MIKE Gilbert, the Scottish coach, has not had much to smile about over the past week following defeats by Spain and Ireland, as well as another indifferent performance on Saturday when beating Wales 4-3. But yet, during a heavy drizzle yesterday at Largs, matters began to improve.
Scotland ran out 8-2 victors in the second Test against Wales, but while Gilbert accepts ''this was a much better performance,'' he does concede: ''There is still a lot of work to do yet before we go out to Harare at the end of the month for the World Cup qualifying tournament.''
Gilbert, however, will take some comfort from the success of other sections of the side. The most notable is the set piece routine. It produced seven of Scotland's 12 goals, five of them from Susan Fraser.
The attack is also playing with greater continuity now that Susan MacDonald is beginning to blend in again with the players around her.
MacDonald missed the early part of Scotland's build-up through injury, but her two goals yesterday will help her back to peak form. Fraser also netted a double in that encounter with Rhona Simpson topping the scorers' sheet with a treble. Helen Walker completed the rout of the Welsh.
In Saturday's match, Fraser's hat trick of corner strikes, and a Susan Gilmour goal, saw the Scots edge through.
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