Derek Salmond punched the air in delight when his running penalty hit the backboard to guarantee Inverleith promotion back to the elite of Scottish hockey after two seasons.
Yet, Salmond only managed to get to Glasgow’s National Hockey Centre for the second-half of his club’s vital promotion/relegation showdown with Edinburgh rivals Watsonians.
Salmond is a regional boss for a medical supplies firm and had spent the morning at a major Edinburgh hospital on a seminar to explain new equipment.
The 33-year-old former Commonwealth Games player and the long-serving Inverleith star then dashed to Glasgow for the second-half only to find his side 2-0 down.
Salmond helped turn the tide and goals from former Watsonians player Magnus Ferrier and Stuart Hatton only five minutes from time earned the shootout.
Stalwart Salmond and Andrew Dane are survivors of another famous play-off game in the club’s history 17 years ago when as a teenager he played in another key promotion clash when the club also gained promotion from Division Two.
This time, promotion has come in the club’s 100th year, and Stuart Neave, Inverleith’s coach, said: “Our first-half performance on Sunday was really bad.
“We improved in the second-half and did what we had to get back to Division One.
“It’s been a tough two years in Division two when we only lost two games but we are there now.”
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
