Sunny Jim calls on his players to up their game
SELKIRK chairman Jim Moody is taking himself off to Majorca today for a week's R & R.
Some may say he needs it following last weekend’s 7-0 thumping by league leaders Spartans.
He will, however, be taking his ‘holiday phone’ with him (it still has 1.40 left in it from the last trip) and is expecting gladder tidings to reach him from Whitehill Welfare’s Ferguson Park as he lies on his sunbed sipping sangria tomorrow.
“The boys have a lot to prove this weekend and will just have to pull themselves up, dust themselves down and up the tempo,” he told The Wee Paper.
“Last week’s result was disappointing to say the least – two mistakes cost us dear and we have a lot to prove now. It’s a test of character and it will sort the men from the boys.”
Selkirk have Barry Milven on holiday and Grant Gass suspended, while Jason Cockburn has a slight injury worry. On the bright side, new boy Ross McManus is likely to figure after a promising debut last week. But despite the former Vale man’s input into the game, uninitiated observers wouldn’t have had much trouble working out which team was at the bottom of the premier division table and which was top.
Spartans kicked off into the surprisingly-bright sunshine, but it was Selkirk who were soon dazzled and a disastrous seven-minute spell saw the game effectively over.
In the 21st minute Spartans’ Donal Henretty placed a header beyond keeper John Dodds and, straight from kick-off, the ball was back in the Selkirk half with Keith McLeod in acres of space to run on and find the net. Two minutes later, McLeod grabbed another and completed his hat-trick in the 28th minute as he chested down a long ball to fire home.
The Souters did come close shortly before half-time as Grant Gass swung at the ball during a bit of pinball in the home penalty area, but his effort came back off the post.
Normal service was resumed after the restart following some near misses by the hosts.
McLeod found himself in plenty of space to nod into the net in the 53rd minute. He notched his fifth a couple of minutes later when the visiting defence was caught napping, the striker picking up a loose ball and firing home.
Spartans seventh arrived in the 66th minute when Gavin Malin followed up a rebound to knock the ball in.
The introduction of Alan Jackson and Ryan Clapperton brought the Souters a bit more urgency upfront and they had a chance of a consolation goal 10 minutes from time as Jackson got in behind the defence, but his effort was headed off the line by Ross Archibald.
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Weather for Selkirk
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
