Stuart Allan U20's Update

I would like to start by wishing all DUFC supporters a Happy New Year. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Year with friends and family. 

Since my last update – we have played two league fixtures. First half against Fauldhouse, I thought we were quite poor. We just didn’t do the fundamentals of football. We gave away possession too frequently and we didn’t look our usual selves. Second half, I thought we were excellent, I really enjoyed watching us. We played on the front foot and I felt we richly deserved all 3 points. Both goals were fantastic pieces of quality. And what’s most pleasing for a manager, the reaction to our messages at half time was excellent. 

Strangely, I felt we were better in the first half on Friday, than we were the previous week, yet we were 2-0 down. Our general play was good, but we were really poor in both boxes. But again, we show a superb reaction. Our first goal came from our two latest signings Leo Harrison and Jasiu Zakrzewski, after Daniel Hall did really well in the air. Our winner was through perseverance and great work from Dan. I’m really pleased for Jack Clark getting the equaliser. If we were 2-0 down in such a game 3 months ago, I’m not sure we’d manage to get back in the game. 

Tommy night, we face Armadale Thistle in the Knockout Cup East. We will have to play well to progress. Armadale have had some impressive results in a tough Conference. But, we should be full of confidence, as we are on our best run of the season. We have been beaten just once in our last five and in spells, we are playing some of our best football of the season.

Last Saturday Stuart Robertson very kindly invited me to join first team manager Kevin Haynes and his captain Grant Thomson at the newly launched Black and White Club, Q&A. I really enjoyed it, my takeaway again, was the overwhelming support for the club and our U20’s. We often reference this prior to games to the lads, reminding them what fantastic support they receive. I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has signed up and to everyone that came along on Saturday. It was fantastic to put names to faces and meet you. 

As I write this, last night the club posted a GoFundMe page to raise money for the boys new strips. I’m honestly speechless, in less than 24 hours, we have reached £880. It makes me incredibly proud to be involved with this football club, especially considering the connection we have to the local community. We made the boys aware of the page before we went out to training, when we came back in, it had gone up £200. I genuinely can’t thank you enough. I have read some of the comments on the GoFundMe page, it fills me with immense pride that we will have ‘Dunbar United Supporters Club’ on our new jerseys. 

Thank you again for your ongoing fantastic support. I can’t tell you how much it means seeing board members, lifelong DUFC supporters & parents supporting this young group on a Friday night. 

All the best, 

Stuart Allan

DUFC