31.03.06           6-A-SIDE RESULT MAR 30 – O’Carrolls 1 - 1 Internationale FC

 

The spoils were shared last night as O’Carrolls came up against a rejuvenated Internationale side. They didn’t look much like the team that had been defeated twice in a row in Round 2 of the summer 6-A-Side tournament.  The result all but ensures that neither side will take home the Kenny’s bar voucher this time around, with three wins from three, Hamstrung have got to be favorites. A few changes to the OCFC lineup, Ash and Dan joined a depleted side with Neville, Tim, Paul Tancell and Dave Walsh all missing in action. We did however look great in our recovered black strip, prompting taunts of ‘pretty boys’ from our elder adversaries Sverge.

 

It’s got to be said that we started quite well, passing was good, the pace was quick, and we certainly had the better of the early exchanges. A couple of shots from distance warmed the hands of Inters keeper, he wasn’t holding on to much, had we been quicker to his parried saves the opening goal might have fallen to OC’s. Alas it was Inter that opened the scoring, OC’s defence getting caught out three on two, and they made no mistake in slotting home past Richie from just outside his area. Disappointing to go behind, but we were playing quite well so the best response was to just keep doing what we were doing, and we did just that, but went into the break trailing 1-0.

 

Second half, more of the same. It was quite a physical game, but as always, that’s to be expected when two such competitive teams come up against each other. Neither team has the reputation of being tough to beat because they shy away from the physical side of 6-A-Side; this isn’t sub-football we’re playing. Both sides continued to create chances; Richie was pulling off some good saves in the OC’s goal. Inter tested him time and again with shots from distance. The equalizer came from a terrific ball by Dan, cutting Inter open with a long pass to Dave Meadows, who hammered it home to break Inter hearts once more – Dave got a late winner against them in a 1-0 win in last years final round. It was also Dave’s last game for us for the foreseeable future; he’s off back to England next week, so we wish you all the best with that Dave. Inter had a late chance to snatch a winner, a little hesitation at the back allowed Inter to poke in an effort which thankfully rebounded back off the post for Richie to smother.

 

1-1 the final result, and it was probably a fair result. Two games to go, it would be nice to win up and while we are probably out of the running for the title, we can still affect the outcome – if we can get the numbers every week.

The Editor

 

        30.03.06           A suggestion from Mr. Stuart Dye…

 

“The NEVILLE OF THE WEEK award is aptly named and should remain so. May I suggest after the astonishing events involving Theftie O'Neill, a possible option for occasional use. On a good week, with everyone on time to the game, a good win and no obvious glaring errors, we revert to a default setting that Theftie is automatically awarded NEVILLE OF THE WEEK.”

 

Usually we’d put something like this to the vote, but I don’t foresee any objections (except from maybe Theftie himself), so it’s passed. In the absence of an obvious NOTW, Theftie’s it! Has to be front runner for NEVILLE OF THE SEASON!

The Editor

 

        30.03.06           Well well well…

 

O’Carrolls FC was rocked last night by the news that the infamous ‘stolen’ kit was in fact not stolen but… wait for it… in the launderette! Richie “IT’S NOT IN THE F***ING LAUNDERETTE’ O’Neill confessed to the gaffe after about two months of proclaiming that he DEFINITELY didn’t bring it to the Parnell garment-cleaning establishment.  He was so sure in fact that he didn’t even bother to check, despite every member of the team asking him on at least one occasion whether he was sure they weren’t there. Neville Poole, accused of stealing the kit, had this to say on the matter –

 

“Now that the true thief of the kit has been found, I would like an official apology from Richie to clear my name. I have suffered terrible abuse over the last 2 months due to said accusations from the thief, which have spread like wildfire throughout the team. The fact that I come from an area of England that is close to a well-known city, which has an appalling history of crime (Scumchester), I feel I have been victimised and weighed down with the burden of losing the kit. I do believe I was the very first person Richie accused of taking the kit, even though I have never actively had any part in its washing or post match rituals. Even last week Richie kept an extremely close eye on my dirty kit as he thought I might run off with it. I would like all corner flag, drink bottles, match day football comments to be directed to Richie O'Neill from now on...

Which is worse... charity work for underprivileged children or losing the kit for 2 months? Richie of the Week anyone...?”

 

Well Nev, while we did bandy about the idea of changing it to ‘RICHIE OF THE WEEK’, we’ve decided to stick with the original name. But Richie has nudged Gibbo out and takes the mantle of NOTW # 2 ½.

The Editor

 

        29.03.06           PRE SEASON FRIENDLY RESULT MAR 26 – O’Carrolls 1 - 2 Zimbabwe Warriors

 

The final pre-season friendly before the big Division 4 kick-off saw OC’s play Zimbabwe Warriors at Riversdale on a dank, dark Sunday afternoon. The line-up was an experimental one from Tim, with Woody at centre back with Tancey, and Dan starting as a full back. Bidcom had a free cheese and onion roll, with Ashley and Nevchenko up front.

 
OC’s looked simply splendid in their new AC Milan-style kit and started the game reasonably well. Alfie "the Ref" had very little to do whistle-wise as the game flowed. For once we were the team who started well and it was no surprise when Bidcom fell over like a sack of spuds and earned a penalty. Olly (never shy to step forward) hammered the spot kick home to the goalkeeper's right. 1-0. The rest of the first half was end to end, as Zim looked for an equaliser. They had one half-hearted penalty shout and a couple of strikes on goal - one hitting the crossbar - but OC’s also had chances. It was a shame to see Bidcom go off after half an hour, Gibbo replacing the mercurial Northerner!! HT 1-0.

OC’s started the second half much as they did the first, with chances galore. The most gilt-edged opportunity fell to Ashley and Olly, one on one with the goalkeeper, but Ashley's cross failed to find its target - even though his target was only eight yards away! Other than that, Ashley played well, linking up with the midfield with good passing and movement. Dan also looked solid at the back, considering it was his first proper outing of the season.

Anyway, after a spell of pressure, Zimbabwe managed to scramble home an equaliser as OC’s couldn't clear the ball from our own six-yard box. But we came back strong, despite some heads dropping. At this stage Jonesy, Colin and Max had come on - Colin looking especially assured at left back. Gus had three potshots at goal in the space of 10 minutes but couldn't find the target, then, with the last kick of the game, a scramble in the OC’s box allowed the Zimbabwe forward to finish low in the corner - Richie again no chance.

So, all in all, a disappointing result, but nothing too much to worry about for the gaffer. Although we didn't play at all well in the second half, it was still a game we shouldn't have lost. The new boys - Ash, Woody, Dan, etc. - have come in and done well - especially Woody, who won Man Of The Match for the second week running. There is serious competition for places at the back, in midfield and up front - and remember, there are still injured/absent players to come right back into contention. Sunday's kick-off is nearly upon is and O'Carrolls look perfectly capable of handling the ‘favourites’ tag for the Division 4 campaign.

Cheers
Alfie

 

        24.03.06           EMAIL – HELLO FROM ENGLAND

 

Hi

Greetings to you all from a pretty bloody cold England!

 

I've been following the fortunes of OCFC since about December 2005. O'Cs was my local from February to August 04, spent many a happy hour drinking Guinness in OC’s and regularly did the Tuesday night quiz.

 

Anyway, this is really a quick hi to you all in the team and at OC's, especially to Richie and Jurgen if you remember me - you'll probably know me better as Blinky (rather than Andy) something to do with rapid eye movement in my right eye...!

 

Keep up the good work, I'll be following the progress of the 4th division campaign - let's hope you can emulate last season, eh?

 

Cheers

Andy (Blinky)

PS - Got any of those great O'Carrolls "JJohn Dory Goujons..."?!

Andy Watson

 

        24.03.06           6-A-SIDE RESULT MAR 23 – O’Carrolls 3 - 0 Hold The Phone

 

Gameweek 7 of 6-A-Side saw us up against Hold The Phone, a side we’ve met twice before, winning 6-2 last time, and a 0-0 stalemate first time out. They convincingly beat pre-tournament favourites Internationale 3-1 last week, while O’Carrolls went down 3-2 to Sverge. A massive improvement was required tonight if we were to get a result, but it would have been quite impossible to play any worse than we did last week.

 

OC’s started quite well, three or four decent efforts on goal before HTP managed to test our defence. The pace of the game was very quick, and it was very much end-to-end stuff. It was OC’s however that opened the scoring, Dave Meadows crashing one home, and in front of his Mum. She must have been very proud. It was a deserved lead but HTP always looked dangerous and it was some staunch defending that kept them out at times. We continued to create chances and maintained possession quite well; our composure was significantly better than last week. 1-0 and halftime.

 

Second half and we kept up the pace, and managed to double our lead within the first four minutes. Gus finished off a sweeping move; he’s taking full advantage of top scorer Dave Walsh’s absence and chipping away at his lead (he’s now on 5, 3 goals behind the Irishman). We lost shape for a period after the goal, but rode out HTP’s spell of pressure, sometimes with a touch fortunate defending. Richie was pulling off some great saves and this game turned out to be the first clean sheet we’ve kept in this round. Incidentally, Richie forgot his contacts for this one; apparently everything was a blur for him - [cue obvious joke] - maybe he should leave them out every week… ba boom!!! The victory was secured after some great play involving Neville and Gus, coolly finished off by Ash - another impressive display from the new man.

 

It looks like this will be our last 6-A-Side campaign for a while; we’re taking a break from it with the Sunday League kicking off shortly. This group is wide open at the moment and if we win our remaining games, topping the group is still a possibility. A tough test against Internationale next week, OC’s going down 3-2 last time the teams met. We’re back on track after last week, how great would it be to finish this out winners for the third successive time!?!?! Come on OC’s!

The Editor

 

        22.03.06           NAMED AND SHAMED BY REQUEST OF THE MANAGER…

 

PENALTY – ‘punishment or consequence’

That’s supposed to be punishment for the OPPOSING team, not us.

In alphabetical order…

 

1.     Alexander Bell

2.     Stuart Dye

3.     Paul Gibbons

4.     John Irons

5.     Richie O’Neill

6.     Neville Poole

7.     Paul Tancell

8.     David Walsh

9.     Angus Welton

 

The long list of people who have missed penalties for us. Tim wants the next one. Better not miss Tim… else you join the Roll Of Dishonour!

 

        21.03.06           PRE SEASON FRIENDLY RESULT MAR 19 – O’Carrolls 5 - 1 Grey Lynn Athletic

 

Our second pre-season friendly last Sunday saw us pitted against 3^rd Division outfit, Grey Lynn Athletic, a team who finished fourth in their division last season. The blazing sun peeked it’s head out just in time for a 3pm kick off, the venue was an unlined Nixon Park, so an agreement was reached there would be no penalties and the keepers area was going to be up to the discretion of the referee. Thankfully this caused relatively little confusion in a game that was played in a very affable spirit by both sides.

 

The starting lineup was slightly reshuffled; a number of new faces were given a run out, with a number of regulars absent. The back four comprised of Bundy & Tom, Paul Tancell and Woody the centre halves. Barry got the call up at 2.59pm for his debut on the right, Gibbo occupied the left, Gus and Bidcom took up the midfield. Up front was GolDan and another debutant, Ash. With Grey Lynn short a couple of players; Ben and Mike kindly donned the black & white until Grey Lynn had their full compliment. Mr.Angry, AKA Steven Jones was on the bench while Stuart Dye was due sometime later in the game for a run out.

 

As per the norm, it was tortoise and hare stuff from the kick off. We never do seem to start well – maybe it was a few hangovers, or the heat, but Grey Lynn certainly started the brighter. They created some great openings, finding plenty of space in behind the back four and always looked dangerous on the attack. It was with little surprise that they took the lead after about 20 minutes through a set piece. Some poor marking allowed their forward to meet a corner at the near post and head Grey Lynn into the lead. 1-0, and a nice finish from their forward. It’s somewhat of a pity that it takes going a goal behind to spur us into action, but if that’s what it takes… We managed to settle ourselves a little and pass the ball about better. Gus, Biddy and Ash were doing a lot to keep possession, and despite a few quick breaks from Grey Lynn, it was OC’s that netted next, a cracking LEFT FOOT volley from team captain Gus from about 25 yards out. Well watched all the way and struck with superb technique to leave the keeper rooted to the spot. 1-1. That’s what the man is capable of. Debutants Barry and Ash were doing a lot right in the game, and it was Barry that put OC’s in the lead; a ball driven across the face of goal by Gibbo slotted home at the far post. 2-1 and halftime.

 

Second half saw a few changes, with Stu teaming up with Gus in the middle, Biddy switched to the right and Barry taking over at right back from Bundy. A late blister problem meant that Gibbo had to withdraw himself (new boots), Jonesy eventually got his socks on to replace Gibbo on the left wing. It’s got be said, and few would disagree, that O’Carrolls were the better side in the second half. Richie, by his own admission, had very little to do for the last 45. The two centre halves, particularly Man Of The Match Woody, looked very comfortable and dealt well with everything Grey Lynn threw at them. The passing play across the middle of the park was good and plenty of chances were coming OC’s way. Jonesy was playing some neat football out left and some great one-two football with him and Tom almost resulted in the Irishman’s first ever 11-A-Side goal. Alas it wasn’t to be, had Tom not been prematurely thinking about his forward-roll celebration (Robbie Keane style) he may have not side footed the wrong side of the post with only the keeper to beat. Someday Tom, someday… Fortunately, with that chance squandered, Stu, heading home after great work from Biddy, further extended O’Carrolls lead. 3-1. Substitute Mike added another to open his account, nodding in at the far post after a cross from Gus on the left side. 4-1. And finally the icing on the cake, another volley, this time from the right foot of Bidcom, after yet another Gus cross. Terrific finish from Biddy, even Grey Lynn applauded that one. 5-1. It was almost as good as Gus’ earlier effort. Almost.

 

 

        20.03.06           SURELY NOT TRUE…

 

From the pen of Neville Poole, just received…

 

Dear all,

It is with much sadness I have decided to retire O'Carrolls, I have let the team down on numerous occasions with my 1 yard misses and my poor fitness regime. I do feel I have been hounded out of the club by a fellow team-mate who I do not want to name because I live with him. He has continuously bombarded me with abuse both on and off the field and even made my life miserable while sitting on the couch with his witty repertoire. He seems to have found favour with fellow team-mates due to his lucky 5 yard tap ins. I would however like to stress that yesterday I was not with " My girlfriend" she was out for brunch and then she went to the grey lynn festival. I was home alone after my charity work. Such idle gossip can only come from one man, yes, Wannabee. Good luck for the season lads….

Fondest memories

Nevchenko

P.S. Had to mention that penalty didn’t you…

 

        20.03.06           EMAIL FROM ADAM POOLE

 

I recently added a contact email address to our website, and we’ve received our first email, all the way from sunny England, and surprise surprise it’s somebody taking the p**s out of Neville. Brilliant!

 

After reading the latest report of the loss to Sverge, I can only assume it was the fault of Phil Nevchenko (my brother) - the guy should retire, he has been carried for far too long now.

Regards to everyone.

Keep up the good work.

Adam

Overseas Development & Promotion O'Carrolls FC (Unofficial)

 

        17.03.06           6-A-SIDE RESULT MAR 16 – O’Carrolls 2 - 3 Sverge

 

Defeat once more last night to the hands of Sverge, going down 3-2 to the men in yellow. It was an appalling performance all round and we probably deserved to be beaten, but that doesn’t make losing to Sverge any easier to swallow. They are without doubt the worst team in the top group, and although this may sound like sour grapes, (and maybe it is – I really don’t care because I’m a little hungover from some pre-Paddy’s Day celebrations) it’s an embarrassment to lose to those guys. They are pants! (Sorry Sverge, but you are…) Goals from Gus and Paul Tancell weren’t enough to secure victory as we conceded another 3 goals, bringing the tally to 14 goals against in 6 games. Considering we only conceded 4 in 10 games last time out, if we keep this up we’ll finish bottom of the group. The only saving grace was that Internationale went down 3-1 to Hold The Phone, which gives us a slight hope, but with Hamstrung playing so well (only conceded something like 2 goals so far), a third consecutive win looks very unlikely. Next up we have Hold The Phone, we need to pull our thumbs out of our asses and start playing some football. We didn’t go 22 games unbeaten because we’re sh!t lads, when we play ball, we’re the best team up there and losing to the likes of Sverge is unacceptable. We’re entitled to the odd poor performance, but let’s respond the right way to this defeat and do what we’re best at – let’s not lose another game! The hangover is wearing off now, I hope this attempt to rally the troops has the desired effect, some team bonding in the pub tonight should help – let’s just not mention this game. Later.

The Editor

 

        10.03.06           6-A-SIDE RESULT MAR 09 – O’Carrolls 8 - 2 Headless Chooks

 

This week was our final grading game of the Spring 6-A-Side tournament, against a team we usually score plenty of goals against (22 in our four meetings), Headless Chooks. With only two groups of 6 teams this time, qualification to the top group was pretty much guaranteed, regardless of this result. We’ve been conceding a lot of goals this time round, and we suffered our first defeat in 23 games to the hands of Internationale two weeks ago. We’ve only been narrowly beating teams, so a thrashing was overdue.

 

We got off to the best possible start, a speculative effort early on from leading scorer Dave Walsh found its way past the keeper. 1-0. It means Dave has maintained his record of scoring in every game. We created a lot of chances over the next 5-6 minutes, and were unlucky not to extend our lead. It was starting to get frustrating, until Tom, without a goal in 24 games, intercepted a loose ball on the halfway line, ran in on goal unchallenged and side footed to the keepers right and into the back of the net. 2-0. Soon after a little hesitation at the back allowed the Chooks in and a rebound off the wall was slotted home to make it 2-1. Halftime.

 

Second half, and the first goal came from the Chooks to level the score. Failure to make a challenge on their oncoming forward allowed him to get his shot off and it crept in at Richie’s far post. 2-2. This spurred us into action, and the final 8 minutes were all about O’Carrolls. Two further goals from Dave Walsh, two from Dave Meadows and two wondergoals from Nevchenko resigned the Chooks to another heavy defeat. 8-2. Thankfully we didn’t win any penalties on the night, our track record on that one is quite poor. At times the passing was terrific, a couple of suicidal balls across the face of our own goal could have gifted the Chooks a consolation goal or two, but we got away with it. It was a scrappy performance, but it sees us through to the next group where we’ll come up against Hamstrung and Internationale once again.

The Editor

 

        09.03.06           PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY RESULT MAR 05 – O’Carrolls 5 - 3 Bohemian Celtic

 

The preparations for our second season of ASFA Sunday League began last week with a friendly fixture against Bohemian Celtic. The venue was Pollard Park, not one of the better pitches in Auckland, but a familiar ground for us – with victories against the likes of Beta FC and Manatu Utd there in our inaugural season. There was a great buzz within the side to be back playing this Sunday League, it’s the competition we take most seriously – our bread and butter if you will – and while we don’t yet know whether we’ll be competing in Division 3 or 4 this year, everybody seems quite excited about the season ahead.

 

A couple of new faces join the ranks this season, such as Biddy, one of the standout performers in the Ethnic League we were involved in over the summer (unofficial player of the tournament in fact), and Stuart Dye, he’s just there to wind up Nev, while pretty much everybody from last season is still with us, with the exception of the likes of Dave ‘Sick Note’ Edge and once captain Keith Lyne. PC Freddie Parker has also left; he’s back on the beat in the UK.

 

The gaffer picked a familiar starting line up: Richie shrugging off an injured finger to take up position between the sticks; Dave Walsh, Paul Tancell, Max and Bundy comprised the back four. Tom filled in on right midfield in the absence of both EJ and Olly, Gibbo took up the left flank and captain Gus was joined in the middle of the park by now all-round-utility-player Nevchenko. The Scouser in making shapes in the direction of the goalkeeping position – having been beaten by a 6-year-old last week in indoor, Matt and Richie can rest easy. That’s worse than being left for dead by a girl… almost! Biddy accompanied top scorer from last season Dan Green up front. Colin, Jonesy and Stuart Dye, along with a few new faces, were on the sidelines.

 

Bohs probably started the better side and made all the early inroads, and it was unfortunate for us that they took the early lead when Bundy turned a ball coming across the face of goal into his own net. He told Richie he was trying to back heel it – had it come off it would have looked great. Feels good to beat Richie though doesn’t it…! The response was good though, and we started to get the ball down and control it better. Dan was working hard up front to hold the ball up and give the midfield a chance to push on; earlier in the half we had spent too much time chasing the ball. Gus was playing out of his skin in the middle of the park and it was through him that the equalizer came late in the first half. He bravely challenged for a loose ball about twenty yards out and struck it to the keepers right leaving him little chance of getting to it. I can’t remember Richie having many saves to make in the first half, but he was always quick off his line when called upon.

 

Second half saw a slight reshuffle; Tom was restored to a more familiar role at right back, Nevchenko switching to the right midfield and Stu came on to partner Gus. The beginning of this half was certainly all about O’Carrolls. I can’t remember which order the goals came, but they were three of them to give O’Carrolls a 4-1 lead over our Premier rivals. Biddy, Paul Gibbons and Dave Walsh all got themselves on the scoresheet. A couple of the goals were down to hard work from the forwards, chasing down every ball and never stopping – particularly Dan, his work rate was fantastic. Biddy’s goal, if I remember correctly, was a result of a ball played across goal from Dan, coolly tucked away by the shaven-headed forward. Gibbo’s I can’t remember, sorry, but I’m sure it was a cracker. Not to forget Nev’s contribution to those goals, it was from his throw-in’s that both moves began. Well-done Nev! (I told you I’d mention that). Dave Walsh’s – well, what can I say – he rose like a salmon at a corner to power a header home past the thrashing keeper. Terriffic goal from the centre-half.

 

Bohs made a few substitutions at this point and one in particular (No.11) caused us a few problems. The guy had terrific pace and a good touch, and I’m pretty sure he scored both goals that brought Bohs back into the game at 4-3. He got a favorable bounce for one of them, which caught out our centre-halves, but he made no mistake with the finish. Quality player. Then it was time for Richie to show us what he was made of, and he certainly did. Twice he denied Bohs the equalizer with some great goalkeeping – quick off his line and a couple of crucial blocks. With our lead cut to a slender one goal, it was vital we didn’t concede again, and another goal would certainly have calmed a few nerves. Cue Stuart Dye. He’s been trying to get himself in a shooting position for a while and when he finally did, he unleashed a swerving 30 yard strike that beat the keeper all ends up; he didn’t stand a chance. Even the Bohs entourage applauded this one, nice of them considering ten minutes earlier Stu had been hurling abuse at them after a late challenge from the Tranmere fan. The subbed Nev claimed he didn’t see the goal, but later admitted to me that he’d seen it from the dressing room and also admitted that he sometimes dreams of scoring goals like that. Don’t worry Nev, your secret is safe with me! Tim even went as far as to say it was the best Sunday League goal he’d ever seen. What do you say to that Stu!

 

Here the scoring finished and 5-3 the final result. Man Of The Match went to captain Gus, well done mate and well deserved. He led the team well and his attitude throughout the game was tremendous.

 

A great start to our pre-season football, thanks to Bohs for the game, and all the very best for the season ahead. Training begun last night and it was a good session with a good turnout with everybody giving 100%. This weekend we face America Futbol Club in our second friendly fixture. This will be a good test for us in the build up to the season KO on the April 2nd. I’ll let you know how it goes.

The Editor

 

        03.03.06           6-A-SIDE RESULT MAR 02 – O’Carrolls 3 - 1 Sverge

 

This week, Tranmere fan and onetime O’Carrolls FC groupie, Mr Stuart Dye…

 

The bizarre combination of a 13-year-old whippet and a goalkeeping blunder from stand-in stopper Sander WesterCrouch threatened OC's 6-a-side championship hopes at the hallowed YMCA.

 
But a brace from Dave Walsh and a debut strike from Wannabe were enough to see off the challenge of Sverge (aka 5 old men and a baby) 3-1. Sverge set out their stall early. They were here to defend and kept every man behind the ball. It made for a frustrating game at times as OC's struggled to break the opposition down, who were content to use Lionel Messi's younger brother as their only outlet. And it was he who gave OC's the biggest scare, drilling a shot from an acute angle and somehow fooling WesterCrouch at his near post.

 
OC's had already taken a deserved lead - a sweeping move saw Tom drive a crossfield pass right-to-left to Wannabe who played it first time across the box to Walsh who beat the keeper with ease. But at 1-1 OC's had to keep their heads and remain patient. The football was always high quality, with Gus controlling the middle and Tim largely untroubled at the back, but the penetrating edge was lacking. It meant OC's were often forced to try their luck from distance, notably Tancie, who crashed one off the crossbar.

 
The breakthrough always looked likely and it was that man Walsh who, fresh from his spell on the sidelines, cracked a half-volley home to make it 2-1. With OC's keen to finish the game off, Sverge had a rare sortie upfront and WesterCrouch redeemed his earlier error with a point-blank block from a ferocious drive. But a resurgence was never likely for the team with four generations of the same family playing, and OC's comfortably walked the game home, Wannabe capping his first appearance with a tidy strike after the keeper had parried Gus's effort.

Stuart Dye

 

        02.03.06           7-A-SIDE RESULT MAR 01 – O’Carrolls 1 - 0 ACC Meolo

 

These are the games O'Carrolls always want to be involved in - league-winning matches, where the destiny of a trophy is in our hands. This clash with ACC Meolo was one such meeting. Having dominated the Thursday 7-A-Side Premier 2 all season, it all came down to this. A win, and the league was ours. Anything less and a victory for one of the chasing pack was very likely.

The gaffer had a full 10 to choose from, but made a slight tinker to the line-up... Richie, Tancey, Tom, Olly, Gus, Gibbo and Nev all started, with Max, Dan Green and Alfie on the bench.

 
The first 20 minutes saw OC’s dominate possession. Despite obvious nerves, Gibbo, Gus and Olly were seeing plenty of the ball and there were opportunities in the first 15, but we just couldn't take them. Nev in particular had a wonderful chance but couldn't keep his balance and sent a tame shot at the keeper. Gibbo was pounding the left wing as usual, but Meolo wouldn't budge. Halftime 0-0 and some concerns... but just getting back to playing the game the right way should have been enough.

The second half started in much the same vein, with OC’s piling forward. Finally, five minutes into the second half, the crucial breakthrough. Good work from Tom saw Gussage with the ball at his feet 15 yards out. It wasn't a classic strike, but somehow it found its way into the ole onion bag. The crucial strike... The final 7-8 minutes were pretty hellish, as darkness descended on the match. Alfie came on in the centre and tried to keep possession as much as possible and run the clock down. There were chances in the final stages, as we outnumbered them in midfield and looked relatively calm and composed at the back. With ten seconds on the clock the ball found its way to the Meolo left in an advanced position. Tom and Alfie were caught cold as the Meolo forward charged into the box. Instinctively Tom made contact with the attacker and brought him down. PENALTY - and the last kick of the game. OC’s could not believe it... our league title hopes were about to be snatched away from us. Unless Richie could save the pen... but he didn't need to. Fortunately for us the Meolo striker didn’t even manage to hit the target. Gibbo went to congratulate him afterwards and, somewhat anticlimactically, we had won the league. But the overall league victory wasn't an anticlimax and we thoroughly deserved the $150 prize-money and the trophy at the after-match presentation.

After initially struggling to adapt to the 7-A-Side format, we grew and grew in confidence and became a solid outfit, impossible to beat. Congratulations fellas on another trophy in the cabinet. We were the best football side and the strongest side physically, despite a few odds being stacked against us.

Cheers...

Alexander Bell