Walker goals help South East to successive regional titles

FOOTBALL: Bathgate Academy’s Alyshia Walker grabbed two goals and helped South East retain the under-15 Inter Regional Cup with a 4-2 win over West in the final at Toryglen in Glasgow.

Leah Tweedie (Beeslack High School) and Brogan Anderson (Hawick High School) completed the scoring for the defending champions, while Megan Mason (Eastbank Academy) got both of the West goals.

Following the match, all four scorers were named in the 36-strong squad for this Friday’s final trial for the Lloyds TSB Scottish team to take part in the extended Bob Docherty Cup in Ireland in Dublin in April.

Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be joined for a first time by England and the Netherlands.

Walker was the second youngest of the South East team coached by Ronnie Hamilton – Trinity Academy’s Jamie Lee Smith is only 12 – and she has already made a mark on the Scottish game. She captained the Fauldhouse Foxes to victory in last year’s Scottish Youth Challenge Cup – and then suffered heartache when she was banned from playing for the otherwise all boys’ side in a Cup event in England because she was a girl.

Last season was also blighted by injury – hip, back and ankle ligament damage – but it also included a huge boost when she was signed by Celtic.

“It’s really great playing for Celtic,” said the West Lothian youngster. “I train Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays and it is more of a challenge because I am playing at under-17 level.”

Mason also played for Celtic for a couple of years, but has now switched to Rangers and has her sights set even higher.

“In the future, my ambition is to play for one of the really big clubs such as Arsenal Ladies,” she said.

The final was a great showpiece for the girls’ game. Not only was there an array of talent on display, but equally notable was the lack of fouls and theatrical diving.

But the silky skills were not quite matched by the standard of the players’ kit. Both teams were wearing SFA strips and the West team definitely came off second best. The shorts were almost down to their ankles and so voluminous that the players looked as though they could have windsurfed down the Clyde. In fact, on a windy January morning, it was perhaps just as well that the final was played indoors.