EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
BOROUGHMUIR coach Bruce Reekie took a swipe at referee Andy Ireland after the holders were sent crashing out of the Scottish rugby Cup at the fifth-round stage on the end of a 24-30 defeat by giant-killers Cartha QP.


"Angus Martyn was through for a score and was called up for a forward pass which astonished me, and a try they scored in the second half had a forward pass to it," said Reekie of a match in which the Glasgow-based Division Two outfit recorded their first ever win over Premiership opposition.

If there was no noticeable frustration by 'Muir players, certainly at the decision to award Ross Gillies the third of Cartha's four touchdowns, Reekie was also conspicuously not inclined to press any panic buttons.

"I think we are too good to play in the league below with the talent we have got. I know the Cartha match was all about the Cup but in four league games at home we have lost by [just] two points which sums up our season.

"We are experiencing a season-long blip."

What such a chronicle of near misses must also suggest to the neutral, however, is that Boroughmuir have forgotten how to win which is a priority to be addressed by the coaching staff, Reekie admitting: "This was a side who are used to winning [Cartha] against a side used to losing."

Reekie also acknowledged 'Muir were squandering chances. "At 24-15 Greig Scott went on a fantastic run and all we had to do at that moment was pass and score for them to buckle, but Cartha survived. We had planned to move more ball wide but again Cartha denied us possession and all credit to them," added the coach..

If it was impossible to argue with Reekie there, where he was also spot-on was in including Angus Martyn among a handful of players he claimed rose above the general mediocrity - and the flanker was the player singled out during the opposition's team talk as confirmed by visiting coach Kenny Murray, whose side thoroughly deserved their triumph.

"We struggled a bit in the middle of the first half because Martyn was outstanding in causing us real problems. So we talked about closing down the channels where the runs were being made to prevent off-loads," said Murray.

But with Martyn effectively closed-down rudderless Boroughmuir had no plan B and on this form it will take an almighty effort to win remaining league games against Hawick (at home) and Heriot's (away) to survive, assuming there is no league re-construction.

Let's be clear, too, that reconstruction after a format has already been agreed would bring disgrace to what should be, despite the best efforts of Murrayfield bosses to shamefully undermine clubs through centrally controlled district teams, the country's top domestic competition.

But such debate is for another day. As for the here and now, the fortunes of the current Boroughmuir side were summed up by a disgruntled terracing follower, who said: "We've got a great new clubhouse being built - shame about the team."

No team is above being relegated in any competition - just ask Manchester United back in the 1970s.

Not that this Boroughmuir team in any shape or form deserve to be compared to the Manchester United's of this world.

This article was posted on 20-Mar-2006, 12:31 by Hugh Barrow.