Schools football: Scotland continue build–up for Shield

Scotland continued the build-up to this month’s Centenary Shield with a goalless draw against Falkirk at Forthbank Stadium in Stirling.

The Lloyds TSB under-18s open the Centenary Shield against Northern Ireland at Toryglen in Glasgow on 24 February and the squad has another warm up match at 10:30am today against Dundee United.

In an evenly contested game, the Scots had the better chances, but the finishing didn’t quite match the build-up play.

At the start of the second half, Kieran Anderson-Ballantyne (Falkirk High School) hit the post with a lob at the start of the second half and Gary Duggan (Holyrood Secondary, Glasgow) went close on a couple of occasions.

The Scottish defence was watertight and neither keeper Kieran Hughes (Trinity High School, Rutherglen) in the first half, nor Dean Shaw (Falkirk High School) in the second half, was seriously troubled.

Scotland squad: Dean Agnew (Stranraer Academy), Kieran Anderson-Ballantyne, Jamie O’Grady, Dean Shaw (all Falkirk High School), Stuart Close (Bucksburn Academy), Connaire Connelly (St John’s High School, Dundee), Matthew Cooper (Banff Academy), Matthew Craig (Williamwood High School), Greg Docherty (Douglas Academy), Gary Duggan, Ryan McGeever, Conor McVey (all Holyrood Secondary, Glasgow), Scott Ferries (Tain Royal Academy), Steven Forbes (Balfron High School), Kieran Hughes (Trinity High School, Rutherglen), Alan Lawson (Bathgate Academy), Ross McGeachie (Bannockburn High School), Lawrence Shankland (Bannerman High School, Glasgow).