Sandy’s give tragic Paul’s sons a Cup Final honour

It has been a hugely successful 2011/2012 season for amateur football club Sandy’s FC.

Winning the Lothian and Edinburgh Amateur Premier Division 1 at the first attempt, reaching the final of the East of Scotland Cup, a new sponsorship deal from an ex-player and local businessman, and an opportunity of further silverware before the season draws to a close.

The club’s success is a far cry from the despair everyone connected with the club suffered last year when defender Paul Scott was tragically murdered at a flat in Tranent last February. Scott was only 22 and left behind three sons Kyle, Jay and Jared.

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Sandy’s co-manager Alex Handyside was just one individual who was delighted to see the former player’s sons lead out the side for their East of Scotland Cup final tie against Stirling’s Doune Castle at Livingston’s Stadium last week.

“It was tragic what happened to Paul,” Handyside said. “The football team were all very close to him so it was a real shock. Last summer we had a tribute match in Paul’s honour and have bought a trophy for the occasion which we will now run on an annual basis. We also had a set of strips made up with Paul’s name on them and also managed to raise £600 for his family.

“One of our midfielders, Michael Osborne, thought it would be a fitting tribute to allow his boys to lead us out in the final of the East of Scotland Cup so that’s what we did. It was great to see Paul’s family at the match.”

Touching on the final itself, Handyside was disappointed his team could not conclude their mark of respect to their former young player by lifting the trophy and taking one of the amateur game’s most prestigious accolades.

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However, despite defeat, he was keen to stress the momentum beginning to gather where performances on the field have placed the club in a very handsome position.

He said: “It was one of the worst performances we have put on all season. Reflecting back on the game, I think we could only give pass marks to one or two players. It was uncharacteristic of the squad and I believe that the nature of the occasion has maybe just got to them. It was maybe one game too far but I’m so proud of what they have managed to achieve this season. Winning the league comfortably after being promoted only last season is a great achievement in itself and we’ve still got another final to play before the season finishes.

“The oldest player we have is 30 with the majority in their mid 20s so it’s a team with a big future. We won trophies last season as well and even though we didn’t win the league, we earned promotion and have done so well to see us finish top this year.”

Off the park, a new sponsorship deal with a local gas installation and repair company Glasgow Home Services has also provided huge support to the club with the purchase of a number of necessities required over the course of the season. Handyside points to funding as one of the main stumbling blocks of amateur football where clubs can so often struggle to keep themselves afloat and remain competitive within the game.

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“Generating money can be a big task within amateur football and it’s getting harder. You can do things like fundraisers and charity nights but it’s hard to keep it going. The Edinburgh leagues are of a really high standard though and the committee is really well run.

“But one of our former players Mark Glasgow has kindly offered to sponsor us and he’s been great as he’s bought us strips, training kit and balls so we’re really grateful. It can be difficult to keep things ticking over so to have had someone on board providing us with what we need has been a huge help. We’re already planning for next season in terms of adding some new players so the club is certainly moving in the right direction.”

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