Late collapse is so costly for Endrick

Huge lead blown as visitors end wait for win

Strathendrick 34 Uddingston .... 36

Endrick’s first home game of the season saw them them relinquish a 19-point lead in the second half as Uddingston recorded their first win against the Fintry men in 23 years.

For more than an hour on Saturday it looked as if the run would continue but the final 15 minutes of the match belonged to the visitors and they edged in front with only a couple of minutes left.

Strathendrick started off well after last week’s opening West League Two defeat at Cumnock and they missed a few scoring chances before Ewan MacKay showed his younger colleagues how to get over the line.

Kyle Campbell added the extras but that score seemed to stir the visitors and four minutes later they scored their opening try when their left wing crossed over.

The Fintry men were quickly back on the attack but were unable to make the last few yards and with quarter of the game gone the lead was still only two points. Within 10 minutes, though, they sparked into life and ran in three more tries through Stuart Forsyth, Dave Wallace and another from MacKay. Campbell kicked only one conversion but with only half an hour played Endrick had a healthy 24-5 lead and the try bonus point was in the bag.

Before the break Uddingston showed they were not out of it with a converted try. and just after the interval, a third try plus conversion cut the gap to five.

Campbell stretched that with a penalty and James Ogilvy restored the smiles with a fifth try and Campbell added the extras.

With 15 minutes left for play Endrick looked fairly safe with a 15-point lead but Uddingston were not prepared to leave it at that. Two converted tries in a three minute spell left them only one point adrift.

The visitors went all out for the winner in the closing stages and Endrick were forced to defend. They did this well enough but they could not win the ball and the backs-to-the-wall display slipped up once, giving Uddingston a penalty in front of the posts for the match winner.

Team: Campbell; Ross, Dunn, North, Wallace; Duff, Doyle; Gibson, Forsyth, Scott, Moore, E MacKay, Kerr, Tacquet and Callander. Replacements: Ogilvy, McLaughlin, McKay, Thomson and Anderson.

Tomorrow Endrick travel over the hill for a league match with Lenzie, kick-off 3pm.

Endrick 2nds put on a brave show against Uddingston’s 2nds and a 27-point tally will often be enough to take some league points but on this occasion Uddy’s six tries left Endrick empty handed in a 38-27 defeat.

Tomorrow Endrick 2nds have a league match away to Oban Lorn 2nds, with kick-off at 3pm.

For more than an hour it looked as if run would continue but the final 15 minutes belonged to the visitors