Hockey – Scotland v Ireland – ‘The Celtic Series’, Match 2

Ireland turn up the wick for Match 2

Already a game down to Ireland in The Celtic Series, Scotland fielded a few more of their more experienced players for Match 2 in the three match series.

Ireland, for their part looked fairly settled from the previous match.

Scotland pressurised the Irish defence early on, but as soon as the visitors had the ball, they were in command. An quick break came to naught as the forward player slipped on the pitch, but by four minutes in, they were a goal up when Emily Beatty pounced on a rebound from a penalty corner drive.

Another PC then put Ireland two up on eight minutes, this one from Yvonne O’Byrne.

Scotland made a couple of breaks deep into the Irish half, but they were easily mopped up. The best effort from open play came late in the first quarter when Sarah Jamieson had a chance in the area, but O’Byrne got her tackle in to clear. Just prior to this, the Scots had seen Emily Dark’s drag flick just go wide.

Ireland’s third goal came a few seconds before the close of the first quarter. Dierdre Duke found a loose clearance from another Irish PC and reversed her shot into the top of the net over the prone Lucy Camlin in the Scots’ goal.

The second quarter was more of the same, with the Scottish defence coming under immense pressure and the front division living off the few scraps which got through

However, it wasn’t until the second half that Ireland added to their tally with another goal from open play, this one from the stick of Ellan Curran on 32 minutes.

Four minutes later, it was five. The home side had upped their game and were pressing Ireland, but, again, the ball was lost and the lightning fast Irish attack got the ball up to Scotland’s D where a poor tackle Anna O’Flanagan saw a penalty stroke awarded, which Zoe Wilson fired home for 5-0.

With 24 minutes of the match still to play, things were looking dire for the Scot’s side, but a brief moment of brightness two minutes after Wilson’s goal saw Lucy Lanagan convert a Scot’s PC for 5-1, sliding in to guide the strike past the Irish keeper.

Scotland were still pressing as the match entered the final few minutes and reward came as Charlotte Watson found herself a couple of metres out from goal on the end a superb through ball from the captain, Kaz Cuthbert, and slid the ball past the keeper for Scotland’s second.

However, Irelend were not quite finished and rounded off a fine display with goal number six with 40-odd seconds left to play as O’Flanagan from the final PC of the match.

So, 6-2 to, The World Cup bound Irish, on a damp day in Glasgow leaves Scotland, and their search for a new coach, wondering where to go next.

Final match of the series is tomorrow (Sunday) at the GNHC on Glasgow Green with an 11:00am push-back.

Images from the match will appear here over the next few days.