Cup win crowns special season for young Stars
YOUNG Mid Argyll footballers fended off stiff competition from city sides to lift a major trophy.
Red Star 2004s swept aside Renton Craigandro in Alexandria last Sunday to win the Dunbartonshire Football Development League (DFDL) cup.
An outstanding team performance sealed an emphatic 5-1 victory.
Red Star coach Bruce West said: ‘Sunday’s cup final is definitely the highlight of the year. Renton Craigandro are an excellent team having only been beaten by two other sides this season.’
Bruce explained that most of the team have been together since primary one or two and enjoyed their first trip to a football festival in 2010. The fact they only started playing 11-a-side football in the DFDL in 2016 – a league based in the outskirts of Glasgow – makes this cup win all the more remarkable.
Bruce continued: ‘They are all aged 12 or 13 and, although winning cup finals is great, the most important thing is developing their football skills. If they continue to do that as well as they have done this season, they can look forward many more successful seasons.’
The emphatic cup win rounds off an impressive season for the youngsters, who are in the midst of a title chase. Sitting on 65 points in the DFDL league, and having amassed an incredible 198 goals in 24 matches and having lost just one game, Red Star 2004s will be hoping to mount a serious challenge to Renton Craigandro for the league title.
Bruce commented: ‘This has been an excellent first season. Wins in their remaining two games will guarantee second place with a possibility of topping the league depending on how results go for other teams.
‘Hopefully, this shows football to be alive and well in Lochgilphead and encourages more teams to come through the Soccer Centre.’
Red Star’s final two games are against Ardencaple in Helensburgh on Thursday June 8 and then at home against Dumbarton Riverside 2004s on Sunday June 11, noon kick off at the Lochgilphead Joint Campus.
Renton Craigandro 1 Lochgilphead Red Star 5 DFDL League Cup final
LOCHGILPHEAD Red Star 2004s won the Dunbartonshire Football Development League cup after thumping victory over Renton Craigandro.
An excellent performance in Alexandria saw the young Red Star team beat their Dunbartonshire rivals 5-1 to bring the cup home to Mid Argyll.
Red Star took the lead just minutes after kick off as the ball was played forward to Alexander MacLean who flicked it on for Lee Harris to slot the ball past the Renton keeper.
Renton were never going to give in easily and they began to push Red Star back into defence. Renton’s forwards, howev- er, were getting little change out of the ever dependable Red Star full backs Innes Paterson and Zak Barclay, with goalkeeper Jasmine McPhie providing a formidable last line of defence.
Red Star kept working hard with Jamie Stewart and Craig Aitken in midfield closing down Renton and helping drive Red Star forward. The Lochgilphead side had two or three good chances to increase their lead before Kieran Caskie was through one-onone against the Renton keeper and after a double stepover placed the ball in the corner of the goal.
A third goal followed as Conner McMurchy burst forward and coolly stroked the ball past the keeper into the net, meaning Red Star went into the half time break 3-0 in the lead.
Although Renton started the second half with determination, the Lochgilphead youngsters defended well with the excellent Gregor Brown controlling things from the centre of the defence and Leon Murphy, in goals, clearing up when Renton did make a breakthrough.
Renton managed to pull a goal back by reacting quickest to a scramble in the box but any hopes of a revival for Renton were short lived. An excellent pass was played out to the right wing for Lee Harris to cut in on goal and calmly beat the Renton keeper to restore Red Star’s three goal advantage.
Harry MacLean and Ciaran Gibson came off the bench for the Mid Argyll side and worked tirelessly to chase down Renton which was especially important as Red Star were reduced to 10 men for the final stages. Star saved the best for last and with only a few minutes left on the clock, Carla Todd picked the ball up and curled a terrific shot into the top right corner of the goal. This was a fitting end to the game and sealed a 5-1 cup final win for Lochgilphead Red Star.
Lochgilphead Red Star 2004 team: Goalkeepers Jasmine McPhie and Leon Murphy; defenders Innes Paterson, Tom West, Gregor Brown and Zak Barclay; midfielders Kieran Caskie, Carla Todd, Jamie Stewart, Lee Harris, Craig Aitken and Ciaran Gibson; and forwards Alexander MacLean, Conner McMurchy and Harry MacLean.
Go to the Argyllshire Advertiser Facebook page to see a video shared from Youth Scotland Football of Carla Todd’s outstanding goal.