Windsor wow their hosts on dream trip

A TRIP to Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, a standing ovation at neighbours Atletico's Vicente Calderon, and victories over Spanish and English opposition away from home – it's the sort of experience most footballers can only dream of.

That was the reality, though, for Musselburgh Windsor under-15s, who were invited to represent Scotland at the prestigious Alcala de Henares Cup, staged just outside Madrid.

In fine Scottish tradition, Windsor were denied a passage to the latter stages on goal difference, but certainly made their mark on and off the pitch in a series of events organised by both the hosts and club officials. "They thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, over and above the football," said Windsor manager David Gaines. "It was good to pit their wits against teams from different countries – they enjoyed playing against guys like that, watching them moving the ball around. It gave them food for thought about what they can achieve."

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Windsor came up against the likes of Rayo Vallecano's youth outfit who, before the tournament, were third in the Spanish top tier behind Real Madrid. However, the East Lothian side managed four wins and two draws from their nine matches during their five-day sojourn. The highlight of the competition from a Musselburgh perspective came in the form of Ryan McConville's 25-yard volley against Rayo, a spectacular strike that was the first to beat the goalkeeper of the eventual tournament winners.

"Ryan's goal was really something special," says David. "Vallecano were pinging 40-yard passes across the park, the ball landing right at their feet. Their thought process wasn't about their first touch, rather what they'd do with the ball. Playing with Spanish referees was also a good experience for the boys. Perhaps Scots are quite physical and like to close down the ball quickly – the Spanish teams didn't particularly like that, and it took them time to get used to it. The refs looked on that unfavourably at times, things you see every Saturday and Sunday on pitches around Edinburgh."

McConville, a standout for Windsor on the domestic scene this season, was his side's top scorer with four goals, then made further "waves" with his team-mates as the squad found time for some football-related sightseeing before returning home.

"We had a tour round the Bernabeu, then went to see Atletico Madrid against Valencia," says David. "The boys had these hooters and made a right racket, then tried to get one end of the Vicente Calderon doing the Mexican wave. We had to leave five minutes early to catch our train, and the boys got a standing ovation from their part of the ground – it was really something."

It's back to the rather more humble surroundings of Saughton tomorrow for Windsor, as they bid to beat rivals Tynecastle on their own turf for a place in the final of the South East Region under-15 Federation of Hearts Supporters Cup.

"It's the opportunity to play a final at Tynecastle Stadium," says the manager. "It would be a great occasion for the boys.

"Our season's going okay, and our league prospects are still good. There's a group of four teams in the running for the Division 1 title, and we have to win all our games – including two against Tynie and two against Hutchie. We're quite confident as we've only lost one league match all season."

To offset the five-figure cost of taking an 18-man squad to Spain, Windsor players participated in supermarket bag-packing sessions, the club held race nights, and wives of coaches and mums of the youngsters staged a jewellery party. All at the club would like to thank sponsors A1 Autobrakers and the Registers of Scotland (www.ros.gov.uk) for helping to fund their trip.

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Results (Windsor score first): CD Sesena, Spain, 1-0; CD Adance 'A' (hosts), Spain, 2-2; CD Patronato, Spain, 1-0; EFBF Alcazar, Spain, 1-0; Cultural Torrijena, Spain, 0-2; CD Adance 'B', Spain, 0-1; Boo FF, Sweden, 0-0; Flixton Juns AFC, Manchester, 2-0; Rayo Vallecano, Spain, 1-10.

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