Big defeat as boys crumble

Saturday 22^nd March

vs Marina Sands Lions 2-6

Team: Ciarán; Elliot H, Josh, Sam, Ben; Louis, Dylan, Jacob, Adam; Caleb; Joe. Subs: Cormac, Elliot R, Ollie, Tom.

This was a 45 minute horror show as, not for the first time, the boys capitulated against a team who battled  – better that all involved remember what went wrong than to take a ‘forget about this one’ approach.

It all started so brightly, as they took the lead in the third minute. From the kick off Louis found plenty of space in the box and Caleb’s shot flew off the outside of his boot. Adam then deftly turned his marker, passed to Jacob whose ball took out the whole of the defence and Joe rifled them into the lead.

A wild shot from Adam and a Joe free kick showed that they could not master the strong wind at their backs and there were portents of things to come as, with the tireless exception of Jacob, the midfield, who might have looked good with the ball, were non-existent without it.

Ciarán was left scrambling in the dirt after he failed to take a long range shot cleanly, not helped by the ground, as the Tigers equalised in the 9^th minute. From that one goalkeeping error, the team crumbled and they were 3-1 down by the quarter hour after a crazy scramble of blue shirts failed to first cut out a corner and then hack it clear and then Ben froze on the back post to allow the Tigers a third after a poor touch from Josh left him exposed.

Both Ben and Josh recovered their composure to win important challenges and, despite Joe seeing a shot comfortably pushed over the bar and Caleb again finding the outside of his boot late on, they never looked in control of the game. The Tigers were winning the battles in midfield but were no threat: Ciarán had little to do after the third goal.

Ollie and Tom replaced Dylan, out of sorts in the centre, and Ben for the second half and when Adam flew down the left to force a good save from the Tigers’ keeper soon after the break, there was promise of better things.  Ollie slalomed down the right to great effect and Joe chose to shoot from a tight angle, rather than lay the ball back. A minute later, though, the Tigers extended their lead as a corner caught the wind and flew into the top corner.

Adam was exposing the Tigers right back and from his cross in the 45^th minute, Jacob’s header was parried by the keeper and Joe tapped in the rebound to bring it back to 2-4. The game was up, though, four minutes later as Elliot H and Tom were caught out to allow a fifth, which was the trigger for Cormac and Elliot H to come on.

They looked a sorry sight for the final quarter and sounded one too as discipline fell away and the recriminations started. A late free kick gave them a chance but with nobody on the back post the opportunity went begging. Instead, it was left to an old team-mate to shimmy past half-hearted tackles in the box to set up the Tigers’ sixth goal in the last minute, the scorer on his own in front of Ciarán to prod home with his knee.

The choice for Man of the Match was as simple as it has been all season: Jacob took responsibility to sit in front of the defence, try and hold the Tigers at bay and push forward. Covering every blade of grass is not necessarily a sign of a good performance but it summed up his tireless, if at time frustrated, display. As for his team mates, they were second best all over the park and a number of them need to think hard about their own approach to the game before shouting long and loud at others.

Honours even start to Spring Shield

Saturday 15^th March

vs Marina Sands Jags 1-1

Team: Ciarán; Louis, Sam, Josh, Ben; Dylan, Caleb, Jacob, Adam; Ollie; Joe. Subs: Cormac, Elliot H, Elliot R, Tom.

The boys had enough chances to win this game but wasted the opportunity to start the Spring Championship with a victory.

After a slow start as each team struggled to master the cross wind, the boys had the first real opening in the 7^th minute. Ollie rode a series of tackles to bring it out of defence and gave Joe the perfect ball to run on to but the defence were back to cover as he chose not to shoot early and the chance went begging.

Sam had a solid first half, with little getting past him. He came to his team’s rescue after 13 minutes, heading a goal bound shot clear after they had failed to properly deal with a Jags’ free kick.

Ollie and Joe combined again in the 15^th minute but the result was no better than earlier. Joe was on hand to take full advantage of a clanger from the Jags’ keeper two minutes later, though, tapping into an unguarded net as he failed to hold onto a long range effort from Adam.

Josh made amends for not heading clearing by regaining the ball and sending Jacob into acres of space but yet again a Crosby player did not get the shot away. They were slowly getting a stranglehold on the game as Caleb’s influence in midfield grew, his ball into the channel for Dylan cut off by a stretching Jags’ defender midway through the half. Adam created an opening from himself in the box and Joe shot wildly over the top as they chased a second goal and Joe came closest, his free kick rattling the crossbar after Ollie had been crudely shoved in the back after 27 minutes.

They again looked vulnerable on the left at times but Ciarán’s handling was immaculate throughout the game and he confidently pushed a long range shot around the post that bounced just in front of him to preserve the lead five minutes before the break.

Dylan had a great chance to end the half, sent clear by Joe’s touch around the corner after Sam had cleared the lines, only for the uneven ground to push him wide and give the Jags the chance to again close down another attack.

The four substitutes all came on for the second half with Ben, Joe, Ollie and Sam taking a breather and they were made to pay for their first half profligacy as a run straight through the heart of the team two minutes after the break left Ciarán with no chance to prevent the equaliser.

Louis had greater freedom to roam from a midfield position in the second half and his persistence set up a chance for Cormac who shot straight at the keeper. Coming in from the right, Cormac got to a mishit effort from Jacob in the 41^st minute only for the keeper to push it around the post as the boys regained their composure.

Tom, finding his feet after being out since early January, was grateful for Josh alongside him. Outshone in central defence in the first half, Josh went on to give a confident second half performance to keep the Jags’ breaks at bay that deservedly earned him the Man of the Match award.

Bare minimum gets maximum reward

Saturday 1^st March

vs Marina Sands Tigers 2-1

Team: Ciarán; Elliot H, Louis, Josh, Adam; Ollie, Dylan, Caleb, Elliot R,; Joe, Cormac.

Shorn of yet more regulars such that they only had the eleven who started and with defenders picking up knocks during the game, it was a resolute performance from the boys to secure the victory.

In a scrappy first half, where the boys were guilty too often of poor decision making, Ciarán made a good save at his near post in the 6^th minute as the Tigers broke down the right. Joe regularly found himself in acres of space on the right, shooting across the face of the goal after Dylan had sent him away after 8 minutes and, after Cormac’s neat ball around the corner, flashing another one wide two minutes later.

Josh made amends for not winning a header on half way in the 12^th minute to stop the Tigers in their tracks and went on to have a solid game at the back, reading the game well to snuff out most of the Tigers attacks. Their opponents may have been pushing the boys back, taking advantage of the makeshift side, but Crosby carried the greater attacking threat, as Joe demonstrated by pinging one onto the bar in the 24^th minute.

They took the lead in the 28^th minute: from a foul wide on the right, Joe’s free kick was far too good for the Tigers’ defence and Caleb nodded home.  The Tigers shot just over the bar minutes later as the free man picked up the clearance from a corner but the boys should have doubled their advantage just before the break when Joe just failed to get anything on Louis low corner after Dylan had once again opened up the right for Joe.

The quality didn’t improve after the break and, like the first period, Ciarán was in action 5 minutes in, with a follow-up block from Josh to prevent the Tigers from equalising. Ollie set Joe free in the 51^st minute, with the keeper out quick to beat him to the ball, as the game broke from a period of midfield torpor with a second goal for the boys. From a corner gained by Joe’s persistence, Louis plonked the ball on his head under the crossbar for an almost carbon copy of the goal against TMS to double the lead with a quarter of the match left.

The Tigers continued to play in the boys half without causing any threat – indeed Dylan created a chance for himself soon after the goal – and needed a helping hand, or two, to get back into the game. Awarded a generous free kick in the 59^th minute, Ciarán got underneath the shot, spilled it and watched it, and his first clean sheet for a year, trickle over the line.

Sensing a chance, the Tigers poured forward and the Crosby keeper made amends with a brilliant fingertip save, pushing the ball onto the bar. The Tiger s looked certain to get the equaliser from the rebound, only for the forward to shoot over the bar from three yards out under great pressure from Elliot Halpin.

Credit goes to the makeshift defence who worked hard to make up for a pretty anonymous midfield display. As ever, the boys never look as confident against a team wanting to battle as they do against opponents looking to play football. It is to the credit of Man of the Match Josh and the other four at the back that the Tigers never looked like scoring from open play. Winning when you don’t play well is a good habit to form!