Shetland Times: Cameron takes another step towards professional football

[mizer]

A talented youngster from Nesting is to move to the mainland to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer with Aberdeen after ex­periencing an excellent first year with the club.

 

Cameron Gibbs, who turned 14 in April, has been awarded a new one-year deal with the Scottish Premier League side after making a major contribution to his youth level side’s fortunes in his debut season. He had previously been on the books of Inverness Caley Thistle.

 

The under-14 side for which he became a first-team regular had a phenomenal run of results, winning 22 of their 26 SPL friendly fixtures and losing only once, 4-3 to Glasgow Rangers. They finished the season with seven successive wins, in­cluding a 7-4 triumph over Glasgow Celtic on the final day, 30th May.

 

Cameron – who has been playing in central midfield, central defence and at full-back – scored six goals over the course of the season. He got on the score sheet twice in a 7-0 victory over Stenhousemuir, record­ed another two in a 3-0 win against Dunfermline and also scored in a 2-1 success against St Mirren and a 9-0 hammering of Raith Rovers.

 

He and his family have had to make major sacrifices in order for him to train and play on the mainland every weekend throughout the winter. Holidays apart, each Friday over the past nine months has seen Cameron attend school in Lerwick for morning classes before flying to Aberdeen and taking another two lessons at Pittodrie Stadium before training in the evenings and then a game every Sunday, before getting up at 5am on Monday mornings to make sure he was back in time for the start of the new school week.

 

His father Martin Gibbs, a builder who coaches football locally, said Cameron would be moving to Bridge of Don with his mother, Sally, and sister Madison in time for the new season in August. Martin will stay in Shetland with their other daughter, Shannon, and will commute to visit whenever pos­sible.

 

Martin said: “It’s a massive com­mitment for a young boy. [The coaches] indicated that for Cameron to possibly achieve his goal, to be a football player, he would progress better getting the same training as the rest of the team, which is three or four times a week.”

 

He will now attend Oldmachar Academy in Bridge of Don, where for one day each week he will leave school at lunchtime to brush up on his football skills before catching up on his schoolwork at Pittodrie in the early evening. Cameron will also train regularly in the evenings.

 

The one-year deal is the maxi­mum that players of his age can be signed for and Martin said he was eager to give Cameron – who will be turning out for Spurs this summer – every possible chance of achieving his ultimate goal. “It is a great opportunity. Nothing might come of it, there’s no pressure on.”

 

Martin said the family were indebted to those who had helped out logistically since last August, singling out for thanks airline Flybe, Star Rent-a-Car, Brudolff Hotels for providing accommodation in Aber­deen and local building firm Elphinstone & Howarth for financial assistance. “If they hadn’t all helped us out this couldn’t have happened,” he said.

 

Fuck me a positive story  Good on the loon and his family!

[capitalsharpie]

jesus, Sounds like a lot of work for the loon.

[Slim]

Going to a good school too!

 

However, I'm not sure what's happening here:

 

Cameron – who will be turning out for Spurs this summer

[Harcus]

Spurs are a team in Shetland.

 

This lad must be the first good thing to come out of Shetland in a while.

[glasgow sheep]

Shame for them to spend so much time for money for him to end up at Peterhead or Montrose in 5 years time, and that is probably a best case scenario

[dave_min]

He will now attend Oldmachar Academy in Bridge of Don

 

[Madbadteacher]

 

Have you seen it recently?

[dave_min]

Have you seen it recently?

 

Nope.

 

I think we'd all agree it's gone downhill in the last 6 years though.

[Slim]

Nope.

 

I think we'd all agree it's gone downhill in the last 6 10 years though.

 

[Tyrant]

I went to Oldie too. We can pretty much pinpoint the day it started going down hill as the day that I left.

[McMaster]

Spurs are a team in Shetland.

 

This lad must be the first good thing to come out of Shetland in a while.

 

Here!!! Less o it!! 

 

Good fitballer and fairly natural at the back and midfield.  Good to see him sign fir another year.  Shame he is still so young as we could do with someone with his versatility, and skill, right now.

 

Karl Williamson fae Shetland went to Aberdeen as a kid but unfortunately never made it pro.  Good footballer as well.

[McMaster]

Our new signing from Shetland

 

 

[dave_min]

I went to Oldie too. We can pretty much pinpoint the day it started going down hill as the day that I left. started.

 

[Tyrant]

Nah that was my older sister! She was one of the cool kids that smoked behind the huts and set fire to the bins and the like.

[tarotangel]

good to see a Shetlander in there.  We await Leighton Flaws, John  Montgomery & Mervin Jamieson signing for Aberdeen    :D :rofl:

[BobbyBiscuit]

Leighton Flaws

 

Probably his kicking, sometimes on cross balls but really, he was a world class goalkeeper and I don't think we should be nit picking with arguably our second greatest ever player... 

[xGav8]

Old post, however, If Cameron Gibbs can play for Aberdeen, Why not James Aitken?

[sooth_stander]

Was in Nesting last week, funnily enough, my wife hails from up there.

 

Dinna half like their fitba up there.

[McMaster]

Was in Nesting last week, funnily enough, my wife hails from up there.

 

Dinna half like their fitba up there.

 

Aye, wir aa die hards up here 

[dave_min]

Old post, however, If Cameron Gibbs can play for Aberdeen, Why not James Aitken?

 

Excuse my ignorence, but who?!

[xGav8]

Plays for Celtic and has done for a couple of years. Still at school