OSCA
Soccer
HIGHLY COMPETITIVE TEAMS , GREAT RIVALRY , PLENTY OF PASSION
HOME DERBIES ADD SPICE TO THE OLD SCOTCH SOCCER CLUB ’ S SEASON
This season all the Old Scotch Soccer Club teams have been highly competitive and at the time of writing we have three of our teams in the top Sunday Metro 1 league , making for six home derbies ! The rivalry is fierce , with the first Thirds versus Cardinals match a 4-3 thriller involving plenty of passion . Expect the Thirds to fight back in the next ‘ Affray at HA ’.
The Seniors sat on top of the ladder in State 2 at just over the halfway mark of the season . Jett Beale , Scotch ’ s Captain of Soccer in 2020 , trains with the Seniors and has come off the bench for a few games , while Luke Clifford , Scotch ’ s 2020 Vice Captain of Soccer , is playing in the Reserves .
Our Reserves squad is one of the youngest in the competition , with the main focus on player development . We hope that over the next couple of years some of the players will be challenging for senior squad spots . Game day is very competitive , but all players continue to develop well under the guidance of the coaching team , and at the time of writing the Reserves were in third place .
THE ‘ AFFRAY AT HA ’ – OLD SCOTCH SOCCER CLUB THIRDS V CARDINALS
The Thirds train with the Reserves squad twice a week , so the focus is again on player development , aiming for promotion to the Reserves or Seniors . Playing in Metro 1 gives the team a great chance for experimentation on game day , and it sits sixth .
The Blues are in Metro 1 after back-to-back promotions and a championship in the pre-COVID era . The lads have performed admirably , reaching the dizzying heights of second place before dropping to a still respectable fourth . Training numbers have been good and the team aimed to push for more positive results in the second half of the season . With a solid mix of bellies , grizzled veterans and a splash of youthful exuberance , the near future looks bright for the Blues – until we form an over 35s team next year !
With an average player age of 40 +, the Cardinals group has welcomed sporadic lockdowns to recover between matches . With a win-loss record of 7-2 at halfway and sitting second , the boys were happy to be in finals contention .
The Golds have really come together , pulling out some fantastic performances against the top teams . A new group of players started slowly , but after a few rounds and a formation switch they began to perform well , and became a threat to any team in the league .
Following a year ' s hiatus in 2020 , the club managed to enter three junior teams in official Football Victoria competitions this season : boys ’ under 9s , boys ’ under 11s and girls ’ under 13s . All three teams started the season well , with strong squad numbers and a huge amount of enthusiasm among players and spectators alike .
Our goal is to increase our junior program year-on-year , not only to provide a pathway into senior football for all our young players , but also to give them a sense of belonging and enjoyment at a community club .
For more information about the Old Scotch Soccer Club , please contact committee @ ossc . com . au or Richard Snape : rgsnape @ bigpond . com ; 0412 450 485
JAMES KEEP (’ 77 )
88 Great Scot Issue 163 – September 2021