Scotland’s women’s hockey team have set their sights on qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 30 years following their finish in the EuroHockey Championships in Germany.

A 2-0 victory over France in their final game secured sixth position and hoisted the squad to No 13 in the world, their highest ever position in the rankings.

Scotland beat Ireland 3-2 and France 2-0 and drew with Spain, who finished third in the tournament, and they did so against full-time athletes. Scotland have a squad with players who work as lawyers, teachers and in other professions.

Sunday’s win in Monchengladbach followed a recent 4-3 defeat to the French at The University of Edinburgh playing fields at Peffermill, but coach Chris Duncan said: “We were really confident about our plan (to beat France).

“The squad was really frustrated having played them recently in Edinburgh and given them opportunities we should not have given them, especially in the first half when we were 3-0 down.

“We had a point to prove. The mind set and how we approached the game was absolutely spot on and we played with real courage but also with real maturity.”

Duncan, who lives in West Lothian, added: “I thought we were worth our 2-0 win (against France) and, to be honest, we really dominated the game and managed their threats really well.

“This was a great way to finish a tournament with a performance like that.”

Duncan said that Olympian Sarah Robertson, the team captain, and a player who won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics, was magnificent and so was Amy Costello, who played for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics.

He stressed: “This was a team effort.”

Tournaments at this level are so hard, he commented and Duncan added: “We came here with the belief that we could compete and having beaten Ireland who are ranked above us in the world and drawn with Spain who are in the top ten in the world.

“To get a win like that to take us to two wins and a draw overall in a tournament of this magnitude is an unbelievable achievement

“It is testament to the girls and all the work they have put in and also the staff in the preparation they put in. This tournament is all about building. The results show our ability and shows that we can be consistent and can perform to that level.

“The next challenge is the World Cup qualifiers. There is down time now and then we get ready to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 30 years.”

OUCH: Amy Costello (left) and Sarah Robertson in training with Scotland at Peffermill. Picture by Nigel Duncan

TALK-IN: Chris Duncan (left) and his assitant Jimmy Culnane talk tactics. Picture Nigel Duncan

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