Rutherglen Glencairn under-21s coach Alex McArthur this week praised a “great group of players who don’t know when they’re beat” as they stand on the verge of a treble trophy success.
The Hamish B. Allan club’s second string picked up the West of Scotland Under-21 Premier League trophy last weekend and beat Johnstone Burgh in the Scottish Youth FA Cup at the start of the month.
And they now travel to Cambuslang Rangers in the League Cup semi-final on Monday in pursuit of a tremendous treble.
That success so far has led to Connor Neilson, Anthony Maguire and Ross Smith stepping up to the Glens’ first-team for next season, and McArthur says there are others who may make the grade this summer.
He said: “They’ve done very well, only lost one league game all season. They’ve been knocked out of two cups but they are one-off ties and the league is the one that defines you.
“They’re a great bunch of players who don’t know when they’re beat.
“They work hard for each other, and in training,
and it’s absolutely fantastic. All in all, it has been a great year.”
McArthur says seeing youngsters making the grade is what his role is all about, and says there has been plenty of success over the years. He said: “At the moment there are three signed and another couple that are probably on the horizon for it – it depends on how things go in pre-season.
“Feeding players into the first-team is the point of the 21s, and I’ve been there since 2010. On Saturday there might have been four ex-21s players playing, and two injured, sitting at the side.
“In the last 10 years they’ve also been successful. They’ve managed two trebles and now this double, with a League Cup semi-final against Cambuslang Rangers at Somervell Park next Monday night still to come.
“The ambition is to get players playing football and to a level where they’re suited, and it has worked quite well.
“All in all, it has been a great year.”
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