EDINBURGH Accies secured their first league win of the season on Saturday but needed a last-minute try from second-row Nathan Pike to see off a spirited Stirling County.
Accies could have had the victory wrapped up in the first half after building up a 17-3 lead, but County fought back despite backs Brian Archibald and Graham Calder being sin-binned.
The visitors' astonishing fight back took them into a 25-24 l
ead with five minutes remaining, but this time with prop Garry Mountford in the sin bin. However, Accies head coach Ian Barnes was unimpressed. "I don't think either side played very well and it could have gone either way," he said.
Young stand-off Alex Blair showed his potential with a superb solo try and conversion in the 15th minute to put Accies 10-0 ahead and skipper Dan Teague also scored before the break. However, tries from tireless back-row Craig Deacons, full-back Robbie McGowan and winger Graham Lindsay along with the boot of centre Archibald put County into the 25-24 lead before Pike struck.
Scorers: Edinburgh Accies: Tries: Blair, Teague, Niven, Pike. Cons: Blair 3. Pen: Blair. Stirling: Tries: Deacons, McGowan, Lindsay. Cons: Archibald 2. Pens: McGowan 2.
Edinburgh Accies: C Kinloch; M Coupar, P Loudon, I Berthinussen, D Rattray; A Blair, M Campbell; L Niven, M Price, A Marsh, E Stuart, N Pike, T Drennan, D Teague, E Milne. Subs used: R Lovett, R Mathieson, J Berthinussen, R Bonner, P Arnold.
Stirling County: R McGowan; G Lindsay, A Auld, B Archibald, R Aitken; A Robertson, G Calder; M Hunter, A Simpson, G Mountford, B McFarlane, G Gilchrist, S Robertson, C Deacons, K Bryce. Subs used: J Hill, R Logan, G Gilliland, G McRorie.
Referee: D Jack.
Attendance: 400.
The full article contains 308 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
