TWIN PEAKS

Strain and Clarke brothers are helping take Ambassadors to new heights

02.10.2018 is invaluable. We have guys coming off the bench now and doing really well which is brilliant.

“It’s lovely to have those options and it’s nice when you can make substitutions in games and it doesn’t weaken the team as we did when Matthew Anderson came on on Saturday.”

Ambassadors were again victorious at the weekend – their 2-1 win over Armagh Celtic the second time in five outings they’ve won by a single-goal margin.

Jonny Clements (inset) and Jack Strain got the goals in the victory against the 10-men Hoops.

They join a clutch of sides who have a 100 per cent record in these early stages of the Division One campaign with Ballyoran, Hill Street, Coalisland Athletic and Newmills also there as part of a particularly strong division.

And none of those currently lead the way with Caledon Rovers table-toppers as things stand.

So Wilkinson is fully aware how difficult things are going to be this season.

He added: “We’re building a team here for the future so we’re a long way behind the Hill Streets and Coalislands. Even Caledon have been together a while now.

“We’re trying to learn all the time and keep progressing and have a long-term plan.

“It’s going to be a long season with a lot of football to play and we’ll have tougher tests to come.”

It’s a break from domestic affairs this Saturday as Ambassadors travel to Lurgan BBOB in the first round of the Alexandra Cup.

Their Junior Cup hopes were extinguished before they’d blossomed with a first round exit at the hands of Annalong.

But the manner of Saturday’s league win left the Ambassadors boss delighted.

Wilkinson said: “It was definitely a hard-fought win on Saturday.

“Three points is the main thing, of course, but we had to work hard for it.

“We were well in control of the game but they had a man sent off and they became harder to play against after.

“Their experience definitely showed and we struggled to break them down.

“They got their equaliser but fair play to our boys they kept going, they didn’t let their heads dropped and got the winner which they deserved.

“That was great character from a young side and a performance like that will stand to them in the long-term.”