Post by El Joker on Nov 12, 2004 15:52:08 GMT
Partick Thistle Football Club are delighted to announce that they have been selected ahead of every other club in Scotland who applied to attend a special winter training programme in Europe. It is an EC funded training initiative and four places were up for grabs within Scotland and Partick Thistle were the first team to be approved and will now spend 20 days in Corfu at the beginning of the New Year, not just training but playing against some other top class Continental sides as well. It is all part of the Leonardo Da Vinci Project which is sure to be of great benefit to all our young lads and once again showws the giant strides that have been taken by the club since John McLaughlan's arrival. Speaking exclusively to ptfc.co.uk, John expressed his delight with the news:
"This a wonderful achievement for the Club and we are delighted to have been selected ahead of all other Scottish Clubs who applied and shows the progress that we have made at youth level over the past season. This trip will allow us to travel over to Corfu, stay in top class facilities and train in warm weather over a period that is normally spent shivering in the cold. We also get the chance to play against top Continental sides and that will give us an idea of the improvements that we have made.
I watched the Under 19 side in action on Sunday and I was absolutely gutted for them because they dominated the match against Dundee in the SFA Youth Cup and it was only a ten minute lapse in concentration that cost us victory. We played very well and that is a level of performance that has not been produced in quite some time by a Thistle youth side.
What will be hard will be deciding which players will be going on the trip. Our Under 17 side have made a tremendous start to the season and in the SPL Youth Initiative lost their first game of the season on Sunday against Motherwell, so the likelyhood is that we will take the best of the Under 17 side along with the best of the Under 19 side. What has to be remembered is that the team which played Dundee on Sunday we have all but four of these boys available at Under 19 level for next season and I am hopeful that we have the nucleus of a very strong side for next season.
This is a great achievement for Partick Thistle Football Club and I hope that the boys and the Club will gain the maximum benefits out of what is a great scheme."
;D
"This a wonderful achievement for the Club and we are delighted to have been selected ahead of all other Scottish Clubs who applied and shows the progress that we have made at youth level over the past season. This trip will allow us to travel over to Corfu, stay in top class facilities and train in warm weather over a period that is normally spent shivering in the cold. We also get the chance to play against top Continental sides and that will give us an idea of the improvements that we have made.
I watched the Under 19 side in action on Sunday and I was absolutely gutted for them because they dominated the match against Dundee in the SFA Youth Cup and it was only a ten minute lapse in concentration that cost us victory. We played very well and that is a level of performance that has not been produced in quite some time by a Thistle youth side.
What will be hard will be deciding which players will be going on the trip. Our Under 17 side have made a tremendous start to the season and in the SPL Youth Initiative lost their first game of the season on Sunday against Motherwell, so the likelyhood is that we will take the best of the Under 17 side along with the best of the Under 19 side. What has to be remembered is that the team which played Dundee on Sunday we have all but four of these boys available at Under 19 level for next season and I am hopeful that we have the nucleus of a very strong side for next season.
This is a great achievement for Partick Thistle Football Club and I hope that the boys and the Club will gain the maximum benefits out of what is a great scheme."
;D
