Perthshire 31 – Musselburgh 30

The fans turned out, the sun turned out and even good fortune turned out in the end as Shire squeezed a one point victory over Musselburgh. However, all the good work might eventually be to no avail as Haddington thumped Hawick YM leaving Shire still trailing them by 3 points. The Eagles now need to beat Hawick YM at Hawick on 23rd March and hope that Musselburgh can beat Haddington.
This game was a real roller coaster with both teams having long spells of dominating the other and Shire were fighting for their future while Musselburgh were fighting for their pride and the crowd were entertained with a hugely exciting match which produced 3 stings in the tail. Andy Whitelaw struck first blood with a penalty but Burgh hit back with 2 O’Hagan penalties and their forwards were looking very sharp and turned Shire over far too easily. The Eagles looked distinctly nervous as confusion in midfield allowed Musselburgh back on the attack and they were just short with another penalty. Shire were dispossessed while attacking the line and Musselburgh broke clear for what was going to be another try but somehow Shane Imo backtracked and a superb tackle saved the try although Imo was rewarded with a yellow card as his tackle was slightly high and the referee decided Shire had committed too many penalties. Shire lost turnover ball and Cook was set free again for a score converted by O’Hagan. However, reuben elley picked up from the back of a scrum and tore a hole in the Burgh defence to release quick ball for Adam Pattinson to dive over and narrow the gap. Shire were awarded another penalty as half time approached but instead of trying for the 3 points they took a quick ball but kicked away possession and the chance of points.
The 2nd half started with a rejuvenated Shire and a great break by Imo and Whitelaw saw the Eagles charge for the line but a dropped pass meant the opportunity was missed. A moment later they were again on the rampage but the ball was lost then Imo produced another moment of shear magic as he wrong footed the defence to slide between the posts for a great try converted by Whitelaw. Shire were now leading by 2 points and on fire. Musselburgh failed to find touch with a penalty and Matt Rae grabbed the ball and took off at pace through the Burgh defence making at least 40 metres before being brought down. James Forrester who certainly knows what to do when he has the ball a couple of metres from the line managed to score with half the Musselburgh forwards on his back and Shire were now leading 25 – 13. Whitelaw chipped in with another penalty and it looked as though Shire were cantering to victory and looking for the bonus. Unfortunately, the last quarter seemed to be Shire’s undoing once again and Musselburgh looked the fitter and hungrier team with the forwards even winning their own kick offs as Shire struggled to keep up the pace. Musselburgh kicked off after Whitelaw’s penalty, caught the ball, and full back Gahan ran through the defence to score and it was game on again for Musselburgh. Shire were trying to open the game up and a long pass from Imo to Tom Pople split the visiting defence but Pople couldn’t hold it and the chance was lost. Shire were under the cosh now and after a 22 drop out was charged down they were facing a huge onslaught and eventually the defence wilted to allow Hook over for another try and the lead was down to 1 point. What followed will be a talking point for years to come. With a couple of minutes to go Hook struck over a penalty and it looked as though the heartache of Kirkcaldy was about to be repeated and Musselburgh had stolen the game. However, Shire hit back and were awarded a penalty 25 metres out in front of the posts. They vented their disgust to the referee and were marched back 10 metres to make the kick a formality for the usually reliable Andy Whitelaw. The result is too painful to write about and as the final seconds ticked away Shire were stung into action again and just when it looked as though nothing was on, Shane Imo collected the ball from Gav Bloice and sent a drop goal over the bar with the last move of the game and Shire had won by the closest of margins. Everything now hinges on the final game and the coaches have the problem of what to do until the 23rd March. Do they arrange friendlies to improve match fitness or do they play safe and just train for the big match. Whatever happens their will no doubt be a full bus travelling to Hawick on the 23rd.