Dingwall Academy second year boys’ football team on course for historic double after retaining North of Scotland Cup and reaching Scottish Plate final
Dingwall Academy’s second year boys’ football team are on course for a cup double after a double success in the last week.
First, the S2 side travelled to Aberdeen to contest the Scottish Plate semi final against Perth High School at Cove Rangers’ Balmoral Stadium.
It was a hard-fought affair, with neither team able to stretch clear as the match finished 2-2, sending the tie to a penalty shoot-out.
There, it was Dingwall who prevailed 5-4, setting up a final against Glasgow school Duncanrig Secondary at Banks O’Dee’s Spain Park on Thursday, June 12.
Before that, though, Dingwall had the North of Scotland Cup final to take care of against Charleston Academy on Monday evening.
Having been in scintillating form, scoring nine goals in each of the three prior rounds to make it to the final, Dingwall would have been confident, and they duly delivered a 6-2 victory at the Highland Football Academy to claim the trophy for the second year in-a-row.
Ben McNair starred with a hat-trick, with Louie Proff scoring twice at set-pieces and Dylan McDonald also getting his name on the scoresheet; while Archie Macpherson scored both of Charleston’s goals.
“It’s amazing for the boys – they have now won two trophies in two years,” coach Ruari Rogan said.
“Hopefully they can add a third in the Scottish Plate final, and it was nice to see young boys watching on Monday who will be at the school in a few years. Hopefully it inspires them too.
“We’ll see if we can get a double. That would be pretty special – I can’t think of many teams that have done that over the years, so it would be an amazing achievement for the guys.
“They still have next year to kick on again too. The school has already had a bit of success with the senior teams, but it’s great to see new talent coming through as well.”
Still an under-14s team, there is plenty of time for the Dingwall Academy youngsters to continue to develop, but after their performances this year there is no doubt that they will be competing on both a regional and national stage again in 2025/26.
What has been most impressive to their coach is the mentality and ruthlessness they have shown to kill games off when they have opponents against the ropes.
“First of all, I’m proud of their attitude – everywhere they go, they are polite and respectful,” Rogan explained.
“You don’t worry about them when you stop anywhere, so they are a real credit to Dingwall Academy for that.
“Footballing-wise, they just have this air of calm and confidence. They never panic when things maybe aren’t going right, and we never really concede two or three goals in-a-row.
“Even if they get a setback, everyone keeps doing what they’re meant to be doing and sticks to the plan, and they are all really supportive of each other, so it’s a really positive environment for them.
“It’s almost like they smell blood at a certain point. They get teams on the back foot, and then step up a gear. They score a few quick goals, and then the game is done, so I’m delighted.
“They’ve set the bar now, but winning is no big deal to them. They just seem to take it in their stride.”
