Leith lose out in 2nd/3rd battle

In the fixture which was postponed in December due to adverse weather and then ‘Christmas Tree gate’, Forrester and Leith finally locked horns on a cold but bright day in the West of Edinburgh. In fact before kick off the game was plunged into doubt as the far side of the pitch, shaded by trees, had yet to still thaw out. The referee declared that he had seen worse and we would see how it went and both sides were just happy to get on with the game.

Forrester started with the majority of possession and territory as they looked to put Leith to the sword early. However some resolute defence, solid tackles and important turnovers gave the away side some ball to attack with themselves. However much like at the other end, despite putting a few phases together we were finding a defence which was hard to break down. After one missed penalty opportunity, Kenny Dannfald was handed another which he duly accepted to put Leith 3-0 up with 20 minutes played.

Unfortunately from here the game followed the same script as other Forrester/ Leith games this season – Leith applying themselves well for 20 minutes and competing with our opposition however then switching off and conceding silly tries which would effectively put us out of the match. After a couple of soft tries conceded and one penalty try given when Mark Phillips was adjudged to have tackled the player high as he dived into score (in fact Mark injured himself diving on the ice trying to make the tackle!) meant that Leith were down but not completely out at half time.

Leith knew that a start like we had in the 1st half as well as converting some of our chances would mean that we could claw our way back into the game. However these words went unfulfilled and more slack play at the start of the 2nd half killed the game off as a contest. Leith were not for giving up completely though as the defence put in a shift to stop further scores. Special mention goes to Jamie Malcolm, making his first start for the club at 12, who made tackle after tackle against opposition runners - often far larger than himself!

Leith did manage a couple of scores, first through Ryan Burgess who, returning to the blue and white as his parent club RHC did not have a fixture, made a trademark break after a quick tap penalty, jinking and stepping his way to the try line. Next Kenny Dannfald made use of good footwork from 5ms out to beat his man and touched down as Blair Skipper gave him the final pass.

Final score Forrester 45 – 13 Leith

Leith can take some solace in that fact it was an improved performance from last week and that they can compete with teams above them in the division for spells. However what the result also demonstrates is the need to achieve larger numbers at training week in week out and that to be able to beat more organised teams like Forrester, we need to play for the full 80 minutes and not switch off. Congratulations to the South Gyle side on their promotion.

Tries – Ryan Burgess, Kenny Dannfald

Penalty – Kenny Dannfald

MotM – Jamie Malcolm