As always, it’s difficult to make good predictions at the start of any indoor season – outdoor Premiership form is far from an indicator.
A lot depends on which players appear for the indoor squad… and even then, the line-up can vary significantly from week to week. Furthermore, the size of the squad varied from team to team – some used all or almost twelve, while others brought the bare six with no substitution options.
This is how it has been in recent seasons…and will that trend continue?
Last season the Gala Day Final was played between Inverleith and Western Wildcats – so they should be pre-tournament challengers again… on paper.
Since the demise of the Midland dominance of the event in previous decades, particularly Grove Menzieshill, recent indoor titles have been shared between Western and Inverleith.
Inverleith first won the crown in 2011 and last season was their seventh when they defeated Wildcats on penalties after a 4-4 draw in normal time. It was that close. Charlie Jack was Inverleith’s talisman, scoring all four goals and also converting his shoot-out try. Jamie Golden scored twice for the Wildcats, along with Fraser Moran and Andrew McConnell.
And the two sides meet on Saturday in their second performance of the day. Both coaches, Inverleith’s Stuart Neave and Wildcats’ Vishal Marwaha, will tell you that this early clash will not decide the final outcome of the championship – but it is not unnatural that both will still want to win.
Inverleith’s Stuart Neave had this to say about the upcoming season. “We are looking forward to the season and the different challenges it will bring. I think the end of last season showed that several teams are capable of winning important games on their day, so we will have to be at our best if we want to reach the Gala Day final.”
Vishal Marwaha is once again the Wildcats coach for the indoor season and his message seems pretty clear. “Our goal is to win the title, but we know how difficult that is and the challenge ahead.” With most of their outdoor players also playing indoors, there is no doubt the Wildcats have the firepower to regain the indoor championship.
In last season’s league format, Wildcats gifted Inverleith nine goals – certainly not what the pundits had predicted – while the second match ended in a 6-6 draw. So let’s see what Saturday brings.
Both sides will try to put aside any rustiness with a previous match. Inverleith take on Uddingston, while Wildcats may face a tougher test against Watsonians.
Are there any other runners and riders pursuing the title?
Well, you certainly can’t leave out Grove Menzieshill, once the doyen of the indoor game a few decades ago, but those halcyon days are sadly a thing of the past. The Taysiders last won the Gala Day final in 2017 and have been pressing since then, but without success.
Last season Dundonians reached the final in no time, beating Wildcats, Inverleith and Watsonians on the penultimate day, but frustratingly that wasn’t enough and they were edged out on goal difference. It wouldn’t take much to see them in the finale this season. And six points against Grange and Clydesdale on the opening day would be an encouraging start.
And then there’s Dundee Wanderers, four-time championship winners, and while they’ve achieved a strangely impressive result, there hasn’t really been a sustained challenge. Ironically, Wanderers open against the same opposition as rivals Menzieshill.
Watsonians could be another potential challenger given their recent success in the Premier League, but much will depend on how many of these players move onto the indoor boards. Last season they made it to the top four, but their ultimate challenge failed. The Edinburgh side will have to hit the ground running if they want to take on that challenge as they have Wildcats as their first opponent, followed by Uddingston.
So what about the other contenders – Grange, Clydesdale and Uddingston – that have emerged over the past few campaigns would suggest they could struggle to make a serious impact on the title… but hey, who knows?
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