No Spark for Bonfire Night

Saturday 5^th November

vs. Active Soccer 3-5

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

The fireworks were all at the wrong end of the pitch as the boys slipped to another defeat.

They started crisply but as soon as they lost the ball Active Soccer were straight into the heart of the defence, forcing an early save from Ciarán B. From the corner on the right, the ball flew straight through the defence, was recycled from the left and the forward was free to head them into a first minute lead.

As quick as they were behind, though, they drew level. Ciarán B’s clearance was headed on by first Caleb and then Josh, setting Ciarán S free to shoot smartly passed the keeper.

With Elliot behind him and Josh inside, Danny was finding plenty of space on the right and all the chances were coming from that wing. Ciarán S hooked a shot to force a save and the keeper next had to be sharp to take the ball from the right as Joe bore down on him.

However, Active Soccer were having similar success down their right and, after a midfield error, they retook the lead in the 12^th minute. Two minutes later they extended it further as the Active Soccer captain was free in the box to shoot, with Ciarán B getting a fingertip to the ball as it flew into the far corner.

Joe made an excellent recovery tackle as once again Active Soccer got behind the defence and the hard working Ciarán S suffered the same fate at the other end as Adam finally found some space on the left.

The boys pulled one back in the 21^st minute as Ciarán S turned provider. From the right, he pulled the ball back to Josh who was left in a heap in the area. The ball ran free to Danny who curled his shot beyond the keeper into the net before the referee could blow for the penalty. 

Three minutes later, however, disaster struck as the midfield was caught in possession and Active Soccer broke away. As Lewis and the forward came in on goal, a moment’s hesitation from Ciarán B allowed the ball to slip under him and trickle over the line, despite Matty’s last ditch efforts.

Two minutes before the interval, Active Soccer scored their fifth. The defence had pushed up leaving the forward yards offside as he ran on to the ball and slid it past Ciarán B – a cruel blow to end the half.

Joe and Stephen swapped roles in the second period and the boys gave a much more resilient display. Caleb’s ball into the box eventually came to Adam but his shot was taken by the keeper. Adam combined with Ciarán S to force a corner in the 33^rd minute with which the Active Soccer defence barely coped, as the ball ricocheted around the box. Adam was a little more involved now and his header from Caleb’s ball into the area went wide.

Ciarán B regained his composure with a solid save in the 35^th minute as Active Soccer made a rare foray into the boys’ half. Lewis nearly scored a spectacular goal on 38 minutes as his shot from just inside their half was fumbled by the keeper.

Stephen was now feeding Danny with regular quality passes and his cross on the overlap was only half cleared. Adam fired it in from the left and although Ciarán S missed his kick, Josh was able to shield the ball from the defender, allowing Danny to rifle home his second goal.

With 15 minutes left to find the two goals needed, Lewis was replaced by Tom as the boys continued to find greater space on the right. Stephen fired the ball in and once again the keeper needed two goes to hold. A foul on Josh in the 45^th minute should have kept up the pressure: Joe’s decent free kick was cleared and defence turned into attack for Active Soccer but Tom was smartly across to cut out the break.

The boys kept looking for goals, although they were being restricted to long range efforts. Stephen saw one go wide and an excellent pass down the channel from Caleb almost created a chance for Ciarán S.

Hearts were in mouths in the 53^rd minute as Tom’s sliced clearance narrowly avoided the goal but the boys cleared the corner and a push on Josh gave another dead ball opportunity to Caleb. His low shot was saved as the boys ran out of time.

It is easy to point the blame at the defence but time and again midfield headers were avoided which only allowed their opponents to build up the pressure. The display in the second half was a considerable improvement but the boys should remember that it is only as a team that they will return to winning ways. Danny was a threat throughout the game and he was rewarded not only with a brace of goals but also the Man of the Match medal.