Green shoots are emerging from the shadows of the ruins of Bothwell Castle with the rise of Uddingston in the men’s championship.
Early shoots perhaps, but Uddy has moved up to fourth in the Premier League halfway through the first phase of the competition. It wasn’t a promising start with an 8-1 defeat of Western Wildcats on the opening day, but that was followed by four wins and a draw in an unbeaten run and a lead up the table. The 3-1 defeat of former champions Grange last weekend was a feather in Uddy’s cap.
Last season Uddy finished in the bottom half of the league, but now a top six finish is a realistic ambition.
So what’s behind the turnaround? We spoke to coach Tom Hyndman who revealed the secret: “A large part of our success in the 25/26 season so far has been down to the appointment of the new director of hockey, John Bessell. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, he is now enforcing a more performance-oriented environment that both players and coaches at all levels at the club fully embrace.
“Summer recruitment has clearly helped, but existing players who have improved during a good pre-season have had the biggest impact, while younger players are also pushing through the door to increase competition for places.”
John Bessell has had a long career at the highest level of hockey over the past 30 years, mainly in his native Australia and more recently in Belgium, and may be familiar to some as he used to play for Clydesdale. It seems his influence is already being felt in Lanarkshire.
On Saturday, Uddingston welcome ESM Lions with a view to extending their current unbeaten run. That may not be so easy, as ESM have also been a success story since joining the Premier League a few years ago, currently sitting in sixth place. The Lions were higher in the division at the start of the season, but successive defeats to Watsonians and Edinburgh University have taken their toll.
This could be an interesting match between two teams working hard to develop and progress at the highest level.
However, Peffermill looks set to be the venue for the day’s men’s match between second-placed Edinburgh University and Premier League leaders Watsonians.
The Students are only two points behind after dropping a few in a tie with Western Wildcats… so there’s really nothing in it. And both have piled up the goals – Watsonians on 33 and Edinburgh on 35, so there’s no point in that either. The bottom line is that we can expect a high-scoring affair with the outcome hanging in the balance, even if both defenses have been equally stingy in conceding goals.
Also of interest are Watsonians’ Charlie Jack and Edinburgh’s Jamie Golden, who continue the scoring streak that has characterized the season so far.
Waiting in the wings for the showdown at Peffermill with some significant interest will no doubt be Western Wildcats who are a few points behind the top two but with a game in hand. The Wildcats are at home in Auchenhowie, welcoming a Clydesdale side who have had a challenging season – second in the table by just one point. If the champions want to stay in touch, three points here are a must for Vishal Marwaha’s attack.
Meanwhile, Grange have dropped to fifth place after their 3-1 defeat at Uddingston and only a home win against Grove Menzieshill will steady the ship and consolidate that status. Although the Taysiders picked up another valuable point at Inverleith last weekend, do they have enough firepower to produce a big result for a Grange team who may not be at their best so far but have still won four of their six games?
So what about further down the table? Well, Hillhead’s three-goal win over Titwood must have been a source of encouragement for player/coach Fraser Ward, and a home win over Inverleith would see the Glasgow side move closer to the top six. Inverleith have shown a bit of form, they are one point ahead of Hillhead with a game in hand, so three points here would move them closer to the bottom six.
Dundee Wanderers have picked up just one point in their last four games and a win at bottom club St Andrews would stop that rot and push them back up from ninth.
The top of the Women’s Premiership has been somewhat unblocked following last weekend’s double header, and now Watsonians and Edinburgh University remain unbeaten and on 18 points and with an identical goal difference. It can hardly get any closer.
That could remain after Saturday’s action – Watsonians are away in second place at Hillhead while the Edinburgh students travel to the Wildcats den at Auchenhowie.
Clydesdale Western are now three points behind the top two after their 2-1 defeat to Watsonians, but they were perhaps unlucky not to get anything from the encounter and should return to victories over the University of Glasgow.
St Andrews University have also slumped after a five-goal turnaround against Watsonians, with their match against GHK postponed. October has been a frustrating month for the students and they have to go back to the beginning of the month for their latest victory. And Uddingston visits the home of golf, a side that can lose 4-1 to Grange one week and beat Wildcats by one goal the next – inconsistency can be a dangerous ingredient.
GHK are not yet back in the top six, but they are closing in after winning their last two games, and on Saturday they make the trip to the North East to take on Aberdeen University. If they continue to make progress, another three points could be at stake here.
And finally the local Edinburgh derby between Inverleith and Grange, with the latter showing the better form yet. Grange occupies sixth place after three wins in seven games, while Inverleith are yet to achieve a three-point score.
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