for a season in the sticks.

 

Bromac Kelburne Ladies 1st XI have plenty of national youth internationals of their own with Natalie MacKinnon and Maddie Cleat sure to blaze a trail for the Paisley side.  Add this to the engine-room run by Stevie McInally and the yellow and black will be hoping there is no need for a final day play off win to stay in the top flight.

 

Edinburgh University continue to sit at the very apex of the ladies game and if the form book is followed should win against a GHK team who were beaten 10-0 in this fixture last season. Sam Judge continues to improve the University side who are laden with experienced internationals and pace in a variety of positions. GHK have maintained their top flight status for 5 consecutive seasons and although they have lost Jenny Morris to studies abroad, they continue to develop young players through their sparkling youth set up, Under 16 internationalist Lucy Findlay steps to the fore in defence for them this season. The inevitable home win will be tempered in the GHK ranks with the knowledge that their very own water based pitch will be open for business later in the month.

 

Two titans of the ladies game slug it out on the banks of the Tay in the final match when Dundee Wanderers welcome Clydesdale Western and there promises to be fireworks. Vicky Bunce’s Wanderers will be their usual potent combination of speed and skill on the break which may be an interesting style of play with new Clydesdale coach, Derek Forsyth, looking to take a notable scalp on his first forage into ladies hockey for many a year. A pre-season draw with Kris Kane’s GHK suggests that the Scotland men’s coach is still impressing his ideas on a much changed Clydesdale side but an away win will be the only thing on the Glaswegian minds as they make the trip to the City of Discovery.

 

Turning to the men’s fixtures and the last time current league title holders Bromac Kelburne started a league campaign without the title of ‘National Champions’ Tony Blair was Prime Minister, Liverpool FC were European Champions and, bizarrely, Elvis was number 1. The Paisley side have lost Mark Ralph to retirement and internationalist, Michael Bremner, to studies abroad, the ‘holy trinity’ of Christie, Christie and Nelson remain as potent a goal threat to opposition keepers as any in the league albeit all three are a year longer in the tooth. The first run out for the self coached team is against newly promoted Grove Menzieshill who brushed aside the Division 2 opposition like a minor distraction, qualifying in record time for a return to the top flight. The Dundonians tend to be a much better side at home than on the road but, ably led by grizzled veteran Ross McPherson and with Gavin Byers hoping to prove that he can carry the weight of Tay-side expectation this season, matters will not be so straight forward for the once dominant west coasters. Expect a strong start at Glasgow Green from both sides as they trade blows in the early exchanges.

 

Scotland U-21 coach Graham Moodie takes what could well be the surprise package of the season, Edinburgh University, to Aberdeen to face Craig Harper’s Gordonians side. Moodie has been quietly assembling a decent team very much based on the ‘Galacticos’ model of superstars with a spine of home-grown talent. Ex internationalists Moodie and Steven Dick are joined by the surprise capture of current internationalist Ian Moodie from Western and, more impressively, Dan Coultas from English hockey, who will be very much to the fore in the set plays. All have the ability to devastate opponents in short bursts and if Moodie can keep them all fit and blend the home grown talent (no doubt with a sprinkling of enigmatic foreign players) University Men will be a top four side this season – potentially at the expense of their opposition. Hoping to upset the apple cart will be Gordonians. Always difficult to beat on their own patch, Harper’s troops will be hoping to kick on from last season where their team spirit was very much to the fore in a number of fixtures and they managed to grind out some impressive points. His task is not added by the loss of their Czech internationalists who have returned home in search of international honours and a more reasonably priced pint. Ian Coffey will be hoping to kick on this season with a view to senior Scotland acknowledgement.

 

The much vaunted, Graham Dunlop returns to coaching duties at Titwood when Clydesdale open their campaign against Uddingston in the south side. Striker, coach and, undoubtedly, commentating at the same time, Dunlop appears to have his plate full this season with a youthful team hoping to retain first division status. Top flight new boys, Uddingston, will see the fixture as one that can set a tone for the season. If discipline and cohesion can be brought to the fore in the Uddingston ranks then there is no reason that Uddingston cannot be the team to avoid the automatic drop this season.

 

National Champions Grange open their account away to Dundee Wanderers. Wanderers will be hoping that Colin Clarke’s wonderfully organised and efficient team will have one eye on their trip to Hamburg to face European behemoths Harvesterhuder in the EHL later this season and not on this fixture. Grange have lost Hamish Imrie but Cameron Fraser will continue to offer bite in midfield in what promises to be a big year in the development of Sean Hadfield in goals. Wanderers are very much a team navigating for survival, in recent years they have demonstrated an un-paralled ability to ‘get the job done’ and whilst this may not be a game where that big game mentality is engaged, they should have enough in the locker to avoid the automatic relegation spot.

 

Last up is the north Glasgow Derby between Hillhead and Western Wildcats. Keith Joss will again have his Hillhead team set up to frustrate in a formation where the sum is undoubtedly greater than the individual parts. Scottish Hockey employee and ageless Dorian Gray type, Jamie Frail will be guarding the goa, well patrolled in front by Steven Pollock. Captain Matt McIntyre will be hoping that the formula of recent years will be enough against an enigmatic Western team who have flattered to deceive on a number of occasions. Western have been without a trophy since 2011 and must see this campaign as one where they can make inroads without the distractions of Europe. Joe McConnell and Rob Harwood in midfield have blossomed into decent players in recent seasons and the irascible Luke Cranney has been added to the forward line in a bid to inject pace. McCartney and Sinclair remain the fulcrums of the team who must add a mental and physical toughness to their undoubted flair going forward.

 

WELCOME TO SEASON 2015-16. SUPPORT YOUR CLUB.

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