THE HERALD REPORTS

Currie 22 - 27 Glasgow Hawks

NEIL DRYSDALE at Malleny Park December 18 2006

Donaldson gracious in defeat by Hawks

The expression etched on Ally Donaldson's face at the climax of this fraught encounter spoke volumes.
Obviously, he was disappointed with the outcome, which consigned his beloved Currie personnel to their second consecutive defeat, but the coach was sufficiently magnanimous to admit that the better side had triumphed.
"We keep making life difficult for ourselves, but credit to them, their forwards were outstanding and we surrendered possession on a regular basis, which you simply can't afford to do in conditions like that," said Donaldson.
"Results elsewhere mean that the fate of the championship is still in our own hands, but it is typical that we are taking it right down to the wire."
Hawks had won the corresponding fixture at New Anniesland convincingly earlier in the season and, given the nervy air which pervaded Malleny Park on Saturday, there was always the prospect of history repeating itself.
However, what will have disappointed the Currie faithful most is that this was the kind of mud-encrusted afternoon on which their pack usually grind opponents into submission by getting the basics right.
On Saturday, though, their lineout creaked badly, their normally metronomic stand-off, Ally Warnock, was out of sorts, and the team committed a string of basic errors, which prevented them from establishing any sustained platform.
The visitors, by comparison, were increasingly dominant as the contest progressed and although they conceded 17 points while their hooker, John Maclay, was in the sin-bin, on either side of the interval, they have recently served notice that they will be a resurgent force in next season's Premiership. Indeed, Ayr will not be relishing the trip to Glasgow next weekend, as the title battle approaches its denouement.
From the outset, Hawks seized the initiative, with the elusive Max Evans sparking a break which was polished off efficiently by Jamie Kerr.
Murray Strang, who had previously missed a long-range penalty, slotted the conversion, and the visitors were well worth their advantage, with Ricky Munday almost sparking a second touchdown, only for his fellow centre, Kerr, to spill the ball.
In these initial stages, Currie could barely escape from their own territory, but suddenly served notice of their potential when Evan Haigh sliced through the Hawks defence and, in the ensuing pile-up, the prolific Ross Weston ploughed over for a try.
None the less, Warnock sclaffed his conversion in the teeth of a treacherous wind, and subsequently wasted another attacking opportunity for his team, when he failed to find touch with a penalty.
It was a microcosm of his side's rather stuttering display, and their rivals duly prospered, first through a Strang penalty and then a bullocking incision from the burly prop, Nick Cox, which sent them into a 17-5 lead after half-an-hour.
Currie could have few complaints, but, to their credit, responded with a ferocious onslaught and the balance of the match seemed to have shifted appreciably with Maclay's departure for killing the ball.
There followed wave-upon -wave of assaults, which finished with Mark Cairns notching a try.
As soon as the action resumed after the interval, the hosts further pegged back their opponents with a Warnock penalty, as prelude to the No.10 launching an enormous touch-finder, which proved the catalyst for replacement Andrew Reekie to benefit on a procession of drives from his forwards.
That pushed Currie 22-17 in front, but still Hawks refused to be intimidated and, when restored to their full complement, they cranked up the momentum and gained a notable advantage when Warnock was sent packing for 10 minutes, as the prelude to Stuart Low sprinting down the blindside and feeding on to Evans to level matters at 22-22.
By this juncture, the feeble floodlights had rendered visibility akin to watching an army of ghosts, but it was Currie who seemed most spooked by the possibility of defeat and Hawks' lineout was as reliable as the home club's was poor.
Eventually, in the 72nd minute, they profited from their set-piece expertise, catching and driving, with flanker, Greg Francis, amassing the try which sealed victory.
Nobody but the most partisan supporter could deny that they deserved their victory, whereas a frazzled Yuletide beckons for Currie, unless they can improve dramatically on this showing.

This article was posted on 18-Dec-2006, 08:34 by Hugh Barrow.