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Town skipper revels in trophy success

Triumphant: Raymond Beach savours his first taste of success as Hornets' captain. (Photo by Glenn Tucker)

Raymond (Packy) Beach experienced one of those defining moments every captain dreams of after guiding Dandy Town Hornets to Dudley Eve Trophy glory last week.Hornets prevailed 1-0 over cup holders North Village to deny their cross-town rivals what would have been a third successive Dudley Eve title.The result landed Beach his first piece of silverware in his new “official” role as Hornets’ captain and if all goes accordingly he hopes it won’t be the last during his watch.“It was a good feeling and it felt nice to win my first trophy as captain,” the striker said, reflecting upon last week’s victory.Beach, who is in the fourth year of a second spell at his childhood club, reckoned the inspiring cup win against Rams would have done his team’s confidence the world of good.“Winning the Dudley Eve was very good for the club as well as the community and it could kick start our season because we have started off with a win/loss type of vibe and so this could instil more belief in the side,” he said.Beach said he never doubted Hornets could put an end to Rams’ Dudley Eve dominance going into last week’s cup final.“Village are a good team especially on the carpet (National Sports Centre), which everybody knows seems to be their pitch up there,” he added. “But cup finals always present opportunities for us, and so as long as we are there then we have a chance for success.”With a team blended with youth and experience, Beach believes his club’s future is a potentially bright one.“This team definitely has the potential and if we keep training hard and fighting hard then the results will show,” he said. “This team has depth and is looking good and is probably the best squad I‘ve played with since I returned to the club. A lot of the guys are still young and so they are still maturing with each game and one of the main things is that everyone is from Town.”The veteran striker said making the transition from player to captain is “still a work in progress” but is a task he appears to be more than equal to.“Being the captain is definitely something new because I have played in a lot of teams where I have been important to the team but never been the captain,” he added.As Hornets’ leader, Beach is wary that he now has to lead by example.“My training habits and stuff like that have to be at a certain standard now,” he said. “But it’s the kind of role I need since I am now one of the more experienced players in the team.”Town chalked up their third league win of the season against St David’s (2-0) at the weekend in the absence of Beach, who opted not to play to afford others a chance.“I could’ve played but sometimes you can see a game where you can probably get a little rest in and a lot of guys have been training too so it’s nice to see others getting a show,” he said. “At the end of the day everybody achieves more as a team and you don’t really want guys around and they are upset because they aren’t playing. You have to find time for them to play too.”

“This team definitely has the potential and if we keep training hard and fighting hard then the results will show.”