GHK v Newton Stewart Cup Match Preview

This Saturday, 5th November, cup fever hits GHK as they host National 3 Newton Stewart in the BT Scottish Cup Round 2. The game provides a welcome break from the league and for the first time this season, the hosts go into the game as underdogs. With a home tie against a premier team awaiting the winner in round 3, the reward could not be bigger for either side.

Confidence is high in the GHK camp after maintaining their 100% record with a gutsy bonus point win at Paisley last week. The visitors, however, go into the game on a 4 game losing streak, winless in league action in October. In round 1 of the cup they comfortably swept aside lowly Carrick away where GHK received a walkover victory against Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The last time these sides faced each other in Glasgow was in 2001 with GHK winning 5-3 in atrocious conditions. Since then Newton Stewart have been promoted twice up to National 3 status. They go into the game as favourites and will fancy their chances of recording the win.

The hosts also very much fancy their chances of the upset. On paper the visitors are 2 leagues higher but rugby is not played on paper and history has shown that this GHK team can compete way above their league status. In previous seasons GHK have beaten Whitecraigs and Trinity and also ran National 1 Greenock very very close on a wet day last season, losing by a measly 3-0. In addition they shocked Premier 1 Ayr (a huge 8 league gap) a couple of seasons back, losing by just 15 points or so. The cup can always throw up surprises and the home team have so much belief that the game should be wide open.

Squad News

The cup permits a 19 man squad and so the extra front row forward is allowed to be included. Ewan MacDonald fills that role. Nick Cram is having a break due to a neck injury with his place taken by Scott Ferguson. Stuart Pollock makes a welcome return to GHK colours and Alex McLemon also returns to the squad. In the backs Olly Jones returns from injury joined by Dave Fearnley and Chuck McElroy.

Provisional Squad

BACKS: D Fearnley, O Jones, C Little, R Love, J Millan, C McFarlane, C McElroy, A McTavish, G Rand, A Smeaton

FORWARDS: C Donald, S Ferguson, A Forbes, N Gilmartin, J Lohar, E MacDonald, F MacKinven, A McLemon, S Pollock, G Reid, R Welsh

Kick Off is 2pm this week at Balgray.

This article was originally posted on 3-Nov-2005, 21:45 by Gordi Reid.
Last updated by Gordi Reid on 3-Nov-2005, 21:50.

This article was posted on 3-Nov-2005, 23:20 by Hugh Barrow.