Benson wins FAI schools player of the year award

ATHLONE native Robbie Benson has added to his growing reputation after winning this year's FAI's under-18 International Schools Player of the Year Award at the 3/FAI International Soccer Awards on Sunday. The 18-year-old former Athlone Town player, who now plays with League of Ireland Premier Division club UCD, saw off competition from Tomás Boyle and Brian Nolan to capture the award at the prestigious ceremony in Dublin. Benson played schoolboy football for St Francis before moving to Athlone Town, was handed his first-team debut for Athlone at the age of 16. He went on to establish himself as a regular starter under former manager Brendan Place. Robbie was signed by UCD in the summer of 2010 on a soccer scholarship, along with another former Athlone Town team-mate Tom O'Halloran, and scored the winning goal for Ireland that enabled them to lift last year's Centenary Shield trophy. Benson netted the only goal of the game as the Ireland Schools' beat England 1-0 in Burton to secure the title. The former Marist College pupil has actually struggled against injury since moving from Athlone Town to UCD, but is in line to feature for UCD at this week's Irish Universities Harding Cup Freshers Trophy tournament in Maynooth. Benson, one of manager Diarmuid McNally's First Year scholarship players, made his first appearance of the season for UCD last week as a second-half substitute in the annual Colours Game against Dublin University. The former Athlone attacker scored UCD's second goal in a 3-0 win and also set up the third goal for Cillian Morrisson. However, Tom O'Halloran - another former Athlone Town youngster who joined UCD at the same time as Benson - is currently out injured and remains a doubt for the Harding Cup. Knockout blow for Willow Park Meanwhile, it was very much a mixed week for local soccer kingpins Willow Park, who progressed further in the Leinster Senior Cup but suffered a shock defeat in the last 64 of the coveted FAI Junior Cup. Last Wednesday evening, Willow travelled to Dublin to face Glebe North in the Leinster Senior Cup, with a place in the last 32 at stake, and emerged with a 1-0 victory thanks to Colm Hyland's goal. That result left Willow in buoyant mood ahead of Sunday's FAI Junior Cup trip to Monaghan Town, but despite again leading 1-0 through Colm Hyland, they uncharacteristically conceded three times in the closing 20 minutes to crash out the competition. Willow still remain in both the Leinster Junior Cup and Leinster Senior Cup (in which they will play Crumlin Utd at home in the last 32). Local rivals St Peter's now remain Athlone's sole representatives in this year's FAI Junior Cup and are scheduled to play their last 32 match at home to FC Blanch (Dublin) this coming Sunday at McCarthy Park (2pm). Staying with matters relating to local junior football, former Willow Park player Robbie Egan, who also had brief spells with Athlone Town and Tullamore Town in recent years, has signed for League of Ireland Premier Division club Bray Wanderers.