We travelled to Belfast this weekend to play three games: two against the home team, Ulster Elks, and one versus Dublin-based DCU Saints. Though we lost all three games, making our pre-season record a shoddy 1-4, we were playing semi-pro Superleague sides without our top scorer, and last year's Player of the Year, Simon Flockhart, and a weakened squad of only nine players.
Our first game, after a quiet night in Belfast, was against Saints, who had played the Elks earlier in the day, losing 115-85. We stayed with them, but a combination of their aggressive defence, larger squad, and a collective 4th quarter mind fart on our part, meant that the Dublin side came out on top by about 14. With a further game to be played that day, against the Elks, things were looking rough. We resolved, then, to make sure we didn't embarrass ourselves against a team who had destroyed a side that had just beaten us by double digits.
We certainly achieved that, as we stayed with the Elks throughout. Two FTs from ex-King, Paul Cummins, put the Elks up 2 with only one play left in the game. We struggled to inbound the ball against their pressure, and were unable to run the play we'd tried for. One botched offense and a missed shot by yours truly later, and the Elks post a pretty fortunate win. A very encouraging performance from us, although Elks' ex-Maryland "Terp", Dave Neal, did torch us/me for 47 points!
The next day saw a rematch with Elks, after another quiet night in Belfast, and a further weakened Kings team. Captain, Laurie Costello, had injured his knee the previous day, so 16 year old Davie Rowan started in his place. In a game marred by strange refereeing, Davie picked up 3 fouls in the first few minutes, for perpetrating crimes that bore a striking resemblance to those deemed legal by the officials when committed by our hosts, and so we went further and further down our bench. The game was close throughout, and, although Elks opened up a 12 point lead at one point, we were able to claw it back to only a few points. After what would generously be termed "a few" more questionable decisions, Campbell Flockhart was ejected from the game in a bizarre incident, while Lee Pettet fouled out early in the 4th quarter. Luckily, Garreth Lodge went off in this game, scoring 34 points, and keeping us in it. Our crunch-time five of Garreth, Davie Rowan, Gary Beyer, Steven Dickson and myself, making possibly its one and only appearance on court, after Paddy Campbell had also fouled out, did well, and a free throw from Garreth brought the game within a point in the final minute. After a deliberate miss of the final FT, we were unable to get the offensive board, and Elks ran out winners by 4 points in a very closely fought match, in which the stars of the show, if only for entertainment value, were undoubtedly the men with the whistles.
Big thanks go to the Elks for their mini-bus service, and to Davie, The Captain of Our Ship.
Kings squad: Laurie Costello, Paddy Campbell, Davie Rowan, Garreth Lodge, Gary Beyer, Steven Dickson, Campbell Flockhart, Lee Pettet, Liam McCabe.
Monday 21 September 2009
Monday 14 September 2009
Published!
My first articles will be appearing in The Journal this week, so please check them out.
As well as my own work, we will also be running an Edinburgh Rugby article, written by Lewis Mallen.
The paper is available around and about each of Edinburgh's Universities, and is free of charge, so have a read if you spot a copy anywhere.
Sunday 6 September 2009
Hibs v Celtic
This is the first draft of my report. The one that goes into the paper will be quite a bit different, so please check it out! It will also have an article that I'm working on just now, about Hearts, so, please, no accusations of bias just yet...
Sunday 30th August 2009
Kick-Off: 12.30pm
Hibernian 0
Celtic 1
Samaras, 40.
Liam McCabe, at Easter Road
Greek tragedy for Hibs, as Mowbray returns.
Although the build-up to this early season top-of-the-table clash had been dominated by talk of the return of Celtic's Tony Mowbray to the Club that gave him his start in management, it was to be Greek international, Georgios Samaras that made the difference for ten-man Celtic in this gripping match.
It was clear from the outset that Samaras was going to be heavily involved. Inside the first minute, he went down at the edge of the Hibs box, claiming an elbow from Chris Hogg. Referee Dougie McDonald deemed that there had been no foul play, however, and Samaras was ushered from the pitch by the Celtic physio, nursing not only a sore face, but also his injured pride.
Celtic started well, and a sweeping move from left to right, leading to a McGeady shot, served not only as a warning to Hibs' debutant goalkeeper, Graham Stack, but as a reminder to Hibs fans of the type of football a Tony Mowbray team can produce. Hibs, though, had also threatened; good interchange between youngsters McCormack and Wotherspoon down the Hibs' right allowed the latter to fizz a dangerous ball across the Celtic six-yard line, which was scrambled away by ex-Hibernian Captain, Gary Caldwell.
Cregg saw yellow on 15 minutes, after a late challenge on Celtic's Australian forward Scott McDonald, typifying the approach of both teams in a physical opening spell. Hibernian's Riordan, snubbed by watching Scotland boss George Burley in recent weeks, seemed to have been stung into action by this, working tremendously hard to close down the Celtic defenders in possession of the ball.
Celtic came closest to opening the scoring in the early going, and it was to be Samaras who squandered a fantastic opportunity. An in swinging corner kick from the lethal left boot of Celtic's Fox found Samaras on the six yard line, and the Greek, who had, once again, beaten Hibs' Captain, Chris Hogg, to the ball, could only watch on in despair as his header crashed off the cross bar, with goalkeeper Stack beaten.
Celtic had a further opportunity only two minutes later, again from a corner kick, which found McDonald only yards from goal. The Australian, though, completely missed his kick, much to the delight of the home support, and the ball was cleared.
Play was raging from end to end at this point, and Hibs quickly broke down the left through the hard-working Riordan, who was fouled from behind by McGeady as he burst through the Celtic defence: the Irishman receiving a caution for the offence. Riordan's strike from the consequent free-kick provided Hibs' most threatening moment of a half in which much good work by the home side was undone by a poor final ball, yet even this did not trouble Boruc in the Celtic goal, flying, as it did, narrowly wide of his right hand post.
Both sides were demonstrating a good pressing defence, with Hibernian's Sol Bamba, in particular, impressing, and continuing his excellent early season form. The match entered a bit of a lull mid-way through the first half, as both sides drew breath following a hectic start.
Caldwell wasted an excellent scoring opportunity from a Maloney corner, before Samaras once again had the beating of Hogg in the air, heading wide from McDonald's cross. This warning was not heeded by Easter Road boss, John Hughes, though, and Hibs were made to pay the price soon after.
On 40 minutes, Samaras rose highest of all in the six yard box to bullet a header into the net after another fine delivery from the right by Hinkel. Samaras had consistently had the beating of Hogg in the first half, and it came as no surprise that it was through the Greek that Celtic finally got their goal. The men from Glasgow could have added to their lead before half time, had McDonald's lob from the left of Hibs' penalty area fallen inside Stack's post after poor defending had allowed him a run on goal, but it was not to be, and referee Dougie McDonald's whistle signalled the end of a first forty five minutes in which Celtic were good value for their lead. Hibs were yet to pose a real threat to Boruc's goal, with the final ball all too often deserting the Leith side.
Half Time: Hibernian 0-1 Celtic
Celtic emerged first from the changing rooms at half time, clearly raring to get the game underway once more. The Hibernian players were met by a rousing cheer upon their return, and, inspired by this, made much of the early running, winning a corner after only four minutes of the second half. Celtic were caught napping, as Riordan and Rankin worked an early one-two, allowing Riordan space in the penalty box for a fine curling drive, which Boruc did well to turn away.
A second corner kick followed, this time taken direct by Riordan, and the same player almost caught Boruc off his line; his viciously curling, dipping, cross being clawed away from under the cross bar when it seemed certain than Riordan would even the score in unusual fashion.
This excellent start from the home side, and their third corner in succession, gave Hogg the opportunity to atone for his earlier defensive lapses, as Rankin's ball from the right found the former England youth international in an almost identical position to that from which Samaras had scored in the first half. Unfortunately for the Hibs Captain, though, his header looped over the cross bar, and Tony Mowbray could breathe a sigh of relief after this most frantic of starts to the second half.
As Hibs struggled to create in a congested midfield area, Merouane Zemmama, Hibs' Moroccan playmaker, was sent to warm up, prompting a great roar of anticipation from the home fans, as "Zouma" prepared to make his first competitive appearance in Hibs colours for over a year, replacing Cregg in the Hibs' midfield on 61 minutes, as Hibs changed to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation in search of an equalising goal. The most contentious moment of the match soon followed Zemmama's introduction, yet the little Moroccan had nothing to do with it.
Celtic's Irish international winger, Aiden McGeady, set off on a lung-bursting run, leaving two Hibs defenders in his wake, before coming across Hibs' young left back, Paul Hanlon. Hanlon pulled out of the challenge, but not before McGeady threw himself to the ground, claiming a foul. To most within the ground, there did appear to have been contact; however, to McGeady's dismay, referee McDonald decided, as television pictures later proved, that there had been no contact, and that McGeady was guilty of simulation. The referee dealt McGeady his second yellow card of the day, and sent him from the field, sending Hoops manager, Tony Mowbray, into a fit of rage.
Hibs almost took advantage of the dismay within the Celtic ranks, as Wotherspoon, enjoying increased space down Hibs' right in the absence of McGeady, fired an outstanding half volley at goal from full thirty-five yards out. Artur Boruc showed exactly why Celtic paid a multi-million pound fee for his services, as he tipped Wotherspoon's strike onto the post, saving a certain goal, and denying Hibs fans the chance to celebrate yet another long-range strike at the expense of Boruc.
These incidents really sparked the game into life, with both sets of supporters in fine voice. On 68 minutes, Celtic had a penalty claim turned down, after an excellent run, once more, from Samaras, down the left wing saw Hogg slide in to block his low cross. The ball did seem to strike the arm of the grounded Hibs captain, and, while the award would have been harsh, referee McDonald did well to ignore the claims of the large Celtic support, as he waved play on.
Celtic made two substitutions at this point, introducing Willo Flood and ex-Hibee Chris Killen in place of Maloney and McDonald, moving Samaras to left wing and changing to a 4-4-1 formation. If nothing else, this was an indication that Tony Mowbray's experiences in England have added a certain pragmatism to his previously idealistic footballing philosophy.
Killen did well on his old stomping ground, ploughing a lone furrow and working hard when the home side were in possession. Hibs' boss John Hughes then replaced the ineffective Anthony Stokes with Colin Nish, and the big striker almost made an immediate impact, as his curling shot from the right of the Celtic penalty area flew just wide of Boruc's left hand post.
Hibs were throwing almost everything they had at the visitors by this point, pushing their full backs on, and leaving only Hogg and Bamba back, with McBride as the sitting midfield player. The home side were dominant, but presented no real threat to the Celtic goal, despite their man advantage.
As time wore on, Celtic began to show their experience, taking the ball into the corners of the pitch to waste precious time as Hibs pressed. Caddis replaced the energetic Landry N'Guemo as Celtic attempted to their legs fresh in the midfield, as the Glasgow side worked themselves and their supporters into a frenzy with their excellent pressing defence.
Hibs threw Bamba to the front, now, leaving only Hogg and McBride back, with Byrne, who had earlier replaced McCormack, moving upfront to create a 2-3-5 Hibs formation.
This left the Hibs goal completely exposed, though, and Celtic should have doubled their lead in the 88th minute when they broke three versus one, only for Hibs 'keeper, Stack, to save from Samaras.
Hibs, of course, had the obligatory last-gasp chances to bring the game level, and snatch the point that their second half efforts deserved, but, time after time, chances fell to the wrong men. Hogg, first, and then Bamba, an unbelievable three times in the four added minutes, had chances in the penalty area, that, had they fallen to any one of the Hibs forwards would surely have resulted in a goal. As it was, though, Bamba gave frequent reminders to all in attendance of exactly why it is that he had never scored a goal in Scottish football until the previous weekend's header against Falkirk, and an excellent game came to a breathless conclusion.
Full-Time: Hibs 0-1 Celtic.
Hibs: Stack, McCormack (Byrne, 67), Hogg (Captain), Bamba, Hanlon, Rankin, Cregg (Zemmama, 61) , McBride, Wotherspoon, Stokes (Nish 76), Riordan. Subs not used: Ma-Kalambay, Thicot, Stevenson, Benjelloun.
Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, Fox, McGeady, Brown, N'Guemo (Caddis, 78), Maloney (Flood, 69), Samaras, McDonald (Killen, 69). Subs not used: Zaluska, Thompson, O'Dea, Crosas.
Booked:
Hibs – McBride, Cregg, Bamba.
Celtic – Boruc, N'Guemo
Sent Off:
Celtic: McGeady.
Friday 28 August 2009
Hibs v Celtic: Preview
I'm going to be covering Sunday's game for the "Journal" newspaper, which some of you might have seen around Edinburgh. This is as much an attempt to get my thoughts straight in advance of the game as it is a serious attempt at a preview, so please excuse my ramblings...
Both sides come into this weekend's match on the back of mid-week fixtures, although Hibs' 3-0 win over Brechin at Easter Road hardly bears comparison with Celtic's controversial defeat at The Emirates Stadium.
Wednesday's match did, though, allow Hibs to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, and indeed to build upon a run of five matches without defeat, stretching back to pre-season encounters with English Premiership sides Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers. The Hibs attack has looked sharp in that period, manging to find the target eight times, with the concession of only two goals in response being just as pleasing. Derek Riordan, in particular, has looked far more like the Deek of old, and not the slightly chubby bloke who returned to Hibs from Celtic. His free-kick against Falkirk would surely have received the attention it deserved, had it not been for the sudden and wholly unexpected glut of Ronaldo-esque goals that have chosen to grace the early weeks of the Scottish season, and it can surely only be Riordan's off-field issues which have conspired to keep him out of George Burley's Scotland squad.
Celtic, meanwhile, welcome Steven McManus back into their squad this weekend; the defender having laughed off the frankly ludicrous suggestion that he swap Celtic Park, European football and playing in front of 55 000 every other week for, well...Ipswich Town, and recovered from an injury to take his place among the first team squad at Celtic. Former Hibs stars Scott Brown and Gary Caldwell will also be among the Celtic squad this weekend, with both likely to start the match. Caldwell in particular will be determined to shake off a start to the season in which he has all but changed his name to Jona, while Scott Brown, habitually competitive, has resembled something close to a Tasmanian Devil on his previous visits to Easter Road in Celtic colours. This will no doubt continue tomorrow, and Hibs' diminutive midfield trio of Cregg, Rankin and McBride will have their work cut out as they try to contain Brown's infectious energy, alongside the ever-willing Landry N'Guemo in the heart of the Celtic midfield.
The most interesting side-bar to this Sunday's match will be the return of Tony Mowbray to Easter Road. Mowbray created the best Hibs team for many years during his time in Leith, bringing through the likes of Derek Riordan, Gary O'Connor, Steven Whitaker, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and Steven Fletcher, while also giving a platform to players such as Ivan Sproule and David Murphy. Mowbray got Hibs playing what those of the green-and-white persuasion like to call "the Hibs way", and for this he will no doubt receive a standing ovation this Sunday.
With so many ex-Hibs favourites returning to the ground this Sunday, it promises to be a keenly contested encounter.
Both sides come into this weekend's match on the back of mid-week fixtures, although Hibs' 3-0 win over Brechin at Easter Road hardly bears comparison with Celtic's controversial defeat at The Emirates Stadium.
Wednesday's match did, though, allow Hibs to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, and indeed to build upon a run of five matches without defeat, stretching back to pre-season encounters with English Premiership sides Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers. The Hibs attack has looked sharp in that period, manging to find the target eight times, with the concession of only two goals in response being just as pleasing. Derek Riordan, in particular, has looked far more like the Deek of old, and not the slightly chubby bloke who returned to Hibs from Celtic. His free-kick against Falkirk would surely have received the attention it deserved, had it not been for the sudden and wholly unexpected glut of Ronaldo-esque goals that have chosen to grace the early weeks of the Scottish season, and it can surely only be Riordan's off-field issues which have conspired to keep him out of George Burley's Scotland squad.
Celtic, meanwhile, welcome Steven McManus back into their squad this weekend; the defender having laughed off the frankly ludicrous suggestion that he swap Celtic Park, European football and playing in front of 55 000 every other week for, well...Ipswich Town, and recovered from an injury to take his place among the first team squad at Celtic. Former Hibs stars Scott Brown and Gary Caldwell will also be among the Celtic squad this weekend, with both likely to start the match. Caldwell in particular will be determined to shake off a start to the season in which he has all but changed his name to Jona, while Scott Brown, habitually competitive, has resembled something close to a Tasmanian Devil on his previous visits to Easter Road in Celtic colours. This will no doubt continue tomorrow, and Hibs' diminutive midfield trio of Cregg, Rankin and McBride will have their work cut out as they try to contain Brown's infectious energy, alongside the ever-willing Landry N'Guemo in the heart of the Celtic midfield.
The most interesting side-bar to this Sunday's match will be the return of Tony Mowbray to Easter Road. Mowbray created the best Hibs team for many years during his time in Leith, bringing through the likes of Derek Riordan, Gary O'Connor, Steven Whitaker, Scott Brown, Kevin Thomson and Steven Fletcher, while also giving a platform to players such as Ivan Sproule and David Murphy. Mowbray got Hibs playing what those of the green-and-white persuasion like to call "the Hibs way", and for this he will no doubt receive a standing ovation this Sunday.
With so many ex-Hibs favourites returning to the ground this Sunday, it promises to be a keenly contested encounter.
Eduardo da Silva - Cheat?
There's no denying that Eduardo was, in the vernacular, "F*ckin' at it" on Wednesday night, when he won himself a penalty in Arsenal's match with Celtic.
His manager's claim that there is not "conclusive" proof that Eduardo took a dive is laughable. There's proof right here (0.30)...
...or does Wenger expect us to believe that he "did not see ze incident", as per his normal line whenever one of his players is caught cheating?
Of course, it comes as no surprise that Wenger has once more leapt to the defence of his star - that's part of his job, and no one would expect anything else of him as Manager.
He does, though, begin to make sense later in this interview, in which he claims that UEFA's decision "...singles out a player to be a cheat". While UEFA should be applauded for taking this actively and demonstrably anti-diving stance, there does not seem to be any real reason for them to start taking action now, other than good old Gordon Smith sticking his oar in. I did not see any of the games on Wednesday night, nor Tuesday or Thursday this week, but I would bet my life that there were no fewer than ten instances of "simulation" in the Eduardo mould that will have gone unpunished: so much a part of the modern game has cheating in this manner become.
UEFA's action is the "right" thing to do - they may well struggle to justify it, though, and to put this action into place regularly, without every club, player and manager contesting every single penalty decision given against them, or every instance where they feel an opposing player has been "at it" in the way that Eduardo was.
I don't know the French for "a can of worms", but Arsene Wenger was 100% correct about one thing - that is what UEFA have opened here.
His manager's claim that there is not "conclusive" proof that Eduardo took a dive is laughable. There's proof right here (0.30)...
...or does Wenger expect us to believe that he "did not see ze incident", as per his normal line whenever one of his players is caught cheating?
Of course, it comes as no surprise that Wenger has once more leapt to the defence of his star - that's part of his job, and no one would expect anything else of him as Manager.
He does, though, begin to make sense later in this interview, in which he claims that UEFA's decision "...singles out a player to be a cheat". While UEFA should be applauded for taking this actively and demonstrably anti-diving stance, there does not seem to be any real reason for them to start taking action now, other than good old Gordon Smith sticking his oar in. I did not see any of the games on Wednesday night, nor Tuesday or Thursday this week, but I would bet my life that there were no fewer than ten instances of "simulation" in the Eduardo mould that will have gone unpunished: so much a part of the modern game has cheating in this manner become.
UEFA's action is the "right" thing to do - they may well struggle to justify it, though, and to put this action into place regularly, without every club, player and manager contesting every single penalty decision given against them, or every instance where they feel an opposing player has been "at it" in the way that Eduardo was.
I don't know the French for "a can of worms", but Arsene Wenger was 100% correct about one thing - that is what UEFA have opened here.
Monday 24 August 2009
Rangers in Last Minute Penalty Shocker!
Picture the scene...
A tense game comes right down to the wire. Locked at one goal each, with only minutes to play, footballing purists everywhere are hoping that the game will be decided by a moment of skill; a wonder-strike from thirty yards into the top corner, perhaps, or a Maradona-like waltz through an entire team, if we're very lucky.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is the SPL, and not exactly the stuff that football purists dream of.
Rangers, having had a man sent off early in the game, and having fallen behind after their goalkeeper, McGregor, doing little to justify his manager's faith, managed to fluff what can only be described as a pass-back from a Hearts forward into his net, pull a goal back through McCulloch. The game remains tight, with real chances few and far between.
Then the inevitable happens - a Rangers player through on goal takes a tumble. A crowd is silenced, awaiting the decision of the man in black. This silence is not, though, one of suspense, or that of a person waiting for a decision. It is one borne out of the Scottish football fan's familiarity with the unwritten laws of the game, the best-know of these being that if Rangers need a penalty, Rangers get a penalty. Shockingly enough, then, Rangers are awarded an 89th minute penalty, which is duly dispatched by Boyd, breaking his duck at Tynecastle in Rangers colours, and giving the Ibrox side the victory.
How unusual.
A tense game comes right down to the wire. Locked at one goal each, with only minutes to play, footballing purists everywhere are hoping that the game will be decided by a moment of skill; a wonder-strike from thirty yards into the top corner, perhaps, or a Maradona-like waltz through an entire team, if we're very lucky.
Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is the SPL, and not exactly the stuff that football purists dream of.
Rangers, having had a man sent off early in the game, and having fallen behind after their goalkeeper, McGregor, doing little to justify his manager's faith, managed to fluff what can only be described as a pass-back from a Hearts forward into his net, pull a goal back through McCulloch. The game remains tight, with real chances few and far between.
Then the inevitable happens - a Rangers player through on goal takes a tumble. A crowd is silenced, awaiting the decision of the man in black. This silence is not, though, one of suspense, or that of a person waiting for a decision. It is one borne out of the Scottish football fan's familiarity with the unwritten laws of the game, the best-know of these being that if Rangers need a penalty, Rangers get a penalty. Shockingly enough, then, Rangers are awarded an 89th minute penalty, which is duly dispatched by Boyd, breaking his duck at Tynecastle in Rangers colours, and giving the Ibrox side the victory.
How unusual.
Saturday 22 August 2009
Hibs in Champions League push!
Who cares if it's only the second week of the season...
A look at the SPL table this evening reveals two very pleasing things. Firstly, Hearts are sitting only two places from the bottom, but secondly, and far more importantly, Hibs are sitting second top.
A deserved, but admittedly last minute, win over St. Mirren last week (see here for highlights), and a good 3-1 away to Falkirk today have given Hibs a 100% record at this stage, with 5 goals scored and 2 conceded. Should Rangers achieve the seemingly impossible, and fail to beat Hearts later today, Hibs could find themselves, with Celtic, as the only teams in the league with a perfect record. Magic!
As an aside, after The Spartans game today a Scottish footballing legend by the name of Eammon Bannon was in the pub, and, as ever, told me to stop growing. Eammon is a guy who has played in the World Cup for Scotland, for Hibs, Hearts and Chelsea, who won the League with Dundee United, and even played for The Spartans for a season or two, turning out against Clyde in the Scottish Cup, when, after a 0-0 draw at City Park, the Spartans earned a replay. Have a look at Eammon's goal (0.41) in Dundee Utd's 5-0 hammering of Borussia Munchengladbach way back in the day, when lots of people actually went to watch football at Tannadice:
A look at the SPL table this evening reveals two very pleasing things. Firstly, Hearts are sitting only two places from the bottom, but secondly, and far more importantly, Hibs are sitting second top.
A deserved, but admittedly last minute, win over St. Mirren last week (see here for highlights), and a good 3-1 away to Falkirk today have given Hibs a 100% record at this stage, with 5 goals scored and 2 conceded. Should Rangers achieve the seemingly impossible, and fail to beat Hearts later today, Hibs could find themselves, with Celtic, as the only teams in the league with a perfect record. Magic!
As an aside, after The Spartans game today a Scottish footballing legend by the name of Eammon Bannon was in the pub, and, as ever, told me to stop growing. Eammon is a guy who has played in the World Cup for Scotland, for Hibs, Hearts and Chelsea, who won the League with Dundee United, and even played for The Spartans for a season or two, turning out against Clyde in the Scottish Cup, when, after a 0-0 draw at City Park, the Spartans earned a replay. Have a look at Eammon's goal (0.41) in Dundee Utd's 5-0 hammering of Borussia Munchengladbach way back in the day, when lots of people actually went to watch football at Tannadice:
Thriller in the Pans
Saturday 22nd August 2009,
East of Scotland League, Premier Division
Preston Athletic 1 - 2 The Spartans
East of Scotland League, Premier Division
Preston Athletic 1 - 2 The Spartans
The Spartans came away with three points yesterday afternoon, but they were made to work for the full ninety minutes by a determined and well-organised Preston side.
The Spartans came out flying, and dominated the early part of the game, taking the lead with a fantastic Dean Hoskins free-kick that flew into the bottom corner of the net from fully 25 yards. Chances followed for both teams in an entertaining first half, and Preston pulled level after a goal mouth scramble presented their left winger with an opportunity. His first strike was blocked; his second, too, but there was nothing returning Spartans legend Kevin Brown, keeping goal in the absence of Chris Flockhart, could do to stop the Preston player's third effort, as it rocketed into the top corner.
Half time: Preston Athletic 1 - 1 The Spartans
It was the home side who had the better of the early going after the break, and the Spartans struggled to break this pattern. Kevin Brown made two excellent saves, with one, in particular, denying ex-Spartans star Craig Manson a certain goal, while Sean McAuley, returning to the Pennypit for the first time after his summer move to The Spartans, cleared an effort off the line when it seemed certain that Preston would take the lead.
The substitute benches were cleared as both teams chased a winning goal, with Henretty, KaderMoffat replacing Hoskins, Etale and Malin, respectively. It was to be the combination of two of these substitutes that won the game for The Spartans.
Henretty, taking up Hoskins' position on the left wing, drove down the line, and, just when it seemed he would be crowded out by two Preston defenders, swung an excellent ball into the box. Kader was first to it, and able to get in amongst the home team's two giant centre backs to head the ball home in the 92nd minute, giving The Spartans a huge win, and a three points that could have great significance come the end of the season. and
Full time: Preston Athletic 1 - 2 The Spartans
The Spartans came out flying, and dominated the early part of the game, taking the lead with a fantastic Dean Hoskins free-kick that flew into the bottom corner of the net from fully 25 yards. Chances followed for both teams in an entertaining first half, and Preston pulled level after a goal mouth scramble presented their left winger with an opportunity. His first strike was blocked; his second, too, but there was nothing returning Spartans legend Kevin Brown, keeping goal in the absence of Chris Flockhart, could do to stop the Preston player's third effort, as it rocketed into the top corner.
Half time: Preston Athletic 1 - 1 The Spartans
It was the home side who had the better of the early going after the break, and the Spartans struggled to break this pattern. Kevin Brown made two excellent saves, with one, in particular, denying ex-Spartans star Craig Manson a certain goal, while Sean McAuley, returning to the Pennypit for the first time after his summer move to The Spartans, cleared an effort off the line when it seemed certain that Preston would take the lead.
The substitute benches were cleared as both teams chased a winning goal, with Henretty, KaderMoffat replacing Hoskins, Etale and Malin, respectively. It was to be the combination of two of these substitutes that won the game for The Spartans.
Henretty, taking up Hoskins' position on the left wing, drove down the line, and, just when it seemed he would be crowded out by two Preston defenders, swung an excellent ball into the box. Kader was first to it, and able to get in amongst the home team's two giant centre backs to head the ball home in the 92nd minute, giving The Spartans a huge win, and a three points that could have great significance come the end of the season. and
Full time: Preston Athletic 1 - 2 The Spartans
Thursday 13 August 2009
Scotland: Awful in Oslo?
We all know by now (and if you didn't you can thank me for saving you the pain of watching it), that Scotland were beaten comfortably last night. Well and truly humped. "Embarrassed", some have said. There will have been enough wailing, gnashing of teeth and over-the-top cries of anguish in this morning's newspapers, with calls for the head of our national manager no doubt the order of the day. That, however, will get us absolutely nowhere. So, without further ado, let me get onto the real staple diet of the Scottish football fan. Forget your pie 'n' bovril - I'm talking about blaming the ref.
It was almost inevitable that, somewhere along the line, last night's referee was going to make a decision or two that would prove decisive. This is not because all referees are terrible; it's not because referees want the game to be about them, and not the players (although some of them undeniably do); it is simply because yet again, FIFA have appointed a man from a mickey-mouse League to an important International match.
No matter how high up the FIFA list last night's official might be, no matter how many boxes he might tick on the FIFA assessor's clipboard, the fact is that a man who earned his stripes, and now earns a living, refereeing games in Luxembourg is not used to handling big matches and big players. This was shown in the way in which he allowed both Carew and Riise several fouls before eventually booking them - even letting Carew away with a blatant dive soon after his eventual yellow card had come - before booking Scotland's Gary Caldwell for his only two fouls of the game, less than a minute apart, and consequently showing him the red card that changed the game in Norway's favour. Consistency is all anyone can ask of a match official, and this was sorely lacking from the man in the middle last night.
Of course anyone can have an off day, but it seemed last night, as Craig Levein noted, that the referee was trying to balance things up by booking Caldwell for his first challenge, having already taken the names of three Norwegians. In basketball, we call that a "make-up call" - as in the referee has called a foul to atone for an earlier mistake. He gives one team a dodgy decision, and so fabricates a foul in their favour to even the score. Caldwell's two fouls, each taken on its own merits, likely warranted bookings. The same, though, could be said of Riise's first three fouls, yet he received only one yellow card, before smashing the ball into the Scottish net for Norway's first goal to compound our misery after Caldwell's dismissal.
Had the referee been consistent in his application of the rules, two things could have happened. Firstly, he might have sent both Carew and Riise from the field before Caldwell received his first caution, had he applied the same rules to their indiscretions as he did to the Scottish defender. The other possibility is that the leniency the official demonstrated in his dealings with the Norwegians could have been extended to Gary Caldwell, allowing him to stay on the park, and Scotland to continue the dominance that had characterised the first third of the match.
It is not, though, fair to pile all of the blame for last night's horror show at the feet of the referee. He might have sent Caldwell from the field, but it was Caldwell himself who got into a battle of strength with John Carew, allowed the big striker to turn, exposing Caldwell's lack of mobility and pace, before the Celtic defender grabbed a fistful of red-shirt, and pulled Carew back. Whether Carew had a grip of Caldwell's shirt is immaterial - forwards get away with things like that; hence the term "striker's challenge" - but for a defender, pulling the jersey is a bookable offence nine-and-a-half times out of ten.
Caldwell might have been unlucky, he might not. The only thing that matters is that he was sent off, and, with him, went all chances Scotland had of getting something from that game. Despite my complaints about the referee, and his decision to send Caldwell off, the thing that was most worrying was the way in which the Scottish team collapsed thereafter.
The man charged with organising the best players our country has been able to produce did not have his finest day yesterday. Things were not looking good even before kick-off, when the words "Graeme" and "Alexander" appeared together in the centre of the Scottish midfield. Taken separately, those two words do not appear threatening, but, when combined, they produce an abominable aberration of an idiot, now conveniently sporting a girly headband so as to identify himself to the opposition as the least capable man on the park. Previous Scotland managers have had the sense to keep Alexander out of the way - right back, perhaps; left back in a crunch; but, ideally, left out. Burley plonked Alexander right in the middle of the park, where he could do the most damage. Things were not looking good at this point, and they were not to get any better. A glance to the left of Alexander was almost, but not quite, as spine-chilling: Chris Commons. A further glance to the right wing: Ross McCormack. Had this been a FIFA "Let's see how many wee chubby guys we can get on the park" Cup Qualifier, we'd have been onto a winner. Sadly, this was not the case, and we were left to confront a side boasting a 6ft 5 inch centre back, and a 6ft 4 inch centre forward, with two men who can only be described as Pygmies in our line up, in a hugely important FIFA World Cup Qualifier. Fantastic.
Perhaps these criticisms are unfair. Perhaps Burley's hands are tied by the limitations of the players available to him. Then again, perhaps he should not have allowed his players to go drinking after the game in Holland, and prevented the "Boozegate" scandal from taking place. Perhaps he should have found a way to get on with Kris Boyd, who, despite being a Rangers player, and hence having sold his soul to David "El Diablo" Murray, is the best goal-scorer we have in Scotland. Perhaps it is Burley himself who has cost Scotland the services of three players who surely would have been in, and strengthened, last night's Scotland team in vital areas.
A manager earns his money, particularly in International football, through his ability to motivate and organise the players at his disposal. He does not have enough time with them to work on their skills or their abilities - he must simply mould someone else's players into an effective team. Last night, the Scottish team were flat from the moment Caldwell left the pitch, and descended into a disorganised mess thereafter. 2-0 down at half-time, with 10 men on the park, and Burley, it seems, does nothing during the interval. Injuries mean that the Scots end up with a back four comprised of three right backs and a left back in Calum Davidson who has been in the International wilderness for something close to seven hundred years, and this eventually leads to the Norwegians notching two further goals, with one Carew effort, which replays have shown to be over the line, not given, in a belated "make-up call" incident on the part of the Officials.
Burley has been quoted as saying that everything that could have "went" wrong last night, did go wrong. He's not wrong there. The worrying thing was that he seemed powerless to stop it, to exert any control over his players, or to inject any passion into them or their performance. Last night, a game that began very promisingly for the Scots turned into an immensely damaging result, in terms of our hopes of earning a play-off spot in our group, and in terms of the confidence of the side going into two vital matches against two sides who have already defeated us: the mighty Dutch, and the mighty, erm...Macedonia at Hampden Park.
We have a battle on our hands to reach the coveted play-off spot for next year's World Cup, but at least if there are yet more embarrassing defeats along the way, the Tartan Army will be able to get a pint for less than £8 after the game.
It was almost inevitable that, somewhere along the line, last night's referee was going to make a decision or two that would prove decisive. This is not because all referees are terrible; it's not because referees want the game to be about them, and not the players (although some of them undeniably do); it is simply because yet again, FIFA have appointed a man from a mickey-mouse League to an important International match.
No matter how high up the FIFA list last night's official might be, no matter how many boxes he might tick on the FIFA assessor's clipboard, the fact is that a man who earned his stripes, and now earns a living, refereeing games in Luxembourg is not used to handling big matches and big players. This was shown in the way in which he allowed both Carew and Riise several fouls before eventually booking them - even letting Carew away with a blatant dive soon after his eventual yellow card had come - before booking Scotland's Gary Caldwell for his only two fouls of the game, less than a minute apart, and consequently showing him the red card that changed the game in Norway's favour. Consistency is all anyone can ask of a match official, and this was sorely lacking from the man in the middle last night.
Of course anyone can have an off day, but it seemed last night, as Craig Levein noted, that the referee was trying to balance things up by booking Caldwell for his first challenge, having already taken the names of three Norwegians. In basketball, we call that a "make-up call" - as in the referee has called a foul to atone for an earlier mistake. He gives one team a dodgy decision, and so fabricates a foul in their favour to even the score. Caldwell's two fouls, each taken on its own merits, likely warranted bookings. The same, though, could be said of Riise's first three fouls, yet he received only one yellow card, before smashing the ball into the Scottish net for Norway's first goal to compound our misery after Caldwell's dismissal.
Had the referee been consistent in his application of the rules, two things could have happened. Firstly, he might have sent both Carew and Riise from the field before Caldwell received his first caution, had he applied the same rules to their indiscretions as he did to the Scottish defender. The other possibility is that the leniency the official demonstrated in his dealings with the Norwegians could have been extended to Gary Caldwell, allowing him to stay on the park, and Scotland to continue the dominance that had characterised the first third of the match.
It is not, though, fair to pile all of the blame for last night's horror show at the feet of the referee. He might have sent Caldwell from the field, but it was Caldwell himself who got into a battle of strength with John Carew, allowed the big striker to turn, exposing Caldwell's lack of mobility and pace, before the Celtic defender grabbed a fistful of red-shirt, and pulled Carew back. Whether Carew had a grip of Caldwell's shirt is immaterial - forwards get away with things like that; hence the term "striker's challenge" - but for a defender, pulling the jersey is a bookable offence nine-and-a-half times out of ten.
Caldwell might have been unlucky, he might not. The only thing that matters is that he was sent off, and, with him, went all chances Scotland had of getting something from that game. Despite my complaints about the referee, and his decision to send Caldwell off, the thing that was most worrying was the way in which the Scottish team collapsed thereafter.
The man charged with organising the best players our country has been able to produce did not have his finest day yesterday. Things were not looking good even before kick-off, when the words "Graeme" and "Alexander" appeared together in the centre of the Scottish midfield. Taken separately, those two words do not appear threatening, but, when combined, they produce an abominable aberration of an idiot, now conveniently sporting a girly headband so as to identify himself to the opposition as the least capable man on the park. Previous Scotland managers have had the sense to keep Alexander out of the way - right back, perhaps; left back in a crunch; but, ideally, left out. Burley plonked Alexander right in the middle of the park, where he could do the most damage. Things were not looking good at this point, and they were not to get any better. A glance to the left of Alexander was almost, but not quite, as spine-chilling: Chris Commons. A further glance to the right wing: Ross McCormack. Had this been a FIFA "Let's see how many wee chubby guys we can get on the park" Cup Qualifier, we'd have been onto a winner. Sadly, this was not the case, and we were left to confront a side boasting a 6ft 5 inch centre back, and a 6ft 4 inch centre forward, with two men who can only be described as Pygmies in our line up, in a hugely important FIFA World Cup Qualifier. Fantastic.
Perhaps these criticisms are unfair. Perhaps Burley's hands are tied by the limitations of the players available to him. Then again, perhaps he should not have allowed his players to go drinking after the game in Holland, and prevented the "Boozegate" scandal from taking place. Perhaps he should have found a way to get on with Kris Boyd, who, despite being a Rangers player, and hence having sold his soul to David "El Diablo" Murray, is the best goal-scorer we have in Scotland. Perhaps it is Burley himself who has cost Scotland the services of three players who surely would have been in, and strengthened, last night's Scotland team in vital areas.
A manager earns his money, particularly in International football, through his ability to motivate and organise the players at his disposal. He does not have enough time with them to work on their skills or their abilities - he must simply mould someone else's players into an effective team. Last night, the Scottish team were flat from the moment Caldwell left the pitch, and descended into a disorganised mess thereafter. 2-0 down at half-time, with 10 men on the park, and Burley, it seems, does nothing during the interval. Injuries mean that the Scots end up with a back four comprised of three right backs and a left back in Calum Davidson who has been in the International wilderness for something close to seven hundred years, and this eventually leads to the Norwegians notching two further goals, with one Carew effort, which replays have shown to be over the line, not given, in a belated "make-up call" incident on the part of the Officials.
Burley has been quoted as saying that everything that could have "went" wrong last night, did go wrong. He's not wrong there. The worrying thing was that he seemed powerless to stop it, to exert any control over his players, or to inject any passion into them or their performance. Last night, a game that began very promisingly for the Scots turned into an immensely damaging result, in terms of our hopes of earning a play-off spot in our group, and in terms of the confidence of the side going into two vital matches against two sides who have already defeated us: the mighty Dutch, and the mighty, erm...Macedonia at Hampden Park.
We have a battle on our hands to reach the coveted play-off spot for next year's World Cup, but at least if there are yet more embarrassing defeats along the way, the Tartan Army will be able to get a pint for less than £8 after the game.
Monday 3 August 2009
Derek Riordan - in trouble again
http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/2568371/Derek-Riordan-arrested-for-a-breach-of-the-peace.html
This is the news that Hibs star Derek Riordan was arrested on Saturday night, after committing a breach of the peace following the refusal of door staff to admit him to Garibaldis club on Hanover Street in Edinburgh, despite Garibaldis not actually being part of the "Unite" group of clubs in the City that have collectively banned Riordan from their premises.
For a start, the Sun story, linked above, is typical sensationalist bollocks, but there is no denying that it's about time Deek learned when to keep his mouth shut - he's 26 years old, and really should have realised by now that when the Police become involved, he's fighting a losing battle. Much of this is, however, due to the fact that he is Derek Riordan, and his reputation goes before him in situations like these. People, including PCs, expect trouble when they see him outside a nightclub, and will react far less sympathetically than they would to the average man in the same situation, particularly when there's the chance of getting your name and picture in the newspapers, as Garibaldis have managed today.
I have some sympathy for Riordan, as it must be a pain to be unable to go out with your mates, particularly in your home city. I also think he is victimised to some extent when it comes to things like this, but there is only so much sympathy one can have for a 26 yeard old man, earning very good money, who is meant to be a role model for Hibs-supporting kids everywhere (and make no mistake, the numbers of "Deek" and "Riordan" Hibs strips suggest that there are thousands who idolise him), who just keeps banging his head off the same closed door. Hopefully this will be the last time he gets involved in something like this, as news items such as these detract from the things that should be remembered about Derek Riordan - his goals!
This is the news that Hibs star Derek Riordan was arrested on Saturday night, after committing a breach of the peace following the refusal of door staff to admit him to Garibaldis club on Hanover Street in Edinburgh, despite Garibaldis not actually being part of the "Unite" group of clubs in the City that have collectively banned Riordan from their premises.
For a start, the Sun story, linked above, is typical sensationalist bollocks, but there is no denying that it's about time Deek learned when to keep his mouth shut - he's 26 years old, and really should have realised by now that when the Police become involved, he's fighting a losing battle. Much of this is, however, due to the fact that he is Derek Riordan, and his reputation goes before him in situations like these. People, including PCs, expect trouble when they see him outside a nightclub, and will react far less sympathetically than they would to the average man in the same situation, particularly when there's the chance of getting your name and picture in the newspapers, as Garibaldis have managed today.
I have some sympathy for Riordan, as it must be a pain to be unable to go out with your mates, particularly in your home city. I also think he is victimised to some extent when it comes to things like this, but there is only so much sympathy one can have for a 26 yeard old man, earning very good money, who is meant to be a role model for Hibs-supporting kids everywhere (and make no mistake, the numbers of "Deek" and "Riordan" Hibs strips suggest that there are thousands who idolise him), who just keeps banging his head off the same closed door. Hopefully this will be the last time he gets involved in something like this, as news items such as these detract from the things that should be remembered about Derek Riordan - his goals!
Sunday 2 August 2009
Scotland U18 v Georgia - Classification Game
With top-scorer Ali Fraser having sat out the whole of the game to this point, the Scots have struggled in his absence, trailing by a score of 55-40 going into the final quarter. Chikviladze leads the Georgian attack, with 16 points, with Ioseliani not far behind on 13. Scotland are led by Lee Reilly on 11 points, and his City of Edinburgh club-mate Ali McKay, on 10.
The Georgians start the 4th quarter with a 3 from Bakradze. 58-40
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Missed shots by both teams keep the score level for the next minute, before Ali McKay earns his 11th and 12th points of the game, with a lay-up off an assist from Johnny Bunyan, his first of the game. 58-42
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7:46 to go, and Javakhshvili of Georgia is called for an unsportsmanlike foul. At the break of play, Fraser Glass comes into the game to replace starting guard, Johnny Bunyan. McKay misses the free throw, and turns the ball over on Scotland's next offense. Happily, though, he makes amends for this almost immediately, stealing the ball from Tavartkiladze only seconds later.
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A Scottish miss under the basket is quickly turned into a score at the other end for the Georgians, who extend their lead to 60-42 on Ioseliani's lay-up, with 6:32 left to play.
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The Scots quickly call a time out, and Dale Grieve comes into the game to replace his Arbroath Musketeers team-mate, Ian Black, with Calum Nicol also coming in in place of Lee Reilly. Ali McKay makes a lay-up on the next possession, taking his total to 14 points, and the score to 60-44.
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McKay makes another quick lay-up, taking the score to 60-46, and taking his own tally to 16. The Georgians respond with a jump-shot from Bakradze, giving him 10 points for the game, and restoring the Georgian advantage to 16 points.
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4:25 to go, and Fraser Glass picks up his first assist of the game, as he feeds Josh Crolley for a lay-up. 62-48 in favour of the Georgians
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Nicol grabs his 5th board of the game, but the Scots can't convert at the other end, as Grieve misses a jump shot. The rebound is secured by Dvalishvili, for his 12th of the game.
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3:33 - the Georgians run the shot-clock down to 4, before Chikviladze makes a lay-up, taking his total to 18 points, and the score to 64-48. The same player throws down a dunk 40 seconds later, having stolen the ball from McKay, extending the Georgian advantage still further.
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2:43, and McIlwraith answers with a 3-pointer for the Scots. 66-51
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Glass notches his 2nd assist of the game, as he sets up Nicol for a lay-up. Nicol absorbs contact and makes the shot while drawing a foul, also knocking down the free throw to take the score to 66-54.
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Georgia answer with a lay-up of their own, from Tchitchveishvili, for his first basket of the game, 68-54
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McKay goes to the line, and splits a pair of free-throws, taking his own tally to 17 points, after having drawn a foul on Dvalishvili, who fouls out of the game with 45 seconds to go. 68-55
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Glass again finds Nicol for a lay-up, picking up his 3rd assist, while Nicol takes his tally to 7 points. 68-57
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12 seconds to go, and Sanadze makes one of two free throws after McKay's 3rd foul of the game. 69-57
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8 seconds on the clock, and McKay makes a lay up, off of Glass' 4th assist of the afternoon, as well as drawing a foul, though he is unable to convert the free throw.
Final Score - Georgia 69-59 Scotland.
The Georgians start the 4th quarter with a 3 from Bakradze. 58-40
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Missed shots by both teams keep the score level for the next minute, before Ali McKay earns his 11th and 12th points of the game, with a lay-up off an assist from Johnny Bunyan, his first of the game. 58-42
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7:46 to go, and Javakhshvili of Georgia is called for an unsportsmanlike foul. At the break of play, Fraser Glass comes into the game to replace starting guard, Johnny Bunyan. McKay misses the free throw, and turns the ball over on Scotland's next offense. Happily, though, he makes amends for this almost immediately, stealing the ball from Tavartkiladze only seconds later.
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A Scottish miss under the basket is quickly turned into a score at the other end for the Georgians, who extend their lead to 60-42 on Ioseliani's lay-up, with 6:32 left to play.
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The Scots quickly call a time out, and Dale Grieve comes into the game to replace his Arbroath Musketeers team-mate, Ian Black, with Calum Nicol also coming in in place of Lee Reilly. Ali McKay makes a lay-up on the next possession, taking his total to 14 points, and the score to 60-44.
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McKay makes another quick lay-up, taking the score to 60-46, and taking his own tally to 16. The Georgians respond with a jump-shot from Bakradze, giving him 10 points for the game, and restoring the Georgian advantage to 16 points.
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4:25 to go, and Fraser Glass picks up his first assist of the game, as he feeds Josh Crolley for a lay-up. 62-48 in favour of the Georgians
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Nicol grabs his 5th board of the game, but the Scots can't convert at the other end, as Grieve misses a jump shot. The rebound is secured by Dvalishvili, for his 12th of the game.
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3:33 - the Georgians run the shot-clock down to 4, before Chikviladze makes a lay-up, taking his total to 18 points, and the score to 64-48. The same player throws down a dunk 40 seconds later, having stolen the ball from McKay, extending the Georgian advantage still further.
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2:43, and McIlwraith answers with a 3-pointer for the Scots. 66-51
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Glass notches his 2nd assist of the game, as he sets up Nicol for a lay-up. Nicol absorbs contact and makes the shot while drawing a foul, also knocking down the free throw to take the score to 66-54.
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Georgia answer with a lay-up of their own, from Tchitchveishvili, for his first basket of the game, 68-54
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McKay goes to the line, and splits a pair of free-throws, taking his own tally to 17 points, after having drawn a foul on Dvalishvili, who fouls out of the game with 45 seconds to go. 68-55
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Glass again finds Nicol for a lay-up, picking up his 3rd assist, while Nicol takes his tally to 7 points. 68-57
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12 seconds to go, and Sanadze makes one of two free throws after McKay's 3rd foul of the game. 69-57
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8 seconds on the clock, and McKay makes a lay up, off of Glass' 4th assist of the afternoon, as well as drawing a foul, though he is unable to convert the free throw.
Final Score - Georgia 69-59 Scotland.
Scotland U18 v Denmark
The JM lost yesterday in a close-fought encounter with Denmark. The Danes, including the tournament's top scorer, Thomas Laerke (27ppg), took the first quarter 29-19, and although the Scots went on to win each of the last three quarters of the game, they could not peg back the entire deficit, and lost by 4 points, 68-72. Ali Fraser was, once more, huge for the Scots, with 28 points, which came off of 14/15 shooting from the field, and 5 rebounds, but with only Josh Crolley joining Fraser in double figures, with 10 points to go along with an excellent 14 rebounds, the Scots did not have enough fire power this time around to overcome the Danes, who hit seven 3 pointers to Scotland's 1 in yesterday's match.
The result means that the Scots will take on Georgia, over whom they have already enjoyed a victory in this tournament, this afternoon to decide the 15th and 16th rankings in this year's European U18 Men Division B Championships, with the Danes moving on to contest the 13th and 14th places with Iceland.
Top Performers
Scotland: Fraser (28 points, 14/15 2pt FG, 5 rebounds) Crolley (10 points, 14 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 steals)
Denmark: Laerke (27 points, 4/7 3pt FG, 3 steals), Berdstedt (13 points, 14 rebounds (7 offensive), 2 steals)
The result means that the Scots will take on Georgia, over whom they have already enjoyed a victory in this tournament, this afternoon to decide the 15th and 16th rankings in this year's European U18 Men Division B Championships, with the Danes moving on to contest the 13th and 14th places with Iceland.
Top Performers
Scotland: Fraser (28 points, 14/15 2pt FG, 5 rebounds) Crolley (10 points, 14 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 steals)
Denmark: Laerke (27 points, 4/7 3pt FG, 3 steals), Berdstedt (13 points, 14 rebounds (7 offensive), 2 steals)
Thursday 30 July 2009
Scotland U18 Men v Switzerland
Going into the final 7 minutes, the Scots lead by a single point, having come back from a half time deficit to take control of the game. The Swiss have, however, clawed their way back into things, and forced the Scots into taking a time out with 6:27 remaining in the game.
Ali Fraser leads the Scots with 18 points at this stage, with Falkirk club mate Johnny Bunyan on 17, including 4/5 from 3pt range. Ali McKay has also been strong for Scotland, scoring 11 points to go with his 9 rebounds (4 offensive), while Lee Reilly has been cool at the line, hitting all 4 of his free throws on his way to 12 points.
Out of the time out, the Swiss take the lead after a missed shot from the Scots. Jaunin hits a 3 to give the Swiss their first lead since early in the 3rd quarter, at 68-66.
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Swiss extend their lead to 4 points, after a made jumper from Koloudrovic, giving him his 15th and 16th points of the afternoon. Scotland seem to have gone a bit cold for the time being - hopefully this will change, and very quickly!
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Dubas commits his 2nd foul of the game, and his team's 4th foul of the quarter. With his team now getting ever closer to the penalty situation, this could be key for the Scots as they attempt a comeback.
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3:38 to go, and Ali McKay fouls out on an offensive foul call, replaced by Calum Nicol. The Swiss hit a 3 through Koloudrovic once more to extend their lead to 73:66, before Josh Crolley quickly makes a lay up, while being fouled, to take the score to 73:68 in favour of the Swiss. Crolley misses the foul shot, keeping the Swiss lead at 5.
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Koloudrovic hits yet another 3 to extend the Swiss lead still further, taking his personal tally to 22 points, off of Jaunin's 5th assists of the game. The Scots take a time-out at this point, and from the inbounds play, Lee Reilly hits a 3, taking the score to 76:71 to the Swiss.
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A Swiss lay-up takes their lead to 7 points, before Dubas misses 2 free throws in what is hopefully a sign of nerves in the Swiss ranks in the closing minutes. Tellingly, though, this play sees Scottish star Ali Fraser foul out of the game, picking up his 5th foul, and leaving the Scots to face the final minutes without either of their top big men.
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1:33 to go, and the Scots down 7 points, 78:71
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Lee Reilly goes to the line and hits 2 free throws to bring the Scottish back to within 5 points, at 78:73 after a foul committed by Jaunin.
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The Swiss split a pair of free throws to add a further point to their lead, going into the last minute. (Dubas, 3 points total)
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As the Scots are forced to foul to stop the clock, the Swiss are content to add points to their tally from the line, as Jaunin splits a further pair of foul shots to take the Swiss lead to 80:73, and his personal total to 12 points. Tom Campbell takes a time-out, as the Scots plan a comeback attempt in the final 38 seconds, with the score at 80:73 to the Swiss.
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Bunyan knocks down a 2, cu ting the lead to 80:75, before a Scottish foul gives Koloudrovic (a great Swiss-sounding name...) the chance to extend the Swiss lead to 82:75 from the line. Reilly advances the ball down the court, and drives to the basket, but his lay-up attempt is blocked by Dubas, for his only blocked shot of the game.
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6 seconds to go, and it looks like game over. Dubas breaks free for a dunk, to take the final score to 84:75 in favour of the Swiss.
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Final Score: Switzerland 84:75 Scotland.
Top Performers
Switzerland: Koloudrovic (24pts, 6/11 3pt FGs, 6 rebounds), Savoy (15pts, 5/8 3pt FGs, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks), Jaunin (12pts, 2/3 3pt FGs, 5 assists, 2 steals)
Scotland: Bunyan (19pts, 4/6 3pt FGs, 2 rebounds, 2 assists), Fraser (18pts, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal), Reilly (17pts, 6/6 FTs, 1 rebound, 2 assists), McKay (11pts, 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 block, 1 assist)
Ali Fraser leads the Scots with 18 points at this stage, with Falkirk club mate Johnny Bunyan on 17, including 4/5 from 3pt range. Ali McKay has also been strong for Scotland, scoring 11 points to go with his 9 rebounds (4 offensive), while Lee Reilly has been cool at the line, hitting all 4 of his free throws on his way to 12 points.
Out of the time out, the Swiss take the lead after a missed shot from the Scots. Jaunin hits a 3 to give the Swiss their first lead since early in the 3rd quarter, at 68-66.
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Swiss extend their lead to 4 points, after a made jumper from Koloudrovic, giving him his 15th and 16th points of the afternoon. Scotland seem to have gone a bit cold for the time being - hopefully this will change, and very quickly!
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Dubas commits his 2nd foul of the game, and his team's 4th foul of the quarter. With his team now getting ever closer to the penalty situation, this could be key for the Scots as they attempt a comeback.
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3:38 to go, and Ali McKay fouls out on an offensive foul call, replaced by Calum Nicol. The Swiss hit a 3 through Koloudrovic once more to extend their lead to 73:66, before Josh Crolley quickly makes a lay up, while being fouled, to take the score to 73:68 in favour of the Swiss. Crolley misses the foul shot, keeping the Swiss lead at 5.
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Koloudrovic hits yet another 3 to extend the Swiss lead still further, taking his personal tally to 22 points, off of Jaunin's 5th assists of the game. The Scots take a time-out at this point, and from the inbounds play, Lee Reilly hits a 3, taking the score to 76:71 to the Swiss.
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A Swiss lay-up takes their lead to 7 points, before Dubas misses 2 free throws in what is hopefully a sign of nerves in the Swiss ranks in the closing minutes. Tellingly, though, this play sees Scottish star Ali Fraser foul out of the game, picking up his 5th foul, and leaving the Scots to face the final minutes without either of their top big men.
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1:33 to go, and the Scots down 7 points, 78:71
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Lee Reilly goes to the line and hits 2 free throws to bring the Scottish back to within 5 points, at 78:73 after a foul committed by Jaunin.
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The Swiss split a pair of free throws to add a further point to their lead, going into the last minute. (Dubas, 3 points total)
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As the Scots are forced to foul to stop the clock, the Swiss are content to add points to their tally from the line, as Jaunin splits a further pair of foul shots to take the Swiss lead to 80:73, and his personal total to 12 points. Tom Campbell takes a time-out, as the Scots plan a comeback attempt in the final 38 seconds, with the score at 80:73 to the Swiss.
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Bunyan knocks down a 2, cu ting the lead to 80:75, before a Scottish foul gives Koloudrovic (a great Swiss-sounding name...) the chance to extend the Swiss lead to 82:75 from the line. Reilly advances the ball down the court, and drives to the basket, but his lay-up attempt is blocked by Dubas, for his only blocked shot of the game.
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6 seconds to go, and it looks like game over. Dubas breaks free for a dunk, to take the final score to 84:75 in favour of the Swiss.
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Final Score: Switzerland 84:75 Scotland.
Top Performers
Switzerland: Koloudrovic (24pts, 6/11 3pt FGs, 6 rebounds), Savoy (15pts, 5/8 3pt FGs, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks), Jaunin (12pts, 2/3 3pt FGs, 5 assists, 2 steals)
Scotland: Bunyan (19pts, 4/6 3pt FGs, 2 rebounds, 2 assists), Fraser (18pts, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal), Reilly (17pts, 6/6 FTs, 1 rebound, 2 assists), McKay (11pts, 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 1 block, 1 assist)
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Scotland U18 Men @ European Championships
The Scottish U18 Men's team are away in Sarajevo at the moment, competing in the B Division of the FIBA European Championships. The team is completely inexperienced at this level, and they have done fantastically well thus far, defeating both Georgia and Romania to post a record of 2 wins and 2 losses in group play, with defeats coming versus exceptionally strong teams from the Netherlands and Montenegro. Scottish star Ali Fraser (Falkirk Fury) was, however, limited to only 9 minutes of play versus the Oranje, and, with rumours of food poisoning emanating from the Scottish camp, one must wonder what might have been given Fraser's impressive 20 point, 8 rebound & 2 block performance the previous day in the opening victory over the Georgians.
Lee Reilly (City of Edinburgh Kings) was the other star of a well-rounded team performance in the victory over Georgia, scoring 18 points, while assisting on a further 4 baskets for the team, and contributing 4 rebounds. Josh Crolley (Troon Tornadoes), and Johnny Bunyan (Falkirk Fury) were the other significant scorers for the Scots, notching 10 and 7 points respectively, with Josh snatching 8 rebounds, and Johnny 7. Pity poor Beqa Chikviladze, though, who threw in an impressive 26 points in defeat for Georgia, ably assisted by Akaki Dvalishvili, with 17 points and 7 rebounds.
The Scots bounced back from defeat versus the Netherlands in fine fashion, defeating Romania by a score of 88-77, again led by Ali Fraser, who, along with Ali MacKay (City of Edinburgh Kings), dominated under the basket for Scotland, the pair combining for 49 points (Fraser 29, MacKay 20) and 11 rebounds (Fraser 8, MacKay 3). MacKay demonstrated a cool head under pressure throughout this game, keeping his concentration to knock down 8 of his 12 foul shots. Lee Reilly was again a more than able foil for his big men, scoring 14 points to go along with his 5 rebounds, while knocking down 4 three-pointers along the way in his best shooting game of the tournament so far.
Results in group play have earned the Scots a place in the group to decide places 9-16 of the 21 team field. The Scots find themselves in Group H, along with Austria, Switzerland and Georgia, and face the two Alpine powers on the 29th and 30th of this month respectively. Austria posted a record of 6 wins and 2 losses at last year's championships, with the Swiss a 2-6 record, while the Scots have no experience at this level. Taking these statistics into account, the Scots would seem to be the underdog in this company, as they have been from the outset of the programme at the beginning of the season. The Scots have, however, shown themselves to be a dangerous team in group play, and will have a good deal of confidence in their ability to spring a surprise on their more storied opponents as they bid to improve upon what is already the most successful Scottish performance at this level.
Live play-by-play commentary of all of the games in the Championships is available here: http://www.fibaeurope-u18men.com/enDivB/default.asp
The Scots get underway versus Austria at 14:45, while their game the next day versus Switzerland tips-off at 14:00.
Scottish Fixtures and Results
23rd July: Scotland 77-61 Georgia
24th July: Scotland 59-98 Netherlands
25th July: Scotland 88-77 Romania
26th July: Scotland 44-100 Montenegro
29th July: Scotland v Austria (14:45)
30th July: Scotland v Switzerland (14:00)
Scottish Roster and Statistics
Available here:
http://www.fibaeurope-u18men.com/enDivB/default.asp?cid={E7BA731A-A812-4C5C-9C62-E987CBB10B2B}&teamID=357&compID={2248A846-FA78-40FF-B03C-54B460890F45}&season=2009&roundID=6869&
Lee Reilly (City of Edinburgh Kings) was the other star of a well-rounded team performance in the victory over Georgia, scoring 18 points, while assisting on a further 4 baskets for the team, and contributing 4 rebounds. Josh Crolley (Troon Tornadoes), and Johnny Bunyan (Falkirk Fury) were the other significant scorers for the Scots, notching 10 and 7 points respectively, with Josh snatching 8 rebounds, and Johnny 7. Pity poor Beqa Chikviladze, though, who threw in an impressive 26 points in defeat for Georgia, ably assisted by Akaki Dvalishvili, with 17 points and 7 rebounds.
The Scots bounced back from defeat versus the Netherlands in fine fashion, defeating Romania by a score of 88-77, again led by Ali Fraser, who, along with Ali MacKay (City of Edinburgh Kings), dominated under the basket for Scotland, the pair combining for 49 points (Fraser 29, MacKay 20) and 11 rebounds (Fraser 8, MacKay 3). MacKay demonstrated a cool head under pressure throughout this game, keeping his concentration to knock down 8 of his 12 foul shots. Lee Reilly was again a more than able foil for his big men, scoring 14 points to go along with his 5 rebounds, while knocking down 4 three-pointers along the way in his best shooting game of the tournament so far.
Results in group play have earned the Scots a place in the group to decide places 9-16 of the 21 team field. The Scots find themselves in Group H, along with Austria, Switzerland and Georgia, and face the two Alpine powers on the 29th and 30th of this month respectively. Austria posted a record of 6 wins and 2 losses at last year's championships, with the Swiss a 2-6 record, while the Scots have no experience at this level. Taking these statistics into account, the Scots would seem to be the underdog in this company, as they have been from the outset of the programme at the beginning of the season. The Scots have, however, shown themselves to be a dangerous team in group play, and will have a good deal of confidence in their ability to spring a surprise on their more storied opponents as they bid to improve upon what is already the most successful Scottish performance at this level.
Live play-by-play commentary of all of the games in the Championships is available here: http://www.fibaeurope-u18men.com/enDivB/default.asp
The Scots get underway versus Austria at 14:45, while their game the next day versus Switzerland tips-off at 14:00.
Scottish Fixtures and Results
23rd July: Scotland 77-61 Georgia
24th July: Scotland 59-98 Netherlands
25th July: Scotland 88-77 Romania
26th July: Scotland 44-100 Montenegro
29th July: Scotland v Austria (14:45)
30th July: Scotland v Switzerland (14:00)
Scottish Roster and Statistics
Available here:
http://www.fibaeurope-u18men.com/enDivB/default.asp?cid={E7BA731A-A812-4C5C-9C62-E987CBB10B2B}&teamID=357&compID={2248A846-FA78-40FF-B03C-54B460890F45}&season=2009&roundID=6869&
Introductions...
Hello to all of you out there,
I live just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland, where I was born, bred and educated, and have participated in sports of all types, and at all levels. Of course, I started out trying to kick a football about in the back garden with my dad, but I soon discovered that there is far more to sport in Scotland than just our National Game.
My interest in football, and particularly my home town team of Hibernian FC, has thankfully stood the test of time (and an improbably cruel number of Scottish Cup defeats), though my own sporting ambitions currently trump my desire to pay up to £30 to sit in a freezing stadium for two hours on a Saturday. I prefer to spend that time sitting on the bench for the Scottish Champion City of Edinburgh Kings basketball team, where I (in theory) have at least the chance of being a part of the action to comfort me, as opposed to the pie 'n' bovril combo favoured by thousands as they huddle together in stadia around the country every Saturday.
Basketball is very much a minority sport in Scotland, though this is a label that could quite rightly be applied to any physical activity without the hallowed "rugby" or "football" monikers to back up their claim to Scottish attention, and the finances that are so vital to the progression of sport in a country where summer lasts about a week.
This blog will aim to bring some publicity to basketball in Scotland, but particularly the Edinburgh area, without being exclusive in its focus. I will post on whatever aspects of sporting news most grab my attention, though I hope you will allow for an element of bias in my writing due to my aforementioned affections for certain teams and sports!
Many thanks for reading, and I hope you will continue to check back often.
I live just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland, where I was born, bred and educated, and have participated in sports of all types, and at all levels. Of course, I started out trying to kick a football about in the back garden with my dad, but I soon discovered that there is far more to sport in Scotland than just our National Game.
My interest in football, and particularly my home town team of Hibernian FC, has thankfully stood the test of time (and an improbably cruel number of Scottish Cup defeats), though my own sporting ambitions currently trump my desire to pay up to £30 to sit in a freezing stadium for two hours on a Saturday. I prefer to spend that time sitting on the bench for the Scottish Champion City of Edinburgh Kings basketball team, where I (in theory) have at least the chance of being a part of the action to comfort me, as opposed to the pie 'n' bovril combo favoured by thousands as they huddle together in stadia around the country every Saturday.
Basketball is very much a minority sport in Scotland, though this is a label that could quite rightly be applied to any physical activity without the hallowed "rugby" or "football" monikers to back up their claim to Scottish attention, and the finances that are so vital to the progression of sport in a country where summer lasts about a week.
This blog will aim to bring some publicity to basketball in Scotland, but particularly the Edinburgh area, without being exclusive in its focus. I will post on whatever aspects of sporting news most grab my attention, though I hope you will allow for an element of bias in my writing due to my aforementioned affections for certain teams and sports!
Many thanks for reading, and I hope you will continue to check back often.
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