Match Report

Match : 1st XI v Downpatrick
Date : 2007-09-15
Venue : H
Score : 0-4
Scorers :

By Leon

Linden Cup, first game of the season and you have to play Down, the team that won our league last year and on the way beat us 12 - 1 in a game at Paisley park. Hardly the team that we would have wanted to play after only two training sessions and who have been training constantly over the last three months!!! But nevertheless this is the position we found ourselves in.Coupled with the fact that Alan was unavailable things were looking bleak.George had to reshuffle his pack and Leon drew the short straw of having to fill Alan’s shorts in centre midfield (big shorts!!!)

The match started with Down constantly attacking, something which was to continue for the whole game. The defence marshalled by Stevie and George and ably assisted by David and Thom where able to snuff out all the Down attcks and somehow after 25 minutes the game was still 0-0. East were finding it very difficult to get out of their own half and eventually the down pressure paid off when they converted a short corner. Most expected the floodgates to open but once again East Antrim held their nerve and showed tremendous resilience to keep the score at 1-0 at halftime.

Second half and more of the same, East defending for their lives. Unfortunately ten minutes into this half and we conceeded two quick goals. As the game went on The East players started to tire and concentration went allowing Down to score their fourth and final goal of the game.

Everybody played out of their skin on Saturday but the player who undoubtedly kept the score down was Peter Thompson who really was like a cat between the sticks. Special praise should also go to Stevie Cummins who with a piece of individual skill and brilliance was able to deflect an effort at shoulder height off the line.

The work rate, hard work and determination of all the players was immense and a bench mark has now been set for the rest of the season.

P Thompson
S Cummins
G Tumilson
D Blair
T Russell
D Hume
L Currie
K Leslie
A Russell
R McDowell
P Brown

SUBS----
M Walker
E Carlin
M Baillie
D Tumilson

Peter Thompson