Sunday 26th April, 2009
Harry’s FC International 5 Bricks and Calder 1
Carlowe
Crozier (2)
Ingle
Marler
Team: Atterbury, Carlowe, Coyne, Heffernan, Holian, Leach, Roberton, Tatarkin, McLeod, Jack, Crozier, Griffiths, Ingle, Webster, Marler
It was the first game of the Caybrew Sunday league, season 2 and for the opener it saw Harry’s taking on old foes Brickhouse Devils in their new guise as Bricks and Calder. There was to be little change to the Harry’s squad from the previous season with only one new signing amongst their ranks, Ian Robertson, and two departures in Tirotti to Azzurri and Doherty to Goa United. The club had tried to keep both players but their hearts were set on new pastures. Captain Glasgow joined Fenn on the treatment table in a rare absence for the Midlothian.
It was a late kick off but fortunately there was a lot of cloud cover which took away the magnitude of heat which Harry’s had endured the previous week in their friendly against HSBC. During the game there was even to be a short pour down to help keep the game flowing and prevent it resigning itself to walking pace.
The new look opposition started brightly and were happy to get their new players on the ball to show off their skills, and it was certainly going to be a sterner test than it had been on the two previous occasions the sides had met. Furball Griffiths provided the early entertainment as he went off after just two minutes for Webster, clearly not enjoying his new responsibility as an attacker. When he reappeared later in the half he was back doing his familiar defence and midfield duties, and coped much better.
Harry’s were certainly struggling to find any early rhythm and playing a tight offside trap they nearly fell behind after fifteen minutes as Bricks broke through. While Harry’s looked on waiting for the offside flag which never came, the Bricks forward played to the whistle and it took a brave diving stop by goalkeeper Atterbury to keep things level. This early scare saw Harry’s change their tactics instantly, moving away from the tight defensive line to a much deeper sweeping formation.
As the first half moved past the halfway point Harry’s found their feet and started to move into the ascendancy. McLeod playing in a rare central midfield role was moving the ball round the park well and suddenly the openings began to present themselves.
Harry’s took the lead after a ball in from the right was poked home by Carlowe, the former Caymanian international recording his first competitive goal in the league sponsored by his employers.
The paying public didn’t have to wait long for Harry’s to double the lead when for the first time in living memory, the boys in red and white actually made the most of having a corner kick. Webster took the kick from the right hand side and with a flick on by Marler, Crozier hammered the ball into the roof of the net giving the Bricks and Calder keeper absolutely no chance.
Harry’s made the lead even more secure before the interval when Crozier was again on hand to convert yet another corner. Once more it was Webster who took the corner kick and as it floated into the centre, Crozier rose majestically to plant his header into the back of the net. Although they had taken time to get themselves going in the game, Harry’s were deserved leaders going into the break.
The second half started in a similar vein with Harry’s moving the ball well down the flanks and putting the Bricks’ fullbacks under heavy pressure. The constant running of Ingle, Maguire and Webster with supporting play from Crozier, Tatarkin and Jack was giving the opposition some severe headaches.
Ingle and Webster were carving out some great chances between them and only the woodwork was on hand twice to deny Ingle. A rare excursion into the opposition half also saw Holian strike a shot against the post, although upon television replays it can be seen that Webster’s touch just as he was ready to strike, made the angle impossible for the centre back to turn the ball in.
The pressure finally told when Ingle eventually found the back of the net after a scramble in the box saw the ball rise perfectly for the youngster, who made no mistake heading home his first goal of the season.
Bricks and Calder still had some running left in them but any chances falling for them were few and far between. A harsh decision by referee Gribbon gave them a good opportunity with a free kick right on the edge of the box. Goalscorer number one Carlowe who had now replaced manager Atterbury amongst the sticks lined up his wall. The chance was ultimately wasted as Bricks shot high over the top of the bar. However shortly after they were to find themselves on the scoresheet. An awkward bounce struck off debutant Roberton into the path of the opposition’s forward who sweetly fired the ball out of Carlowe’s reach. It was unfortunate on the new signing who up to that point had settled into his new surroundings very admirably.
Many times Harry’s have found themselves under pressure after conceding a goal. However this wasn’t to be one of those occasions as Marler broke through the back line and ran the ball into the area before firing home low and hard to restore the four goal advantage.
A couple more chances may have presented themselves to Webster had the Bricks and Calder linesman been better aware of the offside rule as he flung his flag up twice to deny perfectly good runs from the Yorkshireman. Webster was again to get caught offside when an excellent chance opened up. However this time it was down to an error by Heffernan who played the ball into him when it would have been better for the Irishman to go it alone, but then again long time supporters of Harry’s FC know how bad he is in front of goal and probably understood his panic!!
And so the perfect start to the new season, and a good way to get back to winning ways after the disappointment of the penalty shoot out defeat in the final a month earlier.
