Aberdeen FC U12’s squad continued the Youth Academy’s European adventure earlier this month by visiting Mörfelden for their annual U12 international tournament.

The competition made up of 64 teams spanning across Europe included numerous prestigious clubs such as Sparta Prague, Hamburg, Stuttgart, AIK Stockholm, Werder Bremen and Lokomotiv Moscow.

The young Dons were drawn in the first group stage alongside German sides Stuttgarter Kickers, EGC Wirges, SV. St. Stephan Griesheim and Finnish top division club Ilves Tampere.

U11 goalkeeper Lewis Munro had the responsibility of playing up an age group throughout the tournament and showed early on that he was by no means out of his depth, contributing some great saves and producing three clean sheets in as many games as Aberdeen got off to a solid start. 1-0 victories against Wirges and Stephan Griesheim courtesy of a penalty from Aaron Reid and a cracking drive from Nimi Faleye put AFC’s points tally to 7 following an opening stalemate with the Stuttgarter Kickers.

Despite falling to a 1-0 defeat in their final group game against Ilves Tampere, Aberdeen had already done enough to qualify for the top 24 ‘goldrunde section’ on day two of the tournament.    

Going into the second group stage the boys were to face their toughest opponent yet in the form of FSV Mainz 05. The Bundesliga outfit won all of their first round qualifiers and looked one of the main favourites to go all the way in the competition.

Aberdeen fought admirably against a side who oozed in quality, however Mainz went on to win the game 2-0. Mainz would eventually go on to win the tournament after beating German rivals Werder Bremen in the final on penalties.

Aberdeen went on to pick up four points from their remaining four group games, first beating Latvian side Skonto Riga which featured an incredible solo run and penalty finish from full-back Finn Yeats. Ryan Duncan then scored a last minute equalizer against Slowakische Auswahl from the Czech Republic. Ryan lobbed the Czech keeper from a seemingly impossible angle to knock the Czech’s out of the tournament much to their dismay.

Following the second group stage Aberdeen faced one final fixture versus Vfl Theesen in a play-off game for 19th place in the competition. Goals from Josh Henderson along with tournament top goalscorer Ryan Duncan and a fifth clean sheet for the Aberdeen defence meant that the Dons finished on a high with a 2-0 victory.

U12 coach Lawrence McLelland was proud of his team’s performance:
“At the Morfelden cup we had exposure to a number of different cultures and playing styles and therefore had to adapt our game in order to try and be successful. This opportunity tested our players and their ability to manage the opposition, something we are perhaps not exposed to as much playing in Scotland.

“This tournament also provided the challenge of playing against top opposition such as FSV Mainz 05 and Stuttgarter Kickers who are, at this moment, technically better and have greater levels of game intelligence. As coaches and players, this gives us a valuable insight into what level we want to be at in the near future. Furthermore, as we aren’t involved in much competitive football, this gave the team vital experience in playing under pressure to qualify and earn the right to compete against the best opposition possible. Playing under that type of pressure is an important and exciting environment to be in for the group and will hold them in good stead for their football development.

“From a coaching perspective, the tournament format tests us in relation to figure out how to outsmart our opposition and figure out how we can give our boys the best tips and advice to try and win the game. Plus, we can take things we learn from the tournament away with us to try and implement into our own curriculum if it is suitable or adaptable.

“Lastly, the experience for the group to travel abroad, take responsibility for themselves and develop in a social environment is important for them to grow their personalities together. At Aberdeen we take pride in developing individuals to become good people as well as good footballers. This trip allows the opportunity for these aspects of each player to grow and take on further during their time in the Academy and beyond.”

As well as Statoil and our other Youth Academy Sponsors – Saltire, The Stewart Milne Group, McIntosh Plant Hire and John Delday; the club would like to thank the parents of the players and the following companies for sponsoring the trip:

The Craibstone Suites
John Wink Design & Simpson Mechanical Services
Frasers of Ellon
Ovenu Aberdeen West
Morris Tax Consultancy Ltd
Redsea Limited
The Salon & Michael Lawson