HUTCHISON Vale under-13s scored three goals in the second half against Hillwood Boys Club in the Dunfermline Building Society Scottish Cup at Airdrie, to run out 4-1 winners and the Edinburgh club’s classic display of attacking football in the second period was possibly the best I have seen from a team in their age group.

This is the third year in succession that a team from Hutchison Vale has won this age group of the Scottish Cup and this current unbeaten squad now go on to represent Scotland in the finals of the Tesco Cup at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton on Saturday, May 20.

In a very good first half, Vale’s opponents from Glasgow made a real game of it and they must have been disappointed when the confident Vale side went 1-0 up from a headed goal scored in the 9^th minute by Chris Roxburgh - and what a good young player this boy is! The first chance early in the game came for Hillwood and it took a great saving tackle from Jack Verth to deny the Glasgow side the opener. Verth, it was, who was for me the best player on the pitch! But when Roxburgh broke the deadlock, it was tough on Hillwood! However, once the deadlock was broken, Vale’s confidence soared and they went on to show what a really good football team they are. It was a tough first half, with several players needing treatment for knocks, but it was not a dirty game in any way,but the level of commitment from both teams was high.

In fact, the signs were that it was going to be a real cracker of a second half between two very committed football teams. It did not turn out that way, however, as Vale lifted their game to new heights and Hillwood Boys Club could not match them in power, pace and skill. A feature of the second half was the free-kicks taken by Vale No 5, Jack Verth. Any foul in the Hillwood half that resulted in a free-kick awarded by very good match official, Billy Miller, was taken by Verth and the Hillwood goal was in his firing range every time. The way this young player strikes a ball is simply awesome! It was from one of these piledrivers that the ball was knocked away from the Hillwood goal and the resultant cross back in to the goalmouth saw the ball bundled over the line by Conor Devaney.

From then on, Vale just got better and better. Hillwood did nothing wrong, they were simply outplayed! Verth got on the end of a superb corner delivered by Conor Devaney from the left to net with a powerful header from close in to make it 3-0. The pace, power and passing of the Edinburgh side reached a quite incredible level and Hillwood were hard pushed indeed to prevent Vale adding to their goal tally. The hard-working Glasgow outfit did manage to break away and they should have scored when William Robertson ran in on the Vale goal, but Connor McGrotty was quick off his line to block the shot at goal.

Meanwhile, Verth was hammering more thundering free-kicks at the Hillwood keeper! Most of the play was in the Glasgow side’s half of the pitch and with time running out a looping cross from the left of the 18yd box to the far post looked to be going out of play, but the gifted Scott Coleman – who had to go off in the first half for treatment after picking up a sore knock  - outwitted the Hillwood goalkeeper, hooking a clever shot in to the net at the back  post to make the final scoreline 4-0 in favour of Hutchison Vale.

With the visit to Bolton certain to give Vale the chance to test themselves against the best young teams in the UK, they are still involved in every domestic competition they entered for this season. Officials in charge of this team must be wondering if they will have any players left to go up to the under-14 age group next season, however. Senior clubs are bound to raid this squad and lure players away, with a Vale spokesman saying: “It is harder than ever to keep a winning squad together. And there are so many clubs after the players in the current under-13 squad!”

In the meantime, everyone at the Hutchison Vale club has the chance to see this team in action, again and again, in finals before the current season comes to an end. It will take a team of almost ‘superhuman’ proportions to get the better of this brilliant Hutchison Vale under-13 outfit. They look to be so good and I would encourage everyone to make the most of seeing this team play, while they are still together. It is an uplifting experience to see such a team as this in action!

The all-star Hutchison Vale squad – Connor McGrotty, Cameron Scott, Michael Noble, Andrew Togneri, Jack Verth, Scott Coleman, Sean Joyce, Ryan Tennant, Chris MacLeod, Kenny O’Brien, Jordan Thomson, Damian Orr, Chris Roxburgh, Stuart McGregor, Jack Blaikie, Conor Devaney.

Hillwood Boys Club – Stuart Menzies, Colin Price, Scott Jackson, Ted McVey, Jamie Phillips, Ciaron McKenna, Grant Alexander, Frazer Meechan, Matthew Clark, David Brannigan, William Robertson, Aidan Boyce, Conner McGlinchey, Ross Alexander (mascot), Brian McInness, Daniel Dunbar.

Referee – Billy Miller; assistants – Frank Sweeney, Robert Brown; fourth official – John Duffy.

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