GREENOCK Wanderers suffered the ignominy of recording the biggest ever defeat in the club’s history on Saturday when they were trounced ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT points to nil by Howe of Fife at Duffus Park in the BT National League Second Division.

It was an embarrassing and humiliating result that will cause much consternation within the membership at Fort Matilda and one that will no doubt have ramifications for the playing side of the club as the season progresses.

Wanderers’ personnel problems have been well documented this term and the non-availability of top team players has reached epidemic proportions. Whether such non-availability is down to poor commitment levels of the players or due to an extraordinary set of circumstances leading to so many individuals being absent at the same time is something only the inner sanctum at the club will know but whatever the answer is it will have to found quickly before the season unravels completely.

The squad that travelled to Fife on Saturday did so in good faith and tried their best against an excellent Howe of Fife side that are favourites to win the title. Irrespective of that, losing over a hundred points to a side that is in the same division is totally unacceptable for a club of Wanderers’ standing.

No less than ten players who would normally have been expected to start the match were unavailable and that led to head coach Graham Knox selecting a plethora of youngsters and reserve team players to replace them in what was always likely to the local side’s most difficult away match of the season.

The story of the game almost pales into insignificance against the backdrop of the result but Wanderers again suffered injuries to key figures and ended up a shambles as the hosts ran riot and scored almost at will.

Scrum-half Andy McDougall and inside-centre Gregor Fletcher had to retire injured and skipper and lock-forward Murray MacDonald ended up playing in the front row, such was the make-shift nature of this Wanderers selection.

Former captain Ally Abernethy joined MacDonald, McDougall, Fletcher and winger James Ward in posting a worthwhile performance but in general the team effort was non-existent as a rampant Howe side cruelly exposed Wanderers tackling deficiencies.

The pattern of the game was set from the start. Greenock’s kick-off failed to go 10 metres but as the Wanderers’ players dithered expecting a re-take the hosts played advantage and ran up the park and scored. Thereafter the nightmare unfolded as Howe ran in seven more tries before the interval and with goal-kicker Dom Martin in fine form the 54-0 half-time scoreline did not flatter the hosts in the slightest.

Coach Knox did his best to rally his beleaguered troops at the break and his words clearly had a galvanising effect as the locals held out during the opening 15 minutes of the second half.

The withdrawal of McDougall and Fletcher, who had tackled bravely throughout, though put paid to any hopes of damage limitation as the floodgates opened and Howe went on the rampage.

Eight more tries, seven of them converted by Martin, followed as Howe played some excellent, fast and free-flowing rugby lapped up by the home support. For the record the Fifers crossed the Wanderers line sixteen times with full-back Chris Martin scoring four tries and centre Scott Busby dotting down twice. Ten other players also got in on the ‘try-fest’ as the hosts showed a clinical and merciless streak to their finishing. The full-time whistle came as a comfort to Wanderers who must take a long hard look at themselves this week and address the personnel issues that caused Saturday’s embarrassing defeat.

A shell-shocked Wanderers president John McDougall said: “We always knew this was going to be a hard game but I certainly didn’t foresee a defeat as large as this. We have no other option but to take it on the chin and regroup ahead of what is an equally difficult game next week at home to Hamilton.” “We will analyse all aspects of today’s defeat and identify areas that we can improve on. We have been hampered by personnel problems but hopefully these will ease over the next few weeks.” Greenock host title contenders Hamilton next Saturday at Fort Matilda and it will be interesting to see how this current side reacts to Saturday’s defeat which was in terms of results the blackest day in Wanderers history.

Wanderers are sponsored by Texas Instruments