AN ARDROSSAN Winton Rovers youth squad have done the area proud after a trip to the Netherlands to compete in a football tournament.

Youngsters from the club's 2010 side made the Dutch trip to compete against teams from across the continent in the Brabant Open.

Played at various venues near the city of s-Hertogenbosch, the team put in some outstanding showings as they earned a sixth place finish in the final standings.

The tournament was played across two days on March 30-31, with the young Three Towns team playing three group matches on the opening day.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Ardrossan Winton Rovers 2010s put in a memorable performance as they played in the Brabant Open in

Winton went unbeaten in this opening stage, picking up 3-1 and 1-0 wins against Danish opponents Herstedøster IC U14-1 and Vorgod-Barde GIF U14-1 respectively.

Their final group game ended in a 0-0 draw against Dutch club HC and FC Victoria U14-1, completing a set of results which saw Winton placed second in their group.

The following day saw the tournament progress into the knockout phases, with the draw split into two halves.

The tournament had 24 teams competing on the first day, split into six groups of four.

The group winners and two top second placed sides went through to knockout games to determine the top eight places, with the remaining second place sides joining the top four third placed finishers to compete for placings 9-16.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Ardrossan Winton Rovers 2010s put in a memorable performance as they played in the Brabant Open in

Winton made it into the knockout stages by virtue of being one of the best-placed runners-up, earning them a tie against home nation side Berghem Sport JO14-2.

The game ended 0-0 in regulation time, and after a penalty shootout that saw nearly every player taking a spot kick it was their opponents who progressed.

The format of the competition meant Winton faced a semi-final tie, with the winners going through to the fifth and six place play-off and the losers playing off for seventh and eighth.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Ardrossan Winton Rovers 2010s put in a memorable performance as they played in the Brabant Open in

The Ardrossan youngsters faced a fellow Scottish side in the semi-final, Pollok United, and after a third successive 0-0 draw, this time Winton were victorious on penalties.

The fifth and sixth place final followed, with Winton falling to their only 'regular time' defeat of the tournament, losing 1-0 to Dutch side Berghem Sport JO14-1.

But the Winton boys left the tournament with their heads held high after an outstanding showing in a tournament and trip which will no doubt live long in their memories.