Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Fallon hopes his Swifts can fly high once more
EAST CRAIGIE SWIFTS U/17 coach Steve Fallon hailed his side for a “perfect season” last term but encourages them to show the same commitment this year.
The Swifts are coming off the back of a strong campaign where they were undefeated in all their DDYFA matches.
They won all 16 league games, lifted the John Clark Motors Cup and the Queen’s Jubilee Cup, but were defeated on penalties in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.
Fallon praised his team for a great season and added: “I am really proud of the boys. They were great, they played brilliantly in every game and showed a lot of commitment.
“The only tough time we had was after the Scottish Cup defeat but the boys came back stronger and found a way to win each week.
“It was the perfect season, and we just want to improve on that and come back stronger.”
There have only been three changes to the squad for next year as two players departed and forward Matt McKinnon was signed from Ferry Athletic.
Talking about his attacking addition, Steve said: “We created a lot of chances this year but we were playing a lone striker a lot, so Matt gives us that depth and option to play two up-front.”
There are no other changes planned as the team start to prepare for the upcoming season.
“The boys have come back fit and sharp, they are looking good but we have not started game training yet, we are focusing on conditioning,” Fallon said.
The manager has also been planning to help and encourage his players into finding pathways to adult football.
Fallon said: “We will be trying to get the guys involved with junior teams and create a progression route as this is a big season for them.”
East Craigie kick-off their pre-season with an away trip to Blue Brazil from Cowdenbeath on August 4, before hosting Scone Thistle at Craigie Park on August 6.
They also have games against AM Soccer on August 9 and ACSC on August 16.
The team will then travel down to Manchester for training and team-bonding time.
Steve added: “This will be great for the guys and give them time to gel and settle in together.”