Under 16 Match Report - Red Star v St Marys

RED STAR SUFFER LAST MINUTE HEARTACHE!

SBYL U16 LEAGUE

SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2009

 Red Star 2 St Mary’s 3

With McCullough having a hand injury and Trodden yet again unavailable, Red Star brought in debutants Ronan Tennyson in goals and Jack McGrath up front. McGrath, who had played so well for Red Star at under 12 level, was returning to the club after three years at Rosario.

Red Star opted for a 4 4 2 formation with the two terriers Hamill and Cassidy in central midfield and Gildea alongside McGrath up front. Red Star began confidently and should have scored in their first attack in the third minute but McCullough failed to hit the target from a narrow angle ten yards out.

St Mary’s were enjoying plenty of possession and on twelve minutes poor marking by Red Star left a spare attacker at the back post who coolly chipped Tennyson as he came to block. A second goal followed on twenty minutes when the Red Star defence failed to clear the ball properly and a St Mary’s forward shot low to the corner of the net from twenty yards.

St Mary’s then hit the crossbar but Red Star were defending well with Kennedy and White both making numerous vital clearances. Red Star then created several chances with McBride slicing a left footed shot from within the penalty area which was easily saved and then Gildea hit a thirty five yard free kick over the wall and into the keeper’s hands.

The breakthrough finally came five minutes from half time when a long clearance from midfield was spilled by the St Mary’s keeper under pressure initially from McCullough and then Gildea who remained cool and scored from a narrow angle.

The second half began with St Mary’s bringing on Kelly to up the tempo but he was well marshalled by Hamill and Cassidy. Nevertheless, St Mary’s continued to dominate and Tennyson, who was having a fine debut, made several confident saves to keep his team in the game. At the other end McGrath was working extremely hard but was unable to carve out any clear cut chances. Red Star brought on supersub Scholtyssek for McCullough and with fifteen minutes left Murphy came on for a tired McBride.

With ten minutes left and the result still in the balance, St Mary’s nearly scored with a header from a corner which was destined for the top corner of the net but Henvey made a brilliant goalline clearance to keep the match alive. The significance of this was demonstrated three minutes from time when McGrath superbly beat the offside trap and coolly beat the St Mary’s keeper to bring the scores level.

Alas, it was a long last three minutes and Red Star were cruelly robbed of a well deserved point in the last minute when they allowed St Mary’s to pull the ball back from the byeline to a forward who mishit his shot but still found the corner of the net.

Whilst the team were disappointed to lose in this way, the positives to be drawn from this game were numerous; Every player contributed to the best performance of the season, with the three Jacks ( sounds like a poker hand!) especially prominent and Kennedy and White forming a solid central defensive partnership. Kennedy’s positional play and non stop effort resulted in his best ever performance and he deservedly wins the man of the match award.

TEAM: Tennyson, McKeague Kennedy White (c) Henvey, McCullough Cassidy Hamill(J) McBride, Gildea McGrath.

Subs: Scholtyssek (for McCullough) 55 minutes

  Murphy (for McBride) 65 Minutes

  Reid

  Hamill(C)