Grove coach confident as leaders face triple test

Grove Menzieshill are setting the pace in the Subway men’s indoor national league, but coach Bruce Cuthill is fully aware that today’s three fixtures against city rivals VWS Dundee Wanderers, Glynhill Kelburne and Grange could really test his resources. “It will be difficult to take nine points,” he said. “All teams in this league can take points off each other, but I am confident we can win the three games.”

While Cuthill was satisfied with last weekend’s 11-goal destruction of Greaves Clydesdale and a 2-1 win over reigning champions Inverleith, the latter’s coach, Stuart Neave, was far from downcast. “Our performance was better than the previous game against Grange,” he said. “It was an even contest where we did not convert our opportunities.”

Today, his charges face Western Wildcats and Cala Edinburgh. The Wildcats have a wealth of scoring talent in brothers Douglas and Joe Simpson along with Scott McCartney, and they could be the greatest danger to Neave’s target of retaining the indoor crown. Neave has Chris Grassick and Phil Hall back in his squad.

Grange have games against Cala, Western, and a final tilt at Menzieshill. “It is always a massive challenge against Menzieshill and they played well last weekend, so we will have to be at our best to compete,” said David Knipe, Grange’s coach, who added: “Cala have caused us problems anytime we have played them, and I don’t think there is anything between Grange and Western.”

Kelburne continue to be an enigma indoors. Second bottom of the table last season, the Paisley outfit sit with Menzieshill at the top after back-to-back wins over VWS Dundee Wanderers and Cala last week.

Manager Harry Coles said: “Our guys did a very good job, but we will have to play better to be competitive against the likes of Menzieshill.”

Consistency could again be the issue for Kelburne, who should see off Clydesdale and Western, but Menzieshill could expose some of their frailties.

Cala Edinburgh will have to put out a bigger squad if they hope to take something from city rivals Grange and Inverleith.

Something must give at the top when Milne Craig Western and Grove Menzieshill clash in the women’s game of the day. Western coach Neil Menzies believes his young side have matured sufficiently to make a real challenge, and the Grove encounter will be the first real test.

“Should we manage the level we achieved in the second half of the Cala game, then we are capable of winning,” he said.

Western will be without international defender Catriona Ralph due to a hand injury, but Nicki Skrastin is back after missing last week.