Orangefield U18s has been formed as part of the of a new youth policy being introduced at Orangefield O.B.
From the outset, the Management team consisting of Gary Blackstock and Ian Crothers, whilst both having the experience of managing youth teams for many years, we were under no illusions and both appreciated from the beginning the amount of time and hard work required it would take especially when it came to attracting new players to the club, especially lads in this age group (17-18s), and with some persuasion and numerous phone calls and knocking on doors, we have had some success. The difficulties involved in creating a whole new team from the beginning, was undertaken with both enthusiasm and high expectations, and a lot of credit must be given to all those on Junior Committee for their hard work behind the scenes in getting the team up and running.
In general the both believe (taking out some poor/disappointing results) things have gone reasonably well, but as with any team they are always looking to improve.
One aspect that bodes well for the future is the average age of the current squad, which is still only seventeen, meaning most are eligible to continue playing at this current age level next season.
The league table doesn’t lie, but we firstly we must take onboard that this is a new group of players, playing in a new league (Rutledge Job Link North Down League) and having no home pitch as yet, has meant effectively every game is an away fixture, and as previously mentioned they are playing in a year above themselves. Although it seems like a baptism of fire at the present moment, we can’t be seen to be over critical on the new U18 team as it is still early days.
Both Gary and Ian would like to take this opportunity to welcome Paul Patterson on board the management team, and already in his short time, Paul has shown great enthusasium and is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in, he will undoubtedly prove over the season to be a great asset to the team.
The management would like to thank those parents who come along each Saturday morning, not only for their support but also helping with transport to the games, we really couldn’t do it with out you, thanks again!
Finally, both the Committee and all the playing staff from both the first and second teams should take great credit in making us all at the U18 team feel so welcome and making us feel part of the club from the outset.
“Good luck for the rest of the season to all the teams at Orangefield O.B”
Yours in sport
Ian Crothers.
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