Stags Pipped Again

The Stags were in league action for the first time in 2018 last Saturday as they welcomed old rivals Glenrothes to Glensburgh. Grangemouth made 3 changes from their last outing at Alloa with Roach in at wing forward, Shannon on the wing and a first start of the season for the veteran Johnstone at centre. The overnight rain had cleared but conditions were tricky with a soft pitch especially at the motorway end. Glenrothes kicked off and were immediately on the attack. Some poor tackling allowed the visitors into the home 22 and after a couple of drives close to the line they forced their way over for a converted score. Grangemouth hit back immediately. and Skelton landed a penalty a few minutes later. However the stand off was wide with a further attempt on 10 minutes. The Stags continued to press and took the lead on 15 minutes. They secured a lineout 5 metres out and the pack drove over the line with Scott collecting the touchdown. Skelton added the extras from a difficult angle. The home side pinned Glenrothes in their own half over the next 15 minutes but despite all the pressure were unable to add to their lead. With 5 minutes left in the half Glens had a rare attack and a clever offload saw the centre break through to score under the posts. The conversion was on target. HT Stags 10 Glens 14.

The visitors were again on the attack at the start of the second half. They were held up over the line but soon after they increased their lead with an unconverted try. From a lineout on the 22 they hit up in centrefield before switching back to the blindside for a score in the corner. Once again the Stags quickly responded. Skelton was just short with one penalty attempt before landing a similar kick a few minutes later. As the game entered the final quarter both sides were reduced to 14 by yellow cards following an off the ball scuffle. Glenrothes then kicked a penalty to restore their 9 point lead. The closing 10 minutes saw the Stags finally increase the tempo of their play. From a tap penalty inside the Glens 22 Skelton sliced through the defence to score. He duly added the extras. In another grandstand finish Skelton was wide with a long range penalty attempt before another lineout loss allowed the visitors to clear to touch and hang on for the victory. FT Stags 20 Glens 22.

This was a disappointing game and result for the Stags. They made far too many mistakes and with both sides giving away frequent penalties the game became very static. It was only in the closing 10 minutes that the home side showed any urgency in their play but once again were unable to secure the victory. This week the Stags travel to take on Dunfermline with KO 3pm