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!