Greenock hoping to bounce back

William Dick • Published 11 Jun 2010 14:00 0 Comments

Share this

WEEKEND: Kevin McLaren.

GREENOCK may have broken their league duck last Saturday but the weekend ended in disappointment when they were knocked out of the Scottish Cup 24 hours later.

It is safe to assume there has been much soul-searching at Glenpark during the week and that Kevin McLaren's men will aim to repeat the form that saw them cruise to victory against McCrea FS West rather than the insipid display which allowed first division Stirling to win in the cup.

Greenock's frustration at their cup KO was merely heightened when Stirling were handed a quarter-final tie at Hamilton Crescent, a fixture which would have offered McLaren & Co a realistic prospect of a place in the semi-finals.

Such thoughts must be put aside though, when Forfarshire arrive at Glenpark tomorrow.

The Forthill side have made an encouraging start to life in the top flight following promotion last season, winning four of their seven games to date and sitting safely in mid-table.

In contrast Greenock, despite last week's win, remain rooted to the bottom of the table and will again start underdogs.

Club president David Campbell declared: "We have to get last Sunday out of our system and try to build on what we achieved against West.

"The players showed tremendous fight on Saturday and that's what we need from them every time they go on the park.

"We know we have limitations and we lack experience in crucial areas, but the guys showed against West what can be done when everyone strives to produce a bit extra."

There is little doubt Scotland star Richie Berrington, batting at number three and opening the bowling, was a significant factor in Greenock's win, with 36 runs and three wickets.

However, Berrington is back on Scotland duty this weekend, placing greater onus on the few experienced campaigners, like skipper McLaren, to play a lead role.

On the plus side, overseas amateur Courtney Kruger is expected to return after recovering from a broken finger and the Hong Kong internationalist should bolster the batting.

The Forthill side are also without a key performer in young Scotland all-rounder Matty Parker, but they do boast potential match-winners in former Saltires skipper Ryan Watson and prolific National Academy star Craig Wallace.

Campbell added: "We haven't played Forfarshire in a league fixture for a while, so it should be an interesting game."

Campbell also revealed he is looking forward to welcoming back Gus Reoch, a former Glenpark stalwart. Reoch, now a Forfarshire official, was a member of Greenock's 1976 Western Union winning side, a team captained by current committee member Roger Hardie and which also featured Campbell and Australia Test star Trevor Laughlin.

Campbell said: "It will be great to see Gus back at Glenpark. We'll no doubt do a fair bit of reminiscing about 1976."

Meanwhile the current crop may not yet aspire to winning titles, but a second SNCL success of the campaign would go down nicely.

Greenock Cricket Club is grateful for the support of the following: Matchball Sponsor - John Kirk. Match Sponsor - Allan and Catherine MacFeate. Presidential Suite Sponsor - Capital Managers LLP.

This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 11 Jun 10

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Sport archives.

Follow @greenocktele