U18 Lead Coach Scott Anderson reflected on the victory over Fraserburgh in the Aberdeenshire Cup on Wednesday night, and he was understandably very pleased with the contributions of his young players.
“It was a very tough game and credit goes to Fraserburgh for making it very tough for us.
“It is difficult, we have some players who are on the fringes of the first team and looking for minutes, and they are playing alongside the young ones. The team is thrown together.
“But I am really pleased with the young players. I thought they were excellent and stood up to it. From a bad situation they managed to find a way to get an equaliser and they found a way to win the game, even if it was by penalty kicks.
“They showed good character and resolve to come back twice, and the spark comes from the young players. The couple of changes we made, bringing on Brendan Hamilton and Alfie Stewart really made an impact and we were really pleased with the performance of the other ones – Adam Emslie, Findlay Marshall and Dylan Lobban.
“As well as getting the opportunity to play with senior professionals, and against older players, it is great for the young boys to play at Pittodrie. It does not happen often at this stage of their careers. It is fantastic getting that experience. Even the pressure situation of taking penalties at the end, it is another learning situation for them that they have come through.
“Adam and Dylan are on loan at Formartine United, they are in the Highland League to play adult football and to experience what it is like to get bumped about a bit. They are preforming well, we are getting really good feedback. They are learning things in the game that they don’t get at youth level. It is an important part of their development to get out there.
“Alfie Stewart has come off the bench and really made an impact. He has been outstanding all season for the 18s. Alfie would have been desperate to start the game, but he had a little opportunity to come on and show what he can do. He did great.
“Alfie is captain of the U18s. I have tried to take him out of his comfort zone to be honest and to try and really push him on. He is a very talented boy who has a lot more to learn and we will continue to push him.”
On Friday Scott’s U18 side begin their Scottish Youth Cup campaign. They play Caledonian Braves at Alliance Park, Motherwell. Kick-off is at 8.00pm. The Youth Cup is a tournament the young Dons are desperate to do well in, having had some good runs in the competition in recent years. And Scott has made sure the team are fully prepared for the challenge on Friday:
“We got them watched them last week so we have a fair idea of what they will be. It is a potential banana skin, so we have spoken to the boys about how to approach the game. Also, we are looking for a response after the result last Friday. Although we have got one or two injuries which will keep us quite light numbers wise – we will have a young squad travelling – we know we need to put in a good performance and get into the next round.”
