wws
09/07/2003, 9:52 AM
posted by Dr G on the pats fans match report service
FITA 25
St. Patrick’s Athletic V. Cork City FC
Richmond Park
League Cup Semi-final
Score: 3-1
Penalties AET
7th July 2003
Revenge is a dish best served on a Summers evening
Last Friday it was my birthday and whilst I was delighted to receive presents all though the weekend the best one of the lot was served to me last. It was seeing Eamon Collin’s red and white army beat Dolan’s Cork City 3-1 on penalties in the League cup semi-final. In the league when the big man came back to Inchicore his new team had managed to pox a draw with the final kick of the game. But last night against the youth team Corks stars couldn’t do the same.
I arrived fairly early for the game and was volunteered into holding up a banner that read “Finally, Ni Neart go cur le Cheile” for Pat Moanin Dolan to see when he emerged from the tunnel. Yes the unity and strength in togetherness was exemplified by the young side that Eamonn picked to line up for St. Pat’s. With the exceptions of Baz Penderville and Davy Byrne all the players were pushing for first team places. There was great hunger amongst the Supersaints and from the kick off they tore into the Cork team.
Liam George was fed with a ball straight down the centre channel and he was
Pushed wide left but still managed to get a cross come shot in which Devine gathered after he spilled it initially. Minutes later young Keith Dunne raced onto a similar ball and fired low and hard only for the Cork goalkeeper to boot it away at the expense of a corner. Cork looked unsettled as the ambition of the St. Pat’s players was there for all to see.
Within the first ten minutes of the game Devine was called into action no less than three times to save his team. The third attempt on goal came from a cross in by Quigley (starting at right back) who crossed it in for Dunne to get a weak header on target which was nodded back by a defender into the goalkeepers hands.
In the 16th minute Cork had their first real attack. It ended with a horrendous high shot which almost cleared the shed. Dolan made his first change on the night putting on Alan Carey for the virtually invisible up till then Kevin Doyle. Watching a team like Cork play like they do I was reminded of quote from the father of modern science. Einstein the man who gave us an understanding of relativity once said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Whilst the majority of saints fans have no wish to go back in time to the Dolan era watching this Cork team play was a reminder of it. Not much play was going though the midfield and the ball was hoofed up to the a forlorn O’Flynn or O’Callaghan. This appeared to be the only tactic.
They were still unsettled and in the 34th minute panic set in with a mix up between Alan Bennett (3) and Devine which was comical. Both left the ball
For the other and eventually Devine hoofed it off Bennett and it nearly went out for a corner. The Cork fans kept on singing despite their teams lack of any real goal scoring opportunities. They have a flag that reads 4 5 1 and I was wondering what that meant. Obviously a formation but Shay said it was more likely to be their bank balance or Dolan’s waist measurement.
Just before half time there was a header on goals from a Cork attack which was easily dealt with by Jamie Gallagher. Finally just before the half time whistle Liam George did a bit of ball juggling down the left wing and ended up sending in a cross which was too deep and sailed high over the head of Quinn on the back stick. As the whistle went for half time one punter got it right when he said “we are going to be here all night.”
For the start of the second half Charles Mbabzi Livingstone came on for an injured Holt who’d been rugby tackled to the ground in the first half. There was an air of expectancy that Charlie held the key to unlock this deadlock. That wasn’t the case as for most of the evening he was ineffectual. The Saints were desperately unlucky not to take the lead when George was sent though on a one on one with Devine. Devine won the race (as George appears to be lacking some pace) and cleared the ball only as far as Keith Dunne who had a blast which was destined for the top corner with the keeper still stranded on the ground. Bennett bailed out his keeper by getting his head to the powerful shot and knocking it out for a corner.
Quinn was subbed off and on came Tony Bird. The Bird man of Inchicore raised the whole class of the saints attacking options. The home crowd came to life and we sensed that a victory was there for us now. Almost immediately there was some pay back as George set up Bird with a neat return pass on the edge of the box but the linesman shot his arm into the air. In the 67th minute a cross from Dunne almost finds Bird but a vital tackle saved the day when it looked like our predator was going to pounce. In the 75th minute Quigley was tackled terribly on the edge of the box by the Cork no. 25 but still no card was produced. Nothing came of the resulting free kick.
part two next post...
FITA 25
St. Patrick’s Athletic V. Cork City FC
Richmond Park
League Cup Semi-final
Score: 3-1
Penalties AET
7th July 2003
Revenge is a dish best served on a Summers evening
Last Friday it was my birthday and whilst I was delighted to receive presents all though the weekend the best one of the lot was served to me last. It was seeing Eamon Collin’s red and white army beat Dolan’s Cork City 3-1 on penalties in the League cup semi-final. In the league when the big man came back to Inchicore his new team had managed to pox a draw with the final kick of the game. But last night against the youth team Corks stars couldn’t do the same.
I arrived fairly early for the game and was volunteered into holding up a banner that read “Finally, Ni Neart go cur le Cheile” for Pat Moanin Dolan to see when he emerged from the tunnel. Yes the unity and strength in togetherness was exemplified by the young side that Eamonn picked to line up for St. Pat’s. With the exceptions of Baz Penderville and Davy Byrne all the players were pushing for first team places. There was great hunger amongst the Supersaints and from the kick off they tore into the Cork team.
Liam George was fed with a ball straight down the centre channel and he was
Pushed wide left but still managed to get a cross come shot in which Devine gathered after he spilled it initially. Minutes later young Keith Dunne raced onto a similar ball and fired low and hard only for the Cork goalkeeper to boot it away at the expense of a corner. Cork looked unsettled as the ambition of the St. Pat’s players was there for all to see.
Within the first ten minutes of the game Devine was called into action no less than three times to save his team. The third attempt on goal came from a cross in by Quigley (starting at right back) who crossed it in for Dunne to get a weak header on target which was nodded back by a defender into the goalkeepers hands.
In the 16th minute Cork had their first real attack. It ended with a horrendous high shot which almost cleared the shed. Dolan made his first change on the night putting on Alan Carey for the virtually invisible up till then Kevin Doyle. Watching a team like Cork play like they do I was reminded of quote from the father of modern science. Einstein the man who gave us an understanding of relativity once said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Whilst the majority of saints fans have no wish to go back in time to the Dolan era watching this Cork team play was a reminder of it. Not much play was going though the midfield and the ball was hoofed up to the a forlorn O’Flynn or O’Callaghan. This appeared to be the only tactic.
They were still unsettled and in the 34th minute panic set in with a mix up between Alan Bennett (3) and Devine which was comical. Both left the ball
For the other and eventually Devine hoofed it off Bennett and it nearly went out for a corner. The Cork fans kept on singing despite their teams lack of any real goal scoring opportunities. They have a flag that reads 4 5 1 and I was wondering what that meant. Obviously a formation but Shay said it was more likely to be their bank balance or Dolan’s waist measurement.
Just before half time there was a header on goals from a Cork attack which was easily dealt with by Jamie Gallagher. Finally just before the half time whistle Liam George did a bit of ball juggling down the left wing and ended up sending in a cross which was too deep and sailed high over the head of Quinn on the back stick. As the whistle went for half time one punter got it right when he said “we are going to be here all night.”
For the start of the second half Charles Mbabzi Livingstone came on for an injured Holt who’d been rugby tackled to the ground in the first half. There was an air of expectancy that Charlie held the key to unlock this deadlock. That wasn’t the case as for most of the evening he was ineffectual. The Saints were desperately unlucky not to take the lead when George was sent though on a one on one with Devine. Devine won the race (as George appears to be lacking some pace) and cleared the ball only as far as Keith Dunne who had a blast which was destined for the top corner with the keeper still stranded on the ground. Bennett bailed out his keeper by getting his head to the powerful shot and knocking it out for a corner.
Quinn was subbed off and on came Tony Bird. The Bird man of Inchicore raised the whole class of the saints attacking options. The home crowd came to life and we sensed that a victory was there for us now. Almost immediately there was some pay back as George set up Bird with a neat return pass on the edge of the box but the linesman shot his arm into the air. In the 67th minute a cross from Dunne almost finds Bird but a vital tackle saved the day when it looked like our predator was going to pounce. In the 75th minute Quigley was tackled terribly on the edge of the box by the Cork no. 25 but still no card was produced. Nothing came of the resulting free kick.
part two next post...