LONGSTONE WIN EPSSA CUP FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING

LONGSTONE Primary School proved themselves to be the class act for thesecond year running at Warriston Playing Fiels when they beat Newcraighall 3-1 to retain the EPSSA.

Eight teams took part in the finals of the first of the three major cup competitons for primary schools organised by the Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association. In a cracking finale to the even at Warriston, Longstone got the better of Newcraighall in the showdown to see which school won the magnificent trophy.

Goals from Ross Bradley (2) and Mark Hanlon clinched the silverware for Longstone, while the gallant Newcraighall's goalscorer was Reece Donaldson.

It is a great feat for any primary school to win this major event two years in a row, but it was also another of the many major feats for EPSSA Cup convener, Jim Goodwillie. Not long after undergoing a hernia operation, this 71-year-old super enthusiast was looking remarkably well following his holiday in Majorca.

This exceptional man has been organising these events for so long now, he is almost irreplaceable. Once again, all the organising and staging of the EPSSA Cup finals was undertaken by Mr Goodwillie and his loyal band of volunteers. Despite the Scottish Executive's intention of handing out £31m of public money to the SFA to fund an empire of SFA Community Coaches, none of them were at Warriston to help run this hugely successful event. Neither was there anyone else from the education department at Warriston to show even minimal interest in the schoolkids taking part.

It was all left to volunteers once again. Edinburgh has a recored of having the most disgraceful facilities for minor-grade football in Scotland and that was in evidence again at Warriston, with the ancient and out-of-date changing rooms looking the worse for wear after being vandalised. There are no modern toilet facilites in the ground and there were no facilities for the provision of a cup of tea for the huge number of spectators that turned up to see the kids in action. This situation is repeated all over the city which politicians and others claim to be the 'Festival Capital of the World'! It would be laughable if it was not so serious!