Scotland must beat Azerbaijan or face relegation from the top division after they were held to a draw by Russia at the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Amstelveen.

Grove Ladies HC midfielder Linda Clement put Scotland ahead, before Orina Osipova equalised for Russia, ensuring Keith Joss’ side remain without a win after a draw with Ireland and defeats to Spain and Germany.

“It’s a disappointing result. We probably had 80 or 90% of the possession, but we weren’t able to finish them off. We didn’t convert our chances, and we’re all kicking ourselves a bit,” said Joss.

Today’s other Pool C match saw Ireland beat Azerbaijan to go top of the table. The Irish take on Russia next, just before Scotland’s game, meaning the Scots will know exactly what is required of them by the time they take on Azerbaijan.

“We will spend Friday going over today’s game and putting that to bed before we move on to Saturday’s game,” added Joss.

“We will be looking to see how we can get forward more, but the most important thing is that we stay together and remain positive as a group.”