Ninth/tenth place play-off: Scotland 7, Ghana 2 (at The University of Birmingham)

Scotland men claimed ninth place in the ten-team Commonwealth Games men’s hockey tournament with a 7-2 win over tournament debutants Ghana.

Four goals in seven, fourth-quarter minutes eventually sunk the battling African side and it cold have been more had back-up goalkeeper Eugene Acheampong not saved with glove, pad, body and heel as Scotland turned the screw.

Dundee-born Jamie Golden, who plays for English cracks, Surbiton, claimed two and Scotland’s other strikes came from Struan Walker, Cameron Golden, Rob Harwood, Callum Duke and stand-in skipper Morton.

Earlier, former Kelburne star Morton led Scotland out in the absence of missing skipper Alan Forsyth and they started brightly, Harwood firing narrowly wide on the turn from the middle of the D.

The Blue Sticks continued to press the African side and Callum Mackenzie came close to connecting with a ball which flashed across the goalmouth from the right wing.

Jamie Golden forced the Ghana goalkeeper to save from a reverse stick shot on the left as the Africans were hemmed into their own half.

Seven minutes on the clock and Scotland were rewarded when Germany-based Struan Walker netted his third of the competition to open the Blue Sticks’ account from close in.

Ghana settled and forced Scotland back but they broke forward and it was 2-0 four minutes into the second quarter when Robert Field drove from half-way towards the D and Cameron Golden did the rest, slotting home at the far post.

Never-say-die Ghana broke and forced Scotland goalkeeper David Forrester to make a key block with seven minutes left of the quarter and they kept on coming forward.

And Forrester had to rush from his net to block another breakaway with a minute left of the first-half.

The signals were there and three minutes into the third quarter Ghana were back in the contest with the ball flashing into the net between the legs of goalkeeper Forrester from Emmanuel Ankomah as Scotland were down a man with Callum Duke in the penalty box.

Scotland hit back and earned a penalty corner but Jamie Golden flashed a drive over the top but he made no mistake minutes later with a rocket into the top corner from another penalty corner for 3-1.

Ghana’s indiscipline began to show and they were down to nine with two in the penalty box and they were 4-1 down 42 seconds into the final quarter when Walker sent the ball into the box and Rob Harwood sneaked in front of a defender to deflect the ball into the top right-hand corner. 

It was 5-1 seconds later when defender Callum Duke popped up on the right-hand side of the D and lashed the ball home low under the diving goalkeeper. 

And the Scots increased their advantage to 6-1 when Jamie Golden fired a penalty corner home for his second of the game with nine minutes left.

Stand-in skipper Morton made it 7-1 with a drive from the top of the circle before the Ghana side broke upfield and Francis Tettey prodded the ball home after a rebound from goalkeeper Tommy Alexander’s foot for 7-2 with six minutes remaining.

PICTURE: David Forrester (left) made two key stops against Ghana and he is pictured with Scotland coach Derek Forsyth.

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