Match Report – Sunday 21st March – Gents 1s

ESM 2 – Uddingston 2

It was honours even and a point each after a tight game between Uddingston Mens’ 1s and ESM on a chilly Saturday afternoon in Edinburgh.

Watched by a decent crowd, the two sides showed once again how closely matched they are, drawing for the third time in a row in the premier league, this time at 2-2.

The result leaves Uddingston in fourth place in the league, still two points ahead of ESM, and very much in contention for a top four finish and European playoffs with three games remaining. So, everything still to play for.

Uddingston started the stronger of the two teams and had ESM under considerable pressure early on. A couple of close Uddingston efforts kept the game finely, if frustratingly, poised.

Halfway through the first quarter, the imperious Glenn Turner picked up a quickly taken hit on the baseline, advanced toward the goal shielding it with his body from defenders and then flicked a devious pass back between his legs to Anup Valmiki who was open three yards out. Usually reliable, Valmiki snatched at the shot and pushed wide what was a point blank opportunity. It should have been 1-0 to Uddy.

One minute later, Turner did it again with another sneaky backpass between his legs to Max Strachan in the D, and this time the shot was saved. It could have been 2-0 after 10 minutes, but remained 0-0.

Having survived the initial onslaught, ESM started to come out of their shell, slinging the ball around with speed and showing moments of real individual quality. And it was ESM who won the first penalty corner of the match, safely batted away by Uddy goalie Nic Hadland.

ESM ramped up the pressure, running at the Uddy backline with speed and skill. Repeated circle entries and a string of penalty corners put Uddingston under real stress, but Hadland stood tall, blocked, dived and scrambled, and in a man-of-the-match performance kept the score at 0-0 at the end of the first period.

The hockey was fiercely contested throughout and of a high quality, though Uddingston struggled to adapt their wide game to an unusually narrow pitch. ESM are clearly an exceedingly well-drilled side who were promoted to the premier league only a couple of seasons ago and who now look like the genuine article.

In the second quarter, the game flowed from an end to end. Uddingston played with growing confidence, driving into their opponent’s D with purpose and tenacity. With typical determination, Matty Young dived full length just to keep the ball from running off the sideline and captured a couple of soaring aerials. But ESM countered with equal gusto winning the first two penalty corners of the quarter.

The first was well saved by Hadland. The drag flick for the second caught an unlucky deflection off a defender’s stick and ricocheted into the Uddy goal for 1-0. Given that Uddingston could easily have been three ahead at this point, this was unfortunate.

Uddy kept fighting and were duly awarded their first penalty corner of the game about mid-way through the second quarter. A mistrapped injection, jeered by the home crowd, saw the ball bouncing harmlessly behind the first castle.

But with groans still on the lips of Uddy’s supporters, Stephen MacKenzie picked up the ball, passed it on to Max Strachan who then fizzed it into the danger zone. In a flash, Uddy’s man-in-form Angus Sinclair batted the ball into the ESM goal for 1-1, and the Uddy groans became cheers.

Five minutes into the second half, now shielding their eyes from the low early Spring Sun, Uddy won a penalty corner, then a retake. On the second attempt, after a perfect injection, Angus Millar then deflected Sinclair’s flick against the back boards for 2-1.

Suddenly, with Uddingston scoring more freely, this game was starting to feel like a pleasant afternoon in the capital. Another goal or two, and the away fans, bolstered by a vocal bunch of the Mens’ 2s who played earlier, could relax and start to enjoy themselves.

But that hasn’t been the Uddy way in recent years. At 2-1 up, the team seemed to hesitate. Far from pushing for a third or a fourth, they sat back, let ESM come at them and lost some of their energy.

Inevitably, it was ESM who equalised. Just a minute or two before the end of the third quarter, the home team were awarded a penalty corner. The flick was efficiently charged down by MacKenzie, but the ball hopped gently up into the air. Playing what looked like a serve in tennis, an ESM player struck a shoulder-high volley into the turf which bounced into the Uddy net from close range. The umpires consulted. Was it too high or dangerous? They agreed it was not: 2-2.

The tension that had been in the air at the start of the game resurfaced once more in the latter phases. One more goal would be critical to the fortunes of either team going into the last few games of the season. Hadland saved another penalty corner, then the team blocked a second which had been injected out wide. Uddy had their own penalty corner, but couldn’t convert.

Valmiki, who fought like a tiger all day to regain possession of the ball, took down one too many ESM players from behind and trotted off for a rest, twice.

Luca Gardiner in the mid-field arguably had his best game of the season and was an authoritative presence; picking up loose balls, showing great stick skills and driving his team forward. Angus Millar continued his excellent form of recent matches and few ESM players were able to prize the ball from him.

Uddy caused themselves problems with some basic errors during the game allowing turnovers, poor passes and mistraps in an otherwise high standard of hockey. Perhaps because the hockey was so good, the errors stood out more when they occurred.

Joe Russell had another solid game and has established himself as a reliable and determined member of the Uddy team.

Uddy have two massive home games ahead this week, the mighty Western Wildcats on Thursday night followed by Watsons on Saturday. With ESM playing Edinburgh Uni in the week and then Grange on Saturday, we could know by the weekend if Uddy have made the European playoffs.

It would be classic Uddy to leave it all hanging on the last game, away against Grange, later in April. Let’s hope it’s all decided before then and we can return to Edinburgh next month for a jog in the park with a bunch of youngsters and nothing on the line. Some hope.

So, last two home games of the 2025/26 season this week, folks! If you were planning on supporting a home team on the very cusp of something special, now would be a good time to come along. The boys are looking good. Let’s give them a push.

Adrian Hadland

We stream our Saturday games live on our dedicated YouTube channel, UddyTV. Make sure you check out the latest game here – Uddy Hockey YouTube. 

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