Poor Display Gets Its Just Reward

Saturday 29^th October

vs. Marina Sands Lions 1-7

Team: Ciarán B; Danny, Lewis, Tom, Matty; Joe, Stephen, Caleb (capt.), Adam; Cormac; Ciarán S.

Last week it was 72,000 "southerners" who suffered at the hands of their noisy neighbours. This week it was a handful of parents and brothers who watched their team fall to a similar fate.

With Elliot, Josh and Jacob either unwell or unavailable, Cormac made his full debut in midfield. Although the match started scrappily, it was evident that the Lions were fired up for this game.

The defence will not look back on this game with any fond memories, even though the first two goals came straight after they were on the attack. A ball on the break, a missed header and some good fortune as it ran between Ciarán B and Danny and bounced back off the foot of the post saw the Lions tap it into an empty net in the 5^th minute.

Ciarán S worked tirelessly throughout the match as a lone striker and he won a corner midway through the first half. Taken short, Adam dribbled through, only for his shot to be blocked and Caleb’s follow up from the edge of the area was clasped by the keeper.

They were two down minutes later as the Lions allied a direct style to pace up front to score again. With a man left free on the back post in the 19^th minute, it was all too easy for them to extend their lead further as the ball was crossed from their right.

As Caleb tried to play football, Adam out wide was the only outlet but was rarely able to expose the defence. He won another corner in the 22^nd minute and, as the ball bobbled around the box, the boys could not exploit any nerves in the Lions’ back four.

The weakened line up may have left those playing with fragile confidence but there is no excuse for not doing the basics. Each of the four goals they conceded in the second half should have been dealt with as confusion and weak – or even no – challenges were exploited ruthlessly.

Ciarán B pulled off a couple of fine saves – the second a full stretch leap to push the ball around the post – to keep the score line down as Matty’s solid clearing header also helped relieve the pressure.

By the time Joe’s ball almost set up Ciarán S in the 48^th minute, they were five down. Joe and Matty combined to shut down another break as the defence showed some strength and Ciarán S’s efforts were almost rewarded, only for his header to be cleared off the line.

In the 50^th minute, Danny’s break down the right won a corner, from which Ciarán S was clumsily chopped down in the box. Caleb stepped up to coolly slot the penalty away, but this was to prove to be little more than a consolation as more woeful defending allowed the Lions to score twice more in the last three minutes.

The boys played in the first half as if they expected to be beaten – and so it proved. Although they finally tried to play some football in the second half, led by Caleb and Ciarán S, an error strewn defensive performance gave their opponents too many opportunities. Too many of his team mates were anonymous but it was Cormac’s display in midfield, full of energy and effort – with a handful of simple, safe passes thrown in – that was rewarded with the Man of the Match medal.  

One Way Traffic for Record Win

Saturday 15^th October

vs. Churchtown Athletic 14-0

Team: Ciarán B; Elliot, Lewis, Tom, Matty; Joe, Stephen, Caleb (capt.), Adam; Josh, Ciarán S. Sub: Danny.

Apologies (and welcome!) to any visiting Churchtown fans but this was as embarrassingly one-sided as the score line suggests.

The first half was played almost entirely in the Churchtown half and once the boys started scoring, they could barely stop. Stephen had blazed an early chance over the top but was more clinical in the 5^th minute after Ciarán S’s shot had been blocked.

Two minutes later, Joe sent Ciarán S away on the right and he raced on to slip the ball to Josh to tap in from three yards. They combined again after 9 minutes as Ciarán S found loads of space near the goal line and again gifted Josh with an easy second.

Danny replaced Tom after 11 minutes as it was clear Churchtown posed little attacking threat and so they went to three at the back. The midfield was crowded for most of the game as Churchtown played schoolyard football, naively chasing the ball in packs, and the boys found lots of space out wide, not least Adam who hit the far post after coming in from the left.

Adam duly got his goal after 16 minutes, popping up on the right to cut in a coolly slot in at the near post. Matty got in on the act after 20 minutes, firing home after a defender got in the way of Lewis’s header from Joe’s corner.

Josh had had chances to complete his hat-trick but his third and the boys’ sixth came in the 22^nd minute after the excellent Ciarán S had again provided a ball from him to chest down and rifle home. A minute later Ciarán S was left was far too much time to cross the ball, only for the defender to needlessly handle; the keeper went the right way but Caleb’s spot-kick was too strong for him. Ciarán S finally got the goal his first half display merited, set up by Caleb, as his low shot found the corner of the net after 25 minutes.

Joe took a break as Tom returned for the second half and the attacks continued. Ciarán S came close early in the half but got his second after 33 minutes as the first half roles were reversed and he combined with Josh to lift a shot into the top corner. Straight from the kick off the midfield robbed the ball and fed Danny wide on the right. His run down the wing and inch-perfect cross left Ciarán S with the easiest of chances for his hat-trick as the boys hit double figures.

Churchtown’s keeper must be applauded for a good overall display, with safe handling to take crosses throughout the game as the boys exploited the space on the flanks. His defence came to the rescue, for once, after 33 minutes as the ball was kicked off Danny’s foot just as he pulled the trigger after Caleb had found him free in the box.

Joe came back on, replacing Josh, after 38 minutes and was soon on the score sheet. A poor goal kick allowed Ciarán S another chance, which brought out a good save from the keeper. From the resulting corner, more chaos in the defence left Stephen with a shot which looped up off a defender and Joe was on hand to head it home.

Caleb was taking his time to exploit the limited time in midfield, spread the play intelligently and create chances. His ball in the 43^rd minute provided Adam with the space to run on and send in yet another perfect cross for Danny to knock in the twelfth goal. 

It was the 48^th minute before Ciarán B touched the ball in this match, coming out to smother a shot, and his clearance was headed on by Caleb over the defence, allowing Joe to run on and shoot past the exposed keeper for his second goal.

The hat-trick heroes replaced one another as Josh came back on for Ciarán S but there was no let up for beleaguered Athletic. Joe saw a shot deflected over the top and Adam slalomed in from the wing, only to hit the near post. The Churchtown keeper pulled off another good save from Josh at the end, after more great vision from Caleb, but not before he had had to pick the ball out of the net one more time after Adam’s corner was expertly glanced home by Matty to complete the scoring.

With a hat-trick and at least four assists, Ciarán S fully justified the Man of the Match award but the whole team should be applauded for the performance. It is often not easy to play against a team congesting the central areas but they should remember the rewards that come from passing to feet and playing the simple ball to a team mate when they come up against more organised opponents.

Back four set up 4-goal victory

Saturday 1^st October

vs. Ursuline Seahorses 4-1

Team: Ciarán B; Elliot, Joe, Stephen, Matty; Danny, Jacob, Caleb (capt.), Adam; Jacob, Ciarán S. Sub: Lewis.

The boys put the disappointment of last week’s defeat behind them to bounce back in a game they dominated for long periods.

From the outset, they were quicker to the loose ball, but were unable to take an early advantage after the Ursuline keeper lost the ball under no pressure from Adam’s cross. Caleb saw a long range shot go wide as the boys were camped in their opponents’ half, with Danny raiding down the right – fed regularly by Elliot – in more danger of being tackled by the autumn leaves than a defender.

Although Jacob couldn’t take advantage of Elliot’s incisive ball over the top after 5 minutes, they took the lead a minute later as Danny slotted home after Ciarán S, Caleb and Adam had seen chances blocked desperately.

Two minutes later they went further ahead with a goal of real class. Josh and Jacob combined to create space in midfield and feed the ball out to Adam whose cross was met by Ciarán S’s head with the ball nestling in the corner of the net before the keeper moved.

The sloppy nature of Ursuline’s play began to affect the boys as the half wore on. Although the game was played almost totally one way, they were unable to convert a host of corners into more goals.

Instead it was Ursuline who pulled one back after 17 minutes, as the otherwise impeccable defence allowed the speedy left winger – easily Ursuline’s most dangerous player – to escape and slip the ball under the advancing Ciarán B.

Lewis replaced Jacob at half time, allowing Stephen to move into midfield where he was immediately effective. A measured first pass set up Josh, only for the last man to cut it out but he gained his reward in the 30^th minute. Having created some space on the left, the ball came back to him and his looping shot was too good for the keeper who could only throw a despairing punch at the ball.

They should have had the chance to extend the lead in the 33^rd minute, only for Ciarán S to be halted by a poor offside judgement but they scored the fourth after 35 minutes as Caleb’s volley once again left the keeper a spectator.

Adam skinned the crossbar soon after as Ursuline were pinned in their own half, struggling to clear the goal kicks this season taken from the six yard box. Adam went close again, this time after Ciaran S and Josh linked up and it was a foul on the latter in the 47^th minute that resulted in Joe’s free kick going narrowly wide.

Having scored the goal of the season in the first half, the miss of the season came after 49 minutes. Caleb slipped the ball down the left and Ciarán S’s cross on the run was met by Josh who somehow managed to get it over the crossbar with the keeper out of position (never mind, Josh, even great players like Torres miss sitters. On second thoughts…). He was in good company only two minutes later, though, as Adam shot badly wide after pressure on the keeper continued to pay.   

 

Elliot had given an assured display at right back and was on hand to clear away a late free kick with a superb header after Lewis had bundled the forward over on the edge of the box. On the break, tired legs and the long grass hampered Josh as the boys forced their opponents onto the back foot on last time.

The springboard for this win was a solid defensive display. From Ciarán B’s increasingly confident handling to the solidity of Matty, Stephen, Joe, Lewis and the outstanding Elliot – who was a unanimous choice as Man of the Match, the boys were able to control the match. With a more consistent final pass and a more ruthless display in front of goal, they could have run up a score more suited to the cricket square behind them.