After a week of delayed ferries, Shetland rugby club did not truly expect their fixture away to Deeside to go ahead, and it can only be said that it showed during a disjointed performance from the Blues.
The squad were in good spirits as they travelled down on Friday nights boat to Aberdeen, and were buoyed by the arrival of the student contingent who met them in the morning. They were further bolstered by the arrival of Jimmy Smale in Aboyne, who packed down at Number 8. The forwards also included a returning Stewart Mouat at flanker, with Captain Matthew Nicolson on the other side of the scrum. James ‘Maori’ Sinclair joined Iain Robertson in the second row, with Craig Mann moving to prop.
The backline once again had a different look about it, with Jon Pulley, earning his 50th cap, starting at stand off. Callum Williamson moved from wing to scrum half, Danny Farnworth taking the number 11 shirt. Maurice Williamson began at inside centre to allow Brett Haining to make his debut for Shetland in the outside centre berth. Paul Grant continued at full back, with Iain Nicol down the right wing.
Deeside won the toss and elected to kick off the match. A good chase from the pack saw them win the ball and after working through a couple of phases, the home centre was able to break through the visitor’s defence to score beside the posts. The conversion was scored by the stand off to give the home side a very early 7-0 lead. Shetland tried to recover from this, and despite a good chase from the restart, Deeside won the ball again and decided to counter attack. The Shetland defence was immediately on the back foot and eventually outnumbered allowing the winger to extend the home lead.
Poor organisation in the Shetland defence gave Deeside another score before the visitors finally stuttered into life. Strong running from Grant gave Shetland some forward momentum and Mouat took the ball on further before being cynically blocked after chipping ahead. Unfortunately, the Shetland flanker reacted and was sent to the sin bin, putting the visitors down to 14 men for ten minutes.
Although the players on the field upped their work rate while playing with reduced numbers, they were still a bit panicky when in possession and were unable to make a positive difference to the scoreline. After Mouat returned to the field they seemed to settle again somewhat, although Deeside were able to claim the four try bonus point with two further scores.
Shetland were once again temporarily reduced to 14 when Jimmy Smale was penalised for infringing at a ruck and was also shown the yellow card. Once again, the Blues upped the intensity and were finally able to get on the score sheet from a Grant penalty after Pulley was hauled back when chasing his kick in front of the posts.
Shetland were restored to their full compliment after the successful penalty, and were able to hold out for the remainder of the half. No changes were made at half time and the visitors kicked off again to get the second period underway, but again began the half slowly and Deeside took advantage with another score. The conversion was missed, but the lead was growing and Shetland needed to get their act together.
The decision was taken to concentrate first on defending, and not worry too much about attacking play. Despite being firmly camped in their own 22 for the next quarter of the match, Shetland held firm and were able to keep the home side at bay, despite one or two close calls. Eventually though the guard was broken, and Deeside’s Fijian centre went over to extend the lead further.
Once again, when the result was no longer in doubt, Shetland were able to attack with greater purpose, gaining field position through the boot of Grant and strong running from Robbie Hall, Danny Farnworth and replacement Ben Allinson. After being awarded a penalty, Matthew Nicolson took a quick tap and was stopped just short of the tryline. The ball was slow coming back, and the home defence were able to reorganise and close down Shetland’s backline quickly, but Pulley sent over a drop goal to get some more points on the board.
With time running out, however, it was to be the home side who would have the final say, scoring another try to seal the game at 41-6, the missed conversion being the last action of the match.
Although roundly beaten, there were some good individual performances in the Shetland team. In the forwards, Matthew Nicolson again stood out, with Kristian Fraser also putting in a good shift in the loose and the scrum. In the backline Maurice Williamson was solid again, with Farnworth, Nicol and Haining all playing well, the latter particularly impressive given that it was his first match. The Man of the Match award went to Paul Grant though, who was reliable all day with the boot and with ball in hand.
A spokesman said the club would like to thank Northlink Ferries for their continued support. Shetland’s next match is at home to Aberdeen Wanderers tomorrow. The match at Clickimin kicks off at 12 noon, and Shetland will be looking to get their season back on track after consecutive defeats. The Blues beat Wands the last time the two sides met, and a repeat performance would sit very well with the home support.
Training continues on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Clickimin, starting at 6.30pm. All players and anyone interested in playing the game are invited to attend.