Underdog spirit firing Highland youngsters towards cup glory
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FROM being written off to riding the crest of a wave — Highland’s under-18s stand on the verge of glory.
A National Youth League Cup final today against Jed Thistle awaits the young side and the thrill of walking out at Murrayfield will cap off a season of fighting the odds.
Highland were labelled as a “little hurdle” for Borders side Hawick to get over in the semi-final a fortnight ago by the local press, a prediction that proved unfounded as John Carson’s side ran out 34-22 winners.
Thistle will be favourites for the game at the home of Scottish Rugby but being underdogs is nothing new to Highland.
“We were write-offs in the local paper before the Hawick game, who believed because they had six or seven boys in the Scotland squad, Highland would only be a little hurdle to overcome,” said under-18s scrum-half Fionnlagh Call. “But going down there we had outstanding belief that we could get a result and that’s exactly what we did.
“It stands us in great stead for this game. We’re obviously a bit nervous and come into the game as underdogs, but we’ve been that a lot this season and still managed to get results.”
Sunday’s opponents are the reigning holders and sit joint top of the Scottish Borders Semi-Junior League. Highland’s under-18 side are leaders of the under-18 League 14 table and, like Thistle, have lost just once this season.
For Call, a pupil at Inverness Royal Academy with ambitions of playing rugby at a higher level, walking out at Murrayfield will be a great opportunity.
“I was in the under-16 side that got to the National Bowl final a couple of years ago at Murrayfield, but we never got to play on the main pitch,” he said. “We watched the under-18s play on the main pitch and never thought it was going to be us.
“This is my last year with the under-18s because I’m as old as I can be for this age group. I want to go out on a high.”
For the 17-year-old, from Inverarnie, near Farr, the day will be a family affair, as father Andrew coaches the side alongside Carson.
Despite the odds being against them, Carson knows his side are capable of causing an upset.
“The semi-final against Hawick was a final in many respects and this one will be tough,” he said. “But no-one gave us a chance in the semi-final, so why can’t we do it again?
“I’ll say the same as I said before the Hawick game — make sure you don’t come off the field with any regrets. If they do themselves proud and play as well as we know they can, there’s no reason why they can’t get a result.”
A big following from the Highlands is expected at Murrayfield and first-team coach Dave Carson has even arranged for a minibus to take supporters to the game.
First, second-team and other youth players will be in the stadium cheering on their younger counterparts and John Carson said the backing of the club cannot be underestimated.
“It’s just massive and we can’t thank them enough,” he said. “Over the season, the support from the club and parents has been amazing.
“The National League set-up involves a lot of long trips away from home. It’s not just little 20 or 30-mile journeys. Joining the league two years ago has made a big difference.
“You would maybe come up against central belt teams once or twice a year and by the time you came off the bus, you would mentally already be 15 points down.
“We still respect these sides but there isn’t that fear factor anymore.
“This final is a culmination of the work done in the youth set-up over the years and it’s great for these boys to have made it this far. We’ve had a lot of good teams that missed their chance but these have that extra little bit.”
