Grangemouth made the short trip across the Forth to Tillicoultry last Saturday to face Hillfoots. The Stags were unchanged up front but rearranged their backline. Balfour and Sloan were back in the starting lineup and there were positional changes for Stanley and Coyle. The home side played up the slope in the first half and had the early possession.

However they were unable to break down the Stags defence. After 5 minutes Grangemouth attacked from deep and Johnny Venter scythed through the home defence before rounding the fullback for the opening score. Coyle added the extras. The Stags remained on top in the first quarter but were making too many handling errors and failed to increase their lead. Then on 20 minutes an attempted clearing kick was charged down and Sikora was able to force his way over for an unconverted score. Hillfoots then had a good spell of pressure . They were wide with a penalty attempt before opening their account with a kick just before halftime. HT Foots 3 Stags12.

Playing uphill in the second half the Stags started strongly. Venter made the initial break and Coyle was hauled down just short of the line. The ball was recycled and once again Sikora was on hand to drive over for the try. Coyle added the simple conversion. Hillfoots then almost scored but some fantastic defence held the player up over the line and the chance was lost. On 55 minutes Grangemouth collected the bonus point score. They pinned the home side in their 22 and after a number of phases the ball was moved wide and Venter dived over for the try. Coyle was unable to add the extras. A few minutes later another series of phases ended when Balfour kicked to the corner and Stanley collected the ball to score. Coyle added an excellent kick from near the touchline. The final quarter was a messy affair with both sides unable to hold onto the ball. Sloan had to leave the field with a dislocated shoulder. Then Foots were again held up over the line before the game ended after an injury to a home player. FT Foots 3 Stags 31.

This was a hard fought victory for the Stags. The home side defended well and Grangemouth struggled to get their ball carriers over the gain line. In addition the Stags know they need to improve how they look after the ball in contact for future games. Ferguson was man of the match. This week the Stags are back at home as they face Dundee at Glensburgh with KO 3pm.