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Aberdeen Grammar were "humbled" by lowly Cartha Queens Park according to their number eight Greig Ryan following Saturday's 37-24 reverse at Rubislaw.
Ryan was one of the few players in the Grammar team who turned in a decent showing in a dire, depressing and disorganised performance against a Glasgow side who, until Saturday, had won only one of nine fixtures.
In a scathing assessment of his side's display, Ryan said: "This was just unacceptable. We were simply not at the races in the first 20 minutes when Cartha ran over us, scoring 27 points while we moved aside to let them through. Our backs were never in the game. What happened to our game plan? All I saw was panic."
Iain Stanger former hooker and long-time servant at Rubislaw, now forwards coach, was standing in for head coach Ali O'Connor, who was at the wedding of player Ross Anderson. He endorsed the comments of the frustrated Ryan, adding: "This was the worst first-half performance I have ever seen from a Grammar side in all my years at the club. There were very few positives, although I would give pass marks to forwards Greig, Chris Jollands, Andrew Cook and Ewan Stewart. Granted we had a number of key players missing but we should be able to live with that, especially when playing the bottom side."
Cartha lock Michael Robertson said: "We played particularly well in the opening 20 minutes but expected much, much more from them."
Playing into the strong wind in the first half was always going to be a big challenge for the home side but no one in the shocked crowd could have predicted the visitors would run in four unanswered tries in the opening 20 minutes.
First over was scrum-half Thomas Davidson in five minutes when he was allowed the freedom of the home 22 to run in for a try, converted by centre Wayne Burrows.
Worse was to come in a 10-minute spell during which Cartha winger Jacob Adamson helped himself to a remarkable hat-trick of touchdowns, one of which was converted by Burrows who also found time to kick a penalty in the midst of the mayhem, giving the Dumbreck side a handsome 27-0 lead. Grammar finally woke up but only had a lone, unconverted try from winger Calum Ruxton to show for their efforts, and it was the visitors who had the last word in the half when Burrows slotted a long-range penalty to give Cartha a 30-5 lead at half-time.
The hosts made a better fist of the second half, scoring two early tries through captain Sam Knudson and prop Colin Neilson, one of which was converted by full back Bryn Perrott, but they never looked likely to overhaul Cartha. The game petered out as a contest when Peter Hollier, the Cartha number eight, rumbled over in 50 minutes for a try to which stand off Gregor Davidson added the extras. The home side scored a fourth try in 70 minutes when prop Cook faced over for a try converted by Perrott but it was too little and far too late for a comeback from the Rubislaw men.
© Jack Nixon