DERBY DAY THRILLER
Fair City Santos and Saltires all set to thrash it out
The oldest derby in Scottish Futsal is set to light up the arena at Perth College UHI’s Academy of Sport and Wellbeing on Sunday night.
Fair City Santos and PYF Saltires will face-off in the nation’s new Super League, which sees the best eight teams in the country battle for top spot.
It’s a fixture which goes back a long way and Saltires manager Steve Chatila will be urging his young squad to rise to the occasion.
“There’s always an edge to the games against Santos and I know both sets of players look forward to the fixture,” he explained to the Perthshire Advertiser.
“For me, personally, it’s just another game – it’s the same three points on offer as in any other game.
“This season Santos have had the upper hand as they have a more experienced squad, although our young lads have developed well this season and the last encounter between the two teams ended in a 3-3 draw.
“I do think Santos will go into this tie as favourites, but it will be up to my players to rise to the occasion again.
“PYF Saltires are in the midst of a transformation. Our previous squad, which had won the Scottish title four out of five years, didn’t continue when I took time out of futsal.
“Since my return two years ago it has been a rebuilding process and I feel it will need another couple of years before we can reach the level of the previous squad.
“For this season, the target for the squad was to reach the Super League, so we’ve achieved our target and anything beyond this is now a bonus. It will be a good test for the young squad.
“The Super League is a good idea, because it brings the best teams together to play in a competitive format. I’m not a fan of the current way it is set up, but I’m aware that this is a temporary situation and that the format will change for next season.”
Chatila has been a huge figure in Perth’s futsal scene for approaching 20 years. His love for the game keeps him coming back and he would encourage anyone interested to get involved.
He said: “I’ve been involved in futsal since 1998 and started Perth Youth Futsal, the club which PYF Saltires belongs to, in 2002.
“To be honest, I feel the standard has declined slightly
Saltires are ready for their test against rivals Fair City Santos in the last couple of years and I’m not sure why that is. My motivation in the sport is to help produce youth teams that embark on a journey.
“The benefits of futsal are well-known and I believe that any youth player seriously interested in becoming a professional footballer should play futsal for a few years to give himself the best chance possible of success.
“If you look at the big countries in Futsal – Brazil, Spain, Italy, Argentina, you can see how the sport can lead to football success.”
Kick-off is 7.30pm on Sunday night. Entry is free.