Published: Monday, 17th September, 2007 16:30
Wanderers blow chance for home points
By Chris Fitzgerald
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CHASING DOWN: Wanderers v Annan
Pic by: Kris Cairns
Wanderers 6, Annan 7
WANDERERS captain Dave Craven has urged his team-mates to raise their game after a disappointing home defeat to Annan on Saturday.
The Aussie was as dismayed as the Greenock on-lookers following a lacklustre display against the Borders outfit at Fort Matilda.
After two opening away defeats, this game was penned in as a must-win, given most of Wanderers’ pre-Christmas fixtures will be on the road, where points will be hard to come by.
Annan, like Wanderers, are a young side and they were certainly there for the taking. Had Wanderers’ kicking been sharper, and Lady Luck smiled on occasion, the narrow one-point defeat would have been more than reversed in the locals’ favour.
As it transpired, the game was a turgid affair, confined to middle of the park rucking and mauling, with little in the way of fluidity or flair.
Kevin Murray, at stand-off for the second week, did make the most of an early penalty from 26 yards or so, firing between the posts to offer the homesters an early lead.
Sadly for Murray, he would only score once more from the kicking tee, despite the generous amount of penalties gifted by Annan, and there was no further scoring in a drab first half.
However, the recycled ball was used to good effect and only stout Annan defending thwarted a Brendan McGroarty tilt at the line, as Wanderers looked to press home their advantage.
Murray’s second penalty came early in the second half, but a converted try for Annan would still be enough to put them in the lead and, despite missing penalties of their own, that’s just what they did.
The turning point of the match came in 55 minutes when a catch and drive from a lineout near to the hosts’ line led to Annan flanker Ewan Braid burrowing over for a try. Smith converted and Annan had snatched the lead 7-6.
The locals then put in the move of the game. Jason Smith tore strips off the field from his own half, evading challenges left, right and centre as he did so, before feeding McGroarty on the right. Sadly McGroarty’s pass to the overlapping Kevin Murray was just a fraction too far behind and thus sailed into touch.
Annan did put a similar move together late on, but McGroarty ensured there would be no further scoring with a bone-crunching hit which took winger Andrew Jancey out of play on the left flank.
Wanderers face a difficult match away at Barnton next week against Royal High/ Corstorphine and will have to improve significantly if wins are to be recorded on the road. The locals currently sit third bottom in National One with one solitary point from three games.
President Donnie Cunningham said: “We should have taken more out of the game than a lose bonus point, but we will soldier on. At the end of the day, even if one of the kicks had gone over, it would have meant a win and a real boost in terms of morale. We’ll take what we can from it, put it behind us and move onto to the next game.”
Wanderers: J Stewart, J Smith, B McGroarty, C Clark (c), N Wright, K Murray, A McDougall, M Rodger, S Chundoo, M Coyle, S Bleasdale, J Mooney, A Abernethy, C Robb, G Mooney. Replacements, D Craven (for M Rodger 53 mins injury), A Devlin (for J Stewart 68 mins injury), L Scully not used.
l Wanderers are sponsored by National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd. Match sponsor: James Kane and Sons.
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