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Wilson aims for style and substance
Jun 23 2010 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

NEW Dalziel Rugby Club coach David Wilson is aiming to make the side a Premier Three force next season and hopes to do so by playing an attacking brand of rugby.
The Motherwell club will be playing in Premier Three for the first time after their historic 22-match unbeaten run saw them cruise to the National League Division One title last season.
Wilson does not expect the newly promoted side to have it easy in the higher division but he’s already met with the first-team squad and set in motion realistic targets which would see Dalziel enjoy a successful first season in the Premier leagues.
The former Glasgow Hawks coach said: “If you look at the Premier Three league table last year, I think the team that were relegated in second-bottom place were on 36 points.
“If you take that as four points a game, then that is nine wins.
“Nine wins out of 22 is quite a tough task. “However, if you win 11 games then you are probably going to be sitting mid-table.
“I said to the players 11 games should be the minimum and anything beyond that we should be looking at the top half of the table.”
He added: “I think the task will certainly be to consolidate the club in Premier Three.
“The physicality may be a step up for some of the players and I would imagine that if we can get parity at the set piece then we will always have a chance of doing something. That will be the challenge.”
Dalziel produced some devastating attacking rugby during their superb league run last term, scoring 220 more points than second-placed Whitecraigs.
Securing bonus points has often been a problem in the past for Dalziel but Wilson is hoping the club can continue from where they left off last season.
The 47-year-old said: “I would like to try to play a 15-man game of rugby but in a sense that is dictated by the strengths and weaknesses of the players you have got.
“If we have got seven or eight guys that are capable ball handlers in Premier Three, then we can do that but if they are struggling to make decisions before going into contact then that is going to be an issue for us.
“There is going to be an element of fitness and a basic skill set to achieve that tempo.”
He continued: “I am looking forward to it and having spoken to (club president) Paul Gracie and other committee guys, it was clear to me that there is a good buzz about the place at the moment.
“I suppose like anything else we will get a good idea about things once pre-season starts and whether we have the firepower and ammunition that is needed.”

This article was posted on 24-Jun-2010, 08:10 by Hugh Barrow.