Ten up for Scots!!

Scotland shrugged off the disappointment of not qualifying for the World Cup and took out their revenge with a 10-2 thumping of Poland in the 5th to 8th place play-off competition in Cardiff.

Coach Derek Forsyth was naturally delighted by the performance against the Poles, but perhaps reflected that the result came a day too late.

He said: “It was pleasing to have this result but it would have been even more pleasing to have achieved this result yesterday. Today`s result undoubtedly highlights the need to have had a practice match before the start of the tournament.”

However, the match did not start very auspiciously when the Poles took the lead in only two minutes through a penalty corner strike by Jacek Kurowski. Minutes later keeper Tommy Alexander had to look lively as the Poles almost doubled their lead.

Thereafter it was all Scotland.

The equaliser came in nine minutes, the ball was stolen and passed on to Murray Collins and his tantalising cross was met by Struan Walker who deflected the ball past the keeper.

Within three minutes the Scots were 2-1 in front, the ball was picked up by Alan Forsyth at the top of the circle, he gave himself time to turn and launch a reverse stick slap past the keeper.

The lead was advanced early in the second quarter; Andy Bull`s penalty corner shot was illegally saved on the line by a defender and Forsyth calmly sent a low shot past the keeper from the spot.

It was now all Scotland and further penalty corner chances for Cameron Golden and Bull were blocked by the keeper.

The result was effectively sealed with a fourth early in the second half, a power drag flick from Dan Coultas making it 4-1.

As the third quarter came to an end a well worked penalty corner routine was finished off by Duncan Riddell for Scotland`s fifth.

The flood gates well and truly opened in the final quarter. It started with another penalty corner conversion, this time by Andy Bull, with a powerful shot that may have been slightly deflected for Scotland`s sixth. At another set piece both Coultas and Forsyth had the chance to convert but nothing came of it.

At the other end a swap of keepers saw Rory McCallum come on for Tommy Alexander.

But back to the goal avalanche – Cameron Golden made it seven with a close-range finish after a bit of a goalmouth scramble. A one-two between Robert Field and Andy McConnell left the latter to finish with a low shot into the net – and that was 8-1.

The ninth came from another penalty corner set-up, a drag flick by Golden went in off a defender on the line. Callum MacKenzie could have got his name on the score sheet, but his rather loose shot went wide of the target.

Double figures were only delayed by a couple of minutes, Struan Walker gathered the ball in the centre of the circle and calmly lifted it over the keeper to complete Scotland`s scoring.

But the scoring was not complete as Mikoloj Gumny stole a second for Poland – but little more than a consolation.

Scotland's Senior Men lined up at World Cup Qualifying in Cardiff, Wales

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