Belmont Deliver 2 goals to hold Wayside at Bay

Belmont into action again and this time in a crucial must win match against Wayside Celtic....

Wayside celtic take their soccer seriously and you could tell from the impressive run of results that the Wayside team had assembled on their way to this encounter with Belmont in their home lair cut into the foothills of the Dublin Mountains.


Belmont were far from their cosy city centre habitat and the fresh air and mountain scenery were unfamiliar to the boys from the city.

The first glimpse of the Wayside Pitch enclosed in a cage was an intimidating sight and reminded this correspondent of Rollerball. Was this going to be a fight to the finish ???

Wayside had perfectly manicured pitches individually fenced off and a carpark already full of expectant parents by the time the Belmont team assembled in the bright sunshine for this game of games.

Smiles all round before the game , the Belmont team were exuding a quiet confidence and no fear, Wayside for their part playing at home with a game in hand and a draw away against Belmont were likewise in jovial form as both teams set about their warm up routines.

The Belmont manager Boggan looked on amused at the enthusiasm with which his team took to the handful of warm up exercises and with all kids calling to each other for the ball to be passed to them , it was an interesting omen.

So with Mark Cloonan assuming the Captains armband and Patrick Sherwin in Goal Belmont lined up in the traditional 2 3 1 formation. Mark Cloonan won the toss and decided to play the opening half with the sun at the back of his team. A minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to the mother of one of the players of Wayside who had passed away during the week. The Belmont team did their parents and manager proud with their absolute stillness ands silence and then the referee blew the whistle and the business began.

Wayside looked more dangerous in the opening exchanges , Belmont making their tackles though and containing the runs and not letting Wayside get into any sort of rhythm. First Attack , then defence

Belmont have become a predictable side , the partnership of Captain Mark Cloonan and Luke Sheehan has become so solid and dependable that it provides a platform for the rest of the team. Time and again the pair closed out the attacks , Boggan and Mulcahy in support of Fiona McNulty who was running and running and as full of life as ever.

Conor Booth enjoying a roaming role as striker but had little to do as the first ten minutes of the first half saw Belmont in Defensive mode.

Time to ring some changes , Brian Cuddy on to give Fiona a rest , Jack Fahey on to give Conor a break and slowly the tide swung away from Wayside as Belmont grew in confidence , Gradually it was Belmont on the attack, Patrick Sherwin never having been really threatened during his spell in goal. A single decent shot , easily saved by Patrick had left the supporters with their hearts in their mouths…but the Belmont lads were not deterred or fazed by one lapse and their work rate and cool heads eventually began to pay dividends.

A fine spell of possession and attack by Belmont brought about a series of corners all defended very well by Wayside until Belmont knocked the ball across the line to give Wayside the opportunity to clear their line.

The Wayside goalkeeper in the excitement after that nerve wracking few minutes made a simple mistake with his kick out. Unfortunately for him , he had only succeeded in laying it on for the goal hungry Mulcahy who made no mistake. Mulcahy intercepted the wayward wayside kick out and drilled the ball immediately back past the hapless Wayside keeper to put Belmont in front.

And so it was to remain one nil at half time.

Belmont assembled for the team talk, not much to say , the manager could be seen smiling as his team gathered for a well earned rest. The game going according to plan , time to rest a few more players , McNulty back on , Cuddy off again after a heroic first half .

And so the second half began , more end to end stuff , but again and again the warrior spirit which characterises this Belmont team continued to shine through. Manager Boggan looking to his whole panel to make their contribution. Patrick Sherwin taking to the midfield and Conor Booth telling his manager that no goal would be scored against him...

Up and down the pitch , the game was vaguely reminiscent of a tennis match , Wayside always dangerous so Belmont could not afford any lapse of concentration.
Another fine defensive intercept from Luke Sheehan and a pass upfield to Marcus Boggan who beat his man , and on to Fahey who was tackled ...

Patrick Sherwin winning the ball back and blasting (see above) the cross right in front of the Goal , found that man Mulcahy who pounced again with a speculative shot into the crowded box ,and all held their breaths as the ball found its way into the back of the wayside net.

Two Nil….Now the test could Belmont hold on to this lead ???

John Mulcahy got his reward with a rest and Dempsey was thrown into the battle and immediately had to make a crucial tackle and clearance to Sherwin.

Wayside tried again , this time up the wing , looking ominous , They began to string passes together ...desperate urgings heard from their supporters. This was never going to be easy … the shouts of support from the assembled Belmont supporters adding steel to the Yellow clad Belmont defence.

Three minutes to go , Marcus Boggan wins the ball in midfield , looks up and sees Cuddy and Fahey running into position and yelling for the pass, the ball makes it to cuddy , He looks up and makes an excellent first time pass but the ball is intercepted by Wayside who launch their own counter attack and suddenly the Belmont midfield are rushing to defend.

Marcus Boggan comes off to have a rest , Mulcahy back on , this time in Defence. Cloonan comes off and Fiona Mc Nulty is back on. More substitutions see Luke Sheehan sidelined and Jack Fahey rested for a few minutes while Brian Cuddy once again looking ominous and growing in confidence in attack

Wayside were stretched every which way but always looked like they might just get their attack together. This was a team who had yet to play a match where they had not scored and they continued to probe and probe.

Manager Liam Boggan though a little wiser after conceding the late equaliser to St.James had learned his lesson and the last few minutes of the match saw Boggan and Mulcahy back on , this time in Defence with Cloonan and Sheehan nominally in midfield. Essentially this was a four man defensive unit designed to close out this match with Jack Fahey coming on to again as striker to replace the exhausted Cuddy and add fresh legs to the Belmont attack for the last few minutes and create worries for Wayside as they were forced to continue to cover this lone and dangerous striker whilst desperately seeking to find a way through the iron will that was the Belmont defence.

Boggan was seen looking at his stop watch , time up surely ? No way through for Wayside who for the first time have not scored in their campaign. The referee no doubt prompted by Boggan pointing and staring at his watcch , looked down at his own... Forty seconds of added time played already, time to blow up. Game over...

Job Done…and a sense that this is what the Belmont team had expected when they came to play , no drama , no histrionics , an exercise in hard work , trust and co-operation ..

All smiles … from the departing Belmont players...seen above shaking hands with their opponents after the game.

Boggan caught up with his co manager via satellite link. Mulcahy who was on remote beach was more than happy with the performance....Mulcahy has been away for the last two matches but his football brain is as sharp , nay sharper than ever. Rumour of him holidaying with David Beckham appear to be false as Mulcahy is a renowned Chelsea supporter but the Paparazzi were quick to send the photo of Beckham or is it actually the tanned Mulcahy on his boat.....We wondered where he got his soccer brain from ?

Mulcahy also mission accomplished was resting , having successfully saved the Seychelles from some ghastly unmentionable disease...

A must win match , won clinically … Lucky according to one or two dissenters....

Plenty to play for with Belmont destiny in their own hands.

Manager Mulcahy back in town the following day rested and tanned was overheard saying that Belmont had done well in his absence , But that he had been using his time to develop his own ideas..... What changes will the Guru bring to this set up now that he is back ? We can only wait and speculate...it can go one of two ways...

.Next installment coming soon...

Heroism and Teamwork in pulsating encounter...Belmont 2 - St.James 2 in top of table clash.

So the day finally arrived , the top of the table clash vs the mighty St.James who had swept all before them and who had rolled Belmont over on their first outing.. What would it be ? More of the same from St.James ? By now used to glory and feasting on the misery they have inflicted on all the other teams in the league with the exception of Wayside Celtic who held them to a three all draw.

This St.James team laid down a marker with their manager waiting patiently outside the gates of Herbert Park at 9.30am while the Belmont team lay soundly asleep in their beds.

Belmont Management have reportedly been obsesssing about this one for a few weeks ... Would there be any way Belmont could turn the tables on this team.. a big ask to turn around a 9-1 defeat. However buoyed with the continuous development of the team , players finding their natural positions on the pitch and partnerships becoming established that more in hope than expectation Belmont managers took the desperate and foolhardy stepand went ahead and published the 'Secret Plan' on the internet...which assigned specific players to tasks and roles for the game.

And so it was that the goals were eventually assembled with the help of the opposition team parents while the autumn sunshine bathed the arena that is Herbert Park with warm sunshine.

The scene was set. Belmont in this particular match specific formation of two defenders , two midfielders having specific defensive roles , a single midfielder and a lone striker.

The Belmont manager for the day was Boggan. Alone yet again for a St.James fixture.... as a crack team of medics and part time technology buffs led by Hugh Mulcahy rushed to answer the call of the small underdeveloped indian ocean island of the Seychelles. Our hearts especially go out to the patient wives who volunteered to go with their men to make sure that they did not get lonely while saving the population of this island from a disease which is so secret that the outbreak has not even made the papers yet.... The absent manager Mulcahy reportedly sent a message of good luck to his team before setting off without so much as a care for his own well being into the unknown. Apparently the medics acquired identical sets of Maui Jim sun glasses as a gesture of solidarity with the manager the left behind.


And so it was that the solitary Belmont Manager called his team together into a huddle to read the message of support. The Absent managers son was so emotional that he asked if he could go home rather than play but he was persuaded that as captain for the day , he had responsibilities...the team left the huddle and went to their appointed date with destiny on the pitch.

The whistle heralded the start of the match and the expectant crowd drew their breaths and held them waiting and waiting as the match began to unfold.

Rather than St.James taking control, it was Belmont , defending and tackling and running and tackling , the manager shouting encouragement and laying down the law for his troops who responded brilliantly.

Up and down the pitch , the first half was a chess game with attack and counter attack being snuffed out. Conor Booth making a single fine save in the half.

The blanket defensive system held well and St.James found themselves frustrated with Mark Cloonan and Luke Sheehan being stalwarts as usual , coolly and clinically closing down their men. Brian Cuddy as designated striker required the attention of two defenders for most of the first half and Fiona McNulty came on and immediately set about bamboozling the St.James midfiled with her fancy footwork.

The crowds held their breath as Fiona at one stage decided to take matters into her own hands and rather than being boring and clearing the ball from in front of her goal mouth she set about giving a demonstration of soccer skills and casually beat the shocked St.James attackers and brought the ball to the half way line before passing. The St,James manager was seen writing in his notebook and pointing at her .. she had been the star before and now it looked like they might try and poach her...

Marcus Boggan and John Mulcahy too took their turns on the sidelines in the first half as they required re-hydration and a rest , such was the intensity of the play. Jack Fahey shots brilliantly saved by the St.James keeper , working hard for the first time in his life.

The half time whistle went and the team drew its breath... Game on. Belmont had achieved the first part of the plan , which was to contain the St.James attack... now could this maturing team really continue to focus and would they get anything out of it at the end ?

Luke sheehan asked to come off as he had given his all . Conor Booth rose to the challenge and volunteered to man the goal for the second half. His reward will come to him soon. The second half began as the first half had ended with both teams getting stuck in . Was this to be just another game of two halves ???.... the noise and support had drawn many innocent onlookers and by the time the referee blew his whistle to award a penalty against Belmont , the crowds had swelled to numbers usually reserved for FAI cup finals..

Was it a penalty ? 'Almost defonoiteluy noht...' said one bystander when asked ....certainly not according to the majority but this was a tough game and within the ebbs and flows it added to the drama of the morning.

Interviewed later the Belmont manager said that he would review the video footage before giving his view . A harsh decision though with players reporting that the referee saw one of the kids slip and accidentally trip one of the St,James rather than anything more sinister...

Gionanni Trappatoni who was in the crowds assembled on the sidelines agreed that the decision was harsh but you have just got to pick your self up and move on.

One nil , a fine penalty shot , Booth dived the right way but the strength of the shot carried the ball into the top left hand corner and out of the reach of the brave goalie.

Now the test , one down , would Belmont drop their heads and bow out ?

Patrick Sherwin upped the ante and ran rings around his opposite number creating space and options all the time.

Cuddy was brought on to give Cloonan a rest , Jack Fahy was rotated off the pitch and Marcus Boggan sent to take his chances as striker. The strategy of throwing Boggan out of defence into striking position has worked in the past and worked a treat again here,

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Within two minutes of the penalty , a clearance out of defence by Luke sheehan , a deft tackle by Cathal Dempsey whose clearance found Mc Nulty and she passed to John Mulcahy who drew men to him before passing across the box to the first touch strike of Marcus Boggan and delirious cheers from the assembled crowds.

Too good to be true... back in the game now , eight minutes to play , St.James made some tactical substitutions , trying to get back in control. Their period of ascendancy short lived.

Another St.James attack snuffed out with Fiona Mc Nulty making a fine contribution to the game with a marvellous tackle and a pass to Patrick sherwin and on to Jack Fahey who was himself tackled , yet went on and won the ball back again with tenacious play. Mulcahy was everywhere.

Sad really that his parents could not make the match but that did not stop the young John lad today. He was at once up the wing , then in defence and this time in support of Fahy and drawing the St.James defence , Suddenly Luke Sheehan , appeared out of nowhere , instantly saw the opportunity that Boggan had been momentarily left unmarked and so with a clever pass put the ball at the foot of Marcus Boggan who only had to reach it to hammer home his second goal of the game.

Now it was the turn of the St.James manager to throw caution to the wind and empty his bench. Four minutes to go , stalemate , end to end stuff , further shots on Goal from Belmont and stalwart defence as the St.James team who had never scored less than three goals before found themselves top of three table but for the first time in their season behind by a goal.

From the Belmont perspective , it was heart wrenching for the crowds when a sublime pass across field found one of the St.James strikers for once with a view of the Belmont goal and with a superb strike the match was level with less than a minute to go.

The frenzy of tackling and surges on both sides in the final minute was interrupted by the referees final whistle.

Honours even , the Belmont crowd were shocked and elated at the end of the match but spontaneously applauded the home team .

The Belmont kids had achieved something special . The St.James manager , face red with adrenalin gave a hearty handshake to the Belmont Manager Boggan and was heard to remark that this was an epic encounter of incredibly high quality football from two teams of 8 year olds...

A more pulsating encounter would not be found on these shores that day.... Or so we thought...

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Ireland were about to copy the Belmont formula right to the very last detail. Even Trappatoni who had created something of a master stroke to engineer Ireland to a 2 1 lead with 3 minutes to go did not learn the lessons of closing out a game in the final moments. I was heart broken for Boggan said Trappatoni (seen below gesticulating to Boggan ont he sidelines just after the St.James equaliser). Trappatoni said that Boggan and himself had spent a good few hours helping each other with their strategic plans prior to the game.

Belmont Manager Liam Boggan who confessed to being disappointed with the late goal but ecstatic with the team performance got something of a surprise dressing down from Mulcahy for not closing out the game

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'Simple simple simple...Ball up the jumper stuff'' said Mulcahy whilst reclining and sipping a pina colada when interviewed on Sky sports against a background of sandy beaches and Blue skies wih adoring natives catering to his every whim. Mulcahy said he was relaxed though , and would be asking the Board for continued support for Boggan in his absence.

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Fashion writers were quick to laud Mulcahy for his taste in floral swimming shorts. Apparently the pressure of saving the health of the seychellian people is hot and thirsty work and hence the absence of proper medical attire...

The Man of the match choice today for his incredible tackling and the sublime pass that set up the first goal went to Cathal Dempsey. It was impossible to separate the contributions of the kids on an individual basis today.

Manager Boggan smiling broadly and defiant despite the late equaliser said the team were all heroes but went on to remind the kids that the real crunch match is next week...Wayside Celtic away,,,,A win could set up Belmont to potentially go through to the semi finals assuming Belmont maintains this form for the next few matches.

More to look forward to.

Leinster Rugby and pro-Europeans achieve uninspiring and dreary wins Saturday as Belmont Under 8’s rock plucky Cabinteely

Cabinteely 1 – Belmont 4 (HT 1-2)
Photographs courtesy of Greelo
Leinster rugby fans and pro-Lisbon treaty supporters breathed a sigh of relief as they both scored narrow, uninspiring, dull and rather tedious wins in Magners’ League rugby and European politics respectively on Saturday. Meanwhile, Belmont Football Club sent out a massive statement of intent to Under 8 rivals in the Major League Cup as they beat ill-fated Cabinteely FC by a clear three goal margin in a pulsating and eventful match to maintain second place in the competition. Interviewed after the match at Kilbogget Park, Manager Mulcahy stated “Our result puts other seemingly important sporting and political events in their true perspective, indicating the drabness of life outside of under 8 football”.
Unlike previous contests this season, Belmont’s match was played in blustery and rainy conditions on an exposed pitch with the swirling wind making the game difficult for both teams. The Belmont managers are nothing if not predictable, and it was no surprise that they should start off with their usual dreary 2-3-1 formation with Cuddy in goal, Sheehan and Cloonan in defence, Sherwin, Fahy and Dempsey in midfield and McNulty as striker. The Belmont players and fans were expectant before the match, but it was Cabinteely who took the game to their rivals in the opening five minutes and they might have scored as early as the third minute had not Cuddy made a fine save following a speculative cross from the Cabinteely attack. The Belmont team settled well following this, with McNulty making life difficult for the Cabinteely keeper with at least two fine shots on target and Sherwin, Fahy and Dempsey passing deftly and settling well in midfield. Even so, Cabinteely continued to make progress and Cuddy was called into action again in the fifth minute, making a wonderful save following a fierce Cabinteely strike from midfield. Yet, even he could not stop Cabinteely from taking a deserved sixth minute lead as an unstoppable 5 metre shot found the back of the Belmont net. The team were behind for the first time in three matches and it would be interesting to see how they were going to react to this setback.
Too often in the past, the Belmont managers have failed to recognise their tactical naiveté, but on this occasion they fortunately changed their format, introducing Booth and Mulcahy into midfield and Boggan into attack with the aim of unsettling the Cabinteely defence. The adjustments paid almost immediate dividends as Boggan lobbed the Cabinteely keeper to level the score at 1-1 in the eighth minute. Less than a minute later, a mazy run from Booth followed by a fine low drive into the net found Belmont in the lead. Even so, many neutral observers felt that Cabinteely were a little unfortunate to be behind. Belmont continued to look fragile at times and would almost certainly have conceded further goals had it not been for stalwart defensive work by Sheehan and Cloonan. Their impressive positioning on the pitch, tactical common sense and cool-headed bravery belied their young age and on many occasions they cleared significant danger when outnumbered and seemingly outgunned.
Half time found the weather brightening and further tactical changes saw Fahy move into goal with additional adjustments in defence and midfield as the game ebbed and flowed. However, despite huge efforts, neither team could gain a firm foothold in midfield or attack until Mulcahy ran past two defenders from right wing in the 23rd minute and whipped the ball past the flailing Cabinteely keeper. Even then, it remained a cagey affair before a further run and shot from Mulcahy following fine midfield pressure by Cuddy Cloonan and Sherwin put Belmont 4-1 up in the 29th minute and the result beyond doubt. A series of excellent saves from the Cabinteely keeper as well as a couple of neat stops from Fahy in the closing stages of the match prevented further goals and the match ended as it had begun; full of pace, effort and hard tackling – a tough contest and not a day for the faint hearted.
The 4-1 result was warmly welcomed by the Belmont managers, commentators and a number of European political leaders. Manager Boggan said “This result puts us in the heart of European under 8 football”. European Comission President Jose Manuel Barroso hailed the result as “a significant step towards pan-European football unity and the globalisation of the Belmont ethos” while Irish Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, welcomed the result saying that it was “A victory not only for Belmont Football Club, but also for Ireland and Europe”. Opposition parties also praised Belmont for their “positive and resounding victory” with the only dissenters being Mary-Lou McDonald and MEP Joe Higgins, both recognised Cabinteely fans, who issued a joint statement declaring the result “depressing and disappointing”. Meanwhile, Leinster Coach Michael Cheika acknowledged that his Heineken Cup winning side’s 30-0 victory over Munster was “lacklustre and tame” compared to Belmont’s “exhilarating” performance.

Belmont score eight as Manager Boggan declares “The recession is over!”

Belmont 8 – Railway Union 1 (HT 3-0)
By our Financial Correspondant

Manager Liam Boggan was upbeat in his assessment of the state of Belmont’s fortunes today after a fine contest which yielded no less than 8 goals in a day of bullish trading against Railway Union at Herbert Park. “We’ve definitely bottomed out, and with this performance I think we can confidently state that we have recovered from the recession which started against St James’ Athletic”. Citing three successive matches with positive growth he said “The contraction we experienced during the St James’ match appears to have abated and the significant improvement in on-pitch activity has been maintained in this latest match session. Notwithstanding the fact that I didn’t turn up for the game, I still deserve every credit for this performance”.

As on previous match days, the weather was glorious and the Herbert Park turf in fine condition as the crowds began to pour in shortly after 10am. Belmont started with their usual 3-2-1 formation with Sheehan in goal, Boggan and Mulcahy in defence, Sherwin, Dempsy and Cuddy in midfield and Booth up front. Even Linesman Sheehan (P) looked keen and sharp as he practiced his golf swing with his flag. Belmont started well, keeping good shape in defence and midfield while probing away up front. Although feisty and powerful, their initial attempts on goal were frustrated by Railway Union who tended to pack their defence but rarely looked to attack. Belmont became more and more threatening as the first half progressed and the break came after 6 minutes when Mulcahy, in one of many forays out of defence, latched onto a poor Union clearance and slammed home from the edge of the box. One might have expected Union’s cover to crumble at this stage, but it took another 12 minutes and the introduction of McNulty and Cloonan into the game before a deft pass from Sherwin found Cuddy unmarked and ready to strike home. Mulcahy added another on 20 minutes to give Belmont a comfortable 3 -0 lead at half time and it was a relaxed pair of managers, Lisa Cuddy and Mulcahy (H) who gave the confidential half-time briefing to the team. Even the onlooking Garda performing crowd control duties on his mountain bike looked pleased with Belmont’s performance.

Sheehan had little to do in goal in the first half, but he came flying into action in midfield and attack as the second period began. The team were passing like seasoned professionals and Boggan opened the second half scoring on 24 minutes with a cracking strike before Sheehan grabbed a couple of beauties on 26 and 32 minutes with Booth striking home in between on 29 minutes. Union deservedly got on the score sheet with 6 minutes to go after a speculative route one ball found their lone attacker unmarked, and his potent shot gave Sherwin no chance to save. It was left to Cuddy to complete the scoring on 36 minutes after impressive midfield play and assists by McNulty, Cloonan and Dempsey. An agreeable morning’s work indeed. The back to back wins are impressive, but perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the match was the way the team passed and supported each other both in attack and defence. The squad is certainly gelling well despite the managers and one can hope for further improvement as the season progresses and the team is strengthened by Fahy’s return.

Interviewed afterwards by phone, Minister (surely Manager? Ed.) Boggan stated “As late as last week I was contemplating setting up a special agency, the Naïve and Apathetic Managers Association (NAMA), to bail us out of this footballing crisis, but it is now clear that my expansionary macromanagement policies have resulted in a sustained recovery without any outside assistance. My policies may be unpopular and may even seem ludicrous to some, but the upward goalscoring trend is there for all to see and I think it reinforces the mandate given to me and Mulcahy to lead this team into 2010. Overall, I feel completely vindicated in cycling to Wexford rather than watching my team play”. Manager Mulcahy was unavailable for comment.

The Famous Five: A stirring football story by your special correspondent, Enid Blyton

Granada 0 – Belmont 5 (HT 0-2)

Forget Julian, Dick, Georgina, Anne and Timmy the dog. This was a five goal adventure with Conor, Marcus, Jack and Brian scoring the goals, but with a first class cast in defence and midfield that laid the platform for the glory-boys to shine. Such was the quality on the pitch that even the managers (played by Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny) emerged from the match without too much ignominy. But as in all good adventure stories, there were many puzzles to be solved before the final chapter saw our heroes emerge victorious. Where had Brian Cuddy disappeared to? Who was that mysterious boy in a number 3 yellow Belmont jersey and what was the source of that strange loud ticking noise in the Belmont kitbag?

“Brian Cuddy missing? That’s strange” you say with fear and awe. Missing indeed as the Belmont team took the pitch with a 2-3-1 starting lineup as published but with Jack Fahy, Belmont’s latest signing in the number 3 shirt, replacing Cuddy who appeared to have either vanished or not arrived at all! This mystery was soon solved when Cuddy’s parents arrived breathless and apologetic but very, very late! A disciplinary hearing has been set for Tuesday afternoon in the ruined castle on Kirin Island to hear the Cuddy’s official excuse, but you can expect sentencing to be severe.

From the kick-off it was clear that Belmont were in attack mode with Fahy, the lone striker, frequently joined by McNulty, Booth and Cloonan from midfield. This midfield has both flair and pace and Belmont might have scored as early as the second minute but for some fine Granada defence and a couple of wayward final touches. Such was Belmont’s dominance in the opening chapter that Boggan had little or nothing to do in goal while Mulcahy and Sheehan often found themselves pushing up to the half way line to support what appeared to be four strikers up front. It was only a matter of time before the opener came, and less than a minute after Cuddy and Dempsey arrived on the pitch it duly happened. A couple of fine touches in midfield saw the ball reach Booth in space and a neat turn and flick of the ball found it in the back of the Granada net in the 12th minute. Worse was to come for Granada as concerted Belmont pressure led to a mix up in the Granada defence and an unfortunate own goal four minutes later. It was therefore a relaxed Belmont team that sat down to a half time picnic of lettuce, organic egg and country ham sandwiches, home-made strawberry pie with clotted cream and lashings of ginger pop!

Notwithstanding the half time feast, there was much muttering from disgruntled supporters as a dramatically changed team emerged for the second half. It was now Mulcahy in goal, Dempsey a lone defender, McNulty, Cuddy and Sheehan in midfield and Fahy and Boggan in attack. Why, oh why, do managers feel the need to tinker so much with winning teams? Indeed, if there are any villains in this yarn, it is surely the Belmont managers who changed the standard setup to a 1-3-2 without so much as consulting the players, parents or even supporters. But enough backbiting, lets return to the game.

As in the first half, the Belmont goalkeeper and defence had little to occupy their time and all the action was to be found in the Granada half. A neat through ball in the 24th minute allowed Boggan to rifle home from 15 metres while a wonderful jinking run and shot from Fahy shortly afterwards sent the Granada keeper the wrong way for Belmont’s fourth. Finally, the famous five was achieved after a fine Cuddy strike in the 37th minute left Granada’s defence stranded and the Belmont players ecstatic. This well taken goal has clearly freed Cuddy junior from any further disciplinary action next week and one can expect that the full brunt of the punishment will be taken by his tardy and errant parents.

And at the final whistle, the opposition dispatched, Belmont managers conceited and smug, supporters happy and players contented with a job well done. There was much laughter and merriment, before a little voice piped up “But what IS that strange loud ticking coming from Manager Boggans kitbag?” “Ha! Ha! Ha!” chuckled Boggan “That’s only my battery driven stock-brokers ticker tape machine telling me that the Irish stock market has plummeted another 20%!”. How we all laughed! Even Timmy the dog wagged his tail in delight! Goodbye Belmont soccer team. Goodbye arrogant managers. Goodbye loyal supporters.

Honours even as Belmont fight back against Wayside Celtic

Belmont 2 - Wayside Celtic 2 (HT 0-2)
Saturday 13th September and the second match of the season for Belmont’s under 8 Major league team. Following on from their 9-1 drubbing the previous weekend, Messers Boggan, Booth, Cloonan, Cuddy, Dempsey, McNulty, Mulcahy, Sheehan and Sherwin knew that they would have to improve if they were not to receive a tongue lashing, and a probable pay cut, from their managers. Their opponents, Wayside Celtic, are recognised as fierce and feisty competitors, but Belmont were buoyed up by having their full squad available for the first time this season, the remainder of the team having returned from injury, holidays, suspension or detention.

The match was played in perfect conditions, warm September sun beaming down on Herbert Park, ground firm, crowd expectant. Belmont started with a 2-3-1 formation, indicating the apparent naivety of their management team. Not a good idea against the 1-3-2 of Celtic who took a deserved 1-0 lead folowing a speculative shot on goal within five minutes of kickoff. Belmont were playing well enough, with McNulty finding her range on more than one occasion, Booth and Mulcahy active in both attack and defence, Sherwin controlling his midfield with ease, Boggan and Cuddy clearing heroically and Cloonan making some fine saves to deny a second goal. But Celtic were dominant in the early exchanges and would not be denied for long. This correspondent has been reporting on under 8 matches for many years now, but rarely has he seen a set of managers with so little tactical insight. One might imagine that the first goal would have caused food for thought, but no – more of the same setup was the name of the game, resulting in a second goal for Celtic within 15 minutes. Suddenly, Belmont were tiring and couldn’t wait for the half time whistle, although the introduction of Dempsey and Sheehan steadied them wonderfully as time went on

It was clear that defeat was inevitable if Belmont didn’t change their setup at halftime. Experimentation or decimation! Now it was Cuddy in goal, McNulty in midfield and Dempsey in attack. And with further changes seeing Boggan lead the charge from attack the tide was turning, Celtic creaking under pressure until a fine 30 metre first time shot from Boggan found the back of the Celtic net. Celtic 2, Belmont 1. But was this too little too late for this young and unsettled Belmont team? One would have thought yes, but this team clearly never contemplated defeat on the day, and hard work from all 9 players, with slow patient build-ups put even further pressure on Celtic. One could see the Celtic fans looking apprehensively at their watches, their players uncertain and their manager nervously biting his nails. And then, their worst fears confirmed as Boggan slammed a second from 15 metres to level at 2 all. Suddenly, Belmont were rampant, and it was a thankful Celtic team that heard the final whistle blow to end the match. As team manager Liam Boggan said in interview afterwards “By golly, we gave those boys one hell of a beating in the second half”. Hugh Mulcahy added further “Granada this Saturday? Bring ‘em on”.

Belmont U8 Major League Soccer

A Nice bunch of good kids and enthusiastic parents , the squad that is the Belmont Under 8 major league panel arrived in the grounds of CUS on Bird avenue to face St. James in the opening match of the year.

The Squad

Marcus Boggan
John Mulcahy
Brian Cuddy
Fiona McNulty
Cathal Dempsey
Luke Sheehan
Mark Cloonan
Conor Booth
Patrick Sherwin

The excitement of the kids was palpable and we had the official divvying out of the gear... followed by repeated attempts to get their attention for long enough to tell them that the objectives for the year is to have some fun , and that includes the parents..., enjoy themselves and to hopefully win more matches than we lose...

This team will be managed jointly by Hugh Mulcahy and myself , we share the same philosophy that the aim here is to have fun and for the kids to express themselves.

Just before our match began , I got to hear the Granada manager lecturing the parents of his charges about the effort he was going to put in and how he would put todays performance behind him.....Neither Hugh nor myself ever intend to do this , this is a competitive league and we all enjoy the thrill of wining more than losing.

We are playing in the Major League which should give us an advantage as our team is of equal ability compared to the other tean but we are playing in a theoretically lower league.

Our goal is to give everyone decent amounts of pitch time every week and to rotate through goalkeepers over the next few weeks.I suppose it will become clear over the next few weeks , what is exactly the real potential of our team and hopefully we will see dramatic improvements in the kids own positional awareness when the formal coaching starts this wednesday.

The game vs St. James was very much a game of two halves...We lost the first half 7 to nil and but dramatically improved with the benefit of a rest and some positional changes so lost the second half by 2 goals to one.

Our team in the first half ran around like an exhuberant swarm of yellow clad bees and in some cases tackled each other for the ball. Cathal Dempsey, who had bravely volunteered to be the goalie found himself against a very well coached and much better prepared St.James team who looked like they have been training for a few weeks now and certainly their striker was the biggest kid on the pitch by far so the contest of trying to stop his shots was a bit one sided.Our defense and mid field found themselves run ragged as St.James were more used to the large size of the pitch and we found ourselves getting in each others way as much as anything else.The mid fielders of Luke Sheehan and Kevin Johnston did their best to help the defence but our lack of practice was evident and exploited by the slightly better organised opposition and we certainly found ourselves lacking in confidence when faced with the daunting task of running up the pitch in the direction of their goal.

In the second half , we found our composure , Conor Booth took over Goalkeeping duties and with the benefit of the wind and a better organised defence managed to pull off a few great saves.Marcus Boggan and Mark Cloonan stuck to their task in defence in the second half , Marcus deonstrated that he has a big boot and well capable of delivering the ball up field from kickouts. Brian Cuddy was a stalwart in mid field making some great runs forward as he had done in the first half. We introduced Patrick Sherwin who made an immediate impact with his speed and ball skills. Fiona McNulty proved herself to be a very capable and determined player and fought for every ball. Cathal Dempsy , relieved of the pressure of being in goal made a nice few tackles when it counted.

The highlight of the game ocurred the moment the diminutive Fiona McNulty beat the St.James Defence and struck the ball into the back of the net. Cue much cheering from the assembled parents ...Fiona may be small , but her contribution was immense and in the post match analysis , being the first of our team to score a goal earned her the title of 'Man of the Match'

Training on Wednesday should help the kids grow in confidence and we look forward to the next match confident that we have the makings of a decent team. It is only a matter of finding each players strengths from here.

Fixtures published in the Evening Herald every Monday , and on the http://www.sdflsoccer.com/ website on Wednesday or Thursday.

Costs for the year being assessed now , depends on the amount cost of the coaching and number of matcches where we have to pay the referee , treats for the kids...and a fee of Eur 50 for registration with the club per player.

Should come to Eur200 per player. Will confirm....

Liam/ Hugh