Match Report – Saturday 26th September – Gents 1s

Uddingston 4 – Grove Menzieshill 0

It’s been some time since the Uddingston Mens’ 1s started off a hockey season with two straight wins, but that has happily been the case in 2026/27.

The comfortable 4-0 win against Grove Menzieshill on Saturday was another signal that this squad has the potential to do amazing things this season, though sterner tests await.

It’s easy to forget how impressive the Uddingston set up has become in the last couple of years and there was a look of wonder on the faces of some of the arriving Grove players as they took in the new training facilities and gym plus the multi-camera live broadcast infrastructure.  Uddy is clearly a club with ambition and has the facilities and resources to make a deep impression on Scottish, and perhaps European, hockey in the coming years.

On the pitch, the Uddy 1s were dominant throughout. Grove spent most of the match pinned in their own half and weren’t able to fire off a single shot on target for the duration.

The Grove tactic was to go with the aerial ball, particularly from the back, but if you haven’t played much at Bothwell Castle, it can be easy to misjudge the infamous bounce of the pitch. Time and again, aerials from Findlay Duncan and the rest of the Grove backline dropped just in front of their players and kicked up for impossible half-volley traps or bounced high and harmlessly out of play.

The award for the most balletic performance of the day goes to Angus Sinclair who, on a number of occasions, caught aerial balls over his head by leaping into the air and with two handed broadsword interceptions somehow brought the evasive ball under control.

Grove did manage to find players once or twice in the Uddy D on the baseline, but they were unable to convert these into actual shots leaving Nic Hadland in the Uddy goal largely undisturbed for most of the match.

This was the match when new signing Euan Gilmour demonstrated his true potential to the Uddy project with an impressive hatrick. Gilmour looked dangerous throughout and his combination with Ewan Hutchinson up front is one of the most exciting aspects of this developing Uddingston squad. The pair accounted for all four of Uddy’s goals on Saturday and were responsible for a host of shots on target during the game.

If it hadn’t been for Grove keeper, former Scotland and Commonwealth Games star Steven McIlvarey, this could easily have been a cricket score. For the first time in a handful of years, Uddy has real teeth in the opposition D and the Hutchinson-Gilmour chemistry looks like powerful juju that will worry many a backline in the weeks to come.

The Uddingston backline, led by captain Jedd Campbell, is proving a determined, well-organised and difficult obstacle.

In the midfield, new signings Andrew Clark and Will Searl worked hard and effectively to pick up the loose balls and lead the transitions.

If there is one area Uddy need to work on, it is perhaps turnovers. Too often the ball was given away, particularly in critical areas near the opposition D leading to the breakdown of attacking opportunities.

The win saw solid performances from many of the Uddy squad including new signing James Smith and the ever-reliable Stephen Mackenzie at the back, Luke Gemmell and Joe Russell up front and Uddy stalwarts Finn Halliday and Andy Docherty.

With two very nice wins tucked away, next week’s game against Clydesdale at Titwood could prove the first real test of this new Uddy outfit.

Clydesdale have also won their first two games of the season, including an impressive 5-2 demolition of Grange on game day 1, and will be keen to impose their credentials on the men in blue and yellow.

The Uddingston machine is turning over nicely so far with two comfortable wins, but most would agree it hasn’t quite reached the superior level of which we know it is capable. The season beckons. Can Uddy deliver?

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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