Scotland women’s interim head coach Chris Duncan (pictured) looked forward to potential matches against Wales in a positive mood following an encouraging win double over a capable Great Britain Elite Development squad at Peffermill.
The Edinburgh-based playcaller, who is assisted by Vicky Bunce from Tayside, guided the new-look squad to back-to-back wins by 2-0 and 3-2, after being 2-0 and 3-1 ahead, at Edinburgh’s Peffermil on Sunday and Monday.
Wales have yet to confirm but the Scotland squad hope they make the trip to Edinburgh from the Principality later this month (September 25/26) for a double-header to continue their development.
The match-up would be beneficial for both side as they are both fighting for a World Cup slot in the qualifiers in Rome in October.
Either side may not wish to play their full hand, but Duncan, director of hockey at Edinburgh Academy, said: “If the games do get played (against Wales) they could be another valuable step in our development.
“Overall, we have worked hard for the past four weeks, bringing in new systems and thoughts and we have also worked hard on our defensive set-up. We learned a great deal from the Great Britain tests and we are grateful to them for coming to Edinburgh.
“We have also had had a tendency to think defensively rather than be aggressive in our approach and we are addressing that. We are also trying to simplify the game.”
Duncan played some girls out of position at Peffermill to see if they could adapt to the new situation.
The former Scottish international added: “We also tried some young players in pivotal positions to see if they could cope. We may have turned the ball over a times but, overall, the signs are encouraging.
“Yes, there were some teething problems, but we have all learned from the games and the entire coaching team believe we have made positive steps forward.”
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