HELENSBURGH Hockey Club’s third XI earned a much-needed first victory of the season after an excellent display earned them a 3-1 win over Hillhead 7th at Hermitage Academy.

The team - the only Helensburgh XI in action at the weekend - featured several young upcoming talents that the hockey club have nurtured, as well as a few more experienced heads to guide them.

Hillhead created the better first half chances but Richard Park, Andy Richardson, and Alex Stewart repelled all the visitors’ attacks with James Pettit in goal having a relatively quiet opening spell.

And it was Helensburgh, with eight under-18s in their squad, who opened the scoring against the run of play, winning the ball in defence with Richardson finding Paul Moore in midfield; he picked out Yannick Cowey on the right wing, and the youngster fed in Black, who then returned the favour for Cowey to beat a couple of defenders before rifling a shot into the bottom corner.

Waiting for a penalty corner during Saturdays match at Hermitage Academy

Waiting for a penalty corner during Saturday's match at Hermitage Academy

The lead didn’t last long, with Hillhead’s three young strikers combining well to fashion an equaliser with a well-struck shot, leaving the teams level at the interval.

The second half saw Helensburgh work harder for the ball and create more chances for themselves, and opening scorer Cowey (pictured below), who was displaying some excellent hockey down the right side of the pitch and would go on to win a well-deserved man-of-the-match honour, started off the move that led to the hosts’ second.

His ball to James Steel was deftly touched on to Toby Barrie in the middle of the opposition D, and Barrie had the guile to slip it towards the back post where Liam MacKinnon was waiting to tap home.

An excellent solo effort from Moore nearly extended Burgh’s lead after he beat three players, only to see his shot well stopped, and as play continued to swing towards the hosts, a third wasn’t too long in coming; a penalty corner was well saved, but the rebound fell to Richardson, and his ball into the D found an unmarked Barrie, who stayed calm to slot home.

Man-of-the-match Yannick Cowey

Man-of-the-match Yannick Cowey

Keeper Pettit wasn’t as quiet in the second half as inthe first, but he kept the Hillhead strikers out as Helensburgh closed out a 3-1 win.

Team: J. Pettit; R. Park; A.Richardson (c); E. Hall, A. Stewart; G. Black; P. Moore; R. Clarkson; Y. Cowey (1) (MoM); L. MacKinnon (1); H. McKechnie; C. Court; D. Robbie; H. Sommerville; T. Barrie (1); J. Steel.

Well done and thank you to Logan Hill, who umpired his first ever competitive game.

If you’d like to try hockey, get in touch via www.helensburghhockey.co.uk or via the ‘Helensburgh Hockey Club’ page on Facebook.