The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
High gear reached but Jed will be a stern test
Dundee side oil the engine and anticipate some acceleration
With so much player turnover at Mayfield this year it was perhaps inevitable that Dundee High took a little while to get into gear in the new Tennents National League season.
Head coach Colin Sangster has basically started with a clean slate and it needed a sticky start and some harsh lessons to oil the engine. But in the last two weeks, with the foundation being a relentless and well-organised defence, High may have found an answer.
Shutting out Cartha QP in the second half in Glasgow two weeks ago was a good place to start, the club’s first victory of the season. Doing the same against the much more formidable Selkirk at Mayfield last week, on the way to a 34-14 win, raised a few eyebrows across the division.
It also lifted High up out of the bottom three, although nobody seems to be quite sure what that will mean at the season’s end with yet another restructuring of the leagues still up in the air.
This week High’s new-found confidence gets a significant test in the form of Jed-Forest, maybe the best team in the league during the second half of last season when they so nearly hauled in the somewhat more resourced Edinburgh Accies in a thrilling finale.
Jed’s opening-weekend hammering at the hands of Aberdeen Grammar at Rubislaw was clearly a case of summer blues – or maybe key players late getting back from their holidays. They beat Marr, the league favourites, on the second weekend and have averaged 50 points a game in their last four outings, all won with bonuses.
The division’s other Blues didn’t pore over the entrails of their collapse at GHA two weeks ago for long. It was straight back on the bike for Kirkcaldy as they recorded a memorable 22-14 win over Gala to climb out of the bottom two.
Down two men – discipline continues to be an issue – and going behind to Gala 14-8 going into the last quarter required some sort of resolve, but the Blues and tries from Rhys Bonner and a late one from Scott Anderson lifted Kirkcaldy to an encouraging win.
This week they are at Hamilton, with whom they had two resounding and incident-packed contests last year before both eventually got promotion. The Bulls’ win at Mayfield is still the highlight of their campaign so far, but after a solid start they’ve been under the cosh in the last two weeks with heavy losses to Jed and Musselburgh.
In National Two Chris Martin’s young and recast Howe of Fife side continue their inconsistent start to the season. Scoring points has not been a problem, with their total of 161 better than half the division including second-placed Stewart’s- Melville.
But defence has been an issue, with the worst points against record in the division and more than 70 conceded last week against Preston Lodge. GHK, lying just two point and two places above the Howe, are the visitors to Duffus Park this week.
Perthshire’s excellent season continues by edging a 10-try thriller against Haddington last week which saw the club rise to fourth in the division. They have four wins already, which is as many as the club managed in all of last term or the season before. Shire thought they should have won at Hughenden last year and will be determined to go one better when they visit Hillhead Jordanhill again.
In the Caledonia Leagues, leaders Strathmore have the bye week and seemingly it’s the only thing that can stop their relentless progress this season, sitting with an 11-point lead having taken a maximum 30 points from their six fixtures so far – a third of the entire schedule.
Dunfermline and Grangemouth Stags are sharing second place on 19 points and meet at Glensburgh. Glenrothes and Ellon also meet.
Sixteen fixtures across the three Caledonia divisions – more than two a week so far – have not been played because of lack of bodies.
Blairgowrie, with five wins from five all with try bonuses, are the leaders of Caley Two but face a difficult trip to Forthill to take on a resurgent Panmure, lying third.
In Division Three, Arbroath lead from Rosyth and Dundee Morgan, who meet at Harley Street.