Junior footballers come through capital test against Edinburgh sides
SHETLAND’s under-13 footballers took on tough mainland opposition in two matches last weekend in Edinburgh.
The first game, on Saturday afternoon, was played at Ainslie Park against Spartans under-13s.
Organised by former Spartans player and Shetland coach James Johnston, it was designed to provide a real challenge to the squad.
The home side took the lead on five minutes when a cross-come-shot left Shetland’s goalkeeper Blair Patterson helpless.
Žan Gault in Shetland’s defence showed great determination and the nippy Magnie Williamson also stood out on the left side of midfield, stretching Spartans’ defence with some tricky runs.
Halfway through the first half, Finn Grant agonisingly hit the crossbar and then had a similar chance, but his shot was slightly off target.
In the second half Spartans deservedly doubled their lead, but Shetland did not give up and battled hard to earn a penalty, which unfortunately went over the bar.
The miss seemed to knock the stuffing out of the tiring Shetland team and Spartans immediately scored a crucial third.
As much as they tried, a goal was not to come for Shetland and the score ended 3-0.
The squad, having earlier been given a guided tour of the Vanloq Stadium by chairman Craig Graham, enjoyed the Scottish League Two game between promotion-chasing Spartans and Elgin.
On Sunday the team played Tynecastle FC under 13s. The players could have been forgiven for feeling tired, but any tiredness was soon forgotten as Dylan Tulloch scored within the first minute.
With the pace of the game a bit more familiar for Shetland, they found it easier to play their usual passing game and goals quickly followed from Grant, Williamson (who bravely volunteered to take a penalty after missing the previous day) and Robbie Lamming. Tulloch also scored his second.
A special mention must go to goalkeeper Leighton Shewan who made an acrobatic save when the score was 2-0 and also blocked a shot down to his left.
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As it was, the half-time score stood at 5-1 to Shetland.
In the second half Shetland continued their dominance, with goals from Mackie Thompson (penalty), Rhys Goudie, Williamson and Grant, making the final score 9-2.
The coaching team thanked everyone at Spartans FC for a memorable experience, Tynecastle FC for hosting the game on Sunday, as well as the squad’s main sponsor Antares LK419 and NorthLink for providing discounted travel.
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