Late blow in Super6 opener
WATSONIANS ..................................... 26 STIRLING COUNTY ............................ 24
A Jason Baggott penalty in the 78th minute secured the home win in a scrappy early-season contest between two sides who had fairly disrupted build-ups to the game through injury, illness and pro call-ups.
The Super6 Sprint opener swung to and fro throughout the day but it was the Myreside men who finally sneaked over the line.
Watsonians went ahead when Seb Cecil barged over and Baggott added the conversion before slotting two penalties in quick succession to open up a 13-point advantage for the hosts.
County clawed their way back when second-row Max Williamson bashed his way over, setting up a fairly simple conversion for Euan Cunningham.
Then, five minutes before the break, they edged themselves into the lead by kicking a penalty to the corner and then driving the bus over the line, with Lewis Skinner getting the downward pressure and Cunningham nailing the touchline conversion.
Watsonians struck first in the second half through Lomond Macpherson to edge the hosts into a four-point lead but it was soon cut back to a single point when County’s Marcus Holden kicked a penalty.
Cal Davies scored the next try to stretch the lead for Watsonians but County wouldn’t lie down and with just over 10 minutes to go, they edged themselves ahead when hooker Angus Fraser dotted down and Holden kicked the touchline conversion.
They had a golden opportunity to see out the game when they were awarded another penalty 30 yards from the Watsonians line with five minutes to go. They went to the corner but this time they couldn’t execute and the ball was cleared.
Watsonians then took advantage of some County indiscipline to get themselves into the strike zone and earn an offside penalty which allowed Baggott to snatch the win.
“There is a little bit of a déjà vu in terms of the start of last season and those tight games not going our way,” said head coach Ben Cairns afterwards.
“We’ve chosen to go to the corner when we are one point up rather than take the three points, and the thinking is that is that we’ve got the wind so we can stay down there for four minutes to win the game, or we can do what we’ve just done which is march the maul over the line, but instead we are not able to execute. Then it is: penalty, penalty, points and they’ve won the game.
“If we win next week at home to Ayrshire Bulls then this isn’t that bad, but if we lose then this is a really bad one because it was there to win. You’ve got to win your home games in the Sprint, and we’re lucky to have three home games.”
Stirling County: M Holden; R Tagive , B Salmon, DJ Innes, L Trotter; E Cunningham (W Fifita 50), F Burgess (H Russell 63); C Macmillan (G Breese 40), A Fraser, L Skinner (C Norrie 79), M Williamson, A Sinclair (J Pow 55), H Ferguson (G Arnott 70), G Hiddleston, C Cruikshank. www.theoffsideline.com