Epic, heroic, a saga for the ages!

Style over Substance overcame an atrocious start to tonight's game, with almost as much substance as style, and for a team this stylish, one that makes George Clooney and Brad Pitt look like washed up degenerates, that's a lot of substance!!

Starting the game with the bare minimum, the 6 magnificos tried to position themselves to survive the early onslaught but Tim McCarthy was like Madeline McCann at the back and his patch ended up, more often than not, empty as he burst forward which allowed the polish players to swarm all over Jim "Baresi" Butler and Eamonn Kennedy in goals. An inauspicious beginning did not bode well and FC Najduchy romped to a facile 0-4 lead. Eamonn was fuming like Mount Fuji, Jim was angry as a wasp and Alan Sheehy went back to take Tim's position and he was switched up front where his passion for attacking could yield dividends.

Style over Substance then cranked the screw, Jim Butler was tackling at the back like a fisherman baiting a shark, Brian Butler started running around the place like he had been taking "advice" from Maradona before the game and Alan Sheehy was solid at the back and spraying the ball around like an NYPD officer using pepper spray on the Occupy Wall Street protestors.

This formation suited the stylish ones and with Brian Carney raiding from midfield in support of Tim upfront suddenly the game began to turn. Style over Substance started the fight back with a ball from Alan down the right, Tim controlled and jinxed inside to lay a sweet ball to the support run of Brian Carney and he almost took the goals 3 feet off the ground the ball pinged into the net so hard.

The second of the fight back also came from Brian Carney, Brian Butler won the ball at the back and turned on the gears, raced down the left wing and with half of Poland chasing him like greyhounds after a hare he showed them a clean set of heels, racing around and turning his pursuers, a bamboozled defense was left befuddled as the ball was squared and Brian Carney tapped in his second of the night.

This was the passage of the game where Style over Substance's tactics began to pay dividends. FC Najduchy have the two best players in the league. The beast, a man so big he wrestles bears one handed and with the left foot of Rivaldo was taken by Jim Butler and Jim played like two bears with a brace of sore paws. The beast was for the first time this year man handled, and he couldn't handle a possessed Jim. 

Brian Butler took up marking Jameski, the leagues most dangerous player, and stuck to to him like a fat person to a Ryanair airplane seat. This shut down all of FC Najducy's creative options and after that it was a battle of legs as each player had to run hard, run down each ball, run it down again and find the sadomasochist within to enjoy the acid burning in the legs and the tearing of lungs as they were blowing like thoroughbreds after the derby!

The third goal came from Brian Butler, battling hard in defense he was fouled, looked up quickly and from almost his own endline unleashed a curling shot which as it overshot the last defender he petulantly tried to stop it with his arm, but the deflection took it past the goal keeper. 3-4 and a fury began to possess the game.

FC Najduchy are not the top of the league for nothing though and had plenty of character themselves. The beast and Jameski combined for a goal and Luki and Koschielveni worked hard to keep the game in their hands, battling hard and fighting for everything.
Then eventually won a penalty, Eamonn dived, caught a shot but got a boot like Ruby Walsh at Leopardstown, Ruby never attacked the horse though, and the ref gave a penalty due to violent play. 3-6 and 5 minutes to half time. 

Time to step up, and Brian Carney did just that, raiding off the hard work of Tim McCarthy upfront they plundered two goals before the break, which could not come fast enough for the fatiguing Style over Substance operating without any rotations!

The second half began with a well taken goal from FC Najduchy to put them 5-7 ahead, and they could possibly have gone 5-8 ahead but this hack was so wrecked some details of the game are missing from his memory.

But 5 minutes into the second half the style came forth and matched the substance. Alan Sheehy took a pass from Jim Butler and stepping like Fred Astair turned inside and unleashed fury! 6-8.
Brian Butler and Brian Carney were now midfield and working hard to shut down the dangermen, breaking up play and surging forward like waves during a tempest! Alan Sheehy  took a pass from Eamonn Kennedy down the right, danced round a defender and passed across to Brian Butler overlapping like Usain Bolt at the Olympics, and smashed Alan's square ball first time past the stunned keeper!! 7-8

Style over Substance then brought it back level, Jim Butler rose to win a clearance like a phoenix from the ashes and headed the ball clear, Brian Butler rose like a meerkat and managed to get his fringe to knock it onto Alan Sheehy who dived like a duck and won the penalty. Brian Carney stepped up, asked for a gin, smoked a cigar and nonchalantly stroked the ball into the bottom left corner!

8-8 and for the first time in the game the lead had been quashed!

Style over Substance rotated players to conserve energy, even Eamonn Kennedy came off his line like a wandering goose, took off down the field with the ball at his feet, rounded two players and just past the halfway line tried to rifle a shot into the top corner. 

Suddenly the tactics were also changed as Brian Carney was upfront tearing apart the polish defense like a one man German North Army! Eamonn Kennedy lobbing grenades his way and each clearance was supported by surging runs from Brian, Alan and Tim. 

This tactic began to really pay dividends and FC Najduchy were made to work hard and for 5 minutes neither team scored but the ferocity of the game increase, then FC Najduchy nosed in front again and another well worked move down the left and a ball squared across found its way to the feet of the beast, he calmly stoked it home. 8-9 and Eamonn Kennedy not happy!
 

Style over Substance dug deep though and Brian Butler took a pass from Eamonn, turned so swiftly he took the defense and goalie by surprise and with the accuracy of a sniper zipped the ball into the bottom left. 9-9 with 12 minutes left. 

Fatigue began to show and FC Najduchy began to really go for the win. Brian Carney fouled infront of his own goal was not spotted by the ref and resulted in an easy goal for FC Najduchy, their final goal came from some swift play from Jameski and The beast, who was all alone at the back post finished easily as Brian Butler arrived too late to tackle him.

9-11 and there were now 7 minutes remaining.

Style over substance were tired, ratty, behind, and playing against a team much fresher and top of the table. Who could doubt us!

Alan Sheehy and Tim McCarthy were now rotating up front and a ball into the corner was fought for, somehow it found it's way across the goal and spun like Dickie Rock into the corner. 10-11. 5 minutes remaining.

Then Jim Butler and Brian Carney combined down the right and a ball across came to Brian Butler who cut it back across to Brian Carney who finished with aplomb! 11-11 4 minutes remaining.

The game winner came with 3 minutes left, Eamonn Kennedy rolled the ball to Jim Butler who ran up the left wing, turned back and laid it off to Brian Butler who found Brian Carney down the right wing and he quickly cut it inside to Alan Sheehy who shot like Lee harvey Oswald, took out the goalkeeper and like the gunman on the grassy knoll Tim McCarthy arrived in to apply the fatal bullet. Right into the top corner! 12-11 3 minutes left and a furious last 3 minutes eventually resulted in Style over Sutbstance putting to bed a wrong they have been waiting to right for 5 weeks!

The Sweetest Victory of All!!

Scorers - Brian Carney [5] Brian Butler [3] Alan Sheehy [3] Tim McCarthy [1]

The Blast Blitzed!

Style over substance produced a top drawer perfromance to overcome The Blast 6-4 in a tough, intense and manly encouner. Both these teams have played three times now, and a healthy rivalry has grown, where both are willing to go hard, but it doesnt get bitchy nor dirty. It leads to to tiring games with lots of action and plenty of hefty challenges.


Style over Substance opened the scoring half way through the first half with after working a ball through the middle, it was lost in a tackle but fell to the dextruous feet of Tom, who danced through the centre, rounded the last defender and blasted to the bottom corner. 
The Blast were being heavily pressured and Eamonn Kennedy and Jim Butler were immense in defence, blocking shots, getting in last ditch tackles, in general being a wall upon which wave after wave of attack broke and was repelled back to sea, or midfield at least.
Brian Butler put in hard yards in midfield running down the ball carrier and breaking up as much play as possible to feed Tim McCarthy who was dangerous down the right and tom and Brian Carney who were playing in more advanced positions, looking to get those elusive goals. 


The second goal came from Jim Butler breaking out of defence, sprinting down the left wing while using the decoy of Tim outside him, then he cut sharply inside exposing the stretched defence and placed a shot neatly into the bottom right corner.


The third goal came from some sterling work by Tim McCarthy who chased a clearance down the right wing, tussled hard with the polish defender and the ball squirmed up about 10 feet in the air to the on coming Brin Butler who took it in his stride, unleashing a perfectly execued volley on bounce, keeping it low and rifling it into the roof of the net.


The Blast worked a nice goal from the left hand side, shortly before half time, as they tried to expose the left flank for about 5 minutes. ventually it paid dividends and a ball came across nicely into the path of the polish striker who calmly slotted it away past neil in goals.


Half time brought a welcome breather, but shortly after half time things heated up after The Blast got a 2nd goal and cut the deficiet to one. this brought an added spice to the game, but Style over substance responded well, and a sweeping move from the back created a 3 on 2 break with Tom in control of the ball on the left, and both Brian's racing in support, Butler sprinting throught he middle, drawing across the defender and carney staying out wide, tom crossed the ball to the in flight carney who unleashed a furious volly that went right through the goalies legs. 


The Blast were not to be stopped, and pulled it back to 4-3 with another goal that was worked from the back, the big defender shielded the ball from Brian Butler, held him off and squeezed a shot past Neil O'Mahony. 


In response the game picked up intensity, but style over Substance drove much of that. Jim Butler cut out a pass and created a 4 on 2 break, Tom running hard on the left, Brian Butler running hard and off his right shoulder and Brian Carney running down the right flank, this opened up all before him and Jim drove through the heart of the midfield like a Stuka Dive Bomber and unleashed an explosive shot that lifted the goals from the ground as the ball blasted into the net.


This made it 5-3 and with superiority now confirmed, the last 5 minutes were tough but rewarding, Brian Carney got his second goal on a break and The blast scored from a long range effort that took a deflection.


Scorers Jim [2],Brian Carney [2] Brian Butler [1] Tom [1]

Kennedy scores!!

Delayed Report from 28/11/11


A solid 10 - 5 victory over the Moos 
The only worthwhile part of this game was Eamonn's goal of the season! Picking up the ball in the right back position he advanced forward, held off two tacklers, slalomed around an outstretched foot and from just inside the half-way line unleashed a shot into the top corner, which left the diving goalie grabbing fresh air!


Scorers Alan [5] Eamonn [1] Podge [1] Tim [1] Neil [2]

Ugly Ducklig, Beautiful Swan!

They say the sign of champions is the ability to win ugly. While Style over Substance may not be champions this was certainly ugly!!! On a night ducks get a bad name for, this was a hard earned come from behind victory over a decent Boca Seniors side.

The Bosman ruling was again used to the full extent as Style over Substance again fielded without some of their regulars, this was evident early on as their play was disjointed and scrappy resulting in Boca Seniors seizing the initiative and taking the lead through a combination of decent build up play and poor defending, an attack down the right wasn’t dealt with and when the ball was squared across the Boca Senior striker had the simple task side footing past Tim in goal who had little chance.

Tim making his long awaiting come back from “key hole surgery” went on to have a fine outing between the sticks over the course of the evening despite the slippery conditions.

The trend of the game continued with Boca Seniors on top and Style over Substance surprisingly subdued. The changes to the side resulted in a lack of cohesion in defence with opposition runs not being tracked, it seems only a matter of time before before Boca extended their lead and they did so on 15 minutes, again good work in midfield laid the foundations and with an overlap on the left Boca pounced for their second of the night, almost from the kick off the lead grew, a turn over of possession in midfield allowed Boca Seniors to break and they played in their striker who smashed past Tim, 3-0 and things were not looking good.

Eventually Style over Substance started to settle, good work in midfield by Podge and Neil created an opening for Alan but his well struck shot was well saved by the Boca keeper, Style over Substance now started to dominate possession, their shape now much better with everyone working hard to retain and win back possession, building from the back Style over Substance caught Boca napping, a well struck shot from Stuart from pretty much on the half way line flew past the keeper, 3-1 and Style over Substance were now finding their rhythm, A flowing move involving, Alan, Neil and Ed resulted in Podge picking up possession on the edge of the box, he  skillfully lifted the ball over the onrushing defender and volleyed left footed across the keeper into the bottom corner for one of Style over Substance goals of the season.

Almost immediately Style over Substance were back on level terms, Podge won possession in midfield and fed Alan out wide, he ghosted past the left back and pulled back to Darragh who rifled past the keeper. Style over Substance were now in control winning most of the possession and looking dangerous, however against the run of play Boca Seniors regained the lead, again some sloppy defending allowed Boca Seniors a free shot from the edge of the area, 4-3 with 5 minutes remaining until half time.

On the stroke of half time it was 5-3, Style over Substance caught on the break while attempting to find an equalizer, Ed had a good shot parried by the keeper, the resulting clearance fell nicely for the attacker on the half way line and he ran through on goal to restore a two goal advantage.

On the restart Style over Substance upped the ante and played their best football of the night, Good work by Tomas down the left where he went past his marker and delivered a pin point pass into Alan’s path who side footed into the top corner.

Darragh, Tomas and Alan now dominated the midfield area and good work by the trio resulted in Ed picking up possession well outside the area, this mattered little however as he delightfully curled his shot into the top corner to level the game at 5-5. Boca Senior however rose to this challenge and with their best passing move of the game cut open Style over Substance’s rearguard leaving a two on one against Stuart who couldn’t prevent Boca Seniors making it 6-5. Back came Style over Substance excellent running and ball control by Tomas and Ed drew defenders away from goal and when Ed picked out Podge he again drew another defender to release Alan who shifted the ball onto his right and drilled it beyond the keeper into the corner. 6-6 and 9 minutes to play!

From this point Style over Substance’s greater fitness told as they ran a ragged Boca Seniors to a standstill, Alan and Stuart combined well and when Podge then fed Neil we feared a skyward shot but he neatly steered his shot into the corner and Style over Substance were ahead for the first time, Style over Substance were now defending much better, keeping their shape and tracking well, the equalizer  from Boca Seniors was the result of luck more than anything else with a speculative shot which was going wide catching a deflection and finding it’s way into the corner. This set back only fueled Style over Substance’s desire to find the winner and they gleefully pounced on some suspect defending with Stuart hammering past the keeper, almost from the restart they made the game safe, Alan robbed the defender of possession feeding Tomas who cut insdeonto his right and fired into the corner, 9-7 and time almost up. Style over Substance comfortably saw out the remaining time defending well, the victory takes Style over Substance into third position in the table on their own and with the top two playing each other in the next round they will hope to make inroads on the lead.

Scorers:

Alan [2] Stuart [2] Podge [1] Darragh [1] Neil [1] Ed [1] Tomas [1]

Gutted!

Last night Style over Substance had a dissappointing loss 5-6 to the league leaders FC Najduchy.
In a tight, controlled game with neither team giving up anything the difference was probably Style over Substance not reaching the levels they are capable of and a quick two goals for FC Najduchy with 5 minutes remaining that sealed the result and pulled off their hardest fought victory this season.
Starting out brightly both teams pressed very hard, and in fact in the opening quarter both goalkeepers were probably the most important players. Darragh in goals for Style over Substance was a rock at the back, and the polish keeper too was also outstanding. 


The games opening goal was scored by Alan Sheehy, he hit first time a loose pass across the back and it squirmed past the keeper into the corner. Surprise being the most important factor as he pulled the trigger before anyone could react!


Then Jameski started to work his magic, possibly the best player this hack has seen in the league. The polak paddy has superb balance, skill, pace and team work and he started to make life hard for Style over Substance  and he was instrumental in allowing Fc najduchy keep possession and make Style over substance react and work harder to close down space, this was wearing and pushed Style ove rSubstance back, and while they contained the threats, it cost toomuch to their attacking formation and as a result fewer and fewer chances came about.


The game continued int his compressed manner, and it was only a matter of time before FC Najduchy got a goal, a scrappy effort that took a deflection on route past Darragh in goals. 


their second goal came courtesy of Jamesski working through the middle, playing a smart one two but James butler got in a good tackle to cut put the ball, but it unfortunately fell to one of the Polish lads who slotted home nicely.


This was shortly before half time, and not to be out done, Stuart and Podge combined in an old school chicago bulls Jordan Pippen alley op wonder goal, Stuart picking up the ball and seeing podge's run down the right wing being tracked kicked the ball past him off the cage, the ball coming back perfectly for Podge to smash an unstoppable voley straight past the stunned keeper.


Half time 2-2 and both teams needing water.


The second half started brightly with Style over Substance kicking off, and some quick work by alan and Podge created a chance on the right wing, Podge dancing around the last defender and keeper to slot home! 


This was a welcome boost as it put a halt to FC Najduchy’s come back, The game at this point was fiercely contested with some heavy challenges going in, both sides created chances at this point but good defending from the Style over Substance defence and a combination of the post and FC Najduchy’s goal keeper prevented any further goals! 
Again the game was compressed in the middle third with breaks looking likely to provide the next goal, it duly came as FC Najduchy drew level with a fine move down the right the ball quickly switch across goal where the ball was hammered past Darragh into the corner, 3-3 and the game was there for either side at this juncture. 


Almost immediately Style over Substance grabbed the lead, good work by Neil and Podge won back possession where it was quickly transferred to Alan who cut inside his man and blasted past the keeper into the corner. FC Najduchy were not deterred however and back they came, again good defending from Eamonn and Darragh in goal prevented and equaliser. Style over Substance were at this point feeling frustrated by the referees willingness to allow numerous cynical challenges by FC Najduchy to go unpunished, Alan and Neil were on the receiving end of these tackles when in good goal scoring positions however no advantage ever accrued and the chances were lost!


FC Najduchy again drew level with a somewhat fortuitous goal a strike from the edge of the area deflecting past Darragh giving him no chance, 4-4 and 11 minutes remaining!
The game looked to be heading for the leagues first draw of the season but a momentary lapse in concentration in possession allowed FC Najduchy to steal possession and grab the lead goal this was quickly followed by another which was mainly due to Style over Substance eagerness to strike back, committing numbers forward left the defence more open than usual and FC Najduchy finished off a counter attacked with the insurance goal!


Style over Substance however made them fight all the way, a deflected shot from Stuart wound up in Alan’s path and he rounded the keeper to tap home, time almost up and trailing 6-5 Style over Substance launched one last attack good work by Stuart and Brian resulted in Podge testing the keeper but time ran out and so the winning run was halted. 


Scorers - Alan [3] Podge [2]

Winning

Another glorious night in the history of the club was achieved as Style over Substance reached an all time high of 3^rd in the table on the back of a convincing 8-3 win over a sometimes obnoxious Cissie Young’s with the “Cissie” being very apt on this occasion, credit must go to Jim Butler for this beauty.

The game started as usual with both teams feeling pretty fresh despite the excesses of the previous weekend, defences were on top with Style over Substance again pressing the opposition into mistakes and creating a few early chances which they weren’t able to take due to some, lets call it overzealous (over the fence) shooting!

After 10 minutes Style over Substance made the breakthrough; Tomas Connolly, a debutant on the night, forced a turnover and released Alan Sheehy down the right where he cut it back from the byline to the on rushing Tomas and he smashed it beyond the keeper in to the corner, This lead was quickly built on and almost in the next attack Style over Substance doubled their advantage, Podge Nicholas rolled the ball out to Jim Butler at left back and he fed the ball down into the corner where Alan Sheehy picked up possession beat his man before cutting in and after a dummy on the defender tucked the ball beyond the keeper, 2-0 and Style over Substance were flying.

Cissie Young’s however were made of sterner stuff in what was a hugely changed side from the one thumped 16-8 on match day 2. They clawed a goal back on 20 minutes with an excellent strike after some good interplay, the cross shot giving Podge no chance in goal. A blow to Style over Substance arrived in the form of a very harsh yellow card for Stuart a sliding tackle from him on the defender resulted in the ball hitting the back of the net but to the side dismay this was disallowed and was then compounded by the yellow, However Style over Substance hit straight back, excellent work down the right wing by the energetic Eamonn Kennedy whereby after beating his man for pace he squared it beautifully to Alan Sheehy who side footed home. Even with a man disadvantage Style over Substance were still the better side and saw out the 10 minutes with the loss of a goal.

Style over Substance were on top all over at this time with Stuart, Neil and Tomas doing some great work in Midfield to stop Cissie’s from getting through and turning over possession, Neil and Stuart both went close but heading for half time it was 3-1.

Almost on the stroke of half time the gap was reduced to 3-2 with Cissies grabbing a fortuitous goal with the aid of a deflection.

On the resumption Style over Substance showed why they are a championship quarter team and blasted ahead with some stylish play, Super work by Tomas and Alan released Jim who unselfishly played in Stuart who composed himself and flashed a shot past the keeper. The raiding Eamonn almost added a 5^th but was just unable to reach a cross from Alan after a flowing move.

Neil having arguably his finest game of the season was coming in for some rough treatment from an increasingly argumentative Cissie’s who were now feeling the pace of the game and were wilting under the suffocating Style over Substance defence where Eamonn, Jim and Stuart were outstanding.

Neil again danced away from a couple of challenges and good interplay with Alan resulted in Alan bearing down on goal and again he slotted home, 5-2 and sailing!

This was the dominant period of the game where after 15 minutes of the second half Style over Substance extended their advantage to four, when Stuart raiding down the left exchanged passes with Tomas, who beat two or three men and played Stuart in and he gleefully hammered home.

Cissie’s now had their best patch of the game, plenty possession but no cutting edge was evident, Style over Substance defended excellently and were subjected to some frustrated words from the opposition and their ‘fans’ once such phrase being “The Italian Job” this in reference to the water tight defence which has become a hallmark of the side of late.

With Cissie’s getting narky and some over the top challenges coming in Eamonn was again the subject of some banter with referee Amos with the “cross face” once again remarked on!!!

Tomas who had an outstanding game giving the side a huge boost with his energy again won possession with a strong challenge, evaded a challenge releasing Neil who drew the keeper and played in Alan who tapped into an empty net.

The pace of the game died for a while after this with Cissies resigned to another defeat, good work again by Alan and Jim prevent a shot on goal, Podge in goal played the time killing game to perfection although was penalized for hanging too long at one point but in typical Italian fashion didn’t really care.

Stuart and Eamonn repelled all that came at them, while the midfield of Tomas, Alan and Jim continued to outplay Cissie’s regardless of the supposed AUL player in the team who at one point threatened “I’d run around all of you if the pitch was bigger”, it wasn’t and he didn’t!

The gap was reduced to five with a long range effort which came through a crowd of legs giving Podge no chance, Jim then played in Eamonn but a fine saved denied Dani Alves, sorry I mean Eamonn his first of the season.

At the death Style over Substance again broke, Tomas, Alan and Neil combined with Stuart at the end of the move beating his man and slotting home, 8-3 and a comfortable night for the side in what is increasingly becoming a fine season.

Up to the 3^rd in the table with the leaders awaiting next week, Style over Substance will be hoping to avenge their 10-5 reverse again the same side.

Scorers:

Alan [4] Stuart [3] Tomas [1]

Style and Substance baby!

Style over Substance stepped it up a notch with a performance of such intensity that they toppled the league leaders and turned around a 9 goal opening day defeat against the same opposition to stun their opponents 6-4.

This game started at breakneck speed with both teams pressing hard, breaking fast and every run being tracked as tight as a ducks arse!
The team lined out with Eamonn and Brian at the back, Podge and Alan held midfield and Darragh ploughed a lone furrow up front.
The pace of the game, the incision of passing, stretched both teams to breaking point on occasion but the legs were fresh and every angle was covered during the opening period, no quarter asked nor given!

Jim and Stuart rotated on and got their legs up to the pitch of the game as both teams pressed hard, creating half chances but were thwarted by stout defending. 

The deadlock was broken after 20 minutes as The Blast worked the ball around the pitch and a speculative volley from 12 yards out squirted past Neil in goals after making it through a forest of outstretched legs.

This added impetus to the game and both teams, now fully up to speed, began to work clear cut openings.

Brian nipped in, intercepted a pass and laid-off to Stuart who rifled into the top left corner, this goal made it 1-1 but also lifted Style over Substance who needed to get on the scoresheet after such sterling effort. The Blast were not to be out gunned so easily though and worked harder to shut down the purple patch that Style over Substance were having and managed to sneak a quick goal after drawing the defence with snappy passing and releasing their striker to finish neatly.

2-1 with just 5 minutes left until half time and both teams going hard to gain the advantage at the break, the substance was reached for, and the well was found to be deep. Jim Butler and Eamonn Kennedy were physically dominating their Polish counterparts while Stuart and Alan provided a screen in midfield from where attacks were launched as Brian Butler took his turn to lead the line. 

The leveling goal came as Stuart made a break down the right flank and took a shot which was blocked by a defender but this fell to Brian making a support run and with a quick first touch and volley the ball was blasted past the keeper in goals. 

The Blast tried to regain their advantage straight away but Eamonn Kennedy was strong in the tackle and released Alan Sheehy down the left flank, he beat the first defender and took a shot which came off the keeper, rebounded off the crossbar and across the goals while Brian Butler came in and tapped home.

3-2 and the half time provided a welcome breather to both teams, but the championship quarter is when Style over Substance turn the screw and this week proved no different. The second half started at an even higher tempo and with both teams not afraid to get physical as possession and chances ebbed and flowed. The game was leveled once more with The Blast scoring a nice goal after a tidy passing movement which released their left midfielder coming in on the end to leave Neil no chance.

Alan Sheehy was having none of it though and combined with Padraic Nicholas as the two midfielders worked their way around the park with some orchestral passing as they conducted a raid through the heart of the polish defense. Padraic cut out a pass in his own right back position and crisply played the ball to Alan in the centre circle who rolled out to the left and drew two players leaving Padraic to race down the right wing unopposed, Alan pinged a pass across the pitch which Padraic controlled on his chest and continued racing through, this turned both players tracking Alan as they raced across to cut out his run, just as they approached Padraic sliced them with a perfect pass to Alan who smashed it first time into the top right corner. 4-3, the game was in the melting pot but once again that well proved deep.

Brian Butler pounced on a poor pass on the left wing, out muscled the polish player and dribbled towards the corner, but just as he did, Padraic Nicholas ran a slant route into the corner in front of him drawing the centre half away from his protective position, opening a momentary gap. Cutting inside the polish midfielder Brian had open country between him and the goals, put on a quick burst and smashed a shot straight past the keeper. 5-3 and the pace of the game continued unabated with neither team willing to stop going for the jugular.

The Blast began to turn the screw also and Eamon, Jim and Stuart were outstanding at the back as they cut out passes, tracked runs and organized the catenaccio formation used to shore up the red zone! Jim taking it one step further on one occasion and doing the cynical italian defender, took out a Polish player clean through, this resulted in the game souring slightly and the level of physicality increasing but that passionate rush of Polish blood to the head suited Style over Substance who exploited this and forced them into rash decisions.

The sixth goal came as Neil o'Mahony released Brian down the left wing, after winning the ball and getting past the defender he squared to Alan in the box who controlled neatly and rounded the keeper before stroking it home.
6-3 with 5 minutes left and with no sign of flagging Style over Substance began to squeeze the Blast everywhere.

Their final goal coming as a result of their keeper not having any options to pass to, dribbled out towards midfield and blasting it in frustration at the goals, it caught a lucky deflection and went straight into the top corner, little consolation but it was soon all over and both these teams will have some scores to settle the next time they meet. If both are at full strength expect fireworks!

Style over Substance will be pleased but with Tim McCarthy being joined on the injury list by Darragh who injured his ankle in the first half while kicking a Brian/Football combination, they will have to ensure that no complacency sets in and the medical team get to work early in the week!

Scorers - Brian [3] Alan [2] Stewart [1] 

Full team, full gas, full points!

Style over Substance recorded an outstanding 7-2 victory against The Moos last night in their best performance this season. The Moos were top of the table and looked to be the form team coming into this fixture, but for the first time this year Style over Substance had an almost completely healthy roster with only Tim McCarthy out with medium term knee damage.


Welcoming the return of Stuart despite playing with two broken bones in his hand, the mercurial Darragh returning to form and the ever controversial Eamonn Kennedy getting back some game fitness, the edge Style over Substance need to win this league is slowly sharpening.


 The game began at a high tempo, both teams now after 5 weeks of competition are starting to gel well and combinations were working for each side. As a result the passing was crisp, technical and the opening period was dominated by cattenaggio employed by both teams as they sought to give nothing away and build a platform for victory.


 The moos were working openings down the right flank as they looked to set up chances for their star players, but Jim Butler and Eamonn Kennedy were titans in defence as they repelled attack after attack and Padraic Nicholas screened effectively in front of the defence, controlling possession and dominating the rhythm which Style over Substance played with when in possession. He was cutting out passes and setting up opportunities for Neil, Brian and Darragh who worked hard to pin The Moos back into their own half.


On occasion this reduced The Moos to trying long balls over the top, but the razor sharp Alan Sheehy in goals dealt comfortably with any these in the sweeper keeper role.
In a game this tight chances were few and far between, both teams getting in many blocks and goalkeepers being well protected to allow them deal with any efforts on their own terms.


Eventually The Moos broke the stalemate after 15 minutes, working the ball around the park, a speculative shot from the right wing caught a deflection and squeezed into the bottom right corner. This sparked a renewed effort from Style over Substance and Stuart started raiding down the left wing, setting up Neil o'Mahony with a number of chances, but The Moos were disciplined in defence and choked off any opportunity.


 The catenaggio style still dominated the rest of the half, until just moments before half-time Jim Butler was strong in the tackle in his own left back position and the ball came out of the tackle to Brian Butler who turned on the gears, slalomed through the midfield and side stepped the defender while dragging the goalie to the right and then clipping the ball into the bottom left.
The goal gave Style over Substance a lift and on the stroke of half-time, with both teams all-square this was proving an intriguing encounter.


 But the intrigue did not last long into the second half, Style over Substance came out, turned the screw and put The Moos to a mercifully swift death!
Padraic Nicholas began to impose himself on the game controlling midfield with his technical ability and physical presence, Darragh started finding room up front to terrorise defenders and create openings while Neil was stringing passes together that sapped the energy from The Moos as they battled hard to keep up pressure and not concede chances.


 The opening goal came after just 2 minutes of the second half, Style over Substance were applying a crushing force to The Moos who coughed up possession on the right flank; Neil passed quickly to Jim, who released Eamonn down the left flank and he cut a crisp pass to Darragh at the edge of the box. Darragh controlled it well and drew a defender, buying time for Brian who was running through the middle to get there and a quick flick set him up for a volley, which he caught cleanly and drove into the top left corner. 2-1 and storming!


 The next few minutes were dominated by Style over Substance and Darragh won a ball on the right wing and released Brian again who raced through the middle past two defenders and slotted the ball into the bottom right.
This dagger to the heart of The Moos tore the belief from them as the visibly wilted under the strangle hold of Eamonn, Stuart and Jim sniffing out any opportunity while releasing Neil, Padraic and Darragh who kept the ball well and worked chances which caused The Moos to become very ratty and discordant as a team.


This allowed Darragh to pick up a nice pass from Padraic and turn inside two defenders and slot into the bottom left, followed quickly with another goal a few moments later. Stuart won a ball in the pocket, played a relief ball out the line to Darragh who was putting in a tremendous shift up front and then Stuart raced through the middle to get on the end of Darraghs square ball, and a cool head and a sure strike put the ball past the keeper.
5-1 and cruising!


The effort Style over substance put in to get ahead began to show and a moment of lapse concentration resulted in The Moos winning a free on the edge of the box, with no one back helping out, Alan Sheehy was left alone with a free 8 yards in front of him. Style over substance offered him no help and the free taker just blasted it past him from point blank range.


 This was just a momentary blip and going into the last 10 minutes the game opened up and Darragh and Stuart both scored goals on the counter attack. Darragh was released by Alan who cut out a long ball, threw it over the defence to Darragh who controlled well in the square, rounded the keeper with ease and slotted home.


The final goal was scored by Stuart, but this hack missed it as he went to retrieve a ball Neil o'Mahony managed to kick out over the goals, the cage, the net and the car park! That particular ball was burst, much like The Moos bubble.


Scorers - Brian [3] Darragh [2] Stuart [2]

One to forget

Style over Substance were swept aside 10-5 in an inept performance. Starting slowly they ceded a 4-0 head start to Boca Seniors. 


Second to every ball, prone to a crazy pass here and a missed tackle there, Boca Seniors had an easy time of keeping the ball and working openings but James Butler in goals pulled off some great saves, with as many as 6 one on ones thwarted by his quick reactions.


Eamonn Kennedy was all action at the back but was not getting enough support from a flat footed midfield who didn't track runners after losing the ball. It is a trait that Style over Substance will have to eliminate if they want to improve as a team.


Despite many phases of dire decision making, poor passing and kamikaze attacking, Style over Substance did manage to get on the score sheet with a well worked goal. Tristan o'Gorman and Darragh played a nice one two and created an opening that put Darragh through on the goalie, his saved shot fell to the feet of James o'Reilly who slotted it away. This was followed up with a goal from Brian Butler who intercepted a ball near midfield, took a touch and finished to the bottom left corner from outside the box. 


With 6 goals for Boca Seniors in the first half this hack has managed forget the details of each one, with all of them mangled into a nightmarish mental montage of how badly a 6-a-side team can play!


Style over Substance did rally for the first 20 minutes of the second half. Tristan o'Gorman started to come into the game a little more, Alan Sheehy and Brian Butler started passing the ball to their own players, Darragh was working hard up front and stole in along the end line after winning a ball in the corner, rounded two defenders and somehow defying the laws of physics clipped the ball past the keeper.


Eamonn Kennedy was dominating completely at the back and Boca Seniors were kept scoreless for 20 minutes as Style over Substance poured on the pressure. A quick pass by Tristan set up Darragh who squared the ball to Alan and he walloped it past the keeper. Another pass by Alan set up Brian Butler running from deep who drilled it into the bottom left. This brought the score to 7-5, but the edges were beginning to fray and the fitness factor mentioned in last weeks article came back to haunt Style over Substance who despite trying hard had nothing left in reserve for the last 10 minutes. 


Boca seniors took full advantage and score 3 goals, all of them nice inter passing moves that left the defenders rooted to the spot as the fresher team danced in to terrorise James Butler in goals. 


Scorer Brian [2], Alan, Darragh and James o'Reilly

Fitness a factor

Style over Substance were beaten 9-4 last night in a game that would be best forgotten. Short Jim, Stuart and Darragh resources were tight and Tristan O'Gorman was drafted in at the last minute on a free agent contract. The opposition FC Najduchy are a physical, compact and well organised team with a very solid keeper. They must have Trapatoni as an advisor! 


The game started with both teams setting up cautiously and for the first 10 minutes it was a case of each team searching for openings but as players were fresh, runs were covered, positions were filled and neither team gave anything away. After about 10 minutes FC Najduchy worked an opportunity on the right, the shot came past the defender and slow reaction by Brian Butler in goals allowed the ball to zip between his legs. Nutz!!


The game stayed in the same pattern for another 5 or 6 minutes until Style over Substance started to fray slightly at the back and FC Najduchy began to find some more space. A counter attack left a two on one with the keeper and a nice finish to the bottom left corner saw them go 2-0 up. 


Style over Substance rallied for a while, making opportunities but the shooting was atrocious, the passing in the final third was too ambitious given the tight pitch dimensions and it was obvious that half the team had not played together before and spent the last weekend drinking as nobody was making runs or getting themselves free to support the man on the ball. 


This caused the play to break down a lot, Alan Sheehy was working hard in midfield but was finding it hard to get through a phalanx of defenders, Neil O'Mahony was working hard up front but without getting enough support from midfield he was getting pushed around and double teamed by two polish defenders. Tristian O'Gorman slotted in well midfield but he too was isolated in possession and it is something Style over Substance will have to address if they wish to improve as a team.


FC Najduchy got another goal from a bit of ping pong around the box, a ball dropped to one of their players who blasted home from 5 yards. Then another fortuitous goal put them 4-0 up with only a few minutes left on the clock until half time when Tim McCarthy pickup up a ball on the right wing, took it past the polish defender, cut back inside and finished nicely to the corner with a left footed strike.


Half time came and after having a quick word Style over Substance came out with renewed vigour. A much brighter start to the half created some great chances. 


Padraic Nicholas started to come into the game more, screening the defence and holding the centre of the pitch in a role similar to Pique's at Barcelona. He was linking play well with Tristian O'Gorman and Eamonn Kennedy was holding the fort a la Carlos Pujol. This allowed Alan and Neil more time up front and with Padraic making runs through the middle he was clearing out defenders who had to track him. 


This allowed Alan Sheehy to drift in from the left wing, play a nice one two with Neil O'Mahony and slotted it nicely into the bottom right corner.2-5. Another burst through the middle by Padraic was unlucky not to end in a goal as his header was saved by the keeper. Tristan had a shot which scraped the cross bar. Then a ball down the right by Tim set Neil up with a shot and he rifled it into the bottom left. 3-5. 


An unfortunate injury to a polish player resulted in the game being stopped for a minute and this allowed FC Najduchy to get together and stop the rot but Style over Substance still had legs and worked hard to create another opening as Alan Sheehy dinked around some defenders, passed to Padraic who shot and then Alan pounced on the rebound to make it 4-5.


The sustained effort had taken it's toll. Style over Substance were out on their feet with 15 minutes left and lost the final 10 minutes 4-0 as Neil O'Mahony had to leave injured and left Style over Substance without any substitutes to give players a breather, most especially Eamonn Kennedy who looked like an advertisement for the Pioneers and Nicorette rolled into one!


Back to the mistakes of week one, and with a lot of work to do Style over Substance will need to focus on getting a string of performances together or it could be a long season listening to the sounds of polish laughter! 


Scorers - Alan [2] Tim [1] Neil [1]

Points on the board

Style over Substance romped to a glorious victory during gameweek 2, winning 16-8 with a spread of goals throughout the team in a determined and balanced performance. 


Smarting from last weeks defeat the players had resolved to get their season back on track and that showed throughout. Style over substance started brightly and carved open some clear cut chances but like last week the shooting boots have yet to be found and the proverbial wagon load of opportunities was missed. 
Special mention must go to Alan Sheehy who blasted a shot over the bar, and cage, which took out a girl playing on the next pitch.Smack.Bang.Tears!


This pattern continued for much of the opening 15 minutes as Style over Substance tried hard to carve out openings while Young Cissies were funnelling back, protecting their keeper and playing on the break. 


The opening goal came from a strong run through the centre by Stuart who played a quick one two with Alan and then blasted a shot past the keeper. This was quickly followed up with a nice passing movement between Podge, Tim and Stuart which set up Alan on the edge of the box to finish with a tidy left footed shot into the corner. 


This 2-0 lead after 15 minutes settled Style over Substance but it also lulled them into some complacency and a few stray passes began to encourage Young Cissies to come forward with more purpose. Their opening goal was a passing move which set up one of their lads near edge of the square, and out of no where he rifled a shot into the bottom left corner. 


This inspired Young Cissies to up the ante and they began to pick apart Style over Substance with some nice passing moves. On two ocassions they basically passed the ball into the net with some crisp tiki-taki moves leaving the score 2-3 after 20 minutes. 


This was the first question of character asked of style over substance all evening and the team responded well. A quick goal from Brian Butler levelled the game, then another Young Cissies goal put them back in front, but then a sloppy pass was cut out by Alan Sheehy who had a one on one with the keeper, drew him and squared for Brian leaving him a simple tap in. This left the score at 4-4 with 5 minutes left to the break.


Style over Substance started putting moves together and reasserting their dominance and probing for an opening, Tim McCarthy was put through by Stuart and finished with a crisp right footed shot past the keeper. The game was now an open affair with both teams playing a quick tempo trying for the half time advantage and Young Cissies equalised again off transition ball and poured through to leave a simple tap in again and Eamonn Kennedy less than impressed!


With moments left until half time Brian Butler cut out a stray pass and quickly chipped it over the first Young Cissis' defender onto the chest of Alan Sheehy who played it nicely back into his support run and a first time volley into the top corner brought the half to a close with Style over substance 6-5 in the asendency. 


After the break the superior technical ability of Style over Substance came to the fore, now playing with more fluidity and a greater understanding of each player role within the team they started keeping the ball and working Young Cissies around the pitch. 


A ball down the right wing was crossed and Jim Butler arriving at full tilt smashed it past the keeper, Alan Sheehy and Podge Nicholas started linking well and some quick interchanged passes put Podge in for his first goal of the night with a slick pass under the keeper. Stuart started moving well down the wing and tee'd up Alan for a crack at goal, he faked it nicely on his right, turning the defence and slotted it past the stranded keeper. 


The three goal advantage took it's toll on Young Cissies who began to become more individualistic and this left gaping holes for Style over Substance to exploit. Podge Nicholas was revelling in the confusion, linking well with Tim and Brian to set up chances and his cool head in front of goal meant he picked up 3 goals during a 10 minute spell in which he dominated the game.


The last 15 minutes saw Style over substance with a 6 goal advantage and at 13-7 the only question was how to best play the game. Their passing, and focus on maintaining possession really took it's toll on Young Cissies who became very tired and ratty, some of their player started lunging into tackles and becoming over physical near the cage. In the face of this aggression Style over Substance continued to maintain a cool focus on executing their game plan and this led to more chances. 


Alan Sheehy picked up a ball on the right, cut inside and finished to the bottom right corner, Podge Nicholas took a ball from the left and dinked it past the outstretched keeper. Even Eamonn kennedy who played solidly in goals had a shot which the keeper struggled to save. This was all too much and one of the Young Cissies' lads was sent to the sin bin for persistent fouling and provocative aggression. With a man down and nothing more than a few minutes left on the clock Style over substance were content to keep the ball, until a momentary lapse in concentration resulted in a penalty for Young Cissies. 


Eamonn Kennedy was in possession, and like Shay Given a few years ago he didnt spot a lazy Young Cissies' player behind him, just as he went to clear the ball the player nipped in and Eamonn kicked him over. The penalty left it 15-8 with a less than a minute left on the clock.


Young Cissies won the ball and they brought their keeper into the play to try and work an opening. He tried to pick out a run down the flank but it was cut out by Brian Butler who looked up, saw the keeper off his line and from the opposite end of the pitch chipped a left legged curler over the midfield and destined for the net while the last defender lunged in desperation to try and save it, merely kicking it into the roof of his own net, which brought whoops of joy from the stands, a round of applause from his team mates and the game to a close.


Scorers: Alan Sheehy [4] Brian Butler [4] Padraic Nicholas [4] Stuart Barry [2] Jim Butler [1] Tim McCarthy [1]

A rude awakening!

Style over Substance were crushed in this seasons opener 13-4. Starting brightly and controlling possession they worked 4 shots on goal in the first 5 minutes. Tim McCarthy was making incisive runs from deep, opening up gaps for Alan Sheehy and Neil O'Mahony to pour through but they were thwarted each time by the goalie who had a superb game.


This pattern continued until the polish boys hit a well worked goal on the counter attack. Sliding the ball down the line and centring the ball to an on rushing support runner who swept it into the net. The polish striker was a tidy footballer and the rest of their team averages 6'2" and 14 stone. Their tactic of blocking runners and play in the middle, then transferring possession quickly on transition ball gave him a huge number of chances in the first half. He scored 4 easy goals through this tactic and the rest of the time the teams played a messy fractured game bringing the half time score to 5-1.


The second half started brightly, with Style and Substance winning ball all over the pitch, coming out fired up after half time. A quick polish goal started the half caused by some sloppy defending but once the purple patch began Tim McCarthy hit a nice goal coming in on the right from a well worked move. Padraic Nicholas started asserting himself in the play and linking well with Alan Sheehy and Eamonn Kennedy and maintaining possession and building moves. Alan Sheehy scored two goals during this burst bringing the score to 7-4.


After this the game died down again as the polish lads once again blocked lanes and sat back waiting for the counter attack while Style over Substance were trying to work openings. The counter attacking style suited them best and they scored another goal making it 8-4 with 5 minutes left on the clock.


The last 5 minutes can be summed up easily, 5-0! Style and Substance broke down and became individuals each trying to do something special like dribble past the whole polish team and when they lost possession it was a quick transfer upfront and a simple goal. 


Scorers: Alan Sheery [2] Tim McCarthy, Neil O'Mahony

The following is the goalie roster:

We will use this sequence for the season. If anyone misses a week, we just bump it to the next person and the absentee goes in goals next time he plays

1. Jim 
2. Brian 
3. Eamonn 
4. Tim 
5. Stuart 
6. Alan 
7. Neil
8. Darragh 
9. Padraig

Outfield interchanges can be sorted out amongst ourselves on the night.

The following are this seasons fixtures:

Style over substance Fixtures

Date	Time	Venue	Opposition	Result
22 Sept	19.00	Douglas	The Blast 2	4-13
29 Sept	21.00	Douglas	young cissies	16-8
6 Oct	20.00	Douglas	FC NAJDUCHY	4-9
13 Oct	21.00	Douglas	Boca Seniors	5-10
20 Oct	20.00	Douglas	the moos	7-2
27 Oct	19.00	Douglas	The Blast 2	6-4
3 Nov	20.00	Douglas	young cissies	8-3
10 Nov	20.00	Douglas	FC NAJDUCHY	5-6
17 Nov	21.00	Douglas	Boca Seniors	9-7
24 Nov	20.00	Douglas	the moos	10-5
1 Dec	19.00	Douglas	The Blast 2	6-4
8 Dec	21.00	Douglas	young cissies	10-7
15 Dec	19.00	Douglas	FC NAJDUCHY	6-5
Christmas Break
12 Jan	20.00	Douglas	young cissies	7-8
19 Jan	20.00	Douglas	FC NAJDUCHY	4-6
26 Jan	21.00	Douglas	Boca Seniors	5-7
2 Feb	20.00	Douglas	the moos	14-11
9 Feb	20.00	Douglas	the moos	TBD
16 Feb	20.00	Douglas	The Blast	TBD

Instar Anteponae Muneris

A welcome to all our fans!

An auspicious beginning beckons for this carefully assembled, skill laden group of individuals! A mere three weeks until the season kicks-off and pre-season conditioning is proceeding greatly in excess of our rivals!! 

This blog will keep you abreast of all transfer news, injury reports, match day team sheets and stats from this upcoming season, the blog will also aim to chronicle team performance by providing match reports and in depth analysis.

Without you, the fans, this club could not be the great institution it has become and it could not garner the level of respect it receives the length and breath of this country without your continued support. Only through your never ending loyalty have we become a synonym for excellence and a standard bearer for all clubs throughout the league.

I look forward to reporting to you throughout the season. 

Your President,

Brian