Match Report:

Les HAN RIVER HARRIERS 1 - 3 SEOUL CELTICS

Sunday, October 31-, 2004

 Les Harriers were confident they could take the Hounds this time round but it was not to be. The Irish surprised them by showing up sober and well organized. Player for player the teams were evenly matched. What made the difference was the Hounds?defense’s domination in the air and their entire team’s tireless off-the-ball movement.

 Karol Rushe’s goal and Mark McShea’s first goal were the result of great positioning and sharp scoring instincts, allowing them to exploit mistakes by the Harriers?back line.

 Overall, it was a sloppy performance by the Harriers, especially at the back. At least one goal was due to a miscommunication in a pass-back between a Harrier defenseman and Dan, playing between the posts for the first time in months.

 Meanwhile, the Harriers?strikers seemed incapable of piercing the Celtic’s defense. Enter Jean Blaise. He kept the score respectable with a neat tap-in of a loose ball in front of the Hound’s net.

 Moments before his goal, an annoyed JB decided to do “a Predator?on Cozier, lifting the hapless Irishman off the ground in a choke hold. Fortunately, JB did not follow through to add Cozier’s skeletal system to his collection. It would certainly have resulted in a red card.

 The Harriers tried to gain some momentum out of JB’s goal but had the wind taken out of their sails after McShea weaved his way through the Harriers?defense and slotted one in.

 The only Harrier who looked really sharp was Didi. His long passes were pin-point accurate and he had some shots hit the post.

 If it weren’t for the quick reactions of McKeown, the Celtics?keeper, the score-line would have been much closer.

 With this loss the Harriers?goal of a third place spot in the table now looks unlikely but we’ll try to enjoy the remainder of the season nonetheless.

Man of the Match: Didier Balistaire

 Goal: Jean Blaise

 Play of the Game: Didi’s free-kick from 25 yards out. It dipped dramatically then hit the crossbar.