Helensburgh cup dream is over

Published 11 Feb 2010 11:47 0 Comments

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Helensburgh show their mettle in attack.

INJURIES to key players in the run-up to Helensburgh's cup clash ruined the side's preparations for the fixture.

Helensburgh coach Liam MacIntyre has worked hard to keep his squad in training during this disjointed season, but when his first choice full back and stand off were forced to pull out in the lead up to the visit of Kilmarnock, it did not bode well.

Despite the set-back, the Greens started well with surges from both Ali Rogers and Stevie Walker.

The home side continued to play with commitment and pace and were dominating territorially.

A well taken line out ball by Ross Gibson, and a half break by Danny Cambell, gave Walker the opportunity to take play into the opposition's five metre zone.

Kilmarnock managed to clear their lines but a focused Helensburgh pack won the ball at the ensuing line out and again drove at the opposition line with Jason Feltham driving over with 25 minutes played to open the scoring.

Club captain David Riding had not only inherited the stand off's jersey but also the kicking duties and unfortunately his conversion attempt drifted wide.

The home side continued to dominate the half with Blair Sommerville prominent in the pack, while Alistair Cairns had a number of incisive runs through the midfield.

With half an hour played, Kilmarnock finally got into the match and pushed the home side deep into their 22 metre.

This field position provided the visitors with the ideal attacking platform at the line out and a continued squeeze from the Kilmarnock pack saw them mount a series of attacks on the Burgh line.

But the home defence held firm to ensure they went into the break leading 5-0.

After the interval Kilmarnock got on the scoreboard early with a well taken penalty, after the Burgh forwards were penalised for killing the ball.

The Ardencaple men hit straight back though, when a break from the base of a ruck by Danny Campbell was rewarded with a penalty, which Riding dispatched with ease.

With the National Division Two side starting to find their rhythm, Burgh were struggling to cope with the pressure, but were given some hope when the Kilmarnock Number 8 was shown a yellow card for persistent infringements on the ground.

In a bizarre incident, the referee ended up lying flat-out on the ground for a full five minutes until he was brought round by the home medical team.

Although the referee was able to continue, this break in play was the turning point in the game, with the opposition backs now showing greater confidence with some direct running breaking the Burgh defence.

This territorial advantage allowed Killie's pack to set up a series of attacking scrums in the Burgh red zone and their additional weight was rewarded as their pack finally drove over for a try.

The Greens were now trailing 8-11 with 15 minutes left on the clock and despite an exchange of penalties keeping the scoreboard moving, the home support were left frustrated with this narrow cup exit.

Team: Boyd, McInroy, Drake, Calderwood, Sommerville, Feltham, J Gibson R Gibson, Campbell, Riding, Walker, Cairns, P Rogers, J Drake,A Rogers. Subs - McNee, Watt, Musset, Inglis.

Helensburgh take on National League Division Three leaders Aberdeenshire on Saturday, when they hope to prove they have the credentials to challenge for promotion next season.

The match is at home with a 3pm kick-off.

This article appeared in Helensburgh Advertiser 11 Feb 10

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