Hillfoots coach Graeme Simpson said he was “extremely proud” of his teams’ attitude as they sealed a draw against Dundee Rugby 2nd XV.

The Clacks side were looking to build on their very positive second half against Grangemouth the previous week, while Dundee looked to bounce back after a narrow defeat at home to Panmure.

From the first whistle, the match was evidently a cagey one, with neither side being able to get a real foot hold in the game.

Hillfoots took an early lead courtesy of a Gregor Manson penalty, however, this was quickly cancelled out by two long range penalties from former Hillfoots captain Andrew Hamilton.

Winger Martin McNee was on hand to score the first Hillfoots try after Ryan Butterworth was brought down inches short of the Dundee line.

The following conversion from wide was missed.

Dundee grew into the match as time went on, who managed to score two converted tries with just over twenty minutes on the clock.

Hillfoots looked to be slipping out of the game until Duncan Arthur outpaced everyone to run the length and score in the right hand corner.

Manson, unfortunately, again missed the conversion from wide. Going into the break, scrum half Aidan Kerr was introduced and had an immediate effect as an impact sub.

Dundee were caught off guard as he lifted the pace of the match, with their defence unable to contain the strong running of the Hillfoots pack.

Mark Burke reaped the rewards of the pressure as he crashed over to secure the first try of the half.

Dundee made a few changes before stretching their lead further forward with two unconverted tries in the hopes of making it difficult for Hillfoots to bounce back in.

As the match came to a close, the two sides had to settle for a draw at Tillicoultry Park, with Simpson praising his side for a strong performance overall.

He said: “I’m sure that was a great game for everyone watching. It was certainly a new experience as a coach trying to manage a game like that.

“I was extremely proud of the players’ attitude and the fact they didn’t give in and played to the end to hold onto the draw and give us our first points of the season.”

Hillfoots are back in action this weekend with their first away fixture of the season at Kinross.