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Many Thanks to the following - |
Glen Celtic Ladies 2 Glen Celtic Masters 2 Saturday night last saw Glen Celtic A.F.C hold a Charity Match in aid of the Special Olympic's Fundraising Campaign. In an eagerly anticipated match between the all conquering Glen Celtic Ladies who were League & Cup Winners in the 2006 season of the Roscommon & DIstrict Ladies Competition and reached the All-Ireland Intermediate Semi-Final before bowing out to eventual winners Ballina versus the Glen Celtic Masters Team who are legends in their own right for still being able to self propel themselves around a soccer pitch past the age of 35 and some more advanced than the big 40. All funds on the night were going to the Fundraising effort for the Special Olympic's which is a great cause and where all fundraising is voluntary. Despite rumblings of discontent among the Masters selection the guest referee on the night was well known Roscommon & District League Secretary John Sherlock - himself a very talented soccer player of years gone by. The game started approximately ten minutes late due to the Ladies secretly admiring the warm up tactic's of the Masters selection who were out on the pitch and raring to go. The referee grew impatient but eventually the Ladies arrived on the pitch. The game started at a very high pace with the Masters defence put under some early pressure with Siobhan O'Grady and Noelle Connolly trying to outpace the Celtic defence. However the myth that the Masters back four were lacked pace was soon proven to be untrue (yeah right !!!!). Some good defending kept the ladies out and the Masters started to show that the art of passing was indeed the way to win this match with the ball worked up through the field with grace and precision. However the final killer pass seemed to prove elusive and more times than not when it did reach its destination the attacker appeared to be in an offside position. Resultant free kicks could be taken at least fifty yards away from where the incident happened and indeed it was one of these free kicks that provided the first talking point of the match when Emma Curley floated the ball into Siobhan O'Grady who was adjudged to have been fouled in the area and the referee with a smile from one ear to the other duly obliged by awarding a penalty. Noelle Connolly took the penalty and much to the relief of Padraic Burke in goal hit it straight at him and it was cleared to safety. The Masters came alive after this early scare and started to play more with good intricate passing from the back and Gerry Carmody and Brendan Burke in midfield pulling the strings in midfield. They forced a number of corners but failed to capitalise on any of the opportunities that came their way. However they did break the deadlock when a beautiful cross was met by Gerry Carmody who headed to the net. Despite the best efforts of the referee to find a reason to disallow the goal none could be found and the Masters went 1-0 up. |
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 Galway United FC Signed Jersey |
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Masters were now clearly in the ascendency and only some terrific
defensive work by the Ladies stopped them adding to their tally. Marian
Giblin made some telling clearances and Sean O'Neill was thwarted on a
number of occasions by the effective pairing of Emma Curley and Marita
Fahy. In midfield Sinead Purcell, Niamh Gibbons and Cliona Gannon played
some neat soccer but couldnt create any opportunities for the strikers.
The Masters pressed forward and scored a second when Gerry Rabbitte hit
a well struck effort from just outside the area. Unfortunately in an
effort to save the ball Sheila Burke was injured and had to be replaced.
Despite the best efforts of the referee the Ladies were finding it
difficult and only some dubious offside decisions prevented the Masters
going further ahead. In one instance the referee took offence with the
Masters David Brady and showed him a yellow card for mouthing. Still
half time saw the Masters with a 2-0 advantage.
In the second half the Ladies appeared with a full strength team and were sporting a new goalkeeper in the form of Mid-West's own John Mulligan who proved to be a very valuable asset. The Masters were extremely confident and again exerted the most pressure with Mulligan making some fine saves in the Ladies goal and preventing at least a couple of more goals in the process. Then after ten minutes of the half the Masters goalkeeper came for a ball, juggled it before being blinded by the floodlighting and dropping it at the feet of the inrushing Noelle Connolly who duly dispatched it to the net. Now the Ladies were in the ascendancy and it was the turn of the Masters to feel the heat. Time and again the Ladies put on pressure but the Masters defence were rock solid and kept them at bay. Then with five minutes left the Ladies equalised and again it was Noelle Connolly with a looping header who scored. The remainder of the match was played in a very sporting manner until with two minutes to go the referee had no alternative but to send David Brady to the line. Rumours has it that the aforementioned Brady made a reference to the Referee's choice of jersey colour and despite the fact that he was right he still was sent off. As the whistle blew the saga continues - 2-2 for the second time between these sides leaving it only a matter of time before these two giants of the game meet again...... |
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| An entertaining match for a very worthy cause and thanks must be given to all who attended on the night both as players and as spectators. To referee John Sherlock who was the guest referee and to the Managers of the Teams Damien Fannon and Peter Brogan. To Martin Conboy who does tremendous work for the Special Olympic's on a continous basis. To the Galway Senior Football Team and Paul Geraghty who organized a signed Galway Jersey, to Mark Cobey of Aran Sports and Galway United who also organized a signed Galway United Jersey, to PF Sports in Tuam who donated a jersey signed by both teams on the night and to all the people who supported the Auction and Raffle which took place in Harte's Corner House at the end of the match a special thanks. To date the total amount of money donated has reached €1,700 which is a very substantial sum. | |||||||||
