McGrath's Babes

 Tomas Mosquera challenges Waitara defender Scotty Pringle in the Duff Rosebowl final.

McGrath's Babes

By Robin Martin

It was former Manchester United coach Sir Matt Busby who famously coined the phrase “if they are good enough, they’re old enough” while building the side which dominated English football during the mid-1950s.

It’s also an expression that Ian McGrath slips into conversation when explaining his decision to lobby for his Francis Douglas Memorial College side’s entry into the Taranaki men’s premier league this season.

“It’s an old adage and a lot of it comes down to the judgement of the coach involved,” he says of his trust in the abilities of his schoolboys.

Many of “Busby’s Babes” – eight of whom died tragically after the Munich air disaster of 1958 – were in their mid teens when thrown into first team football but still went on to win the league in 56 and  57 and were runners up in the 57 FA Cup.

A former professional with Aldershot in the UK, McGrath can’t quite boast that level of success here but Francis Douglas has certainly made strides under his tutelage.

The college’s first XI finished a creditable 11^th at the National Secondary Schools Tournament in Napier earlier last month, which McGrath describes as a fantastic result.

“When you look at the teams that were ranked below us or even around us, for Francis Douglas to break into that category was just an enormous achievement for a college of our size,” he says.

“On top of that (striker) Tomas Mosquera ended up golden boot of the tournament with eight goals.”

With the injection of its senior players – McGrath, Geoff Andrews and Dom Squatriti – Francis Douglas won the local Challenge Trophy and was runner up in both the premier league and Duff Rosebowl.

“Given the odds stacked up against us at the start of the year, and with an awful lot to prove to many, many people our football has done the talking in a sense,” says the PE teacher alluding to some clubs’ reluctance to admit the side into the senior ranks.

For McGrath entry into the premier league was a vital cog in his plan to raise the standard of football at the school.

“The purpose of being in the (premier) league was really to get the boys … to play for the college on a regular basis at a level of football with far more intensity which was ultimately going to benefit their development with a view to inter-school competition.”

Job done one could argue, but with seven senior boys leaving at the end of the year the rest of McGrath’s scheme comes into play.

In his two years at the school he has implemented “three layers of quality” at 13^th, 15^th and youth grade with a view to a succession.

All of the junior sides excelled this season and the youth grade side, under the guidance of Waitara striker John Fletcher, won its league which bodes well for next season but McGrath isn’t expecting an easy ride.

“The second year is always hard because everyone knows about you and its harder to be up there winning again and again than it is to be the surprise package.

“But that challenge is a positive one and although I really am going to miss the guys I’ve had for two years it is quite exciting to see what is coming through.”