THE HERALD REPORTS

NEIL DRYSDALE December 23 2006

You might imagine that Craig Redpath would be apprehensive ahead of today's Premiership clash with Glasgow Hawks. Until recently, the trip to Old Anniesland was about as enticing a prospect for his Millbrae-based side as a lunch appointment with Hannibal Lecter. Yet, as we approach the denouement of the most exciting championship campaign since the change of the millennium, Redpath purrs with anticipation at the notion of his charges making history.
To achieve that goal, they will have to record a maiden away victory over Hawks and trust that the current league leaders, Currie, who have slipped up on the previous two weekends, experience another reverse against Heriot's at Goldenacre.
Then, should the battle rage on until the final day of the season, the Ayr men will themselves have to tackle Heriot's on their own patch, while Currie entertain the other side in contention, Watsonians, on January 13.
It's an engrossing conclusion to what has been a fascinatingly fluctuating title race. The sole disappointment is that the SRU should apparently have scheduled the fixtures for the precise purpose of dampening an excess of enthusiasm.
What is obvious is that Scottish club rugby is alive and kicking and immune to those inclined to scribble premature obituaries.
As the redoubtable Redpath declares, the myriad twists and turns which have typified the Premiership struggle wouldn't disgrace an O Henry short story. He envisages the saga unfolding with plenty of fresh tales of the unexpected this afternoon.
"It has been incredibly close-run, and I would imagine that Hawks will regard themselves as the quiet favourites ahead of our meeting," said the former Melrose man yesterday. "I told my players last week, when we were in difficulties at The Greenyards: 'C'mon, let's not hand out gifts to anybody else'.
"We have spent four years building up this squad to this position, where we have a wee chance. I have no doubt that Hawks will come at us hard – we have never won up there – so it should be a pulsating contest. Believe me, if we reach the last day of the season and we are still in contention, there will be 2500, 3000 fans happy to cheer us on at home against Heriot's, where we have been so difficult to beat.
"We have progressed a long way, but we know we shouldn't have stumbled with the draw at Boroughmuir earlier this month and I have watched the video of that game and it is … [he struggles to find the right word] frustrating when the opposition capitalise on so few opportunities while we had loads of openings and weren't ruthless enough to finish them off.
"On the other hand, we have never been in this position before, where we have to strive for 100% consistency, week-in, week-out. I am proud of the efforts of the younger lads like Richard McCallum, Johnny McClung and Pat MacArthur [he will be absent through injury today].
"The bottom line is that we can't afford to worry about results elsewhere, or hope for others to do us favours, because, at the moment, Currie are still in the box-seat.
"On the evidence of the past couple of weeks, every team in this championship is capable of beating the other, though, and that is great."
Certainly, Redpath's counterpart at Malleny Park, Ally Donaldson, another man with a relish for the grassroots to rival Allan Titchmarsh, adheres to the opinion that his men will be seriously tested in front of the Heriot's faithful, not least as a consequence of the silverware being in the stadium, next to the SRU president, Andy Irvine.
"By this point of the season, we are normally scrapping for our survival in the top flight," said Donaldson, whose confreres, bolstered by a sterling pack and a quality stand-off in Ally Warnock, enjoyed a magnificent launch to their title bid. "Everything revolves around mastering the basics and sticking to the principles which helped us reach this far in the first place.
"We were aware from the outset that there would be highs and lows as the winter unfolded, but the whole community is getting behind us and, while we've stumbled a little bit recently, there is now added pressure on Ayr, Watsonians and Heriot's.
From here, it is as much in the heart as it is in the head. What happened last Saturday or the one before that is irrelevant. The boys know they have the ability, and they can complete the job."
We may discover the outcome, prior to the country lapsing into the annual Yuletide over-indulgence. Although Redpath attended his daughter's school nativity play on Thursday, he isn't inclined to be sidetracked from his sporting priorities just yet. "Hawks have bounced back after a difficult start, they have gained two successes over Currie and they will offer us nothing, because we only scraped past them narrowly [23-20] when we met earlier in the year," he concluded. "If it boils down to us sneaking a 13-12 victory with a controversial last-minute penalty, I will take it, and be thankful."
You suspect that a lot of individuals will require pain-killers earlier than normal this weekend.

This article was posted on 23-Dec-2006, 09:07 by Hugh Barrow.