Cambusnethan Talbot 2012 Blacks fought back from a nightmare start at the Blackpool Cup to enjoy a dream trophy triumph on their trip down south.
The under-10s team endured a baptism of fire against local side Fleetwood Juniors when the English rules at youth level caught them cold.
The boys had a disastrous first half but once they got to grips with the setup they never looked back, as they went on to lift the silverware with a 1-0 win over Glasgow Athletic in the final.
Club spokesperson Gillian Brown explained: “The first game was a bit of an eye-opener for the boys because they played to the English rules, so they were a bit confused.
“The goalie didn’t know whether to kick the ball or pick it up at passbacks, and down there they don’t do kick-ins, they do throw-ins when the ball goes out.
“At half-time the boys were all devastated and some were crying, but their coach said to them you either cry your way through the weekend or you dig deep and play football the way you know you can. From there, they dug in and went from strength to strength.
“They got to the final on the Sunday and won it, so it was a massive turnaround from that first game.
“The boys were high as kites and totally buzzing when they got the trophy.”
After their defeat to Fleetwood, Talbot beat Irish side Dungannon, Coatbridge Thistle, Glasgow Athletic and then Glasgow Athletic’s other side 1-0 in the final to get their hands on the trophy, to the delight of coaches Graeme ‘Bomber’ Brown, Billy Paterson and Billy Wilson
Mason Wilson scored the winner but there was also special praise for the team’s goalkeeper, Leon Thomson.
Gillian added: “All the boys were spectacular but Leon saved our bacon a few times.
“He really stepped up to the plate to help us win the tournament.”
The Talbot team comprised: Aaron Campbell, Danny Brown, Kole Fox, Leo Wilson, Leon Thomson, Liam Carr, Mason Wilson, Niall McGuiness and Rhys Paterson.
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