28.11.05      SUMMER LEAGUE RESULT NOV 27 – South West Africa 0 – 2 England

 

A great start to the Ethnic League campaign with a 2-0 victory over South West Africa. What was a pretty nice afternoon had turned to rain half an hour before the game, but thankfully the sun emerged again just in time for kick off.

 

We began the game with the wind against us, and it was this wind that caused us the only real problems in that half. A few high balls were misjudged and left to bounce, which at times caused slight confusion between the defense and the keeper, but there very few clear cut chances for the Africans to get themselves in front. They were continually knocking balls long and high into our half, perhaps hoping the wind would favour them, but this strategy was really frustrating their forward line, Dave Walsh and newly appointed captain Paul Tancell dealing with these balls quite comfortably. An effort midway through the first half was excellently blocked by Matt at his post, and while he had little to do in the half, he was there when we needed him to be.

 

With the addition of Biddy at left back and EJ in right midfield, we have some great attacking options on the wings, both players like to get forward with the ball and when they did make those runs, they caused real problems for the opposition. It was from the right wing that the opening goal finally came; a dart down the right from Tom, he cut the ball inside to EJ who brought it to the byline before floating in a terrific cross to the back post where Dan Green was on hand to open his account and loop a header back across goal over the keeper and into the back of the net. The goal had been threatening to come, we’d been thwarted a number of times already, a great effort from Stu kept out only by the crossbar, and on more than one occasion by the linesman’s flag; he made some very questionable calls at times, and these calls were frustrating Neville and Dan up front. The midfield duo of Stu and Gus was very effective; both quality players, strong on the ball and their distribution was top drawer. The defence was on top form and it was going to take something special to beat them on the day. Biddy had to withdraw late in the first half, but Max slotted into the left back role comfortably, he finished the winter league last season in that position, so he knew exactly what was required of him.

 

Second half, and as it wore on SW Africa pushed a lot of men forward in search of the equalizer and leading by the slimmest of margins, we really couldn’t afford any lapse in concentration. We’d squandered a few opportunities in the second half to put the game beyond them, Dan Green missing a great opportunity to add a second, and perhaps we should have been testing the keeper more from long range, he’d spilled quite a few balls in the first half and his handling overall was quite poor. But we were still creating some great opportunities and that’s the big positive we can take from this game.

 

When the second goal finally did come, it was a trademark goal from Paul Gibbons. Some great running down the left wing, he shrugged off the attentions of the defender before coming inside unleashing a fierce left foot shot and beating the keeper all ends up at his near post. We know the kind of power the Brummie possesses in that left foot, and the goal secured the three points with no more than 10 minutes left on the clock. SW Africa made a few threatening attacks late on, they had their best chance of the game coming from a corner which saw a header placed just the wrong side of the post.

 

So there it ended, 2-0 the final score, it was a great performance from everybody on the team, and a deserved victory. Credit to everybody involved yesterday. Man Of The Match on the day went to Tom. Next week we face Iran, who I think won by quite a large margin yesterday (something to the tune of 5-0). If we can produce the same quality of performance as we did yesterday, we’ll more than hold our own.

The Editor

 

     25.11.05      6-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 24 – O’Carrolls 4 – 1 Gen Hack

 

A solid performance last night secured another three points making it five straight wins and sees us unbeaten in 18 games at the YMCA. While we perhaps didn’t play as well as we’d done against Hamstrung & Internationale in the last couple of weeks, I really can’t fault this performance. Everybody gave 100% and we worked hard for the win. Paul Tancell put us in the lead before our only real lapse in concentration in the game allowed Gen Hack to equalize, but a little luck just before half time with an OG put us back the lead. The second half saw plenty of tough tackles; goals from Paul Gibbons and Gus eventually sealed the victory. The race for top scorer is tight, with Gus & Paul Gibbons both one goal behind Nechenko, who remains on six. It was a good game of football; perhaps the only negative point being boos from Hamstrung in the stands. Well that says it all doesn’t it! Next up, Sverge; they gave us a game last time we met (they took a 2-0 lead, we ran out 4-2 winners) and we won’t be underestimating them.

The Editor

 

     24.11.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 23 – Baa Baas 1 – 3 O’Carrolls

 

Three points last night and a hard fought win, but we really made it difficult for ourselves. We don’t seem to have gotten our heads round to 7-A-Side quite yet. We started the game a bit warily, but kept it simple and soon settled into it, and our patience paid off with Paul Tancell eventually putting us ahead. I thought from there we could build on the goal and take control of the game, but a lapse in concentration from a corner allowed the Baa Baas to draw level soon after. That’s the second week in a row we’ve conceded a goal via a header from a corner. Paul Gibbons restored our lead before half time. Second half and I’m afraid it was more of the same from our performance against The Doctors last week. We were getting pulled about at the back, and all too many times they attacked with men unmarked.  Have to mention Matt, who pulled off some terrific saves to keep us in the lead. A nervy finish to the game saw the Baa Baas rattle the upright with the ball rebounding across the face of the goal. That was a real let off, as it would have leveled the game. Olly finally settled the nerves and put the game beyond their reach with a cracking strike that went in off the crossbar. The general feeling amongst the team was that we didn’t play very well, and it’s clearly frustrating a lot of people. No doubting our 7-A-Side performances have got to improve.

The Editor

 

     18.11.05      6-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 17 – O’Carrolls 2 – 1 Hamstrung United

 

A great victory last night over rivals Hamstrung, ‘ a consummate team performance’ according to the hero of the hour, Dave Walsh. These are the kind of games I love playing in – we knew Hamstrung would not make it easy and that made victory all the sweeter. There was a worry before the game whether we had a team or not. With Gus unavailable and Paul Tancell, Tim & Gibbo all carrying injuries, there was a short time where we thought we might not even have six players to field; but with two minutes to go to kick off we got our six. Nevchenko opened the scoring with an absolutely stunning strike. This sees the Scouser lead the goal-scoring chart with six goals, two ahead of the chasing pack. Soon after that we allowed Hamstrung in and they made no mistake in leveling the game at one a piece. After that goal Hamstrung took the game to us for a spell but we defended very well and always looked dangerous on the break. Second half was a real battle, exactly what should be expected when these two sides meet. At time wore on, a draw looked very likely, neither team wanted to risk losing a goal. But it was Dave Walsh who secured the three points with little over three minutes of the game remaining; a real sucker punch for Hamstrung so late in the game. A half-chance for them with about 30 seconds on the clock brought a heart in mouth moment, but the ever-reliable Richie informed us afterwards he had the shot covered. So there was nothing to worry about afterall… There were a few knocks taken in this one, notably Paul Tancell’s face-to-floor collision; the Mancunian dusted himself off though and saw out the remainder of the game. So next up Gen Hack, let’s see how we go. If we could show the kind of form we’ve shown in 6-A-Side in the 7-A-Side competition we’d all be a lot happier, it’s something we have to work on.

The Editor

 

     17.11.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 16 – The Doctors 3 – 0 O’Carrolls

 

It was due to happen at some point, but it isn’t a very good feeling when it does. O’Carrolls produced one of our worst displays of football to date against The Doctors last night and a 22 game unbeaten run has come to an end. Passing was poor, positioning was poor and once we went behind to an early penalty (conceded by myself – sorry team), we let our heads drop. Nobody on the pitch was doing what they were supposed to be doing and a lack of vocal communication throughout the game really didn’t help. We were caught out at the back too many times, diving into nearly every tackle and it cost us dearly. One defeat in 23 games is not a crisis though. We’ve not been playing great of late, our performances against Econz & Internationale in the 6-A-Side looked like we’d got it together, but last night was definitely a few steps backward. We are a better team than what was on show last night; we all know that. It’s what we do about it now. Sunday sees our first Summer League game and we really need to raise the standard if we don’t want to get trashed every week; none of us like to lose. Tonight sees us come up against Hamstrung in 6-A-Side, this is yet another crucial game for us. So time to get it together and prove to ourselves that we’re better than last night.

The Editor

 

     11.11.05      6-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 10 – O’Carrolls 1 – 0 Internationale

 

This was a hard fought victory against Internationale, and an important one as Hamstrung had run out 4-0 winners earlier in the evening against Sverge. Inter are a quality side and you’ve got to be at your best against them. While we may have got out of the blocks a little slowly, we produced a solid performance in the end, terrific defending at times and Inter were given little time on the ball; important against them because they pass very well and can punish teams given the chance. The goal came in the first half and was a result of Dave’s commitment and determination; it might not have been the most spectacular of goals but it was as well received as any other goal we’ve scored this year. The ref done well to let the game flow, there was the occasional over enthusiastic tackle from both sides, but it was to be expected against two teams that wanted to win so much. Next week sees us come up against Hamstrung; I don’t need to talk this game up - anybody who’s seen these teams meet beforre knows exactly what to expect.

The Editor

 

     10.11.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 09 – O’Carrolls 8 – 0 PSV Hangover

 

Not a great performance from O’Carrolls, our positioning at times was poor. Still, 8-0 was a great result, and there was some terrific football involved in getting those goals. Our fitness served us well in this game, and playing up to four times a week should benefit us in this competition. Dan Green proved he can finish with a further three goals to his name, Gus hitting the form that saw him awarded Player Of The Season last year, two for him on the night. Matt stepped in for Richie and produced a string of fine saves. It’s clear now we have two quality keepers in the squad. Credit also to Richie who donned the O’Carrolls jersey for the first time and he played very well outfield. Will we have trouble getting him back between the sticks??? Next week, The Doctors, and we’ll be hoping to welcome back the injured Neville & Paul Gibbons. We’ll be possibly without both of them tonight against Internationale in the 6-A-Side. It’s an important game and a good result would be encouraging for the rest of that competition.

The Editor

 

     04.11.05      6-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 03 – O’Carrolls 5 – 0 Econz     

 

Last night saw a return to the kind of form that saw us win the competition last time round. This was the best performance from O’Carrolls in some weeks; the passing play was outstanding from everybody on the team. Credit to Econz, they frustrated us for the first half; despite one of the best halves of indoor we’ve played, we just couldn’t break down their defense. They got everything in the way and there was a danger of us possibly panicking; we didn’t need a repeat of the final five minutes against Shaolin. O’Carrolls poor penalty record continued, Paul Tancell the culprit this time, and we went into the second half scoreless. Calm heads prevailed and it was Gus who opened the scoring with some neat dribbling around their defense and a cool finish. Truth be known, the goal was a huge relief. With the all important first goal under our belts, there was some terrific football played. Gus added two more to his tally, Nevchenko kept himself top of the goal scoring chart with another, and Tim completed the scoring late on. Richie wasn’t ever really tested, Econz were resigned to speculative long-range efforts. Great support again from the stands, this time Shaolin were getting behind us. Shame we won’t be playing them again this round, they failed to qualify for the top group - or the second group for that matter. So with games against Inter, Sverge and Hamstrung to come, it will surely make for an entertaining round of football. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to it.

The Editor

 

     03.11.05      7-A-SIDE RESULT NOV 02 – O’Carrolls 8 – 0 Bafana

 

A great start to the 7-A-Side tournament, O’Carrolls played some nice football at Seddon Fields yesterday evening. Everybody enjoyed the game, and not just because we won; this looks to be a very well run competition and with the summer kicking off, Wednesday evening football is going to be something to look forward to. The majority of the goals came from nice build up play, patient and clever passing and some neat finishing. We must have played well because Richie didn’t raise his voice above 80dB all game. Top scorer from last seasons Sunday League, Dan Green, got three for himself, Olly and Paul Gibbons two a piece and our goal scoring utility player Nevchenko netted one (although he has asked me to add that he did set up all seven other goals – you hear that Stu!?!?!). As I said, a positive start and a really enjoyable tournament to be involved in, even a few of our Sunday League allies are involved (WS Villa, America – who Gus seems to be looking forward to playing…) So let’s hope we can keep up the standard of football and win a few games here. Up next week, PSV Hangover.

The Editor