Kids are made of Steel

Allan Steel believes his young East Kilbride charges are showing maturity beyond their years after going two points clear at the top of West Region One.

The Torrance House side beat Strathendrick 27-12 on Saturday to avenge their cup defeat earlier in the season.

And gaffer Steel said:“It was a nice weekend for us and I’m really pleased with the performance of the players.

“They are such a young squad, but they are showing a lot of maturity.

“Strathendrick is a tough place to go, as we found out earlier in the season, but we didn’t let the previous result affect our game.

“I was absolutely delighted with the performance of everyone, but Ryan Mason deserves a special mention.

“He’s only 17 years-old but he came on to replace me after 50 minutes and did really well, so I’m pleased for him.

“We kept up our good run of scoring and with four tries it was good to get the full five points in the bag.

“Greenock slipping up at Garnock was good for us, but we are only seven games in. We’ll just keep preparing well for games and try to keep winning.”

Steel was particularly impressed with his side’s showing after the break.

They led 7-6 at half-time, but the half-time team talk paid dividends as they pushed home their advantage.

“In the second half we dominated the ball, moved it with purpose and took full control of the game. After 50 minutes it was only going one way.”

A trip to Irvine now awaits and Steel is confident they can earn a seventh win in eight games.

He said:“I believe we are capable of beating any team in the league if we come into the game with the right mental attitude. It’s a lot easier when you are winning games and hopefully we get another result this weekend.”