Licensee puts Cavalry Park under-19s on the right road for further success

CAVALRY PARK'S fledgling under-19 team, flying high in just their second campaign in the Lothian Buses South East Region League, have received a fillip in the form of a new sponsorship deal as they bid for more glory this season.

Cavalry, who ended last year as Second Division champions and League Cup winners in their age group, are currently third in Section A - formed after a league re-structure to run alongside a second section, with the winners of each to contest an end-of-season play-off for the overall league title.

The Duddingston-based side have been leading lights on the pitch and should continue to shine after receiving a set of bright yellow strips from their new sponsor, The Radical Road, a local pub on Willowbrae Road.

The team's manager Kevin Douglas says the deal is a perfect match for both parties. "Last season we had to buy our strips using the funds from the players. It was a brand new team and very difficult to get a sponsor at that time. We needed new shirts for this season and Stephen MacKenzie at The Radical Road has kindly agreed to sponsor and support us. I already knew Stephen, and being a keen sportsman himself he was always very keen to support local sports."

On the pitch, Cavalry have three wins from their opening four league games, scoring an astonishing 29 goals and conceding just five - four in a narrow loss to Hutchison Vale. They have also progressed through the early stages of both the David Murray Cup and SYFA South East Region competition, form that has encouraged their coach to contemplate an even better season than last. "I'm hoping that we will have a successful season, as we did last year," says Mr Douglas. "Winning the Second Division and the League Cup was great, but we want to take it one step further."

Mr MacKenzie, owner of The Radical Road, is delighted to be associated with his local club. "Cavalry Park is a big local juvenile team and we're a community pub, so it's a no-brainer for us."

Meanwhile, the South East Region Youth FA has achieved a huge coup with the announcement that Lothian Buses has extended sponsorship of its under-13 to under-19 leagues for a further three seasons.

The company has been behind youth football in the area for the past decade and today announced it is to continue its association with SERYFA.

Representative Peter Sargent, who was instrumental in brokering the initial deal ten years ago, said: "It's been rubber stamped and we're delighted to continue our sponsorship of youth football in the Lothians.

"It is particularly pleasing to be associated with the youth clubs dispersed among the many communities which the company serves on a daily basis."