MANAGER’S VIEWPOINT: CUP WIN COMES AS RELIEF TO ALEX
Rutherglen Glencairn under 21s head coach Alex McArthur was relieved to hear the final whistle which confirmed the club’s first piece of silverware for the season.
The young Glens dominated their 2-0 win in the LSK U21 West of Scotland Cup final as Dale Wallace and David Quinn netted either side of half-time.
Wild celebrations on the park and in the changing room were sparked following the win.
And they were well deserved as Glencairn had lost two finals already before last weekend and had finished close second to rivals Tower Hearts in the Premier League.
A 3-1 defeat to Hearts in the last league meeting between the two sides all but ended The Glens’ chances of wining the title.
While an 86th minute goal was enough for The Tower in the West of Scotland League Cup in March and Antonine BC were victorious in a penalty shoot-out over the youngsters last month.
But Saturday’s win has put a seal on their season before seven of their stars will move on as they will not be of age to play at under 21 level.
“I am absolutely delighted,”said Alex, who is also the club president.
“It would have been criminal and a travesty if they walked away with nothing this season.
“They have deserved it, especially the seven boys who will be leaving us this year.
“They definitely wanted to leave with some silverware and were determined to win.
“Relieved is a word I would use to describe how I was feeling but I’m pleased they’ve not came away from the season with nothing.
“They showed grit and determination to win the game. To be fair, we bossed the game apart from a 10 minute spell in the second half when Steins put a lot of corners into our box but the best team won on the day.”
Alex reflected on what has been a positive season for the team and also thanked the committee members at the club for their hard work throughout the campaign.
He added: “We managed to get to three cup finals and pushed Tower close in the league so we would have taken that at the start of the season.
“It was a season of‘so near so far’. We matched The Tower all the way and it was just those last 10 minutes where we lost two goals at home that let us down.
“We’ll keep the same nucleus of the team with the players we have left and we’ve already spoken to six or seven boys about joining the team from younger age groups.
“That’s what the club is all about, keeping the conveyor belt going.
“All of this would not be possible without the committee, Tam Bennett, Jamie McGall, Andy McFadyen and Sammy Lamont.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to first team manager Willie Harvey and Audrey Mills from Mrs Millsys bar and restaurant in Hamilton for their sponsorship.
“I also need to say a big thanks to Peter Ferguson for covering our games this season.”
Members of the public are welcome at the Glencairn under 21 Player of the Year Dance on Saturday, 7.30pm at the Glencairn venue in Rutherglen.