Sport / ‘Let them worry about us’ – Shetland through to third District Cup final in succession after huge result
SHETLAND’S ladies hockey team have created more history by making it to a third Scottish District Cup final in three years.
Coach Derek Leask said Sunday’s 4-1 semi-final win over Glasgow Accies was among the best performances Shetland has produced since he and wife Brenda Leask took charge of the team.
That comprehensive victory came against a side who are division one and District Cup champions for the West of Scotland.
Leask reckons Accies “probably would have been considered the favourites” going into Sunday’s clash.
But goals from Cara Leask, Sarah Williamson, Kristan Robertson and a late Megan Hibbert penalty flick mean it is the blues who are preparing for a third successive District Cup showpiece later this month.
“Glasgow Accies are really quite good, they’re a top side,” Leask said.
“It was probably one of our better performances, it was a really composed, mature display.
“It was one of those games we had to play hard to win 4-1. We never felt like we have won this game, we had to work relentlessly.
“We held in at times and created a lot of chances. I was really impressed.”
Beating one Scottish champion is one thing, but Shetland will need to beat a second if they want to get their hands on the District Cup for a second time.
Standing in their way is East of Scotland champions-in-waiting Edinburgh Hockey 2’s, who beat holders Edinburgh University 4s to earn their place in the final.
“It will be great accolade if we can beat them, they’ve beaten Edinburgh Uni 4’s who we know are a good team,” Leask said.
He thinks years of continued success on the pitch – including in the inter-county fixture, which Shetland have now won two years running – have fostered a winning ethos in the squad.
“Definitely one of the hardest things is keeping that mentality, and we’ve just been trying to regain that mentality with three games in six weeks.
“But if you remember the game in Orkney last year, when it went to extra-time we had to really dig in to get that result.”
Shetland now have three weeks to prepare for the final on Sunday 27 April – welcome respite after playing three rounds away from home in less than two months.
Asked why that was, Leask said Scottish Hockey “haven’t been very good at organising” the Scottish District Cup this year.
“They ended up with a backlog of fixtures after the winter,” he said.
“For a team like us, it puts a hell of a lot of pressure on us.
“They’ve admitted themselves they’ve no helped the teams this year.”
The lasses will head straight back onto the training pitch this Thursday to begin the countdown to another final.
Leask said they had been playing against the men’s side – who agonisingly lost their own reserve plate semi-final on penalty flicks on Saturday – for match practice heading into the District Cup fixtures.
The Shetland coach said they did not know too much about their final opponents, but would prepare as always to take the game to them.
“We’re an offensive side, so we’ll try to cause them problems and attack them,” he said.
“The team have enough about them now that when things aren’t going their way, they found a solution.
“Let them worry about us.”
Shetland will meet Edinburgh Hockey Club 2s in the Scottish District Cup at the Glasgow national hockey centre on Sunday 27 April.
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