Saturday 28th October 2006
Sunnyside Park

At the end of this game the Accies players were bitterly disappointed that they had taken nothing from it. For a long time they looked as if they could win it and then later a losing bonus point seemed to be a certainty. However a converted try in injury time scuppered that.
In the first half Accies were the better side and lead 14-10 at half time. Playing against a stiff breeze on a slippery pitch the forwards, especially Andy Pogrel and Andy Jackson tore into their opponents like men possessed and won a stream of good ball. Their opponents however are a heavy, strong and mature outfit and when close to the line are almost unstoppable. Hence the reason they had 10 points on the board by the break. Both tries came from five metres driven lineouts.
The first of these came in the 12th minute somewhat against the run of play. From this moment on until the 21st minute Accies kept Falkirk under pressure and after a succession of rucks and mauls Graeme Lusk forced his way over for Jamie Doig to convert. 5-7
In the 31st minute Falkirk were awarded a penalty and kicked it into the corner. Once again their forward were able to drive it over for an unconverted try.
Two minutes later, after some good ball retention by the Accies forwards, it was released to Jamie Doig who ghosted his way over under the posts for a try to restore Accies lead. He converted himself and Accies lead 14-10.
During the first half the Accies pack had played as well as they had all season.
With the wind at their back Accies could look forward to the second half with some confidence.
It was not to be, the big Falkirk pack came out of their slumber and began to exert real pressure for the first time in the game. Accies were always happiest when their opponents tried to run the ball because their own defence against a fairly limited attack was always fairly good.
During the third quarter Accies were well in contention but some poor kicking and decision making squandered possession. This together with an avalanche of penalties against them, one on average every two minutes during the half, made it difficult to get the continuity they required to manufacture tries.
Eventually the dam burst and Falkirk generated so much pressure that they were able to create enough space for their centre to score. The try was converted and they lead 17-14 and from this time onward always looked most likely to be the winners. However it was the hand of fate and some bizarre refereeing that was to be the deciding factors.
Firstly a wicked bounce of the ball fell into the hands of the Falkirk openside flanker and he had a clear run to the line from deep inside his own 22. Despite two despairing tackles he simply tore up the field for a score in the corner. This was a real blow to Accies as at this stage as Falkirk were a man short, yellow carded for a late tackle.
With ten minutes to go Ali McLaren came on and promptly kicked a penalty to give Accies some hope of gaining the losing bonus point as it took the score to 22-17.
The final score in injury time also had a touch of good fortune as a speculative boot through ricocheted off an Accies player and over the line to give Falkirk an easy touchdown and conversion.
In summary Accies made a good game of it but up front they were out muscled by a strong and experienced pack. Accies need to find out why they are giving away so many penalties when they play against sides based in the Midlands with Midlands’s referees. They also have to learn how to deal with players killing the ball. Falkirk were no worse at this than any other team in the league but it does win or perhaps not lose games and certainly slows the game down.
The main lesson for Accies is that they must not lose their composure when they go down in the game. Their game plan is robust enough but it has to be adhered to for 80 minutes.
At least Matteo Giovanazzi was a happy man. The young hooker was able to claim that he had taken one off the head against Kevin Mackenzie. Actually he is claiming two but as everyone knows hookers are prone to exaggeration.
The man of the match again goes to Jamie Doig for his all round performance. Andy Pogrel and Andy Jackson closely follow him. 18 year prop Matt Franklin; gaining his first start also gets a mention in dispatches for a very promising performance
The next three games are crucial. First up the improving Linlithgow at home on Saturday and then away to Annan who when Accies played them earlier in the season showed that they are really good side. This is followed by Caithness who seemed to have faded since they thrashed Accies at the start of the season.
All three must be won if Accies are to stay in the promotion hunt.

This article was posted on 29-Oct-2006, 08:17 by Hugh Barrow.