Bonhill pan-disability football team, Vale FC, have won the Pan Scottish Cup with their manager describing the achievement as ‘once-in-a-lifetime-stuff’.
The side, formed by Bonhill man Alan Skelton and school pals Connor McFall and Cameron Bonner in 2012 while at Vale of Leven Academy, took home their first ever Pan Scottish Cup in Falkirk on Sunday, August 14.
Vale FC defeated Dalkeith Thistle in the final 1-0 after a stunning free kick from David Singleton in the seventh minute, which he battered through the wall and into the roof of the net to give the Bonhill boys the lead.
The team would hold onto their lead, even guarding the ball in the corner at one point, to take home the victory, making sure rivals, Dalkeith, didn’t win the cup for their fourth straight year.
Manager and co-founder, Alan Skelton commented on what he has described as one of his greatest achievements, he said: “It was remarkable. The Pan Scottish Cup is the equivalent to our Champions League, it’s different gravy and it’s once-in-a-lifetime stuff. That’s how important it is for us, it is one of our greatest achievements.
“It was pretty surreal at the time and it still is now. It hasn’t sunk in yet, and I don’t think it ever will.
“We always turn it on at tournament level, we have won the Blantyre Tournament title twice. In tournament football as a whole, we have played 18, scored 66, conceded five, won 16, drew two and lost none.
“However, the final was pretty tense, and hard on the nerves.”
Alan’s nerves were at breaking point in the semi-final when they faced St James, who had won Group A, whereas Vale FC had gone through runners-up of Group B.
To finish runners-up Vale FC beat Claremont Colts 3-0, Firhill City 7-0, and Motherwell 9-0, as well as drawing 0-0 with a man-down Dalkeith Thistle, and 1-1 with Glenrothes.
Alan admits that the semi-final was one of their worst ever games, and his nerves couldn’t take it, he said: “It was probably the worst we have ever played.
“We were 1-0 down and it took a long throw-in for us to get back into it when Sean (Smith) rose above everyone to header it in. The scenes were mental, the entire touchline was in the park.
“We were lucky late on because after we scored they went through two on one and the boy squared it, and I don’t know how he did it, but big Andy saved it. It was the greatest save I have ever seen in football.
“The game went to penalties, and that’s when I overcame my nerves a bit because we had practised penalties all week. Dalkeith told us in the final that they hoped it didn’t go to penalties because we would beat them on them.”
Dalkeith, who the Vale would play in the final, sit top of the Scottish PAN Disability Football League whilst Vale FC sit third.
However, Alan says that despite it being nerve-wracking they had confidence over the fact that they are the only team in the league to beat the leaders this season, he said: “The only term I can use to describe my feelings going into the final was nerve-wracking.
“I knew we could win the cup because we are the only team to have beaten them this season, and we did it again.”
