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]