Kilwinning Rangers boss Chris Strain heaped praise on teenage goalkeeper Ewan Henderson after an impressive debut in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Rossvale.
The 17-year-old was thrown in at the deep end at Buffs Park after Jamie Barclay called off on the morning of the game due to illness.
But any nerves were pushed to the side as the youngster produced an assured display between the sticks, beaten only by a first half Hugh Kerr penalty.
Strain revealed the rookie keeper was given a standing ovation in the dressing room after goals from Gavin Millar (2), Thomas Collins and Kyro Crawford sealed an important three points.
And he insists Henderson has a bright future ahead of him if he keeps working hard.
“We’ve had Ewan in training with us this season and he’s been exceptional”, said Strain.
“His attitude and determination to learn and improve is something you don’t see in a lot of kids his age and he’s the fittest keeper I’ve ever seen.
“It was a horrendous day for a young goalkeeper to make a debut with the wind blowing all over the place but if Ewan was nervous he didn’t show it.
“Physically, he’s not big in stature yet and he’s probably not ready to challenge for the No1 slot but he can take a lot of confidence from his performance.”
Strain admitted the scoreline flattered his side but insists his players deserve enormous credit for grinding out three points on a difficult day.
He added: "It's no secret we are carrying a lot of injuries at the moment and the same guys are being asked to go to the well time and time again.
"The effort has been tremendous and as I keep saying, points matter more than performances right now."
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