Photo: Grant Malcom of Metro
The recent coaching change at Division One club Metro came as a complete surprise to centre-back Grant Malcolm, one of the club’s three Scottish imports.
With Metro top of the league and favoured to win promotion, Darrin Chaffey was replaced by under-19s coach Bob Nicholson before training one evening.
“We had no inkling of it,” said 21-year-old Malcolm. “It was a decision made by the guys in charge.
“We came to training and got ready for a normal session and were then told there was a change of coach.”
Metro currently lead second-placed Taroona by three points, with just three games remaining.
Malcolm is confident Metro can win the title and earn promotion to the Premier League after just one season out of the top flight, but Taroona is a threat.
“The title is ours to lose,” Malcolm said. “Taroona have shown they’re a good team.
“They’re definitely the best team we’ve played, apart from Beachside.
“Taroona are always a team that play right to the death.
“They’re never going to give up.”
Malcolm played with EK Rolls Royce in Glasgow for the past five seasons, which is the team from which Metro obtained the services of Steve Pettit last year.
He played at centre-back for them last season, but is usually a central midfielder.
Malcolm has been ill for the past month and is just getting back to match fitness.
He bemoans the lack of talking amongst players during games and puts that down to the inexperience of youngsters.
He also said that players were sometimes too keen to push forward and search for goals when defensive unity had to be maintained at the back and it was such failings which almost cost Metro the game against Taroona (it ended 4-4, with metro earning a late penalty).
Malcolm rates Taroona’s Chris Cox as the most dangerous attacker he has faced this season.
“He’s very quick,” Malcolm said. “When he came on against us as a substitute, he changed things.
“It’s usually fast attackers that cause me problems.”
Malcolm and his two Scottish compatriots at Metro, Ricky Orr and Colin Sweeney, often watch Premier League matches whenever they can and, if they stay for a second season, would love to give it a crack with Metro.
4 comments:
Grant, Ricky & Sammy have been great for the club this year. After losing a few players at the beginning of the year due to being relegated and those players wanting to play at the higher (Premier league)level. I believe without the treo, the fight for promotion would've been a considerably more challenging task than it has been so far.
If Metro are to be promoted, it'd be great for the guys to play on for 2010 at a higher level. Not only for themselves but for the general football public whom maybe haven't seen the best of them yet.
it would be good if they would stop bagging the younger members of the team and get on with it ...
Chaf, well said,
It seems these lads have guided the team well on the park.
Between you and me though, it seems some dont understand the contributions of these guys.????.
Met the young guys one night and all seemed genuine and keen to stay. I think the bonus for Metro if they do, is that they will only get better.
The Mercury wouldn't let me publish the third in the series about the three Scottish imports, so Grant Malcolm unfortunately missed out.
They said I was 'overdoing' the Scottish players and people were complaining about a bias in favour of Metro! And besides, it's only a second-tier competition, I was told.
Can you believe that?
Yet, if some country Aussie Rules player had notched up 50 games in a 20-year career, that would make back page.
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