1st Touch Football Division Two (North) at Balgownie on Saturday 25th May
Report by Andy McLaren
Former Peterhead goalkeeper Keiran Wilson has no regrets about leaving the Scottish Football League to play for amateur side Dee Amateurs.
It comes after the Torry outfit became the first Juvenile team to achieve successive promotions in only their second season in the amateur leagues.
The 21-year-old has also played for Inverness Caley Thistle and admitted he left the Blue Toon because there was too much travelling involved in playing professional football.
But Keiran, who played alongside former Dons keeper John Bateman at Peterhead, admits he was delighted to hang up his goalie gloves for a new role as striker.
He said: “Playing as a striker puts more pressure on me to score goals for the team, rather than keeping them out.
“We have all grown up together since we were kids which means there is a good team spirit throughout the squad.
“We have a strong enough team to go all the way into the Premier Division next season.
“Hopefully the journey can continue as it’s a great feeling to be part of a successful team.”
The Aberdeen side were crowned Division Two (North) champions following a dramatic last day win over University Colts on Saturday.
The former Juvenile outfit have had an unforgettable year, scoring 131 goals in the league this season.
And Keiran, who has scored 53 goals in all competitions, believes every game for Dee brings a new “family adventure”.
“We have our own community of supporters who always come down to watch our games,” he said.
“Sometimes the referee’s will come over to the side of the pitch to tell everybody to calm down because there are so much people supporting the team.
“Families can sometimes shy away from Amateur football but at Dee, it’s very different.
“It’s much more enjoyable to be playing football with your friends every week and I’m already looking forward to next season.”
Founded in 1997, over 200 players participate for Dee at Juvenile, Ladies and Amateur level.
Dee striker Kieren Will has played with Keiran since they were schoolboys and joined the Torry outfit having played for Rangers, Inverness Caley Thistle, Cove Rangers and Keith.
And the 21-year-old, who has scored 35 goals this season, today challenged his teammates to start next season with a bang.
He said: “I love playing with my mates in Torry which is the reason why I came to Dee.
“I think we have a team who could quite easily compete in the Premier Division so teams will have to watch out for us.
“We knew at the start of the season we could win the league and hard work has got us where we are today.
“The standard of teams gets better as you progress through the leagues and I think we have enough quality to match the very best in Amateur football.”
Meanwhile, Dee were crowned league champions after a 4-0 win over University Cults in this Division Two (North) fixture.
The Torry side, who finished top of Division 3 last season, almost went ahead after only 5 minutes but Lewis McArthur showed good reactions to stop Kieren Will’s clever chip.
The visitors deservedly took the lead when Keiran Wilson showed good composure to slot the ball past the onrushing McArthur to make it 1-0 on 35 minutes.
Wilson’s pace and strength caused the University defence problems throughout the match and his powerful drive crashed against the post moments before half-time.
Half-time: 0 – 1
University’s only chance of the game came on 50 minutes when Sean MacDonald’s tame effort was easily dealt with by Chris Fraser.
Dee continued to dominate the match and scored their second goal on 65 minutes when Kieren Will’s low free-kick flashed past McArthur.
The Torry outfit refused to sit back and made it 3-0 5 minutes later when substitute Michael Shirran curled his volley past McArthur with his first touch of the game.
They should have made it 4-0 moments later when Wilson’s low drive cannoned against the post before Martin Wood’s looping shot hit the top of the crossbar.
Dee clinched their second successive league title with a well-worked goal to make it 4-0 on 85 minutes.
Full Time: 0 – 4
