Report by Andy McLaren
Beacon Rangers captain Mike Scott today hailed his long throw-ins as the reason behind his most successful season yet.
Mike is 6ft 5in tall and has one of the longest throws in Amateur football.
The 29-year-old has had 30 assists this season including two against Johnshaven Athletic which helped crown his side Division One (East) champions in a dramatic last game decider.
And Mike, who is in his 8th season with the Gers, admits his trademark throw into opposition penalty areas has become more effective than ever before.
He said: “My throw-ins are a really good weapon for us, particularly if it’s dry.
“I get a lot of stick from the sidelines who say ‘this is all Beacon have got’ but my reply is to ask ‘how are you going to defend it?’
“I have used the throw-in since I was in Primary School and now I’m bigger and stronger so I can throw the ball longer distances.
“We have used the weapon to our advantage but there are a lot of pitches where I can’t utilise the throw because there is no space on the sidelines.
“The throw can be better than corner’s sometimes but we also play good football on the ground which has showed in our end of season league performances.”
Two second-half goals from Matthew Maitland and a Mike Scott penalty was enough to be seal the league title.
The win means Rangers will compete in the Premier Division for the first time since their relegation from Amateur football’s top flight in 2011.
Beacon’s highest Premier Division finish came in 2007 when they finished in 4th position with 44 points.
And Mike believes relegation from the Premier Division is not an option.
“This is the fourth new team we have had who have won promotion to the Premier Division,” he said.
“There’s no doubt it will be tough but I’m playing to win as much I can and not just to stay up.
“I think we will have to add two or three players in key positions but overall, I’m happy with the quality of the squad.
“Having experience of how to cope with the intensity of the Premier Division will be an added advantage heading into the new season.”
The Bucksburn outfit, who play their matches in Inverurie, have had a memorable season, scoring 143 goals in all competitions.
Mike’s brother, David, who has scored 39 goals this season, is confident the pair can light up the Premier Division when the new season kicks-off in August.
He said: “I was working away last year so I never played much football last season.
“My relationship with my brother can totally change on the football pitch and we can argue quite a lot but it shows our passion to win for the team.
“A few months ago, we played Hazlehead who were top of the league at the time and lost 6-5 from a last minute goal.
“If somebody said we would be league champions at the end of the season, the team would have thought they were joking.”
Beacon recently lost in the final of the Bowie Cup, losing 3-2 to Lads Club Amateurs.
And David, who has played for Sunnybank Amateurs and Hilton, admits his side’s cup heartache spurred them on to win the Division 1 title for the third time in the club’s history.
“We really didn’t want to miss out on the league title, especially after the disappointment of losing in the cup final,” he said.
“Before we knew it, we were in the race for the title a few weeks and to have finally won it after our last game of the season is simply fantastic.
“The older you get, the harder it is to sustain your fitness but I’m confident of scoring plenty of goals in the Premier Division next season.
“It’s a wonderful feeling knowing you are going to be playing in the top league of Amateur football and hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves.”
