THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

Stirling County 12 - 10 Glasgow Hawks: Discipline reaps reward for Stirling


By DAVID SANNOX
RELIEVED Stirling County head coach Ian Jardine hailed the self-control qualities of his side after they edged out Glasgow Hawks in a tense relegation battle at boggy Bridgehaugh.




Hawks had gone into battle on the back of successive bonus-point triumphs over Currie and Boroughmuir, but coach Peter Wright was quick to admit that Stirling deserved their win.

He conceded: "Stirling wanted it a bit more than we did anADVERTISEMENTd they deserved to win. The weather conditions dictated the game and they played the elements better than we did."

But a delighted Jardine declared: "I take my hat off to the guys. It was definitely one of our strongest performances of the season. We played good rugby in tricky conditions, we defended really well and – so importantly – we kept our discipline when it mattered most."

Hawks got off to the perfect start with a third-minute score from Craig Gossman. But home tries by Danny Gilmour and Gary Mountford, along with a Johnny Hope goal won it for Stirling.

Scorers: Stirling: Tries: Gilmour, Mountford. Con: Hope. Glasgow: Try: Gossman. Con: Rainey. Pen: Rainey.

Stirling County: J Hope; G Lyndsay, D Gilmour, B Archibald, B Addison; R McGowan, G Calder; M Hunter, A Simpson, W Davies, B MacFarlane, G Gilchrist, C Eadie, C Deacons, T Clarke. Subs used: J Hill, G Mountford, K Bryce, R Aitken, J Graham.

Glasgow Hawks: C Gossman; J Wright, B Mohr, I Noble, S Gordon; M Rainey, P Boyer; G Strain, G Mories, N Cox, N Caddell, A Kelly, M Whittleston, G Strang, G Harkness. Subs used: G Francis, J Maclay, A Maxwell, G MacDonald, E Morrison.

Referee: A McMenemy.

This article was posted on 19-Jan-2009, 08:50 by Hugh Barrow.