Top of the table clashes are a weekend highlight

All games are important – but top of the table clashes are of special interest. At this stage with seven matches still to go this weekend`s games between Western Wildcats and Grange (men) along with Watsonians and Clydesdale Western (women) will not decide the destiny of the Premierships, but they could provide some hints.

Grange trail Western by five points, so at Fettes on Saturday a win would put the Edinburgh side very much back in the melting pot – and game on as they say.

Three points for Grange would reduce the deficit to only two points. However, a Western triumph would increase the gap to eight and that could be too big a mountain for Grange to climb.

Grange lost the previous league game between the two 5-2, succumbing to an Andrew McConnell hat-trick, and then lost last weekend`s Scottish Cup tie 4-2.

But last weekend also revealed some hidden frailties in Western`s make-up. Frustration crept in to their league match with Clydesdale, they surrendered a comfortable 3-0 lead to finish sharing the points at 3-3.

The women`s Premiership is a much closer affair, Watsonians and Clydesdale share 39 points at the top although the latter do have a game in hand against Edinburgh University. So it`s neck and neck!

Clydesdale have a perfect record so far while Watsonians only setback was their 1-0 defeat by their rivals on the first day of the season, Jen Eadie was on target that day. So there is nothing really between the teams.

While hockey is very much a team game, almost inevitably the focus turns to those who put the ball in the net on a regular basis – after all that is what the game is all about.

We approached strikers from the top four teams to see what makes them tick. But also why they were so deadly in front of goal.

Grange`s Fraser Heigh has been on fire this season with 34 goals in 14 league games – good shooting by any standards. Although yet to make an appearance in the senior Scotland squad, the 21-year-old has played in all the year groups up to under-21 and is a member of the Great Britain Elite Development Panel.

With such lethal finishing, it may not be long before he turns out for Derek Forsyth`s Scotland squad. Fraser revealed the secret:

“Moving to Grange at the start of the season has been a real positive for me. The style of hockey we want to play, and the calibre of excellent players around me allow me to get multiple good goal scoring opportunity ever game. PCA is a massive part of the modern game and I was lucky enough to have some drag flicking coaching as a youngster, and this has provided me with a good amount of goals this season. The only other two things I would say is confidence, and stay low on the back post!”

Western`s Andrew McConnell, 22-year-old from Glasgow whose scoring prowess has earned him nine Scotland caps, recalls that he has scored 19 goals in ten games, he missed five due to injury. He recounted:

“I have scored quite a few drag flicks as I’ve come into confidence in them but in the first half of the season Western were just playing very aggressively and so just had a lot more chances than other seasons. We also train at such a high intensity that a Saturday feels the same.”

30-year-old Fiona Semple, who is on her second term with Clydesdale Western after a spell with top English side Wimbledon, has netted 17 time this season. The Clydesdale striker, who has 62 Scotland caps, explained her goal tally:

“I have been able to score this number due to my team’s strong performances across the season, and our ability to create several chances. We like to score team goals and often the goal scorer is simply scoring a tap-in at the end of an excellent string of passes.”

Finally there`s Watsonians` Sarah Jamieson, the 27-year-old from Edinburgh owned up to 26 goals this season (20 league and six in the cup), that is according to coach Keith Smith, lethal finishing. Sarah has earned 67 Scotland caps as she moved from Inverleith to Grove Menzieshill to Munchner Sports Club and finally to Watsonians.

Sarah`s philosophy, like the other three, views goal scoring as the culmination of a team effort. She said:

“Scoring goals has always been my way of contributing to a team. I’ve spent years practising all types of shooting so I’m as best prepared in every scenario in the D. I think I’ve just reached a stage where I’m more composed in the circle. But I have to give credit to my team mates who work so hard to give us the chances to score and give us confidence to go forward. It’s a team effort really.”

Interestingly, and hardly surprising, they all have a different perspective on the route to goal.

But the other end of the coin is that on Saturday the country`s leading strikers will be up against the stingiest defences in the land – preventing goals is also very much of a match-winning agenda. So the likes of Dave Forrester (Grange), Gavin Sommerville (Western), Cara McAllister (Clydesdale Western) and Lucy Camlin (Watsonians) will be equally important in the quest for three points at the weekend.

So what about the rest of this weekend`s card?

In the men`s competition Edinburgh University are well established in third spot but face a potentially perilous trip to Titwood to face a Clydesdale side that never fails to surprise. The students’ last visit to that venue saw them on the wrong end of a 4-3 defeat – only their second reversal of the season so far.

Further, Clydesdale held leaders Western to a 3-3 draw last Saturday after coming back from a three goal deficit – so they are capable of living with the best in the land.

In the final top six game Dunfermline Carnegie entertain Watsonians and coach Steven Glass will want to restore some composure in the ranks after going down 8-1 to Grange last weekend. The Edinburgh side won the first encounter 3-2, so there is not much between the sides.

The incentive for the Fifers is that should they win they would move up into fourth place.

In the lower six the youthful Uddingston side occupy seventh spot after back to back victories since the restart, and they have a game in hand. On Saturday they are at home to an Inverleith side that in contrast have struggled since the break with only four points from four outings. Unless there is a revival of fortunes in the Inverleith camp, the Lanarkshire side could chalk up another three points.

Hillhead`s revival continues to impress, five straight wins in both league and cup and they have moved well away from the relegation zone to take over eighth spot. Saturday away to struggling Dundee Wanderers could see the winning run extended for another week.

The final clash between Grove Menzieshill and Kelburne has a relegation flavour about it. The latter`s future in the Premiership would be greatly enhanced with the three points – they could then take an eight point lead over the Dundee duo in the bottom two spots.

However, for Grove Menzieshill it is vital they pick up points fairly soon before becoming even more detached at the foot of the table. Last time out the contest ended in a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the season.

In the women`s Premiership third placed Edinburgh University will await with considerable interest the outcome of the Watsonians-Clydesdale clash, but more importantly coach Sam Judge will want her squad to ensure the three points against Hillhead to keep up the pressure on the top two.

Fourth placed Wildcats have had a bit of a torrid time since the restart – injuries, illness and three straight defeats and only one goal scored – not ideal. Three points at GHK on Saturday would act as a tonic. Especially as they won the earlier fixture 3-0.

But GHK have suffered a similar experience since the break and captain Carly Bisset is looking for a turn round. After last weekend`s 3-0 and 7-0 defeats at the hands of Watsonians in league and cup, she said: “Hopefully some goals for us next week against Wildcats.”

Glasgow University and Uddingston are running away with the lower six competition – they are eleven points ahead of their nearest rivals – and they clash head to head on Saturday.

They met back in September and the students emerged 2-1 victors with Katy Martin and Emily Simmers getting the goals – It could be as close again.

And on to relegation issues. Gordonians could go a long way to safety if they can take the three points against bottom side Erskine Stewarts Melville.

That leaves the Tayside derby between Dundee Wanderers and Grove Menzieshill, the former hold a four point advantage at the moment. Another three points would give Wanderers a seven point gap which would be bad news for Grove Menzieshill. But last time out it was Grove Menzieshill who took the honours 2-0 with goals from Lucy Murray and Alex Bayne, a similar result would close the gap to a single point.

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