Young Scots clinch place in top flight

Scotland marched into the final of the European Youth Championships II in the Czech Republic yesterday with a narrow 2-1 win over Austria, but more importantly the victory ensured the Scots youngsters’ promotion to Europe’s top flight in two year’s time.

Margery Justice and Georgia Jones gave Scotland a two-goal lead before they endured a nervy finish as Rachel Bain and Emily Dark were sent to the sinbin and Johanna Czech pulled a goal back for Austria.

Coach Keith Smith said: “I’m absolutely delighted – we did it in style. It was a very mature performance and we bossed the game from start to finish.

“We were very patient and composed and the austrians couldn’t live with our tempo. We had to wait for our chances, but we took them when they came.”