MERRY CHRISTMAS & THANKS…

 

…to involved with the club, all the players, everybody who has come to watch us play, everybody who has browsed the website – your support has been appreciated. O’Carrolls FC, Tim, Richie & myself (Tom) wish you a Merry Christmas & a prosperous New Year and thank you for making this past year such a success. We’ve had a great time, met some great people and can only hope for more of the same next year. Special thanks to both Tim and Richie for all their efforts in getting O’Carrolls FC off the ground; we couldn’t have done it without you. Safe holidays and I’m looking forward to playing football with you all next year.

Thomas

 

     19.12.05      SUMMER LEAGUE RESULT DEC 18 – Burundi 3 – 5 England

 

First things first, a big hello and Merry Christmas to Susie Welton from all of us at O’Cs. Gus mentioned that you’re a keen reader of our weekly match reports.

 

Terrific weather conditions greeted us yesterday as the curtain closed on O’Carrolls FC’s inaugural year of football. Today’s opponents were Burundi; a landlocked African nation, which straddles the crest of the Nile-Congo watershed. Having just witnessed Iran fall to pieces against Fiji (2-0 up I believe, only to lose 5-2), we knew a victory against Burundi would leave us in a comfortable position over the festive break.

 

There were a few absentees from the team, so the starting line-up was a little different. Tom came in for Dave Walsh at center-half alongside Paul Tancell, Bundy taking up the right back position with Max on the left. Gus & Nev in central midfield, Dave Meadows replacing the suspended Paul Gibbons on the left with EJ keeping his place on the right. Olly and Biddy were the strikers for the day, with Dan Green still missing in action. Barmy Army ringleader PC Freddie Parker took up a place on the bench alongside another ginger nut Perg, and Alain.

 

We started the game very well, certainly the brighter of the two teams. Passing was neat and simple, plenty of chances were being created and it wasn’t long before scoring commenced. It was through some great work again by EJ on the right, playing a great ball across goal to the back post where Biddy was on hand to thump it past the Burundi keeper. 1-0. EJ has been outstanding on that right side in the few games he’s played to date and he’s been instrumental in quite a number of goals. Full credit to Biddy for a quality finish; he’s proving to be very effective in that striking role. Burundi had a hell of a lot of pace in their team, but the defense dealt with them well throughout the first half; the Burundi forwards had good control, but running at the back line they tended to hang onto the ball a touch too long, allowing the clearing tackle to be made without the need to go to ground. The midfield was outstanding, battling hard for every ball, winning tackles and laying off some great balls to the forwards. A great through ball from Nev sent Olly on his way, and there’s usually no doubting the result when Olly gets one-on-one with the keeper; he kept his head and calmly finished to make it 2-0. It was Olly’s younger brother Dave that netted next, pinching the ball off the defender and striking it early with his left foot to make it 3-0. It was safe to say that we were in control of the game at this stage. Biddy scored again, and England brought a 4-0 lead into the break. The scoring wasn’t quite finished yet though.

 

Moment of madness from the first half - Max’s sliced clearance that struck the crossbar. Let off! Burundi had a couple of shouts for handball in the area first half, in truth it was a bit hopeful, both incidents would have been harsh penalties.

 

Second half, the heat was intense and England were playing slightly uphill. We expected Burundi to keep coming at us in search of a goal and their break came by way of a penalty. Max had chased their forward all the way to the byline, he stuck out a foot in an attempt to clear the ball but over went the Burundi forward and the spot kick was awarded. The appeals fell on deaf ears; Richie said afterwards he reckoned it was a foul. 4-1. We responded in the best possibly fashion. A free kick was awarded on the edge of the area. Paul Tancell picked up the ball and strutted up to take it – Gus had no intention of letting him. On target from Gus, the keeper failed to hold the ball and following in Paul Tancell was on hand to power it home from two yards. 5-1. A lesson for the forwards from the captain – always follow in. Needless to say, he told them more than once afterwards back at the pub.

 

Things went a little pear-shaped after that goal, the defence lost some shape and we were getting dragged all over the place by the Burundi forwards. A lapse in concentration from a short corner/throw in (can’t remember which) allowed their player time to cut inside and smash a cracking strike past Richie. It was a quality goal in fairness, but the defending was poor. 5-2. Shortly after that we let them in again, and a cross into the box was headed home to make it 5-3. There was some questions raised about the marking, the ball perhaps should have been cleared – but it wasn’t, and that’s that. Conceding two goals so quickly was dangerous, Burundi had a lot of support behind them and they were starting to believe that leveling the game was achievable. Thankfully a return to shape for the defense came just in time, and the keeper wasn’t tested a whole lot in the final 15 minutes. Those few moments of madness could have cost us dearly had we not had such a terrific first half.  Just the one goal for us in the second half, but EJ came oh so close with a cracking effort kept out only by the post. The Burundi keeper looked very sure it was going wide.

 

Burundi gave us a good game, sometimes perhaps a little over enthusiastic with 12 players on the pitch on at least two different occasions. They might want to keep an eye on the way they run their substitutions. A few of their entourage had a go off the ref – cheat, biased etc. – all the usual stuff, but England were the better team on the day and ran out worthy winners. Results went our way, so we now sit top of the table on 9 points, ahead of Peru on goal difference. Next up; giant killers Fiji.

The Editor

 

     15.12.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT DEC 14 – O’Carrolls 3 – 1 Dodge But Sweet

 

Last night saw an impressive victory against Dodge But Sweet in our final 7-A-Side game of the year, and our penultimate competitive game of 2005.  These guys lost four of their five games in the grading groups, and suffered another defeat last week at the hands of Bohz Boyz – our first opponents of the New Year.

 

The starting line-up was more or less unchanged from last week’s victory, the only change being Matt - replacing Richie in goal. Richie took up a place on the bench alongside the ever reliable Nevcroucho. O’Carrolls probably started the game the brighter, some good passing resulted in a few early half chances up front. DBS though, were quite dangerous on the attack, there were a few good footballers on the team and it was they who took the lead. A lapse in concentration at the back allowed one of their forwards unmarked with enough time to have two attempts to finish a parried save from Matt. It turned out to be the only real error made by the defense in the game, from there on in very little got by them. The response from O’Carrolls as a team was hugely encouraging – heads certainly didn’t drop this time – we reorganized and started to play some great football, particularly some clever passing between Gus & Gibbo, and an equaliser always looked on the cards.

 

With not long to go till half time that equaliser came from top scorer Olly – now with seven goals from seven games. Gibbo was causing DBS all sorts of problems on the left wing; their response was to hack him down. There were more than a few dangerous tackles flying about. It threatened to kick off on more than one occasion and the referee wasn’t really controlling things. Half time came with the game tied at 1-1. The gaffer decided that a short spell on the sidelines for Gibbo was best to calm the Brummie down – he is a quality player and one we need on the pitch, not taking an early shower.

 

Second half was certainly all about O’Carrolls. While we wanted the victory, we didn’t commit too many forward and patiently tried to work the openings for ourselves. DBS has started to play the long ball quite a bit, their pacy forwards always looking to run onto these, in fact two of there efforts were kept out only by the woodwork, but generally the defense dealt with everything that was put into the box, whether it be in the air or on the ground. With DBS pushing on chasing a winner, they weren’t getting back quick enough and this allowed Olly in to give O’Carrolls the lead. 2-1 and we felt we were in control of the game. The third goal came from a terrific passage of play, what must have been 15+ consecutive passes, finally finished by Nevcroucho. He’d had a few good chances earlier in the game, this one nicely finished and putting the game beyond DBS, 3-1.

 

A great result for O’Cs, coming from behind and running out convincing winners in the end. If we can produce the same standard of football for the remainder of the tournament, we might just do alright.

The Editor

 

     12.12.05      SUMMER LEAGUE RESULT DEC 11 – Peru 1 – 4 England

 

A man that needs no introduction… Mr. Alexander Bell.

 

Following a disappointing loss to Iran - although the better team undoubtedly won - Sunday's clash with Peru was an important test for O’Cs, as we looked to get back on the winning trail. Some new faces made up the team... Matty in goal... Tansolo and Walsh in the middle... Max and Tom as the fullbacks. The midfield saw Alex (impostor) and Gus, with Gibbo, Wannabe Dye and EJ (Nickname BJ) make up five in the middle with Bidcom up front. O’Cs started the game on top with some slick passing in midfield. The ability to achieve width made a big difference, as there was plenty of space for Alex (impostor), Gus and Wannabe to control the game. With Bidcom running around like a headless chicken, chances came and went. After 20 minutes a 0-0 scoreline hardly seemed fair. At the other end, a limited but combative Peruvian side were limited to pot-shots at goal... nothing seriously challenging Matt Ashdown in the O’Cs goal. Just when it looked the first half was going to finish scoreless, up popped the ever-reliable Walshy. After a scramble from a corner, the sporting quiz master turned on a sixpence to bobble the ball into the corner of the old onion bag - reminiscent of Sheringham in the 1999 European Cup Final for United...but that's where the comparisons end.

So halftime 0-0 and a very solid looking O’Cs virtually controlled the half from start to finish. The Peruvians obviously didn't like it up 'em as they had a right old moan whenever they could. One particular incident saw their rather bulky!! looking midfielder cleanly tackled by the excellent Tom. It was a sliding tackle from the top drawer, but fatso moaned "That was from behind ref...it's gotta be a foul." A) it wasn't from behind and B) it wasn't a foul...so stop begging!

Unsurprisingly the second half could not match the high standards of the first. Bidcom continued to work hard up front, but the ball became too centralised. We bunched that little bit more, leaving gaps behind when the first and second men in midfield were beaten. Gibbo came inside a lot more, looking for work, while the substitution of Alex (impostor) worked against us as we lost a bit of calm assurance on the ball. It was important to get that second goal... and we eventually did. Gibbo, who worked hard on the left all match, took on the Peruvian Marching Powder defence all on his own. His strike was saved, but his second effort made it 2-0. A deserved goal. Goal three went to Wannabe... again, his first (easier chance) effort was saved, before scrambling home the rebound. In a remarkably similar scenario, Bidcom again had his first effort saved, before he made it 4-0. Bidcom Factor Five really deserved the goal and later received the Man Of The Match award for his sterling efforts. He has that little touch of class with his deft flicks and knows how to link play with the midfield. A real find...

However, his celebration left a lot to be desired. Looking for something between Lua Lua and Robbie Keane, he ended up with a forward roll resembling a drunken Scotsman tripping over a paving stone. We shall look forward to more elaborate celebrations in the future.

So overall a good performance... a lull at the start of the second half, but the class came through in the end. However, there were a couple of sour notes. There has to be a fine for any penalty kick that doesn't even hit the target. If the keeper makes a save, fair enough... but missing the whole goal is unforgivable. Whether it's 4-0, 0-0, or 10-0 it's a f***ing disgrace if you don't get a 12-yard shot on target. 10-year-olds can do it, so why can't supposed grown men who have been playing for f***ing years!

The ref was also a disgrace. He was offered a linesman, but wanted to do it all himself. He called one offside when Dean was in his own half when the ball was played! He needlessly sent off Gibbo for two innocuous offences and had no consistency with his decisions. In the end, a game that wasn't remotely dirty, descended into a bit of handbags - totally pointless. Let's hope the standard of refereeing picks up as the season progresses - but don't hold your breath.

Sorry if I've missed anything out guys...will bring my notebook to the next game, so EVERYTHING goes into the next instalment. Next up...Keith Burundy...

Cheers

Alexander Bell

 

     09.12.05      6-A-SIDE RESULT DEC 08 – O’Carrolls 4 – 0 Turtle Heads

 

O’Carrolls brought home the voucher last night for the second time in a row. A seventh straight victory and now 20 games at the YMCA without a defeat; it was only a glitch against Shaolin that prevented a perfect round of ten wins from ten. We expected a lot tougher game from the Turtle Heads; I’d watched them in previous weeks and they looked a physical, battling team, but it didn’t help their cause that they only had five players available. But a wise man once said, ‘Sometimes it’s harder playing against five men’… but only sometimes. Top scorer Gus opened the scoring; then his attempt on goal was turned in by the opposition to make it 2-0. He could have put his name on it, but in un-Peter Crouch-like fashion, he called it as an OG. With the Turtle Heads a man short, O’Carrolls had the space to knock the ball around comfortably, all the time creating chances. Such was our control of the game, Turtles Heads only real chances came from an O’Cs stray pass or misjudgment. Richie didn’t have a whole lot to do in the game. Further goals from Paul Gibbons and Paul Tancell put the game beyond any doubt as Inter & Hamstrung watched from the stands knowing that they were now merely playing each other to decide runner-up. That’s it for Thursday night 6-A-Side until sometime in February. It’ll leave a pretty big hole in the teams football calendar, but we’re looking forward to getting back next year to defend our title. In the meantime, it’s off to Kenny’s on K’Rd to spend the winnings.

The Editor

 

     08.12.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT DEC 07 – O’Carrolls 1 – 0 Savour & Devour

 

Once again, Mr. Alexander Bell…

 

With the grading over with, Wednesday night saw O'Carrolls embark on their Division Two 7-A-Side campaign in the midweek league. Perfect conditions for flowing football greeted the players, as Olly began the match on the sidelines.

 

Early exchanges were scrappy as O’Cs looked to find their feet. S&D were a reasonably competent side and perfectly prepared to work hard and close down space. Tackles weren't exactly flying in but the ball generally centered around midfield. Boss Tim Eddison was hoping that the opposition would have even less intelligence than us...! Anyway, passes generally went astray in the opening stanza, although when the ball was worked live to Gibbo on the left, the odd chance came. Tansolo and Gussage were pushing forward, and just before halftime, O’Cs created two chances. Welton scuffed one effort, while Dan Green struck the post before being substituted. Max and Tom were working hard at the back and Richie O'Neill was solid in goal. Two saves in particular kept O’Cs at 0-0. The arrival of Olly Beckham certainly made a difference, holding the ball up well and linking with Gussage in midfield. Halftime 0-0.

S&D had worked extremely hard in the first half but they were pretty much spent in the second, as O’Cs took control. Gibbo found more space on the left, while the Gus engine moved into third and fourth gear. Tan-solo dropped deeper and O’Cs began to throw the kitchen sink at the opposition goal. Dan's knee over the keeper was cleared off the line; a low strike from Beckham was well saved by the keeper; defelections and blocks came flying in, as the goal just wouldn't come. Then halfway through the second half, the breakthrough came. A scramble on the edge of the box fell to Beckham, who took the ball away from two defenders. The chance appeared to have gone, but Beckham struck with his weaker foot into the top corner of the old onion bag. It's a goal...! A quality finish and a sense of relief for O’Cs. S&D flattered to deceive in the final ten and never really looked like scoring. Tansolo gave an S&D attacker a hefty knock, leaving the former Whitesnake member shocked and stunned. The referee lost his way a bit, but who'd be a ref anyway.

Overall, a win is a win is a win. O’Cs weren't at their best, but were still too much for a solid opposition. Coach Tim Eddison was pleased with the result, although he refused to stay his metre and constantly encroached on to the pitch. Well played boys...

Alexander Bell

 

     05.12.05      SUMMER LEAGUE RESULT DEC 04 – England 0 – 2 Iran

 

This weeks Summer League match report has been penned by O’Carrolls/England midfield dynamo Angus Welton.

 

Game week 2 of the Ethnic Summer league saw O'Carrolls pitted against an Iran side that had won 5-1 against Nigeria the week before.  It was an early kick off, 11:00am, on a red-hot day and we were expecting a tough game.  We made four changes from last week’s line-up with Richie starting in goal, Keith 'Hammer Time' Bundy coming in at left back, Alex replacing Stu in midfield and Olly Beckham partnering Nevcroucho up front.  On the bench were Dan Goal, Dave Meadows and Jody, all of who get a run in the excessive heat.

 

Iran started the game in a much brighter fashion and were passing the ball around from the back very confidently, early impressions were that they were young, fit lads who all seemed very comfortable on the ball.  It was Iran who won a couple of early corners but we seemed to deal with them well, they were having a lot of possession without really threatening Richie.  OC's began to come into the game after around 15 mins; we began to pass the ball ourselves and looked dangerous down the wings, particularly through EJ and Gibbo.

 

We won a few corners and from one of these Olly whipped in a great ball, which Walshy got a slight flick to and the ball looked well over the line before the Iran keeper got his hand to it and pushed it away.  Our muted appeals were denied as the ref waved play on.  Shortly after the Iran keeper then made a good, legitimate save from an OC's freekick that was certainly goalbound.

 

As the half wore on Iran continued to pass the ball well and made a few chances only to be denied by some great saves from Richie or some last ditch tackles from Tom, Tancy, Walshy or Bundy.  It looked like we would get to half time at 0-0 until Gus gave the ball away in midfield and Iran broke forward, a goalmouth scramble followed and it was a goal - 1-0 and a big blow.

 

We kicked off the second half confident we could get something out of the game and we looked solid without really creating much in the final third.  Iran were again having good possession but also creating little.  We were rotating our players as the hard work we had put in began to take its toll, they had made us chase hard with their quick pass and move game, one player in particular - Stefan - really standing out.

 

As we went searching for an equaliser in the later stages the game was bound to open up and there was more space for both teams to play in.  We came close to an equaliser through Gibbo, a great run down the wing and famous angled drive fizzing just the wrong side of the post.  With only a couple of minutes left we got caught three on two at the back, a long ball was played and although there was more than a hint of offside the striker provided a cool finish and made the game safe with Iran 2-0 up.

 

On reflection, the best team won on the day and it was good to see a team try and play a passing game.  We now know what we are up against but me for one would much prefer to play in a game like this than beat some hapless opposition 18-0.  I think we can take a lot of positives from our performance and with an improvement in fitness we will be able to give a good account of ourselves for the rest of the season.  Anything better??  We'll certainly give it a good go next week.  

Angus Welton

 

Incidentally, Gus also won Man Of The Match for this game, and well deserved. Good on you mate.

 

     02.12.05      6-A-SIDE RESULT DEC 01 – O’Carrolls 1 – 0 Sverge

 

A treat for you all today, Alexander Bell, of For Whom The Bell Tolls fame, has penned this weeks match report. Enjoy…

 

The problem with being a top side is having the opposition play for just a point. This is a problem often experienced by O’Cs, especially at the six-a-side level, where playing defensively is much easier in the 24-minute format. Sverge clearly had that outlook on Thursday night, with a blanket of four constantly behind the ball, looking to play on the counter-attack. Unfortunately for Sverge, counter-attacking wasn’t at a premium, due to O'Cs commanding approx 75 per cent of possession.

 

The usual suspects lined up: Matt in goal, Walshy, Tom and Tan-solo at the back, Gibbo and Gus bossing the midfield and Nevchenko up front. The early pattern continued throughout the game. Tan-solo and Tom were under little pressure at the back, knocking the ball around, with Walshy looking to push forward up the centre. Space was at a premium although the shots rained in; Gibbo had at least four strikes in the first half and he also looked to switch play with long passes from left to right. A clear-cut chance fell to Nevchenko, one on one with just the goalkeeper to beat. A lack of a left foot saw him screw the ball painfully wide with his right. Just before halftime the breakthrough came. A Walshy shot was charged down and, as the ball looped to Gussage, the doughty northerner struck a delicious half volley into the top corner of the old onion bag. 1-0 just before the break.

 

The second half saw Sverge create the odd opportunity as a low-key O’Cs struggled to maintain interest in what was a very dour game. Somehow the incompetent referee again began to lose control of a match that had no malice in it whatsoever. A couple of 50-50s got a bit niggly but Sverge knew they were out of their depth and accepted defeat with good grace. Not a great match but not that bad a performance. O’Cs played well within themselves, with sterner tests to come.

Alexander Bell, OBE

 

     01.12.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 30 – O’Carrolls 2 – 1 ACC Meolo

 

We had struggled to find our form in the 7-A-Side competition, but last night it finally looked like we’ve gotten the hang of it. The victory saw us finish top of our grading group with 12 points. While the 2-1 win wasn’t our biggest winning margin, few could argue that it was probably one of, if not the best game we’ve played on a Wednesday evening - the scoreline didn’t reflect the performance. Two at the back hadn’t served us well the last couple of games, but third time lucky I guess; Tom and Max began the match in those defensive positions, with Paul Tancell sitting just in front of them. Olly replaced top scorer Dan Green up front, while Gus and Paul Gibbons took up their usual positions in midfield. Matt kept his place in goal.

 

We started positively, passing was good, defense was tight and going forward we always looked a threat. The opening goal came by way of a own goal, a nice finish from the ACC Meolo defender gave his keeper no chance, but the build up play from O’Carrolls was quality and worthy of a goal, however it came about. This wasn’t the only OG of the game I’m afraid, but before that, second half saw a strike of quality from Paul Tancell to put us two goals up. As he said himself on the way home, it’s got to be special to beat the keeper from distance in those goals; well, it was a cracking goal. And as if he wasn’t going to talk about that goal enough in the next few days, here’s more reason – it was officially the 200th competitive goal scored by O’Carrolls since we began as a club in February 2005 (that’s our total goals minus OG’s and goals from Friendlies), so congrats on getting it Paul. A couple of second half changes saw the versatile Nevchenko replace Max at the back, and Dan Green replaced Olly up front. A mix up at the back saw ACC Meolo pull a goal back, it was real calamity of errors – a long ball misjudged by the defense allowed their forward in to get a shot off, Matt blocked well but the ball broke loose, a poor first touch from Tom and his attempted clearance met Nev square on the chest and rebounded back into the goal. It was just one of those things, met with plenty of jeering from the teams watching from the clubhouse.

 

There was an edgy few minutes after we gave away that goal, but we soon settled back into it and the final five minutes saw some of the best passing of the game from O’Carrolls, we kept the ball well and let the opposition do all the work and that’s how it ended. A much-improved performance, let’s hope we can build on that in the next round of games against what will probably be stronger opposition.

The Editor