WHEN Tilligerry United Football Club coach Spencer Doyle rocked up to pre-season training for his Under 12s squad earlier this year he envisaged a rebuilding campaign.

Only two regular players from Doyle’s 2023 lineup were available after several top prospects switched to Newcastle Football’s Junior Development League, forcing the experienced mentor to start from scratch.

Sixteen members of his 2024 squad had never played football before.

In one of his finest coaching achievements, the former Southampton ace guided the club to an Under 12 Boys D Grade championship in the Northern NSW Interdistrict competition.

Winning both the minor premiership and Grand Final trophies was even sweeter when you consider the squad comprised of six ten-year-olds and ten players aged eleven.

Young guns Luka Vuletic and Jacob Bonham were the team mainstays and featured prominently in the Newcastle Under 12 representative side that won this year’s Community State Cup.

A proud Doyle told News Of The Area that the group’s success was “the culmination of team work on field and an intensive training program”.

“When the side gathered for training earlier this year our chances looked bleak,” revealed the winning representative coach.

“Many of the players had never laced on a boot but what they lacked in experience they certainly made up for with sheer enthusiasm,” he added.

Doyle commenced an intensive pre-season training schedule with emphasis on fitness and skills development during five sessions per week.

“As the season unfolded the boys grew in confidence and were in great shape as they carved out an impressive record,” quipped Spencer.

The Tilligerry youngsters won nine and drew two of their twelve fixtures – losing just one match to rivals Lochinvar Rovers to claim the minor title.

During the finals series they demonstrated their supremacy by blitzing the Rovers 4-0 in a major semi final and 3-1 in the Grand Final a fortnight later.

In an encouraging team effort the Tilligerry colts racked up 71 goals while conceding a mere seventeen.

Promising striker Joshua Russell proved a real find – notching 32 goals for the season – while representative stars Vuletic and Bonham each scored sixteen and fifteen goals respectively.

Doyle also praised the form of eleven year old right winger Dylan Plooy and defender Archie Millgate and tipped a bright future for ten year old utility Laiken George.

Tilligerry FC fielded eleven teams this season with the club’s talented Under 13A Girls squad coached by Kim and Andrew Chamberlain also claiming championship honours and the Under 12 girls side reaching the Grand Final – a fine achievement.

The championship-winning Under 12 Boys D Grade squad featured Aiden Amos, Jacob Bonham, Bae Gatehouse, Laiken George, Hunter Johnson, Jaxon Manns, Archie Millgate, Blake Morrissey, Theodore Murrell, Dylan Plooy, Joshua Russell, Ayden Towler, Luka Vuletic, Brayce Walsh, Liam Wolter and Ashton Young.

By Chris KARAS