Crane family ties are lifting Bonnyrigg Rose to the top

THERE was Ajax's famous four of the Pelser brothers Adriaan, Fons, Jan and Joop, Southampton's trio of Ray, Danny and former Rangers striker Rod Wallace and, perhaps the most famous sibling duo, World Cup winners Jack and Bobby Charlton.

But rarely can football have witnessed three brothers – twins and one almost a year younger – consistently turning out for the same team as in the case of young Ratho starlets Haydn, Dean and Bradley Crane.

The three now feature prominently for South East Region under-16s Division 1 table-toppers Bonnyrigg Rose, though it has taken some time to bring their considerable talents together as teammates by coach Robert Dickson.

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"Haydn had been playing against us and we managed to get him on board," he says.

"Then, I spoke to him about his brothers. He was talking them up and they trained with us a few times before we were able to sign them. When the boys came in, we treated them like a new member of the family."

Haydn, 14, is most weeks partnered in midfield by Dean, whose twin, Bradley, helps seal Rose's watertight defence.

The youngest of the three was delighted when the Crane contingent was trebled – with some healthy sibling rivalry emerging as a result.

"It was just the same – they just joined in," he says. "Although there was more banter among the team with the three of us there. Bradley was winding me up about taking the captain's armband when I got injured a few weeks ago, but I'll be taking it back off him when I'm fit again! Altogether, I enjoy playing with them."

Identical twins Bradley and Dean prove a menace to opposing sides; with one a defender and the other a prolific goalscorer, it's surely impossible to know which one to man-mark!

"All we want to do is win and do our best for the team," explained Bradley. "At first, there were mix ups between me and Dean, but now everyone knows the way we act – I'm the loud one! Dean is the creative player and I'm the organiser who tidies up. Basically, I let him do the showing off."

And it seems the familiar nature of at least two of each player's team mates is a boon, not a burden. "It helps us read the game better and if Haydn is on the ball you know what runs to make, what angles to give," says Dean.

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Playing and training together on a regular basis, and sharing their home with a further three brothers, one might expect regular differences of opinion away from the football field – especially as Bradley supports Celtic, Dean their rivals Rangers, and Haydn Hibs.

"After games, we get home and tell each other what we could've done in certain situations," admits Haydn. "But, usually, criticism is taken well – only sometimes it can turn into an argument."

Indeed, for all the expectation of a fierce rivalry among the three, they all, to their credit, come across as grounded individuals – a trait cited by coach Robert and their father Mark.

The fact they all don the red and white hoops of the Midlothian side simultaneously seems to strengthen their bond too.

"The only way we would consider parting would be if initiative clubs came in for us," says Dean, although Haydn, a former Hibs youth player, is keen to emphasise that youth football outwith the professional setup is perhaps more enjoyable at this stage of his career.

Dad Mark reckons the boys take it personally when Rose are on the end of a rare defeat, an attitude that may prove invaluable come the end of the season as Bonnyrigg, headed by their band of brothers, battle for honours on all fronts.