Jed-Forest 28
Watsonians 20
PREMIER B
FIONA SCOTT reports from Riverside Park
IT MAY have been a bit chilly for the good turnout of supporters at Riverside Park on Saturday, but the home side didn’t take long to chase away the winter blues in this thoroughly entertaining fixture.
Setting out their stall right from the off, the Jed pack knocked the Watsonians scrum for six after just three minutes. Darren Gillespie picked the ball up inside the visitors’ 22 and found David Gobby who went over the line to score.
Robert Hogg was a lucky laddie only to be yellow-carded on seven minutes for a dangerous tackle and Jed were a man down. Watsonians made the numbers count and Jamie Niven scampered over with Brian Walls adding the conversion.
Three minutes later, Jed were back in the ascendancy when Iain Chisolm set up Gregor Young to sear in at the corner, but the visitors were desperate to keep in touch and equalised through a Walls penalty goal.
The boot was on the other foot in the second quarter when Watsonians were reduced to 14 men, Jack Ferguson sent off for a professional foul, and soon after Jed were five points ahead when Young cruised in for a second try. Half time score: Jed-Forest 15 Watsonians 10.
The city men came out like a whirlwind after the restart and it took only two minutes for them to grab the equaliser through Dylan Brass. Once again, however, the visitors were reduced in numbers when No8 Mark Johnson was sent to the bin and Jed piled the pressure on with Ross Goodfellow going in for the bonus-point try. Ewan Scott found his kicking boots in time to slot the conversion and the hosts regained the edge.
As had been the way of the game, though, the tides turned and when Jed lost John Szkudro to the sin-bin with 15 minutes to go, ’Sonians took their chances and Mark Rennie crashed over. The conversion was missed and Jed edged away again through a Scott penalty, but with 10 minutes remaining it was still anyone’s game.
A missed penalty by Scott produced a mass groan from onlookers, but with three minutes remaining the groans turned to cheers when the home stand-off bagged three points to put his side eight points in front. Watsonians lost Ed Hunter to the sin-bin and despite a brave attempt at trying for the consolation bonus point they failed to reach the line, leaving Jed to take a much-deserved first win in Premier B.
Jed-Forest: I. Chisholm; G. Young, R. Hogg, K. Aitchison, D. Gobby; E. Scott, R. Goodfellow; A. Ions, D. Grieve, A. Croiuro, P. Hill, M. Weekley, A. Nagle, D. Grieve, D. Gillespie. Subs: J. Szkudro, G. Nagle, S. Raeburn, J. Hogg.