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More of the Same

passinginterest — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:41:03 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
20 May 2013

Limekiln 5 � 2 Terenure FC 3rds

Writing these reports is starting to become some sort of ritual torture at this stage. With an ever deepening injury crisis there was a danger we wouldn�t be able to field a team at all for this game, but a few of the lads from the seconds came out and did us a favour, despite their own huge relegation decider looming on Wednesday. Even with the number of changes to the team, including my own first start in a month, it was pretty much the same old story. We tried to play nice football but made too many basic errors and a very organised and experienced Limekiln side capitalised on them.

Down 3 � 0 at half time things were looking grim, but we made a perfect start to the second half, a good move down the left, crossed deep to the back post by Brian O�Connor and squared by Anto O�Dea to Ross Hannigan who kept his cool and finished nicely. Following the goal we had a good fifteen minute spell where it looked like we might be really going to make a game of it and Limekiln started to look less assured but the game was killed by a long range strike that deceived Dylan in goal and sneaked in past the post when it looked like it was going wide.

As we went more and more gung-ho Limekiln were getting more chances and they added a fifth when a fairly straight forward free kick into the box wasn�t dealt with and was headed home easily. There was to be one other bright flash for us before the end, when Brian O�Connor picked the ball up about 35 yards out and decided to have a shot that flew into the net, leaving the keeper floundering.

Our last game of the season will be next Wednesday against the same opposition. If Three Trout beat Grant City in their last game we would need a point to finish level with them and possibly face a relegation play-off, or a win would leave us safe regardless.

Improvement not Enough

passinginterest — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:26:46 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
18 May 2013

Terenure FC 3rds 2 - 4 AGP 2nds

After the carnage of Wednesday it was hard to know what to expect on Saturday afternoon. It was agreed that there needed to be a wholesale change in attitude and performance for this game and from the early stages of play this was in evidence. In the first 45 minutes we were pressing high up the pitch, playing at a good tempo and keeping AGP on the back foot. There was a minor hiccup when we conceded a soft penalty for handball but justice was served when Dylan saved comfortably. From that point we looked much the more likely to open the scoring with David Fennelly going closest with a strike off the post.

At half time all was well. We were aware that too often this season performances have dropped away in the second half and there was a determination to make a strong start. It couldn't have gone any better when Mark Gleeson prodded home after a scramble in the box with just 90 seconds of the half elapsed. That should have been the perfect platform to build a solid victory but 90 seconds later it was 1-1. From the resumption we conceded a dangerous free kick and as it was floated into the box, it glanced the head of our defender and Dylan just couldn't quite get enough on it to keep it out.

The reaction to the goal on the pitch said so much about the fragility of our confidence at the moment, players had their heads down and it looked more like we had just gone 3-0 down than conceded an equaliser. The message from the line was that we were back to where we were at half time, so just keep playing with the same organisation, but we reverted back to the shapeless, panicky and headless team of Wednesday, suddenly passes were going astray and we were getting on each other�s backs. It was hard to fathom from the side line how things could change so dramatically.

For the next twenty minutes or more it was all AGP and we started to gift them chances. After 70 minutes it was 3-1 AGP and the two goals were a direct result of coughing up cheap possession in dangerous areas, with the third goal not helped by poor communication of the offside line.

With 15 to go I made my long awaited (by me anyway!) comeback from injury and minutes later we pulled it back to 3-2. Gary Revins made a strong run into the AGP box and won a corner, I swung it into the near post and Dave Fennelly did the rest with a firm header. At this stage the game was wide open and there were chances at both ends, Matt Dean had an effort cleared off the line from another corner before AGP broke our high defensive line and added a fourth goal to kill the game.

For the most part the performance was so much better than recent games, but there's a fragility about the team at the moment that is hard to understand. Too many good players seem to have lost all confidence in themselves when met by the slightest set back. To ensure survival we need two points from our last two games of the season, but against a Limekiln side that won the division three shield and only lost on penalties to league winners Chapelizod in the Bedlow cup final. Alternatively if Grant City beat Three Trout Rovers on Wednesday we are also safe for another season in division three.

Relegation Form

passinginterest — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:12:12 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
15 May 2013

Walkinstown Athletic 7 - 0 Terenure FC 3rds

So the nightmare continues...

I was back on the sideline for this one but still ruled out of action due to injury. The game had just kicked off when I arrived and there was little of note happening in the early stages. Walkinstown maybe shading it but we were well in the game. The opening goal summed up a lot of our problems this season, a ball into the box, a couple of chances to clear fluffed and it breaks for the striker to score.

With confidence low expectations of a come back were not high, but for the next twenty minutes or so we played some really good football and created chances to equalise. First Darren Finlay hit the target with a well struck free kick, the keeper fumbled then regathered well. Soon after the Walkinstown keeper made a fantastic save, Colin Kennedy got his head on a great cross and the ball was destined for the top corner but the keeper somehow clawed it away for a corner. From the corner the ball broke to Matt Dean at the back post and he was unlucky to see a well hit shot blocked. The fourth chance of the spell was probably the best of all, Darren Finlay delivered another quality ball from a corner and found Paul Whelan unmarked at the far post, but his firm header was just the wrong side of the post.

Having weather the storm Walkinstown went up the other end and worked a good move down their left wing, a nice one two opened up the defence and with cover slow coming across the striker finished well. With that our heads went down and the implosion began, we were caught in possession at the back for the third and failed to put any pressure on a breaking ball around the edge of our box as a fourth went in before the break.

the idea at half time was to go back to basics and try and regain some composure, but minutes in we conceded a soft penalty and it was 5-0. Goal number six was another gift as confusion over a short kick out saw it go straight to a delighted Walkinstown striker and the seventh came with two minutes left on the clock, from a good strike if I recall correctly.

As a team we have to take collective responsibility. We have some excellent individual players, but we don't function as a unit. There's poor communication in all areas of the field and we don't work hard enough to cover each others mistakes when things are going wrong. AGP on Saturday probably represents our best chance of a win before the season is out, but it will require a sea change in attitude and performance if that's to happen.

I had the camera with me for the game too and managed to get a few pictures early in the game.

Hard Times

passinginterest — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:11:35 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
27 April 2013, 01, 04, 11 May 2013
Terenure FC 3rds 2 - 5 Kill Celtic
Terenure FC 3rds 2 - 1 Fortunestown Celtic
Terenure FC 3rds 0 - 3 Three Trout Rovers
Terenure FC 3rds 2 - 3 St Mary's Boys

This season has taken a major turn for the worse in recent weeks, for me personally and the team as a whole. My cameo from the bench in the dead rubber shield game with Grant resulted in an ankle injury that's kept me out of the last four games and looks like it will keep me out of our last four also. In the meantime we've been dragged right into the relegation battle with defeats to close rivals Three Trout and St Mary's Boys in consecutive games following a narrow win over whipping boys Fortunestown.

I can't offer much in the way of match reporting either as I've missed all the games due to other commitments (don't let your bride to be know you're injured if you still want to go see your team play lads!). Against Kill there was positive signs, taking the lead twice, but fading in the second half, an experiment in formation didn't really work against Fortunestown, but the win was the most important outcome and at least it was recorded, Three Trout recorded a second consecutive 3-0 win in Bushy Park, where last season they won a competitive league game for the first time ever and then a 2-1 half time lead was again squandered against St Mary's.

Tomorrow (15 May) we face Walkinstown and on Saturday AGP. We beat both sides narrowly in the league earlier in the season, but were on the end of a humiliating defeat to Walkinstown in the shield. Six points will guarantee survival in division three, anything else and we are vulnerable. The final two games will be home and away to shield winners Limekiln who have had a very successful second half to the season and points against them could well be hard to come by.

The league table makes for poor reading at the moment from our point of view; the goals conceded column points to our particular weakness this season.
Code:
			P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Chapelizod FC		19	18	1	0	90	28	62	55
Kill Celtic		18	15	1	2	70	31	39	46
WFC			19	14	0	5	77	32	45	42
VEC FC 3rds		18	9	2	7	33	37	-4	29
Limekiln FC		17	8	4	5	47	31	16	28
Walkinstown Athletic	19	7	4	8	45	41	4	25
Arthur Griff. Pk. 2nds	18	6	4	8	40	44	-4	22
Grant City		20	6	4	10	46	69	-23	22
St Mary's Boys		20	5	2	13	28	73	-45	17
Terenure FC 3rds	18	5	1	12	34	61	-27	16
Three Trout Rovers	19	3	5	11	26	41	-15	14
Fortunestown Celtic	17	0	2	15	19	67	-48	2

Will be the revolution be televised?

MariborKev — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:28:37 GMT

I attended the Soccerex European Forum in Manchester in April and hope to bring you a series of pieces on some of the takeways for the Irish game from the week.

Gianni Infantino, UEFA General Secretary, revealed at the conference that UEFA had agreed a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (�EBU�) for the televised rights for the Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 qualifiers. Interesting, but what is the relevance for Irish football fans?

RT� is one of over thirty national broadcasters which form part of the EBU and therefore this means that games will remain on free to air television in Ireland for the foreseeable future. The broadcaster was keen to publicise the fact, with an article appearing on their website that evening. The main quote, in the article and repeated elsewhere in the media coverage which followed came from Ryle Nugent, Head of Sport.

�RT� is proud to be able to secure coverage of our national side in these major international fixtures which guarantees that Irish fans will be able to follow their team�s journey to qualify for these key tournaments free-to-air.�

Televised rights of these games is a departure for UEFA as it marks the first cycle of �centralised TV rights�, such that the rights were bundled and sold by UEFA as a package, rather than each federation being free to negotiate their own rights independently. The general consensus was that the approach would be more lucrative, and whilst we have yet to see the breakdown on how the money will be distributed to each federation, the top line figure certainly looks impressive.

The proposed financial uplift from centralised TV rights was included as part of the recent RT� Primetime piece into FAI finances. Leaving aside the shortcomings of that piece, which deserve an article of its own, the programme noted that the FAI expect to receive a minimum of �40m for these rights. Once again this no firm basis for this, but John Delaney was widely quoted guaranteeing that the FAI would achieve this when the concept was passed back in 2009.

So we will all have guaranteed access to the qualifiers on free to air for the next two campaigns. All good news. We�ll also potentially have the option to watch other sides in action, as the �week of football� concept also kicks in, with games spread over several days.

All in all it seems good news for the association, but where now for the League of Ireland? The previous deal with RT� was signed in 2009 for the 2010-2014 period and thus expires at the end of this season. A key tenet of this deal with the increased provision of League of Ireland coverage in the form of live games and the Monday Night Soccer (�MNS�) which is now a staple in the viewing habits of the League of Ireland faithful.

Whilst far from perfect, most LOI fans see the programme as a significant improvement from the lack of coverage in previous years and the commitment to live games has seen one live game a week for the current season. It was the first time that domestic fans had access to a dedicated highlights programme in primetime with goals and action from every game shown. Whilst TV3 had previously dipped their toe in the market with �Eircom League Weekly�, the scheduling of the show and the fact that not all goals were shown mean that it was little more than a piecemeal provision.

In the previous deal the FAI �bundled� international rights with the domestic rights and this was the reason that the League was about to obtain the highlights programme and the commitment to live games. As the rights are now negotiated central, there is no opportunity to the FAI to leverage the international rights in order to secure a continued level of coverage. This is not an isolated issue for federations, and the English FA bundled FA Cup coverage with their TV rights for English internationals. Indeed the fears of the FA were such that they were very reticent to sign up to the centralised rights concept, until they received financial guarantees of over �100m per cycle. The FAI were keen to trumpet the increased coverage that they had secured for the domestic game under the last deal. In the changed landscape of TV rights, where does this leave the League of Ireland?

On an analytical level, one has to question the commercial proposition of televised League football for RT�. The provision of live games mean that they commit several hours of schedule to the game over the weekend. Crowds, on the most part, are disappointing and whilst one could argue all day on the quality or otherwise on the on field product, there is little doubt that empty stands do little to encourage neutrals or casual fans to watch. The viewing figures for the first season of MNS were believed to be a disappointment, with media reports of the time reporting that an average audiences were around 60,000. In comparison, in the same season, RT� were achieving 200,000+ viewing for regular Champions League group games.
In addition, at the EU Conference on Sustainable Finance in Sport, held in Dublin earlier in the year Ryle Nugent, Head of Sport, revealed that the Director General of the organisation had stated that they had to reduce the amounts paid for rights by 25% by 2016. In considering the commercial landscape and it looks a bleak view for domestic football fans. With a reduced budget, RT� will surely seek to secure the �crown jewels� in terms of football, GAA and rugby both in terms of club and national competitions.

In a football context, these are likely to be the international fixtures, Champions League and highlights of the Premier League. These are the commercial propositions which the broadcaster can use in order to drive in terms of commercial revenues, as these are the audiences are. The state broadcaster has seen commercial revenues fall by 35% in four years and thus one would assume that the strategy would be to focus of the key competitions and events in order to ensure the viability of the sports department.

One could argue where the value is being derived when John Giles freely admits that once again he doesn�t really know anything about the teams or Dunphy compares Messi to Shefflin. However those are the �water cooler� moments and those are the reason that people watch, and thus which sponsors are attracted to. We shall wait and see how the future unfolds, but as a League of Ireland fan I�ll be taking �each live game as it comes� to paraphrase the clich�, as we may not see the likes of it again.

Tough Week

passinginterest — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:55:53 GMT

UCFL Div. 3 Shield
13, 20, 22 April 2013

Walkinstown Athletic 7 � 2 Terenure FC 3rds
St Mary�s Boys 4 � 3 Terenure FC 3rds
Terenure FC 3rds 1 � 1 Grant City

We went into Monday evening�s game, away to Walkinstown, with high hopes of making it to the shield final but those hopes were left smashed as we dramatically fell apart in the second half of the game. In many ways this has been a strange season, in the early part there was no real regular squad, but as it�s progressed the team has developed and apart from a lack of a regular goalkeeper we have a solid and reliable squad. Results too have generally improved and we were looking at the shield competition as a way of demonstrating the quality of our squad, but after Monday we were left wondering where it all went wrong.

Defeat is all part of the game but when you get hammered 7 � 2 in what, for at least an hour, was an even enough game it leaves you questioning your sanity for even bothering. Our goalkeeping woes certainly didn�t help matters as it seemed that every time Walkinstown hit the target the ball was being picked out of the net, but still, it was only 2-1 at half time and for long periods of the first half we were the better team and played the better football, scoring a lovely goal, from Kev and unlucky maybe not to have been level.

We remained positive at half time but then the horror show began. We just seemed unable to get close enough to Walkinstown to prevent their shots (maybe a lot of tired legs from a heavy slog on Saturday) and with our obvious weakness in goal, suddenly, we found ourselves in meltdown. The first twenty minutes of the second half pretty much consisted of tipping off, picking the ball out of our own net and repeating. Suddenly it was 7 � 1 and we had lost our pride, our tempers with each other, and most of all our chance of making the shield final. Maybe Walkinstown backed off at that stage but we found some sort of resolve and it returned to being a good competitive game for the closing twenty minutes, with Kev smashing in another peach to offer us scant consolation.

Arguably we had a stronger outfield ten than when we beat Walkinstown in the league earlier in the season, which makes it all the more unfathomable that we rolled over in the manner we did. With confidence now badly damaged and shield hopes extinguished, we�re looking ahead to a relegation scrap for the remainder of the season and if we continue to lose games in the same manner it�s only going one way.

On Saturday the lads had to regroup for another visit to Mary�s Boys in Sandyford and in my absence it looked like the horrible form from Walkinstown was to continue early on as they were 3 � 0 down inside twenty minutes. But thankfully all the fight is not gone from the team and Danny, Fiachra and Darren dragged it back level before a Mary�s sucker punch gave them the three points and kept their own shield chances alive.

A week on from the nightmare on Bunting Road our old foes Grant City were the visitors to Bushy Park for a shield game that was no more than a dead rubber for us. Still there�s a good friendly rivalry between the clubs and Grant had beaten us twice in the league so we were determined to end that sequence. The first half was exactly what you expect in every game with Grant, a good physical battle, with little time on the ball and not too much in the way of expansive football. Both teams looked most dangerous on the counter attack, when spaces opened up and defences were stretched, but clear chances were generally at a premium. We grew stronger and looked more confident as the half stayed scoreless and Daire Burns skewed a good chance wide before Fiachra Fitzpatrick�s birthday celebrations were spoiled when his chipped effort came back off the cross bar.

The second half continued along the same pattern, neither side really dominant and as so often is the case it was a Grant set piece that broke the deadlock. We had already been warned of the danger when Liam pulled off a wonder save from a cross but that warning wasn�t heeded. My appearance on the field must have increased Grant�s confidence as they scored within a minute of my introduction; a dangerous free kick was missed by everyone and left Liam helpless as it sneaked into the corner of the net. Our organisation was questionable, but the ball was well delivered into a dangerous area so credit to the free taker too.

We looked the fitter team as the game went on and started to exert more pressure on Grant�s back four and a deserved equaliser arrived courtesy of Danny McKeuige�s third thunderbolt strike in four games. I�ll claim the assist as it was a poor clearance from my miss-hit cross that made its way back to him. With seven minutes to play the game was still there to be won and we were really pressing now, a quick counter attack in the dying minutes saw us with a 3 v 2 advantage and Gar Duffy squared for me to put Daire Burns in on goal, with options arriving in the box Daire took the responsibility himself and the Grant keeper pulled off a good save. We tried again from the corner but it wasn�t to be and the ref blew for full time.

Truthfully a draw was probably a fair result and at least we somewhat stemmed the tide defensively. The relegation scrap begins in earnest on Saturday when AGP come to Bushy Park. A win would leave us in a fairly strong position but defeat would plunge us deeper into difficulty so a positive performance is a must.

Moving Along Nicely

passinginterest — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:53:35 GMT

UCFL Div 3. Shield

Three Trout Rovers 3 - 5 Terenure FC 3rds

I never like missing games and that especially goes for games we win, but I was delighted to hear the news from Greystones on Saturday. According to reports the referee was fairly reluctant to allow the game to go ahead due to the rapidly deteriorating conditions on the Wicklow coast but with the teams eager to go ahead the standing water was ignored.

Terenure started well but as has so often been the case no reward was forthcoming and Three Trout broke the deadlock when they caught our defence flat footed. The response was immediate, however, and David Fennelly finished from close range after a move down the right.

It wasn't long before Trout retook the lead though, once again a ball over the top causing a problem and resulting in a goal. This team is developing a good spirit and that showed as they again bounced straight back, Danny McKeuige hitting a great strike from 25 yards to ensure parity at half time.

Terenure made a bright start to the second half and this time it paid off with Daire Burns scoring twice in quick succession to leave Trout needing something special to get back into the game. Trout emptied the bench and the fresh legs gave them impetus on the heavy pitch, with only 11 available for Terenure they started to feel the pressure and when Trout got one back the closing stages promised to be nervy. Despite tiredness and the concession of a goal Terenure kept their composure on the ball and continued to create chances themselves and in injury time Fiachra Fitzpatrick deservedly broke his duck for the season and sealed a deserved victory.

The win leaves us sitting nicely on top of our shield group but another win in tonight's (Monday) game away to Walkinstown would really put is in a good position to make the shield final. The first league encounter with Walkinstown was a tight and tough affair so we know what to expect, hopefully legs are not too heavy from the weekend�s efforts.

Blowing in the Wind

passinginterest — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:21:16 GMT

UCFL Div 3.
08 April 2013

St Mary�s Boys 1 � 1 Terenure FC 3rds

Both teams were playing for the third time in six days on Monday night and had come into the game on the back of weekend wins. Mary�s Boys look to have completely turned their early season form around as they trashed Grant City 5 � 1 last Wednesday before beating a good VEC 3rds team 3 � 1 on Saturday to leap frog us in the table. That means we are now well embroiled in a relegation fight so this game took on added significance.

It was nice to arrive to good dressing rooms in Sandyford and the pitch looked pretty good if not a bit bobbly. Unfortunately an ever increasing, bitter, wind was blowing right down the pitch and this proceeded to really dictate the game. Mary�s won the toss and made the wise choice to play against the breeze in the first half. With the advantage of the elements we made a really strong start and in the early stages played some good football and forced Mary�s to defend for long periods. We didn�t manage to convert any of four corners in quick succession or numerous other chances to put the ball into the danger area and as is so often the case we were punished at the other end. Mary�s capitalised on some hesitation in the centre of our defence as the wind held the ball up awkwardly and their striker coolly lobbed the ball over this week�s stand in keeper Darren.

Mary�s grew into the half as they crowded midfield and got more of a hold of the ball and we couldn�t pin them back as often. We did find an equaliser, however, as some great work from Fiachra led to him putting a dangerous through ball in behind Mary�s defence, and with Kev pressuring the retreating defender directed the ball beyond his outrushing keeper and into the net.

As the wind grew in the second half so did Mary�s dominance of the game and we were pinned back in our own half for long passages of play. Our passing game just could get going as Mary�s pressed high and the wind made long clearances almost impossible. On our rare forays into the other half there was always the danger of quick counters as the Mary�s keeper sent his huge kick outs well into our half. Our defending was resolute though and Mary�s clear chances were kept to a minimum, the best of them coming from their substitute centre forward as he twice intercepted short free kicks only to be denied as Darren recovered his errors well.

Our best chances of the second half came from set pieces; Kev forced a smart save from the keeper after Danny�s mazy dribble was robustly stopped on the edge of the area, resulting in a yellow for the defender and an enforced substitution for us while Heffo didn�t connect as well as he had hoped when he was found in space on the edge of the eighteen yard box.

Highs and Lows

passinginterest — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:51:06 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
03 April 2013
Kill Celtic 6 � 1 Terenure FC 3rds

UCFL Div. 3 Shield
06 April 2013
Terenure FC 3rds 5 � 1 Fortunestown Celtic

This week we matched up against teams from the two extremities of the league and produced results to match. Kill are one of the three outstanding teams in the league while Fortunestown are tailed off at the bottom and that gap couldn�t have been more obvious. We travelled to Kill on Wednesday evening with our manager away but expecting a squad of 13 to travel Unfortunately there was some confusion with our keeper and he never arrived and with our left winger getting lost it was bare bones at kick off and yours truly stuck in nets again.

Despite the poor preparation and barely getting eleven on the pitch for kick off we didn�t start too badly. Kill are known to be a good footballing side but the bobbly pitch wasn�t doing them any favours and we were putting pressure on them and forcing them to rush passes. The early exchanges were fairly uneventful with neither goal really threatened. Kill did show flashes of good movement and their wingers and big number ten always looked dangerous when they got a run at us.

Just past the mid-point of a tight half Kill managed to cut us open down their right wing and when they worked it into the middle the big centre forward made no mistake. It was disappointing to concede so softly having had plenty of corners and half chances at the other end without making them count. If that goal hurt the second was real agony, a fairly innocuous long ball not dealt with by the defence and as our left back tried to clear it under pressure he volleyed over my head and into the roof of the net.

We didn�t completely drop our heads at that point and soon after we had a great chance to make it 2-1 when a well worked move put Daire Burns in at the back post but he just dragged it wide. Kev Duffy also went close during the half so we were hopeful of getting back into the game at half time.

Unfortunately we seemed to get caught up in a negative mind-set at half time and we didn�t start the second half at all. Kill upped their tempo considerably and with their number seven drifting all over the pitch and finding space it didn�t take them long to punish us. To be fair to the defenders a proper goalkeeper might have dealt better with all of the goals in the second half but credit also to Kill for putting the ball into dangerous areas where I didn�t know how to approach it. Three goals in as many minutes completely finished the game, two very similar as they got in down their right wing and squared across the six yard box, the other coming from the other wing and more a hopeful high ball that we should have defended easily but made a mess of.

The remained of the game was a bit more pedestrian as Kill maybe stepped off the pace with the game won and we were allowed plenty of possession, but it didn�t stop Kill adding number six as their number ten completed his hat-trick, cutting in along the end-line and beating me with a weak enough effort. At that stage I went for a run outfield, having done enough damage to our goal difference. We did score a nice goal as some consolation, starting in our own penalty are and well finished by Kev at the other end.

Kill are the only team that can push Chapelizod for the division three title and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top when they meet again in the league. Kill probably have more depth to their squad and are well organised, but Chapelizod have some brilliant individuals who are a class above anything else in this league.

Saturday�s shield game couldn�t have been much different. Arguably we had a weaker eleven to start, but we had the added bonus of having a keeper. Fortunestown are a really nice bunch of lads but they�re easily the weakest team in the league and it showed again this week. We played well in patches of the game without ever being great but once Gar Duffy opened the scoring the result was always looking fairly safe. It came from another good passing move, stated from the back and Gar burst through the middle to get on the end of a well weighted pass and hit a lovely finish beyond the keeper.

Fortunestown�s number seven was their best outlet as he caused problems with his lightening pace and won them some promising free kicks but overall we defended safely. Gar�s second goal around the half hour mark really put us in the driving seat as he sent a perfect free kick over the wall and into the top corner. Our third came within five minutes from a corner that Fortunestown couldn�t clear and Matt Dean put the loose ball into the net to make things more relaxed going into half time. Before we could relax too much though Fortunestown did give us a warning that we couldn�t take things easy as they got in behind and forced Liam into a good save, the ball rebounded to a free attacker just yards out, but on his weaker foot he somehow skewed it wide.

The second half was a fairly tame affair as we tried to keep the ball and slow the game down to conserve energy given our hectic run of games. John Buckley put us 4-0 ahead with a great turn and finish before Fortunestown made us pay for losing our concentration at the back as a long ball bounced over the defence and their forward beat our keeper to finish. The fifth came in the last ten minutes as Emmet finished another tidy move off and we at least managed to rebuild some confidence after Wednesday�s collapse. We have to gather ourselves again for a game tonight (Monday) a relegation scrap with St Mary�s Boys who we can�t take lightly following their 5-1 win over Grant last week.

Messy Cup Exit

passinginterest — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:47:56 GMT

Sidney Bedlow Cup
16 March 2013

St Mary�s Crumlin 2nds 2 � 1 Terenure FC 3rds

It will come as no surprise that all games were off this weekend but I just realised I never wrote a report on last week�s game so here we go. This one probably should have been called off too, the game beforehand left the pitch an absolute mud bath and if it wasn�t for the amount of games called off recently I think both teams and the ref would have gladly abandoned it. Deciding to go ahead meant it was more a game of endurance and effort than a football match and unfortunately our opponents seemed to want it that bit more.

The first half was fairly tight, with few chances of note. We did have the ball in the net when some nice football put Gar Duffy in on goal and he finished well but celebrations were cut short as the ref awarded a free out for a handball. Mary�s improved after the disallowed goal and started to get more of a hold on midfield, where we had been on top early on. Set pieces looked like Mary�s most likely way of getting on the score sheet as we gave away some needless free kicks around the penalty area and we looked hesitant at times defending them. It remained scoreless in the first half and we were reminded of needing to battle harder and win more scrappy ball if we were to come out on top.

We started the second half well, putting Mary�s under prolonged spells of pressure and keeping them in their own half much more effectively that the first half. We failed to take advantage of this good start however and this allowed Mary�s to come back into the game once again. We seemed to lose our way a bit as we emptied the bench and Mary�s found a breakthrough with about twenty minutes to go. Inevitably the goal came from a set piece as we failed to deal with a corner and it was stuck away by an unmarked forward six yards out. At this stage the pitch was taking it�s toll and players were finding it tough to track back when they committed forward and Mary�s got their second on the break, managing to isolate a defender one on one and finishing the chance well.

We did manage to fight back in the last ten minutes, Danny was causing problems for Mary�s all game and he cut through their defence to set up Daire for a tap in but this was also ruled out as he had moved into an offside position before the pass came. The same two players did combine a few minutes later to get one back but there wasn�t enough time to find an equaliser. The last action of the game saw a free kick from Danny, once again, almost squirm out of the keeper�s hands and over the line but it wasn�t to be and Mary�s advance to play Walkinstown in the quarter final.

With mid-week games starting after Easter we have a huge fixture pile up to get through, so hopefully the weather picks up and we can look forward to playing, Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays until the end of May.

A Game at Long Last

passinginterest — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:16:28 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
23 January 2013

Terenure FC 3rds 1 � 0 Walkinstown Athletic

After a not so brief hiatus in the season we were finally back in action on Saturday, eleven weeks after beating AGP. Looking for a third win in a row it was hard to know what to expect after so long without a game. We knew Walkinstown were a dangerous team and they ran, run away league leaders, Chapelizod close last week so they had to be taken seriously. With snow falling, rumours that the park rangers wanted to call off the pitch and the ref arriving late pre-match preparations weren�t ideal, but, thankfully we seemed to handle the delays better than our opponents.

We started very positively closing down a young Walkinstown team quickly when they had the ball and putting together some nice passing when we won possession. The high tempo early on was producing chances in the way of corners and set pieces and the Walkinstown players were getting frustrated and arguing among themselves as they struggled to get going. Less than fifteen minutes in our good start got it�s just reward, Darren Finlay delivered a dangerous corner to the near post and an unfortunate Walkinstown defender made contact and directed it straight into his own top corner.

Things started to settle down after the frantic start but we continued to hold the upper hand for most of the half, defending well and creating chances of our own. Walkinstown did start to gain some territory towards the end of the half though and there was plenty of warning, if it were needed, that the game was far from won.

We expected a backlash in the second half and we weren�t disappointed. Walkinstown were much more assured on the ball and managed to build sustained pressure, while we started to show some ring rust after such a long break in the season. Despite having more of the ball Walkinstown struggled to create clear cut chances and all of our players continued to make things difficult for them by closing down quickly from front to back.

The closest Walkinstown came was a miss-control from Dylan in goal but he recovered to make a great save at the strikers� feet. At the other end Daire danced around the Walkinstown defence only to scuff his attempt on goal and we came close with a couple of dangerous counter attacks but the final pass just let us down. The difficult conditions and tough nature of the game took its toll as both teams emptied their benches; we were unfortunate to see Paul Kavanagh come on for his debut only to depart again within minutes, after a crunching 50/50 challenge, and by the end of the game there was several more walking wounded.

The final whistle was a welcome relief and I think we were all happy to be heading home to thaw out. Three wins in a row shows the great progress we have made since the start of the season and the ability to combine some nice football with a bit more hard work and determination is really starting to pay off. We�ll look to continue our improvement in the league and will be targeting real progress in the Bedlow cup and shield competitions over the coming weeks.

Finding Form

passinginterest — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 10:00:06 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
08 December 2012

AGP 2nds 2 - 3 Terenure FC 3rds

With many games cancelled on Saturday due to waterlogged pitches we knew we were going to be in for a hard slog when we had to switch from, the unplayable, Bushy Park to AGP�s home pitch, in Griffeen Valley Park, and so it turned out. The pitch looked remarkably good when we arrived but within minutes of the kick of the midfield was a mud bath and we were struggling to adapt to the conditions.

AGP made us pay for our poor start and were ahead within five minutes and it looked like the good work of the last few games was all but forgotten. But this team has started to develop some back bone and, despite continuing to struggle to find any fluency, we started to get back into the game. When Colin Kennedy stuck away a tidy finish to equalise, after half an hour, against the run of play, we started to grow in confidence.

In the second half we were much brighter early on and put AGP under pressure as they tried to hit us on the counter, but the lead goal was stubborn in coming, until David Fennelly managed to force the ball home following some ping pong in the box as AGP failed to clear a corner. Well on top when taking the lead we should have been fairly comfortable but AGP came back strongly and started leaving three or four players in attack. We were a bit untidy in some of our defending and giving away too many shooting opportunities and eventually a deflected effort looped beyond Liam and levelled the tie for a second time.

This would have been the point where we collapsed completely in earlier games but there is a new resolve about the squad now and there was a good response. The game was frantic and open as both teams went for the win, Liam pulled off a great save from another deflected AGP effort, before Dave Fennelly made himself the hero with a great finish in the last five minutes of the game.

With the winter break now upon us things are looking a lot brighter than they were after an extremely difficult start to the season. With a reasonable draw in the Sidney Bedlow cup we can be optimistic about making progress there and hopefully we can start to climb the league table and make a run at the shield in the New Year.

I should also mention the fantastic form of our first team this season. They are top of the UCFL premier division and into the last 64 of the FAI Junior cup after a fantastic 6-2 win over Butterkrust FC. They now meet Park United from Cork on the 6th of January with the winners at home to either Killumney Utd or Clonmel Celtic in the last 32.

Saturday Satisfaction

passinginterest — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:43:49 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
01 December 2012

Three Trout Rovers 0 - 1 Terenure FC 3rds

Ah Saturdays are so much nicer when we win a game, and, particularly so when it's a hard fought one nil. Added to that it's the first time I've captained the team to a win and it was a particularly satisfactory Saturday, I think even Christopher Maloney sounded decent on the X-Factor I was in such a good mood.

The game itself was a hard slog. Three Trout have been picking up a lot of draws this season and are a well organised side who don't concede too many, their problem is they don't score many either. We've been a bit all over the place defensively at times and while we've improved on that we've lost some of our potency in attack so this was always going to be a tight game.

The early part of the match was even enough, neither goal was threatened as we got a feel for each other in the middle of the park but as things settled we started to gain control. Our back four was starting a fourth game in a row together and three of our midfield were doing the same, this has improved our organisation dramatically and we were limiting Three Trout's possession and chances very well.

Half chances started to come our way and if we were a little more composed in front of goal we might have opened to scoring earlier in the game. Myself and Dave Fennelly having opportunities, where we should have made Trout's outstanding goalkeeper work a lot harder. At times this season we've been guilty of gifting teams chances by over-playing in our own half but we were more efficient on Saturday, clearing danger over the side-lines or long when required.

At half time we had established ourselves as the better team, but too often this season we've failed to build on good starts, so there was a determination about us not to let that happen again. This led to a more energetic start to the second period and our endeavour brought a well-deserved goal early on. Following some good midfield play, Robbie Furlong played the ball through the middle to Dave Fennelly and his delicate flick fell perfectly into the path of Colin Kennedy who calmly poked the ball into the bottom corner. It was a lovely goal and the kind of move that we've failed to finish off far too many times this season.

With something to hold onto our resolve was strengthened and unlike in other games this season we grew stronger as the half progresses. Three Trout were forced to push on and we were picking them off on the break and holding possession well in their half, John Buckley struck the bar with an audacious effort from the wing that would have been a just reward for another excellent performance, while the Trout keeper again saved well from a deft Dave Fennelly chip and another strike from yours truly (65 games no goals now. If you're keeping count. I am).

It was all out attack from Trout in the last ten minutes, we even had that great footballing sight of the keeper coming up for a corner in the dying moments, but we showed great resolve to hold on and there was really only one major scare from a scramble in the box, with Foxy bravely diving on the ball to make the save. Credit to Foxy too, he's an outfield player but that's the second game he's played in nets for us and a second clean sheet to boot.

I think everyone was delighted to hear the final whistle as a fairly heavy pitch and a bruising encounter had really taken its toll. The win means we're only a point behind Trout in the table and we can hopefully start looking to move further upwards in the coming weeks.

Frustration

passinginterest — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:47:33 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
17 November 2012

Terenure 3rds 0 � 1 VEC 3rds

This will go down as another frustrating day out as we failed to take our chances and were punished for it. As I�ve said a few times there seems to be three outstanding teams in this division and then there�s little between the others. VEC are currently best of the rest in 4th place and this is the second time we�ve been edged out by the odd goal against them when we should have been taking at least a point. Again there are reasons to be optimistic and hopefully we�re not far from the point where things will come together and we�ll start converting opportunities and winning points on a regular basis.

Once again we made a solid start on Saturday and had VEC on the back foot early in the game, but as usual we didn�t create enough clear chances and didn�t test the VEC keeper. The best of the chances possibly came my way as the ball broke to me in the box but I scuffed a weak effort into the keepers arms. VEC came back at us as the half wore on and Mark Fitz produced a couple of good saves when they did break through. For once we also defended well from corners and kept VEC at bay.

As the game flowed from end to end it threatened to produce goals and when we were awarded a penalty we looked like breaking the deadlock. Some nice inter-play around the penalty box allowed Kev to play me into a great position and as I looked to shoot I was tackled from both sides, neither got the ball and with no advantage accruing the ref had little choice but to give the spot kick (probably for the best given it�s now 60odd games since my last goal). Darren had dispatched a peno earlier in the season against Grant City so he got the nod for this one but he was unfortunate to see a good strike slip wide of the post.

At half time we weren�t overly pleased with our performance, there was good spells but we were losing our shape at times and not passing or tackling as well as we can. The second half started at a hundred miles an hour and continued in that vein as both teams went looking for the win and started to commit players to attack and leave holes at the back. Once again our best early chance came my way, this time I contrived to kick the ground from about ten yards out, when any kind of decent strike should have produced a goal.

VEC then caught us with a sucker punch mid-way through the half when it seemed we were the more likely to take the lead. We failed to defend an innocuous throw in and as it came across the pitch we didn�t react, allowing a VEC midfielder a clear strike at goal and he made no mistake with the finish. Falling behind saw us become more open to counter attacks but we continued to press and create half chances. Despite manufacturing plenty of corners and some decent long range efforts we failed to break down a resolute VEC defence and were left with nothing at the final whistle.

Next up is a must win game at home to Fortunestown. They will have improved from our earlier encounter this season and if we take them lightly we�ll be left as favourites for relegation.

Beaten Again

passinginterest — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:37:18 GMT

UCFL Div. 3
10 November 2012

WFC 6 � 0 Terenure 3rds

Normal services for this season resumed on Saturday as we travelled out to Loughlinstown and were sent home with our tails between our legs. WFC along with Chapelizod and Kill Celtic are running away with the league and we�re really not competing on their level at the moment.

Once again there was some positives to take from the game, for the first 45 minutes we were competitive, in fact we started extremely brightly and had WFC frustrated for most of the opening half hour. Had Al Brehony�s great strike dipped under the cross bar instead of hitting it, with the scores still level, things might have gone a little differently.

Unfortunately though we reverted to type and as we tired from our initial exploits WFC started to hike up the pressure, their dangerous front two getting more involved in the play, and broke the deadlock before half time. A long throw into the back post was partially cleared but WFC won possession on the edge of the area and managed to strike low into the corner of the net.

The opening goal was a big psychological blow and the second was a real killer. WFC won a free kick just outside the box and the resulting shot was curled around the bottom of the wall and into the corner of the net, leaving Liam with no chance to get near it. Half time followed soon after and we had to try and get our heads up and get back into the game.

Again we started the second half brightly and got close to WFCs goal but we didn�t find a breakthrough, the closest we came was when Fionn beat the keeper to a through ball but was forced wide, his cross went right across goal and I picked it up near the end line at the far side of the box, it might have been better to pull it back to an arriving midfielder but, with the keeper still scrambling to recover I tried to squeeze it in and it was cleared for a corner by a defender on the line.

WFC clinically added a third ten minutes into the half, as we started to get lazy in our tracking back to help out the defence, and the last 35 minutes became fairly painful stuff. Liam in goal was left constantly exposed and if he hadn�t pulled off some great saves the score-line could have been much worse. Sadly we stopped putting in the effort, whether through fatigue, laziness or just quitting and were punished badly, we had a few half chances ourselves, as we just left bodies forward, and, I might argue that we deserved a consolation for our early efforts, but we never looked like converting against a solid defence and keeper.

WFC will finish top three this season, while we�ll be delighted if we can scrape top half at this stage. I�d still maintain if we can get anywhere close to our strongest team on the pitch we can give any of the teams in the division a good game but at the moment that doesn�t seem likely to happen. Hopefully the fixtures might be a little kinder to us over the next few weeks and we can add a few more points to our total and build some confidence in what is still a very new squad of players.