Armadale AFC have reached the Sunday Trophy semi-finals thanks to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out victory over West Lothian rivals Kirknewton.
The game finished 2-2 with Armadale taking the win 4-3 in the shoot-out.
It’s a remarkable achievement for the Airdrie and Coatbridge Sunday AFL side given it’s their maiden campaign and while there’s delight at reaching this stage of the competition, the club have their eyes on further success.
Managed by James Gibb and Thomas Hendry, the club boasts an impressive squad featuring the likes of captain Sid Easton and defender/midfielder Michael Browne - both of whom enjoyed lengthy careers within the Junior and East of Scotland leagues.
Speaking to the Courier, Gibb said he’s been delighted with how the club has progressed in such a short period of time, commenting: “It took a few games to get everyone going but honestly the lads have been brilliant. The numbers we get at training are really good and that’s down to folk knowing that they need to earn their place in the team.
“There’s competition everywhere - it’s not a case of just turning up knowing you’ll get a game - and that’s what has been really pleasing. For a brand new team, we’ve been able to hit the ground running and hopefully we can continue it for the rest of the season and going forward into future years.
“We’re in the semi-finals of the Scottish and fighting for the league title so there’s nothing really more you could ask for. It’s not something we had thought of heading into the season.
“There’s been guys like Sid and Mikey who have taken the decision to come to this level but they’ve given the same levels of commitment and dedication that you’d need to give in the East of Scotland leagues and that’s been something that’s passed through the rest of the squad.”
Easton, who counts Bathgate Thistle and West Calder United amongst his former clubs, admitted he’s loving his football again, saying: “I’ve played Juniors and East of Scotland for about 12 years but honestly this is the most I’ve enjoyed my football for a long time.
“My partner and I have just had our second baby and playing Sunday amateurs was the thing that worked best for me to keep playing and I’ve loved it.
“The lads are great and the environment around the club is brilliant. We’ve put ourselves in a decent position to get some silverware which would be amazing in our first season and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it.”
While things are on top form on the park, Gibb admitted he’s looking for more support off it from the local community, saying: “We’d love to have a bit more support from the town and the community. We’re maybe brushed aside a bit because we’re Sunday amateur but we’re an Armadale team wanting to represent the town and hopefully bring a bit of success.
“It would be great for us to have that support.”
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