Selkirk came into Saturday’s away game against GHK seeking a much-needed win in their National League Division One campaign, after a disappointing defeat to Glasgow Accies the previous weekend.
However, the search goes on after a tight 21-15 defeat at Old Anniesland leaves the Souters at the foot of the table.
The scoreline tells only part of the story though: the Border men led twice on the road and were within touching distance of a morale-boosting victory until the closing stages.
The result means four defeats from five since the start of the season, and Selkirk’s attack remains the lowest scoring in the division with 83 points. Despite this, conceding 160 points is a more reassuring stat and is comparative to teams in the higher echelons of the board like Marr and Gala.
Indeed, for long spells at Glasgow, the visitors showed the fight and attacking intent that suggest better days are around the corner.
It was the hosts who made the brighter start, going in front early with a converted try but Selkirk responded in determined fashion in the shape of Oliver McClymont who, cool under pressure, slotted a penalty to get them on the board and reduce the deficit. This was soon followed by Robbie Macdonell – the scorer of Selkirk’s only try the previous weekend – who crossed for the side’s first try of the afternoon. Having fought their way back into the contest, the boys took an 8-7 lead into the half-time break.
The second half followed the same tug-of-war style of scoring. GHK struck first after the interval, regaining the lead with another converted try but Selkirk refused to be shaken. Josh Welsh found a way over the whitewash, and McClymont added the conversion to put the boys back in front by a single point.
With the momentum swinging back and forth, the closing stages were always going to be tense. Unfortunately for Selkirk, it was the home side who found the decisive score late on, and the visitors could not hold on to what would have been a hugely welcome win.
Head coach Derek O’Riordan can take heart from the resilience shown, but the challenge for the boys now is undoubtedly turning promising performances into points.
That opportunity comes with a home fixture against Biggar on Saturday, a meeting between the division’s bottom two sides. With the home crowd behind them, the Souters will be eager to put things right at Philiphaugh, where kick-off is at 3pm.
