Stuart Rome: Celtic youngsters amongst best in the world

In the end, defending champions Celtic proved too much of a challenge for Queen of the South in the Scottish FA Youth Cup final. However, the under 19 team can hold their heads high as they were one of the two teams that actually made the final. 

Queens were always massive underdogs coming into the game and in effect were coming up against one of the best youth teams in Britain. The score-line showed as Celtic put eight goals past the Dumfries outlet. 

Queens under 19 coach Stuart Rome believed that the first two goals left Queens with a mountain to climb.

 

He said: “I think the first two goals killed us, the first one especially.  For what the lads have taken on board the first ten minutes of the game was vital for we know what they can do and the second period was exactly the same. 

 

"The first ten minutes in vital, don’t concede. Then you have a chance but to concede after one minute that kind of deflated us completely."
Rome couldn't speak more highly of Celtic and their youth system, claiming it as one of the world's best.

He continued: “They’re an absolute quality football club, the best in Scotland, probably the best academy in the world. That’s what you’re up against but the lads have got to learn from this and hopefully take it on in their progression and progress in players for our football club and the experience out there today will be invaluable to them, of that I have no doubt.”

 

 

Queen of the South will only lose three boys due to age this year, whether they go first team or move on to another club.  It’s promising for head coach Rome and the club as there is a conveyor belt of young talent.

“With the game at Dundee United, that probably was our cup final," said Rome. "To play five days later again in a game of this magnitude is hard at our level but they gave a good performance of themselves and they totally appreciated the big crowd who came up with us and stuck with us all the time, and can see what these young lads are all about. 

 

"It’s only great for our football club as a development structure that we go forward with what we’ve got.”

 

 

 

Along with his manager, this was left midfielder Ross Grays’ biggest game of his career.  Being suspended in the semi-final merited a place on the bench and he came on with twenty minutes left.  He faced a hard task trying to keep quiet Celtic’s combined team of £1.2 million.

 
Gray said: “Well we knew Celtic were a good team so we were the underdogs coming up to the game so we thought, just enjoy it basically. Then they showed you there what they’re really like so yes, they deserved to win."

 

He added: “I hope we can do it next year.  We’ve still got basically the same team, just three boys will move on but I feel we can do it next year.”