Glasgow Academicals 29, Gala 6

IT WAS Tommy Docherty who used to snort that the secret of good football management was ``good players,'' and that may be true, but Glasgow Accies must know deep down that their coaching team of Bill McDonald and New Zealander Kevin Greene have revolutionised a club that for far too long had drifted in a sea of mediocrity. And in Torquil Mathewson, there's a future cap if he stays loyal to rugby and the burning desire to play in the blue jersey.

He will certainly be a rich young lad anyway as, I am told, he's on a good few quid from his mum each time he scores a try. Not a real problem, I wouldn't have thought, as dad signs all the Royal Bank's notes in the first place.

One urgent task for the Accies is now to persuade Greene, the former Waikato coach, to stay beyond his contract, which expires at the end of next season.

Greene's son Andrew is in the Scotland under-16 squad, dad is coach to the Scottish Development XV, but I understand that approaches have been made by Super 12 teams for Greene to go back out to New Zealand and take up the cudgel of professional coaching in the very big time indeed.

Yet Greene's team does have some good players. Centres Danny Ablett and Christian Bruce are both former Scottish Schools internationalists, the abrasive Begley brothers tackle like few other big men, and Callum MacGregor, despite not having played since Christmas, must have made his old man proud with an age-defying display.

But the individual plaudits can be reserved for Mathewson, who is fast and likes contact.

The other urgent task is for Accies, or whichever Glasgow club it has to be, to become the ``Glasgow City Rugby Club'' and form a company and gather the cash to capitalise on the promise that there is in the city in this professional era. As Sir John Hall said, there's more money in Glasgow than there is in Newcastle.

In truth, Accies destroyed Gala a week after they had lost to GHK. Chas Afuakwah, the Begleys, and Graham MacLean won all the ball at the touchlines. Gordon Doran and Alan Perrie had a field day in the scrums, and in moving from prop to hooker Andrew Mason has made the most sensible decision of his life. Only John Amos, on the flank, had any real spark for Gala and things looked ominous for the Border outfit when Neil Crooks departed with rib damage. ``Compared to his brother Gregor,'' said one Gala supporter of Craig Townsend, ``he is a lovely golfer.''

Accies were 12-6 in the lead at half-time. A lineout, which developed into a maul and then possession moving right to left, gave pony-tailed Ablett a clear run through some dreadful Gala defence. MacGregor converted. Gala came fighting back and a tap penalty set up a drop goal by Gavin Dalgliesh, which was followed by a David Changleng penalty. But just before the whistle, a simple scrummage pick-up by Matt Begley and a pass to the right gave Stuart Simmers an unopposed run in.

That, unbelievably, was the end of a very poor Gala side. A sniping MacGregor break was supported by Bruce and Afuakwah, Ablett's overhead pass showing Mathewson the way to the line for his first try. A Gala scrummage put-in was stolen and strong breaks by Brian Boundy and Bruce were taken further by MacGregor's long run, the veteran stand-off's pass putting the supporting Ablett over. And to ram home their advantage, a simple move going right sent Mathewson, doing his best to immitate a Harrier jump jet, screaming in at his favourite landing pad right in front of the clubhouse.

It was a great display, but I can't help feeling that Accies will have to play at a far higher tempo, with less reliance on set-piece dominance, to keep slaughtering giants and progress past Melrose in the next round. Whatever, there's no doubting that a club which a few years ago seemed to be sliding into oblivion, has now laid down the roots of long-term success. If they can keep their coaches, and their young talent, and get a couple of players, that is.

Glasgow Academicals - J Mason, T Mathewson, C Bruce, D Ablett, B Boundy, C MacGregor, S Simmers, A Perrie, A Mason, G Doran, C Afuakwah, S Begley, G MacLean, M Begley, J Richmond.

Gala - D Changleng, R Scott, M Stumbles, B Swan, C Townsend, G Dalgliesh, D Boland, H Hunter, G Crosbie, E Johnstone, T Weir, R Hogg, G Shepherd, N Crooks, J Amos. Replacement - M Tod for Shepherd.

SCORERS: Glasgow Academicals - Mathewson, 2t; Ablett, 2t; Simmers, 1t; MacGregor, 2c. Gala - Changleng, 1p; Dalgliesh, 1dg.

q ROB Andrew's season at Newcastle has ended three games early after he dislocated a shoulder at Waterloo on Saturday. The former England stand-off, now rugby director at Newcastle, said: ``The shoulder was put back in and X-rayed. My arm is in a sling and I am not even going to think about playing again this season.

``This is easily the worst injury of my career. I have been very lucky, but if this is as bad as it gets then I still consider myself lucky.

``But it's a shame to miss the run-in, because we have started playing well again and I was looking forward to the final games and appearing for the World XV against Leicester next month.''

q NEATH jumped to the top of the Welsh Heineken League with a rampant second half show against Newport as they ran out 65-23 winners in a dress rehearsal for their Swalec Cup semi-final clash in two weeks' time.

Cardiff equalled the league's points scoring record with a 95-20 mauling of lowly Abertillery, scoring 15 tries and 10 conversions to go third in the table.

Battling Treorchy's 12-10 win over Newbridge helped them to pull away from Abertillery and Aberavon at the bottom of the table, while Aberavon seem doomed to second division rugby next season as they went down 21-12 at Ebbw Vale.