Play-off weekend for Europe and relegation in the Grand Finals

There’s a lot at stake in this weekend`s action – the winners will get the Grand Finals trophy and the top European spot next season. The top four teams in the men`s and women`s Premiership will play off in semi-finals (1v4 & 2v3 format) on Saturday and the finals on Sunday at Glasgow Green.

So what are the line-ups?

In the women`s league Champions Watsonians will take on Clydesdale Western, which will be for the fourth time this season. And the form rests with the Edinburgh side with 4-2 and 3-0 wins in the league and 1-0 in the Scottish Cup.

And the goal scoring form rests with Watsonians` Sarah Jamieson; it was her double that was the foundation of last weekend`s 2-1 win over GHK to clinch the Premiership title.

Clydesdale Western have been a mixed bag since they have been in transition with Wendy Justice taking over as coach from long-serving Derek Forsyth, but just recently they have put together a couple of wins against GHK and Glasgow University – so perhaps some green shoots here as they bid to upset Watsonians at Glasgow Green.

The other tie between Edinburgh University and Western Wildcats looks like a close one on paper, but again the students have held the upper hand in the head to heads, culminating in the 6-1 victory last Saturday at Auchenhowie. However, prior to that setback Wildcats were unbeaten since the league split with three wins and a 1-1 draw with Watsonians – so have been in good form.

But so also have the Edinburgh students with five straight wins, 20 goals with Jika Nyirenda showing her lethal touch in front of goal.

Grange won the men’s Premiership league title by a single point from Western and will consequently play fourth placed Clydesdale in the men`s semi-final.

The Edinburgh side won both Premiership encounters but the score lines do not tell the full story. The first encounter at Fettes was heading towards a 2-2 draw in the dying minutes but up popped Grange`s Callum Lothian to force the ball home for a belated winner. While the return at Titwood ended in a 3-0 win for Grange even manager Martin Shepherdson admitted the score line flattered his side as that was not the gulf between the sides on the day.

So this could be a closer encounter than the 19 points that separate the sides in the Premiership.

Western have had the edge over Edinburgh University having already completed the double over the students in the league. If Edinburgh hope to tame the Wildcats their defence will have to get to grips with the league`s top striker Andrew McConnell – he is presently lethal from both set pieces and open play, and scored four times in last weekend`s 6-4 win at Auchenhowie.

However, the students have also been rattling in the goals in recent weeks, particularly Keir Robb, Iain McFadden and Tom Cahalin. So it could be a high scoring affair again.

On the promotion/relegation front St Andrews University won the women`s national league with some degree of ease, winning 15 out of their 16 games. In contrast Dundee Wanderers took the men`s second tier only on a goal difference of six from their Tayside rivals Grove Menzieshill Consequently both these sides gained automatic promotion to the Premiership next season, St Andrews University for the first time.

So Sunday’s Grand Finals brings the men’s relegation play-off with Dunfermline Carnegie from the Premiership taking on Grove Menzieshill. The former have had a tough second season in the top flight, only winning one game all season. Goal scoring is not perhaps the issue here, twelve in the five games since the split with Andrew Doyle scoring seven, but it is more conceding goals that seems to be the challenge.

The young Tayside outfit had their chance to show their credentials in the Scottish Cup semi-final against ESM but never really challenged, going down 4-1 in the end. Is this a year too early for the Dundonians? Sunday will tell! The winner will be in the Premiership next season.

Inverleith maintain their position in the women’s Premiership after Fjordhus Reivers, runners-up in the national league, forfeited the match.

Tickets

Tickets for Sunday’s Grand Finals at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre are available HERE. Saturday’s playoffs are free entry.

Live stream

This weekend’s play-offs and Grand Finals will be live streamed pay-per-view at £5 for weekend access to watch all games over both days. Watch live HERE.

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