Published: Thursday, 29th July, 2010 9:27am

Heavy blow for Hadd U17

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THE talented teenagers of Haddington Athletic Under-17s suffered bitter disappointment in the Gothia Cup last Friday as their dreams of victory in the tournament were dashed by a quarter-final defeat in the competition's B class.

The Hi Hi were beaten 3-2 on penalties by EDS Laos FC following a 0-0 draw to end their hopes of claiming silverware in the tournament - recognised as the World Youth Cup - in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The side had made a promising start to the week, playing in the B18 age class, defeating Norwegian side Undheim IL 3-0 to top group 36.

Following a 1-0 defeat to Germans TuS Makkabi Frankfurt and a 0-0 draw in the final group tie against Greek side FC Kentavros Vrilision, the county side had been left in third place, qualifying for the tournament's B class knock-out stages.

Last Thursday, the team had embarked on a busy day's play. Following a bye into the last 64, Haddington had knocked out Swedish side IFK Oskarshamn with a 4-2 win.

The Hi Hi had completed an excellent day's work with further wins over Premier Missoula FC from the USA and German opponents Walddörfer SV to feature in the last eight of the competition in their first ever appearance at it.

However, last Friday's defeat came as a bitter blow to the side, who had worked hard to earn a place in the quarter finals.

Coach Gary McFarlane said: "Our players are understandably a bit down but they deserve a lot of praise for their efforts, and all of us can be proud of the way they have represented the Hi Hi in this prestigious event."

More than 1,500 boys' and girls' teams from across the globe, in a wide range of age groups, travelled to take part in the Gothia Cup.

The tournament's opening ceremony was performed in front of more than 50,000 people, with about 70 countries competing in more than 4,500 games to bring home some silverware.