ACD Staff Alumni 6 ACD Students 2
An action-packed game at Railway Union saw the Staff team run out winners in the second annual Concern charity match. The win was far less convincing than the score line suggests however, and in truth was harsh on a Student side that played good football for long periods but was all too frequently let down by their final pass. Supporters turned out in numbers for both sides and alongside helping to raise money for charity they were treated to a veritable goal fest. The day was also a personal success for Gary Keegan, who ended the match with four goals and the man of the match award. It was not all Keegan, though. O’Neill was outstanding, soaring like a condor, launching himself into tackles, he was Kevin Moran incarnate. Ian Tyndall, slotting in at centre back, was magnificent, repelling wave after wave of student attacks, Glanville was lethal in combination with Singh down the left, McEntegart’s passing was a joy to behold – and then there was Hua ‘Audrey’ Birch. He had his best game yet in an ACD jersey, involved all over the pitch and capping his performance with a goal. With only a month passed since the last game both sides were keen to assert their dominance early on and the game started at a frantic pace. High on energy but not on quality the opening ten minutes were dominated by misplaced passes, over hit crosses and woeful finishing. Fortunately the match settled down and both teams began to find their rhythm and passing range. Keegan had a fantastic opportunity to open the scoring for the Staff team early on, the ball dropped deliciously for him but leaning back he ballooned his effort over the bar. He didn’t have to wait long to redeem himself however, Hussain was adjudged to have impeded Tyndall and up stepped Gary ‘Gazza’ Keegan to float a beautifully weighted free kick over the goalkeeper’s head. It would perhaps be harsh to blame the goalkeeper, Keegan’ stature, after all, belies his delicate touch. Gustavo Dido soon checked the euphoria of the Staff supporters when a mix up in the ACD defence between O’Meara, Tyndall and O’Neill allowed him to haul the Student team level. And Dido could have put the Students ahead when he rounded Totti O’Meara only to see his shot come back off the post. A let off for the Staff/Alumni team and they made the students
pay for it soon after. Hua Birch found the energetic McEntegart and his through ball split the defence allowing Cronin to coolly slot past the keeper to make it 2-1. The Students refused to let their heads drop and hit back in the twenty fifth minute when Hussain jigged his way down the left, elusively sidestepping tackles from despairing staff team members and his low cross was buried into the roof of the net by the onrushing Marco Antonio Olaya Carrion. The match then into overdrive and the Students were on level terms for just two minutes until Hua ‘Audrey’ Birch restored the Staff's lead when he burst through into space on the right, following Tyndall’s pass, to shoot home. 3-2 ahead the staff team were now in the ascendancy and went in search of more goals, Hua Birch ended up on the left wing and his cross-cum-shot was diverted around the post off Clarke. Cronin swung in the resulting corner and O’Neill was unlucky to see his header just clear the crossbar. The Staff team increased their lead in first half injury time; Prabh Singh hassled and harried the Student team into a rushed clearance which was picked up by Ian Tyndall in midfield. Tyndall played the ball forward to Keegan with opposition players around him looked to have few options, but in the blink of an eye and the swivel of the hips Keegan was away and with the outside of his right boot he bent an unstoppable shot into the bottom left hand corner of the net, past the despairing dive of the goalkeeper. The Students started the second half brightly and increasingly, the Staff team found themselves pinned in their own half. The Students pinged the ball around in midfield probing for an opening but they found it difficult to break down a stubborn Staff defence. One of their best openings came when Green’s pace got him free down the right and he fizzed the ball across the face of the goal but alas no one could make contact with the ball to turn it home. Still the Staff team were ceding too much in midfield and allowing the students far too much time on the ball. The Students poured forward, forcing Totti O’Meara into action on a number of occasions and from the resultant corner after one such attack Gustavo Dido also had a goal ruled out for a push.
The disallowed goal seemed to finally wake the Staff team from their slumber and roared on by their most fervent fan they began to pass and move with renewed energy and vigour. To their credit the Student team responded, Mwanza, Clarke and Soniki all defended admirably, tackling, blocking and ensuring that the Staff team didn’t get time or space on the ball. The brave rearguard action couldn’t hold forever and who else but that man Keegan made with 5-2 with a mazy run from the halfway line, scampering as fast as his little legs could carry him. Promised a Big Mac™ meal if he managed a hat-trick Keegan was never going to be denied and he managed to Super Size® his meal by adding his fourth right at the death. A kick out from Totti O’Meara found Hua Birch on the right wing, his cross was cushioned into Keegan’s path by Rajcoomar and Keegan deft touch placed the ball firmly in the back of the net. The referee blew the final whistle soon after to draw to contest to a close. Afterwards Colum Cronin was effusive in his praise for his strike partner Keegan; “It’s as simple as this, if you give him a ball and a yard of grass, then he'll give you a move with perfect pass. If you give him a ball and a yard of space, he'll give you a move with godly grace.” Ardent ACD Staff/Alumni fan Mary Kirk chipped in “he's a nice young man with a lovely smile.” The ever enigmatic Totti O’Meara as always left the press pack scratching their heads casually stating “a man can have no greater love than to give 9O minutes to his friends” as he sauntered from the pitch. Rory McEntegart was pleased with the staff team’s performance “the team has progressed enormously over the past few years, we’ve cut out the silly stuff, the lads have grown into their positions and we’re a solid unit.” Ian Tyndall was delighted with the style of football that the staff team played, “we kept the ball on the ground and moved it quite well, after all if God meant game to be played up there, he would've put goal posts in the air.”
David O’Neill believed that despite the score line the students had played better than in the previous game, “they were unlucky with a few chances, I felt they retained the ball quite
well, their movement was good and if they can stick together then they can definitely progress.” The Staff have won the last two encounters, will it be third time lucky for the Students in the next game? ACD Staff/Alumni Team: Totti O’Meara, Kong (Rajcoomar), O’Neill, Tyndall, Shimaz, Glanville, McEntegart, Hua ‘Audrey’ Birch, Singh, Keegan, Cronin ACD Student Team: Clarke, Gustavo, Green, Sonoiki, Mwanza, Dantoro, Badiang, Buckley, Hoytink, Saleh, Ariuka, McCabe, Olaya Carrion