Clydesdale Bank Under 19 League

Clydesdale Bank International tournament

Motherwell’s U19 team were the winners of the Clydesdale Bank International Tournament, held on the weekend of 13/14 February 2010 in Guernsey.

Clydesdale Bank organised this tournament and invited U19 teams from Hamilton Academical and Motherwell to the island to take part in a round robin tournament with local team Guernsey Athletics, and Jersey Scottish.

It was a good couple of days of football, showcasing the SPL’s U19 league. The tournament kicked off on Saturday with Hamilton drawing 0-0 with Jersey Scottish, followed by a 1-0 win for Motherwell over Guernsey, Gary Smith scoring the only goal.

Motherwell’s second match saw them beat Jersey Scottish 2-0, with goals from a trialist and Ross McKinnon, while Hamilton striker David Hopkirk scored in the 1-1 draw with Jersey Scottish.

The second day of the tournament provided plenty of goals as Guernsey Athletics beat Jersey Scottish 4-0, and Motherwell securing their place at the top of the table with a 3-1 win over Hamilton Accies.

Motherwell U19 captain Peter Innes collected the tournament trophy from James Blower, Managing Director of Clydesdale Bank International.

Tournament league table

Pictures courtesy of Chris George Photography.

Clydesdale Bank U19 Rising Star award

Football can be an expensive business, so any team that can bring in some talent from their youth teams, who can make it in the first team, will be very pleased!

All the Clydesdale Bank Premier League teams have great youth set ups, and we’re going to recognise some of the rising stars from the U19s, giving you some information on the players that could be your heroes of the future.

Daniel McKay - Kilmarnock FC

Kilmarnock’s Daniel McKay has been named the first Clydesdale Bank Under 19 League Rising Star of the 2009/10 season.

Born in Paisley, Daniel joined Killie as a youth player from Barrhead Boys Club before signing pro for the SPL side in July 2007. Since then, the 18 year old has continued to develop into a formidable striker scoring seven goals in the club’s first eight Clydesdale Bank Under 19 League matches – the second highest individual tally in the league.

Commenting on McKay’s impressive early season form, Kilmarnock FC U19 Coach Alan Roberston said:

“Daniel has been a constant threat for us and continues to play an important role in the team. Of course there are one or two areas of his game he still needs to work on but his goal scoring record this year has been very impressive – long may it continue!”

On receiving his award Daniel said:

“This is the first time I’ve won anything at Under 19 level, I’m really pleased, it’s a good achievement. I’ve been at Killie a long time now, and the coaches here have helped me develop and improve, as have the players around me. My goal is the same as anyone at my level, to get into the first team, so I need to keep working hard so I can impress those higher up and get into the squad, then show I can score goals at that level too.”