Coach proud to join in the celebrations
Perth High PE teacher and team coach Ross Robinson took a brief step back from the celebrations and made sure to soak it all in.
The whirlwind environment of a Hampden experience and penalty shootout success can often fly by in the blink of an eye.
Robinson, who has watched the squad of players rise up from their first year in secondary school, could not have been prouder of his Senior Shield winning stars.
“It was a very proud teacher moment when they were so gracious about including me in the celebrations,”he smiled.
“Players running to me to celebrate and then insisting that I lifted the trophy with Jack were very meaningful moments for me. I’ll definitely miss the boys who are leaving school in a few weeks.
“There was a moment where I was watching my team celebrating with their families and then caught sight of my fiancée and two young children celebrating too.
“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a tear in the eye!”
Robinson says the performance from the Perth team was an“absolutely perfect representation”of what they are
capable of.
He said:“a mixture of skill and passion. In the first half they played some fantastic attacking football, while not necessarily dominating the ball.
“The pitch at Hampden is so wide and there was a lot of space for our full-backs to get on the ball. Cole and Connor did a great job taking the game to Holyrood from those positions.
“The second half was completely different but gave the boys the opportunity to show the other side of their game – their grit, determination and team spirit.
“Holyrood were able to put us under constant pressure, but somehow this team tend to thrive in those situations.
“When their back is to the wall they seem to find an extra 10 per cent to get to the ball quicker, tackle stronger and fight harder for each other.”
Whatever the result had been at the national stadium, Robinson had urged the players to ensure it was a memorable all-round experience.
He said:“i’d asked the boys to make sure, no matter the result, that their memories of the experience were positive and to soak in every moment.”
He added:“i said to them before the game that I can’t claim to have improved any one of them as footballers, but I hope I have been a source of support and reassurance.
“It was much more of an emotional night than I had expected.”