Braidhurst brilliance

Lanarkshire Cup won for the third consecutive time

Braidhurst High footballers are celebrating winning the Lanarkshire Cup fo r the t h i rd consecutive time.

The under-15 squad came back from behind to beat Duncanrig High School 2-1.

The first half was an even contest with very few clear-cut chances for either team but just as the half-time whistle was about to blow, Duncanrig were awarded a penalty after Cameron Williamson handled inside the box.

Goalkeeper Ryan Renwick guessed the right way but couldn’t do enough to keep the ball out, leaving Braidhurst with a one-goal deficit to overcome.

With time running out, Braidhurst finally managed an equaliser. Matthew Barclay switched the ball to Cody McLeod, whose pinpoint cross found Robbie Brown free inside the box to head into the net.

As Duncanrig threw players forward to get back in front, Braidhurst broke on the counter attack. Excellent work from Williamson saw him beat two players and play an superb ball through to Brown who chipped the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper and into the net.

In the end, two goals from Brown were enough to see Braidhurst retain the Lanarkshire Cup and ensure captain Steven Rodger would be lifting the trophy for a third time.

Coaches Mr Clarke and Mr O’Toole were delighted at the result and another successful season.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a place in the Scottish Cup Final after a 1- 0 loss in the semi-finals last week, the under- 15s managed to put that aside and continue their dominance in this competition.

Braidhurst High are one of seven schools which are part of the Scottish FA’s Performance School programme.

Heart of Midlothian player and former SFA Performance School of Football graduate, Harry Cochrane, recently visited Braidhurst to participate in training and held an advice session with current S3 Performance School pupils.