Dumbarton’s youth teams battled bravely in the final of two regional cup competitions over the weekend but ended up on the wrong side of the scorelines.
The under 18’s faced Giffnock SC at New Western Park in the final of the West Region Cup and whilst Sons staged a stunning comeback to force penalties, it was the East Renfrewshire side who lifted the trophy.
Giffnock raced into a 3-0 half-time before Dean Reid started the comeback for Dumbarton just a few minutes into the second-half and Kyle Cooper flicked home Preston MacIntyre’s cross to make it 3-2 on 51 minutes.
The ever-dangerous MacIntyre turned provider again with 15 minutes to go as his free-kick was too much for the goalkeeper to handle and the loose ball was smashed into the net by Ross McDonald.
The game could have gone either way in the closing stages with Sons coming closest on 90 minutes when Callum Robinson was inches away from getting on the end of MacIntyre’s corner.
It ended in heartbreak for the young Sons but the second-half performance showed exactly what the team is capable of and Lavery insists he is proud of his troops.
Speaking post-match, he said: “It’s a tough one and a sore one. I’m really proud of the boys and it’s sad that it ended this way.
“It’s been the story of our season where we have given ourselves a mountain to climb. We never do things easy.
“We had a good chat at half-time and sorted the shape a wee bit and came back out with the heart and desire that I look for from kick-off.
“The early goal sets us up well for the rest of the half and then we come back and we are unlucky from the corner late on and penalties is cruel, it just takes one or two to not go your way.
“We’ll rally and go again next season, there’s plenty to look forward too with this group of boys.”
24 hours later, the clubs under-17 team faced Thorn Athletic at the same venue in their regional cup final.
It was always going to be tough for the youngsters against a team who were chasing the quadruple after already bagging a league title, league cup and Scottish Cup.
The Paisley side scored twice in each half to secure a 4-0 victory as the curtain comes down on Sons debut season at that level.
Stay tuned for updates on our youth setup ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
A selection of pictures from both games can be viewed below – thanks to Andy Scott for providing these.
