Keegan Ashley’s Under-16s have created their own little piece of history by capturing Inglewood United’s first silverware of the National Premier Leagues era. A first half finish by Bleron Mamudi was enough to earn a 1-0 win over Subiaco AFC on Sunday and secure the teenage squad a much desired league title.
“It was pure happiness when the final whistle sounded,” Ashley, coach of the Under-16s, commented. “It will be a moment they will always remember. To see the look on the boys faces backed up why I’m coaching these great lads, they are like family to me. The league is very competitive and being the best in it is very satisfying.”
The foundations for success were laid early, as highlighted by a remarkable 21-game unbeaten run which opened the season. “It has been an outstanding season,” Ashley said. “The importance of hard work was reiterated to the boys throughout the year and they never shied away from meeting that challenge. I always believed in my team – the good thing is the boys believed in themselves.”
The Under-16s unbeaten run only came to end a month ago with a Cup Final day loss to Cockburn City, a result Ashley says served as further motivation for the platers. “That loss galvanised us as a group,” he said. “It was our first loss of the season but we regrouped, trained hard, tactically changed a couple things and we’re got the rewards.”
Ashley has coached the same player group for the past decade and us justifiably proud of the role he has played in their development. “In the last twelve months the boys have become men,” he said. “Physically and mentally they have jumped many hurdles and shown they have the character and the ability to achieve many things in the game.”
“To be crowned champions of the league gives them the platform to become even better, individual and collectively. You can never guarantee that you’re going to win the league but if you don’t believe you can then you’ve got no chance. Wrapping up the championship with one game to go allows us to really enjoy our last week of training and final game.”
