Favourites inflict heavy defeat

Saturday 27^th September

vs Hudson Hibs 0-9

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

Congratulations to Hudson Hibs: a fine team with a faster, stronger, more determined display that did not need the unsporting gesture of sending their keeper up for a late corner to ensure an overwhelming victory over the boys.

The rot started in the first minute: Ciarán may have been slow off his line to the two forwards but no slower than the back line that allowed them to break behind them.  In fact, it took them the 9^th minute to properly break out of their own half, apart from a rare foray down the right by Joe.  By this time, they were two down – Ciarán had made a good save but a free header from the resulting corner doubled the score.

That goal summed up the display: good as the Hibs are, if they are not closed down, they will have all the time in the world to set up chance after chance. And they did. Four behind at the break, despite Ciarán pulling off a handful of saves and showing confident handling, the closest the boys  came to a goal was Joe’s long range free kick that deflected off the wall; Josh’s corner was hooked wide by Ollie.

Joe was isolated up front, despite some tireless work by Ollie in midfield, and the second half followed the pattern of the first: a goal within a minute as they raced behind the defence, leaving Ciarán exposed. A quality touch to control and open up the defence from Jacob in the 47^th minute sent Dylan racing away only for the defender to block his shot but that was as good as it got in the second half.

It says a great deal about the team’s performance that the keeper was made Man of the Match: without a series of blocks and saves – one flying effort late in the second half was worthy of a better game – the score line could have been embarrassing.  That they didn’t concede in the last ten minutes is to the credit of Ciarán, his right hand post (twice) and a bit more bite in midfield from late changes that saw Louis and Caleb put up more of a challenge to the Hibs’ attack.

Looking at times beaten before they started, the lack of defensive shape and uncertainty in the tackle made the job at lot easier for their opponents.  The boys will play teams who are better than they are, they just don’t need to make it so easy for them.

Defence haunted by an ex-team mate

Saturday 20^th September

vs. TMS 2-7

Team: Ciarán; Elliot, Caleb (capt.), Tom, Josh; Louis; Mark, Dylan, Ollie, Adam; Joe. Subs: Cormac.

Injury (Sam out and Joe’s participation limited), absence (Jacob) and their continued habit of over-committing in midfield saw them pay dearly at the hands of TMS.

They were behind after only two minutes – either a genius touch with the outside of the right foot, or a fluke, to lift it over Ciarán from the most acute of angles – as the left flank was easily exposed.

Mark almost set Dylan free and Louis shot from long range minutes later as they pushed out. Dylan’s pace was keeping the TMS defence busy but there was little coming from it and Caleb needed to be alert to snuff out a break after 10 minutes. They went two down a couple of minutes later as Tom failed to take his chance to clear and was turned far too easily, leaving Ciarán no chance with the shot.

The match was being played in an eerily quiet atmosphere, the lack of voices from the boys reflecting the lack of confidence in their play. At least Ciarán was alert, palming away Tom’s wayward header and then diving at the tall TMS forward’s feet, but he was powerless to prevent the third goal in the 25^th minute, as the right back had far too much time on the overlap to pick out his team mate with a cross he just tapped in.

Joe and Dylan hassled the TMS defence into errors in the 31^st minute, with their keeper making a one-handed save but the first time chance for Dylan might have brought greater reward. Instead, it was the boys who allowed TMS to work the ball across the box two minutes before the break to rifle home the fourth.

Cormac came on for the hamstrung Joe for the second half but it was Elliot who once again stopped the early surge from TMS with a trademark tackle. It was a perfectly timed intervention but it gained them no credit in luck: after 40 minutes a long range shot ricocheted off Caleb’s head and landed at the feet of a TMS forward who shot past the helpless Ciarán.

When they allowed TMS a sixth, two touches from a throw opening up the defence, with almost half an hour left it looked like being a very long second period. Instead, they took advantage of changes in the TMS line-up to save some face. Adam broke down the left and the TMS defender needed to be strong to close him down, but it was an improvement and, from the throw, they got a goal back as Mark’s cross was hooked over the keeper.

They continued to pull the TMS defence out to the flanks, stretching them left and right, and a surge into the box from Mark in the 51^st minute set up a double chance for Cormac but the keeper was equal to both shots.

After 56 minutes TMS nearly scored again: Ciarán pulled off a good save as TMS advanced once more on their right, with Elliot following up to head the ball brilliantly off the line and the keeper pushed another shot onto the post from an oblique angle 10 minutes from the end.

Louis blazed over after 61 minutes after Mark had created the opening but got his reward two minutes later, latching onto the rebound from his own shot to score his first of the season.

Mark was quick again with a throw two minutes from the end only for Adam to pull his shot wide under pressure. TMS had responded to the goals by bringing their strikers back on and, after Ciarán had rushed out with a tackle to stop one break, he was left to pick the ball out of the net one more time seconds from the end as the TMS striker rode too many half-hearted tackles to eventually find the space to shoot.

It has been a chastening week for the boys after a bright start to the season, from which they will hopefully learn and improve. The defence, not blameless, still looked under-protected but Elliot and, in this game, Ciarán did all that was asked of them. Mark put in a skilful, hard-working performance but, for his energy in the second half fight back, Louis took the Man of the Match award.

All Town Green'd Out

Monday 15^th September

vs. Town Green Rangers 2-8

Team: Ciarán; Elliot, Caleb (capt.), Louis, Josh; Sam; Mark, Ollie, Jacob, Adam; Joe. Subs: Cormac, Dylan, Tom.

The first half display didn’t suggest the second half battering the boys took, although the fact that they were never in front, as the Rangers scored twice in the half against the run of play, turned out to be ominous.

Joe forced an early save out of the keeper and Jacob was close with a long range punt after 8 minutes as they settled well, moving the ball swiftly to feet and pressing the Rangers to get it back.

Ciarán will be trying to figure out how he missed the opener, even if the midfielder who shot from long range seemed to get more of his hands on the ball in the build up than he did. If that 12^th minute goal was a setback, the fantastic power header by Jacob from Josh’s excellent corner to equalise two minutes later more than made up for it.

The midfield four linked superbly to carve out an opening for Adam, who shot wide soon after. Joe’s tight hamstring forced him off after 18 minutes, with Dylan’s pace replacing him up front. His pace was soon stretching the Rangers but they had the cushion of the lead in the 25^th minute, a ball over the top taking out the whole of the defence for the forward to lift it over Ciarán, stuck in no-man’s land.

Jacob and Mark were running the game at this point and combined to bring the scores level after 32 minutes, after Mark took advantage of a quick throw to send the ball into the box and Jacob touched the ball away from his marker and turned it home.

Good as they had been in the centre of the pitch with the ball in front of them, they looked weak when exposed between the lines and Sam had cleared a couple of chances before the break. Rangers went on to take full advantage of this frailty as they steam-rolled the boys in a dominant second half.

They took the lead in the 38^th minute, a corner routine perfected on the training pitch seeing a free man on the far post of a short corner free to volley home. Doubling it three minutes later, as they took advantage of poor midfield control to lift it over the advancing Ciarán (this time doing the right thing), they had the confidence now lacking in the boys to run away with the game.

Sam, Adam and Mark were replaced by Tom, Joe and Cormac but by then the Rangers had scored a fifth as a cross-shot flew over Ciarán. The Crosby keeper was powerless to prevent number six, a free header from a corner but was quick off his line in the 56^th minute and pulled off a good full length save minutes later to keep the score down.

Sam and Mark returned for the tiring Ollie and Jacob but they still looked open at the back: Ciarán’s kick out after 59 minutes may have been flat but nobody challenged to win the ball back and prevent the seventh and in the last minute the Rangers scored again, breaking through the line and lifting it over the beleaguered keeper.

This was a weary second half performance – they had struggled to maintain their first half efforts in previous matches – as the best of the Town Green teams gorged on poor marking at corners and an exposed defence who had little protection. Elliot took the Man of the Match award after yet another determined display at right back.

Victory denied as Rovers hold out for draw

Saturday 13^th September
vs. Town Green Rovers 3-3

Team: Ciarán; Elliot, Caleb (capt.), Louis, Josh; Sam; Mark, Ollie, Jacob, Adam; Joe. Subs: Cormac, Dylan, Tom.

Despite only taking one point from a game they should have won, the quality of some of the boys’ football was more than enough for them to take pride in their performance.

They had settled well but were desperately unlucky to go a goal down after 6 minutes. Given too much time in midfield, the Rovers’ long range shot hit the post with Ciarán’s dive covering the goal, only for the ball to rebound off his back and roll over the line.

The passing remained crisp, especially between Mark, Ollie and Jacob, as they kept the ball alive, waiting for the opening. At times Rovers were chasing shadows, and they needed their pacy centre back to snuff out chances as the midfield released Joe.

Quick thinking from Mark, as his throw put Joe away from the defence, set up the equaliser as Joe forced it in from a tight angle in the 18^th minute. Adam, struggling with a knock, was replaced by Tom and they adapted to stiffen up in the centre, as the defence were lacking protection, with Josh having to recover well more than once.

They took a deserved lead after 26 minutes, with Joe keeping his cool to slot home after Ollie had determinedly won the ball back in midfield. They could have gone into the break further ahead only for Joe to be called offside after Mark and Jacob had combined to quickly turn defence into attack after a double save from Ciarán.

All the good work of the first half evaporated as they conceded two goals in 10 minutes after the break. A long ball split the centre backs in the 38^th minute to leave Ciarán exposed and he was beaten again after a throw-in into the box was poorly dealt with. The keeper was, however, grateful for his defence in between the goals, after he lost the ball at a corner which they finally hacked clear.

Dylan replaced Joe for the last 20 minutes and his pace was to cause the Rovers defence no end of problems. Another spot with a quick throw from Mark a minute after he came on saw Dylan poke the ball just wide of the post.

It was Dylan’s strength, rather than pace, that played a big part in the equaliser. Cormac replaced Mark after 56 minutes and the substitution was inspired as, on the hour mark, Dylan won the ball back in the Rovers half and passed out to Cormac, who turned round the full back and crossed for Jacob to slide it home as the keeper came out.

Jacob saw a shot saved from the edge of the box as the boys piled on the pressure, looking for the winner, and he combined with Ollie  after 63 minutes to send Dylan racing away, only for his shot to go agonisingly wide of the far post.

The momentum was with the boys but the winner wouldn’t come: Cormac freed Dylan only for the keeper to save with his feet and minutes from the end, Sam slipped the ball to Jacob who turned and shot only for the Rovers keeper to come to their rescue again, his save seeing the ball crawl the right side – for him – of the post for a corner they cleared.  

At times, they played some really good football which was a delight to watch. The midfield moved the ball well going forward – Ollie deserved his Man of the Match award for his first half display alone – but they need to tighten up defensively in the centre of the pitch so as not to leave the defence exposed. Elliot, Louis and Caleb put in their usual quality performances – in three different styles – at the back and Josh set a number of attacks going down the left but they paid a cruel price for starting the second half slowly as lady luck deserted them in the last 15 minutes with their opponents on the ropes.

A promising start...

Saturday 6^th September
vs. Town Green Warriors 5-0

Team: Ciarán; Elliot, Caleb (capt.), Louis, Josh; Sam; Mark, Ollie, Jacob, Adam; Joe. Subs: Cormac, Tom.

The boys got off to the perfect start to the season with a solid performance. After a rusty start, as they struggled to impose themselves on physically big but limited opponents, they grew into the game and began to move the ball quickly from defence to attack, pulling Town Green apart.

Jacob and Joe were causing the Town Green defence all sorts of problems and, with Adam giving the right back the runaround, the only failing was in not converting any of the chances. Joe hit the foot of the post after 11 minutes and he was too strong for his marker minutes later, setting up Jacob for a shot that was deflected wide.

Mark was getting more involved and a great ball in from the left, after Joe had laid it back to him, saw Adam rise to head wide. It was his vision that finally broke the deadlock in the 27^th minute. Adam cut in from the left, slipped the ball in front of Joe and the keeper came out to clear the lines: the ball fell to Mark who coolly lifted it into the empty net from 30 yards.

Tom replaced Sam at half time and the boys immediately doubled their lead as Ollie was upended in the box within 20 seconds of the restart and Jacob coolly fired home the penalty. Briefly, Town Green woke up and Ciarán saved a shot that was probably going wide but they were punished again after 39 minutes. Mark sent Joe into acres of space on the right and, cutting into the box, he squared to Jacob who had plenty of time to choose his spot for his second goal.

Adam’s great first half display was rewarded with a goal in the 42^nd minute as the boys made it 4-0. Combining with Josh and Ollie from a throw-in, his cross-cum-shot from an acute angle flew into the far corner – he’ll claim he meant it.

Cormac came on for Ollie in midfield and played his part in the fifth goal after 46 minutes. He collected a weak goal kick and his pass gave Mark the time and space to shoot from the edge of the box. The Town Green keeper, who showed good handling all game, could only parry the shot into Joe’s path and last season’s top scorer got this year’s account off with a simple tap-in into the empty net.

As Ian rang the changes to make sure all the squad got a good runout, the boys let their opponents off the hook as shots rained in from all angles – Sam at least saw one fizz just over the bar – but the score line could have been embarrassing.

Nevertheless, this was still a disciplined performance that was based on good passing and movement off the ball. The defence was rock solid: Elliot was never beaten once, Josh covered well on the other wing and Louis and Caleb looked to build from the back whenever possible.

Tom protected the back four well in the second half, with Sam more inclined to push forward from a similar position. Occasionally slow to get back, the midfield created chances from start to finish: on another day, Joe could have had a hat-trick before half time but, for his brace, Jacob took the Man of the Match award (and got his photo in the Echo!).