Match reports for 6/12/03

Falkirk GHG 2
Watsonians 7

Falkirk lost an early goal to Watsonians in their first game of the day, but quickly countered through Arthur Robertson after a strong run down the boards by Stafford Dickson. Despite the best efforts of Scott Morrison in the Falkirk goal, Watsonians gradually increased their lead to hold a 3 goal advantage at half-time. Falkirk pushed forward at the start of the second half, and reduced the deficit when Michael Watson scored from a narrow angle after a quick free-hit from Ally Wilson. This was to be as good as it got for Falkirk as Watsonians netted three more times to run out convincing winners.

Falkirk GHG 5
Harris 15

Despite the scoreline, this tie was very close for a large part of the game. Falkirk started badly, temporarily losing Ally Wilson to a hand injury, and conceding 3 goals inside a minute through some slack defending. Despite these setbacks, Falkirk came back into the game, with Kevin Russell and Michael Watson combining for Watson to score. For the next 20 minutes either side of half time, Falkirk and Harris exchanged goals. Russell added a second from a tight angle, Stafford Dickson converted a penalty corner, Arthur Robertson chipped in with a score and Watson converted Russell's cut back to leave the score at 7-5 in Harris's favour. With 10 minutes remaining, it all went pear-shaped for the local side. Harris were awarded a series of penalty corners that extended their lead to 4 goals, before Ally Wilson became the first player this year to be penalised for miscontrolling the ball and letting it run out of the court. The complaints of Dickson to this decision, by the umpire that Falkirk had faced as a goalkeeper in the first game, led to the Falkirk captain being sin binned. With an extra man, Harris took full advantage, and proceeded to rattle in 6 more goals to subject Falkirk to their worst league defeat in recent memory.

Waverley Inveresk II 0
Falkirk GHG II 0

As the scoresheet suggests, there is not usually much that can be said about a no-scoring draw except, as far as Falkirk was concerned, many of the team would have preferred to have been elsewhere rather than at Pinkie St Peter's Primary School late that afternoon , after their late-night revelries of the evening before at the Club Xmas Night out. Esk were probably the stronger side on attack, and came forward many times, only to be thwarted by a mixture of their own poor finishing and some determined defending. Fortunately goal keeper Kevin Cummings was spot on form and weathered heavy pressure on his goal with some good kicking. William Simpson was awesome at the back as usual reading the game well, as did David Sharp. Gordon Jeffrey saw the odds of his lasting a whole game without being injured, which looking good as the second half progressed, disappear in an instant as he was struck by a fast ball near the far post, forcing him to retire. Undaunted, Falkirk held on, going up the pitch, to harry their visitors, and that was how the game ended with Falkirk on the offensive, but too late to sneak one in to claim the game.

Carnegie Colts 6
Falkirk GHG III 1

Falkirk kept the scoreline respectable and only trailed by two goals to one at the break. A quick free hit by Stephen Macdonald through Johnathan Nugent, to Jonathon Anderson, reached Tom Russell who put it away for what was to be Falkirk's only goal of the game. As time went on, the absence of several key players, but more so the excesses by some at the previous evening's festive bash, precluded a raising of their game, and despite some good work by Scott McNeill, the inevitable happened as Carnegie went on to punish the Falkirk side.

Carnegie Juniors 0
Falkirk GHG IV 5

After a very successful Christmas dance the night before and this their last game before the Christmas break, the Falkirk side hoped to extend the festivities with a win at Rosyth and extend their lead at the top of the table. Falkirk opened strongly pushing the Juniors and forcing the play. Alan Jenkins worked tirelessly on the left wing causing problems for the Juniors defence, with David Humphries mirroring the effect on the opposite wing and Amrit Dhillon pulling the strings in the centre alongside Iain Webster. Through sustained pressure a penalty corner was awarded and Iain Webster slotted the ball home with ease. The back line were strong through out and were able to step forward such was the commanding presence of the team on the park. Having given up on his front stick Ross Anderson swapped to his reverse and skilfully guided home Falkirk's second. Not one to be outdone Alan Jenkins decided to score rather than provide the passes, with a rifling shot that rattled the backboard and the defence. Ross Anderson slid home another reverse stick shot and took the pre break score to four. The wheels came off at half time and Falkirk failed to recapture their form for the second half. The Juniors' started to carve out space and broke through to face the defence time and time again. Yet the backline stood firm and repelled the consistent attacks, Robert Russell was in good form in the centre with Russell Somerville and Simon Tennant making telling tackles and Malcolm Taylor mopping what little managed to get through. Then came a torrent spell of nine penalty corners on the trot, which were cheaply given away but well defended. There were few bright spots in the second half but it was Iain Webster who shone, having started the scoring he finished the scoring with his second and Falkirk's fifth.

Falkirk GHG V 4
Carnegie V 1

This game at Linlithgow Academy started again with some of the Falkirk players not turning up due to the previous nights annual Christmas Dance, so young Andrew Malcolm was drafted in to make the starting eleven. The play went from end to end but the pressure from the home side started to show when Captain Chris Taylor opened the scoring through a well hit ball from Chris Thompson which found Taylor's stick for it to be propelled towards the Carnegie defence to be deflected into the net off a defenders stick. The second came eight minutes later from a pass from young Ross Crerar to find Taylor again who swept the ball through the outcoming keepers legs to make it 2-0. Carnegie replied with a well organised passing run to an unmarked forward who hammered the ball past Craig Malcolm in goals. The second half started where Falkirk left off and they added a third through Jonny Anderson who ran the Carnegie defence ragged, entered the goal area and struck a well placed shot which the Carnegie keeper never saw. Anderson added to his tally again from one of his mazy runs to slip it past the outcoming keeper. Carnegie tried to come back into the game but with the Falkirk defence with Malcolm in goals and John Galloway, John McPherson, Robert Russell and Iain Webster playing some exceptional hockey, the visitors did not to get a look in. Our young midfield of Duncan Kehoe, Chris Thompson, Jonny Anderson and Ross Crerar showed that they could keep the game flowing when the going got tough, and young Chris Brodie just playing his second game in a good few years showed that he really prefers the faster synthetic pitch at Linlithgow to the grass at Peebles with just missing out on a few well hit shots at goals. This was a good result after the losses of the previous weeks.

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