Perth remains key to futsal movement
Perth’s prominence in Scottish futsal was again emphasised at the Home Nations tournament.
Nine players from the region proudly represented Scotland in the prestigious event which was this year held at St George’s Park in Staffordshire.
Fraser Smith, Scott Smith, Dayle Robertson, Connor McLaren, Mark Duigan, Ryan Robb, Bradley Steedman, Ben O’Hanlon and Kyle Ballingall all pulled on the national jersey last week.
Results didn’t go to plan with the Scots opening the tournament up with 5-1 defeat against England. Jeanfield Swifts forward McLaren netted the Scottish goal.
That was followed up with a 3-3 draw against Wales, two of the goals scored by Perth-based players in Dayle Robertson and Ryan Robb.
The final match of the event ended in disappointment as Northern Ireland ran out 5-3 winners. Robertson and McLaren (2) were on the scoresheet.
“Our performance at the Home Nations was a mixed bag,” said Perth’s Ballingall, who captained the side in the opener. “We played well in spells but also made too many mistakes which cost us overall.
“The margins are so fine at international futsal level and I think that showed throughout the tournament as we were punished on different occasions.
“We can’t blame anyone but ourselves as a squad and we must learn fast to push forward as a futsal nation.
“As a squad, we know the results weren’t good enough but there are positives to take from the tournament.
“We showed against Wales that we are not only able to compete but can control parts of the game against higher ranked opposition.
“There are many different arguments about how we can improve as a nation but it is not going to happen overnight.
“We must continue to develop and work together.
“There are various youth clubs around the country which is great and the Super League has created a good structure for players to play in.
“We are moving in the right direction but we must continue to work hard to develop.”
On a personal front, being handed the captain’s armband and leading the national team out at the tournament was a special moment for Ballingall.
“It was a huge honour to be given captaincy for the game against England,” the PYF Saltires player said.
“It was something I didn’t think I’d ever get to do but to lead Scotland out was incredible and my biggest achievement to date.
“I enjoyed the role but as shown throughout the weekend, I wasn’t on my own as Ben O’Hanlon and Fraser Smith were captains for the other games.”
Next up for the national futsal side are European qualifiers at the end of January, with Belgium the host nation. The Group B draw also matched the Scots up with Montenegro and Armenia.
And Ballingall, who has experience of playing futsal abroad, added: “There are things to work on going into the upcoming European qualifiers in January.
“It’s great to have the qualifiers so soon because it gives us an opportunity to put some wrongs right.
“We must show we can compete at international level and learn from our previous mistakes. We have a lot of building to do and we want to get back on court as soon as possible.”
It was a huge honour to be given captaincy for the game against England...