Match Report

Match : 2nd XI v Armagh 3rds
Date : 2002-11-30
Venue : H
Score : 3-3
Scorers : Menaul, P. Reid, B. Reid

By Stuart Campbell

A lot of action but no goals in the first half would not have prepared you for what happened in the second.

First of all David Menaul drilled in from the top of the circle following a short corner.

Then Brian Reids shot deflected over the keepers head into the back of the net. 2-0 and cruising.

Then Armagh got one back. I thought we were going to throw it away. But then Phil Irwin pulled the ball back for Paul Reid to slam the ball into the back of the net. 3-1 and seemingly in control.

3-1 up with ten minutes to go. I was about to go home and put the kettle on.

I wish I had. We gave away two easy goals in the last ten minutes to ensure Armagh left Ballysillan with a point.

Armagh did push forward late into the game but we basically gave this game away. Not holding possession when required and wrecklessly attacking when there was no need. Mistakes were made, that lead to the goals but the whole team should have been playing possession hockey when we went 3-1 up.

It was not through lack of effort or the will to win that we did not win this game, because all players gave 110% and the frustration and annoyance was clear after the game. And so it should have been.

A potentially fantastic day was ruined by 10 minutes of complete & utter carelessness. We can ill afford to give away cheap goals, we musty learn from our mistakes and work towards elimnating them.

If we are to be consistantly successful we must learn to defend leads, starting with the forwards and finishing with the keeper. We threw away a two goal lead on Saturday and that is criminal. It must not happen again.

On a positive note David Menaul was absolutely superb in a center forward role, even if occassionally over elaborate for his own team-mates and young Scott Hamilton mixed it very well with opposition maybe not twice his age but certainly twice his size, well done to him.

Next week lets put things right and get some very important points on the board before Niel Johnston and Soupy return from suspension to weaken the team.

A special thank you to Stuart Wallace & Gemma Menaul who took to the whistle after all first eleven players asked turned down the opportunity. It's the same in very sport. No umpires. No game.

Cookie
Leitch
Gillespie
B. Reid
Nicholl
P. Reid
Irwin
Watters
Baird
Hamilton
Menaul.
Rambo.

David Menaul