Match Report – Game 2 – Saturday 25th September

vs Marina Sands Lions: 0-2

Team: Ciarán; Stephen (capt.), Josh; Joe, Jacob, Caleb; Seamus. Subs: Elliot, Matty

This match highlighted two contrasting styles of play, with the boys’ neat passing outdone by the more direct style of their opponents.

It was no surprise that Marina Sands were peppering the goal with long range shots from the kick off, with a number of balls from their keeper sailing straight out of play at the other end. Good link up work from Josh and Seamus lead to a half-chance and then Jacob and Caleb combined well to force a corner.

Ciarán needed to show a safe pair of hands with a steady stream of balls coming in on the wind, but the boys went a goal down after 9 minutes after a throw-in was not cleared and the loose ball was poked home through a forest of legs.

There was still plenty of space behind both Marina Sands full backs which the boys were able to find but struggled to create any clear-cut chances. They forced a number of corners but were not able to exploit the nervous handling of the Marina Sands keeper. At the other end, a long range shot screamed narrowly over the top but Marina Sands were restricted to shooting from distance.

With Elliot replacing Joe at half time, the boys pushed forward but were caught on the break within 2 minutes as the blonde Marina Sands forward broke free, his shot leaving Ciarán with little chance.

Josh and Stephen were leading by example with their solid tackling and the boys continued to try and find space wide, with a Caleb shot from a tight angle hitting the outside of the post. The turning point in the game came a minute later, with the Marina Sands keeper saving a Seamus chance behind his goal line, only for the (Uruguayan?) referee to rule that the ball had not crossed the line.

Matty then replaced Caleb and showed great determination down the right for the rest of the game, linking well with Jacob and Seamus and creating a run of chances. Ciarán had a quieter second half but had to come out to bravely dive at the forward’s feet as Marina Sands broke out.

A change up front saw Seamus coming off with Jacob going forward and Caleb on again for the last 6 minutes and the boys’ last chance saw Elliot shoot narrowly wide at the far post from a dangerous Caleb cross.

The boys played the better football throughout this match but need to show a little more confidence in the tackle against bigger opponents. The determination of Josh, Stephen and Matty showed them how they can play. 

Man of the Match: Tackling hard and setting up a number of attacks, the award this week goes to Josh.