GHA RFC MATCH 276: HILLHEAD / JORDANHILL RFC 20 – 7 GHA RFC
2013/2014: Scottish National League
HILLHEAD / JORDANHILL RFC |
|
GHA RFC| A. Leslie | 15 | S. Lang |
| J. Cross | 14 | R. Jericevich |
| C. Butler | 13 | C. Binnie |
| A. Holland | 12 | N. Cassie |
| D. Osugo | 11 | G. Adams |
| R. Holland | 10 | D. Dunn |
| T. Davidson | 9 | M. Houston |
| J. Phyfer | 1 | S. Carson |
| J. Leslie | 2 | G. King |
| W. Goulden | 3 | S. Gallacher |
| C. Buchan | 4 | J. Auld |
| J. Agnew | 5 | D. Larkin |
| A. Lean | 6 | R. Jenkins |
| S. Ross | 7 | P. Harkins |
| B. MacPherson | 8 | A. Auld |
| B. MacKenzie | 16 | G. Eusebi |
| S. Halliday | 17 | M. Fox |
| M. Robertson | 18 | D. Malcolm |
| R. McLaughlin | 19 | R. Smith |
| 20 | J. Plumridge | |
| Davidson, MacPherson, Ross | Try | Carson |
| R. Holland | Con | Lang |
| R. Holland | Pen | |
| DG | ||
| Referee | ||
| Mr C. Clark (West RS) | ||
GHA closed their pre-Christmas programme with defeat by Hillhead Jordanhill at Hughenden on Saturday. But the Braidholm club will have an early chance for revenge: their first match of the New Year will be a West Region Cup semi-final against the same opposition at Braidholm on 4 January.
By then Andrew Henderson and Hefin O’Hare will be back for GHA. Henderson was on holiday on Saturday, and O’Hare was serving a one-week suspension after his red card in the cup-tie against Dalziel the previous week.
Even so, GHA are bound to be wary of the New Year visitors to Braidholm. Hillhead have won only two league matches so far this season, and both of those have been against GHA.
Henderson was much missed at Hughenden for his marshalling of the back division and his example in aggressive defence. Yet in wet conditions, though on a pitch surprisingly firm despite the previous day’s deluge, GHA could have been closer to the Hughenden club’s score if they had taken some of the chances that the forwards created.
Three times GHA mounted massive and persistent assaults on the home goal-line. But their only success was right at the end when, with the Hillhead numbers reduced to 13, the constant hammering eventually created the means for Scott Carson to plough over. Scott Lang converted.
Hillhead would have opened the scoring after only four minutes if Ryan Holland had not missed a penalty. But the home team’s first score was not long delayed when the forwards drive provided Stuart Ross with a try, which Holland converted.
Only then did GHA find their way close to the home line, with phases of pick and drive, but it was with an attempted pushover that they best looked like scoring. The scrummage drive was mechanically progressing to the line, with ball controlled that back, but the referee blew up and ordered a reset scrum. Sod’s Law decreed that GHA were penalised there.
Instead, Blair Macpherson, off lineout possession, scored the second try. Though Holland missed another penalty just before half-time he increased the home lead with a penalty goal four minutes after the interval.
GHA had another phases of repeated percussion on the home line midway in the second half, but when that siege failed Hillhead broke away and only a fine saving tackle by Chris Binnie prevent an immediate score. The home third try, though, was not long delayed as Thomas Davidson scampered in at the right corner with quarter of an hour left.
That remaining time was dominated by GHA, and by then Donald Malcolm had come off the bench to make a welcome return. Carson, Michael Fox, Alan Auld, and Malcolm, among others, were just inches away from scoring, but it was only after that pressure had procured yellow cards for two opponents, Blair Mackenzie and Macpherson, that GHA at last breached the curtain-wall, with Carson’s try.
Source: Bill McMurtrie
