An angry football coach has hit out at the organising committee behind Orkney’s annual sporting awards event.

Mr Derek Ward said he was “saddened” that his Orkney under-14 football team failed to make the shortlist for the Team of the Year trophy at tonight’s Orkney Sporting Awards.

Either Holm Football Club, Westray Rugby Club or the St Margaret’s Hope Bowling Club will be presented with the trophy tonight, Friday, night.

The teams were chosen from a list of nominations – including the under 14 football team – by a special sporting awards committee.

But Mr Ward felt his team deserved to be included on the short leet, following their “very impressive” achievements on the pitch this year.

The disgruntled coach said: “I can’t help but wonder what a team must do to reach the shortlist.”

The 16-strong football squad travelled to Norway in August to attend a youth football tournament, and ended up winning the event.

Mr Ward, of Naeroy in South Ronaldsay, said his team won all of their warm-up matches before heading North, and lost only won match throughout the whole competition.

They reached the final and were also complemented on their style of play by Norwegian coaches. An Orkney boy even scooped awards for the best player of the tournament and the runner-up, said Mr Ward, adding that the young Orcadians were interviewed by a reporter from a Norwegian newspaper and also appeared on television.

In a letter to The Orcadian this week, Mr Ward writes: “There is no doubt the teams that did get to the shortlist are there by merit and have undoubtedly excelled in their various sports and deserve the recognition they get from achieving the shortlist.

“However, having watched this group of 16 boys get better and better every training session throughout the year and finally achieving the ultimate goal in Norway, I am saddened that they did not make the shortlist and get the recognition they surely deserved.”

Secretary of the Orkney Sports Development Group, Mr John Mowat, explained that a nine-strong organising committee had to narrow down the nominations for each category into a short leet of three candidates.

He said he sympathised with Mr Ward, after the under-14 footballers didn’t secure enough votes to qualify for the shortlist.

“It’s a shame for the young ones, but at the same time we have a committee and we can’t criticise them because they are all volunteers helping out in their own time,” he said.