Match Review: Gaelic Lions FC vs CBD Wanderers

• MD Rich Sexton
• MD Stephen Swords
• MD Jean-Baptiste Bois
• -- Anders Jensen
• -- Stephen Moran
• -- Brett Bowman
• -- Rob Church
• -- Conor King
• -- Shane Buttimer
• -- Allan O'Donahue
• -- Simon Lloyd

• DF Wilfried Lapierre
• -- Keith O'Leary
• -- Scott Hooper
• -- Matt McCole

The one that got away....

This will be brief, as i'm not sure what i can say, other than sometimes you just no it's not going to be your night. It almost felt as though we could have played until dawn and not scored, despite creating a hat-full of chances. CBD Wanderers, quite frankly, got away with murder and Anders Jenson, our rock behind the posts, had nothing to do other than pick the ball out of the net. It was a classic flick and run behind the defense which undid us, but i cannot faulty the squad for the effort and creativity which should have seen us out of sight. I counted the best part of 20 chances created by the Lions, of which three hit the woodwork and the rest were scrambled clear or saved by their keeper. The real encouragement is that we are full of running, the spirit is high and we are creating a lot of opportunities. One of these days someone is going to get a complete hammering, but for now, we will have to leave our dreams of a Cup Final to next year. Congratulations to CBD Wanderers and i hope you go on to lift the cup. For us, it's a return to the league against SCC on November 10th..................................................................

The magic of the cup

On Friday night under the floodlights at UWC East (The Dark Side) the Mighty CBD Wanderers played their first ever game in the Cosmo Cup and what an enthralling and absorbing affair it turned out to be. The champions of the Equatorial League lined up as follows; Adam in the sticks, Butterbean and Moults in the centre of defence with TJ (know as Tanglin Joe on the night rather than his normal moniker of Tinder Joe as his parents and girlfriend were in attendance) and Hambo on the left. A central midfield trio of Big Donald, Brother Louie and Woollie with Chemical Joe on the right and better, younger and better looking James on the left, with fleet footed Scareprice leading the line. A strong bench included German Dave, the prodigal son Blanket, Jimmy and Damo?? The game was always a potential banana skin for the Gaelic Lions a team from the higher division and their main tactic from the start was to play long, diagonal balls over the top of our left back to exploit our ‘weakest link.’ However, the portly veteran Hambo was having none of that and he stuck to his task manfully refusing to be rag-dolled by their tricky winger. The game was a tight, tense affair with few clear cut chances being created and the frustrated Lions resorted to hopeful pot shots from outside the area many landing in row Z. The half ended 0-0. We had kept our shape and discipline, competed aggressively and frustrated the Cosmo League team throughout. The Wanderers came out of the traps quickly in the second half and within five minutes were leading 1-0. A flowing move including a deft flick from Woollie climaxed with our very own PHD boffin Chemical Joe finishing clinically from inside the area. Cue pandemonium on the touchline. The Lions responded strongly, but were repelled time and time again by our heroic defence. In fact, the closest they came to scoring was when Moults decided to have a game of crossbar challenge with himself when attempting to clear a cross and hit the crossbar with unerring accuracy. Towards the end we did show signs of fatigue with the attention seeking Precious going down a number of times, but miraculously recovering within seconds. Also the rotund, veteran Hambo carelessly gave the ball away in a dangerous position, but was fortunate to be rescued by a magnificent save from Adam. No doubt Hambo blamed the pristine pitch. The tension rose in the stadium as the game entered its final stages with the CBD fans baying for the ref to blow the whistle. Ninety minutes went by without the official calling time and the six minutes of injury time seemed like an eternity. Finally, the official put the whistle to his lips and ecstatic celebrations ensued. A fairytale ending for the former whipping boys of the Equatorial League. What a game! What a performance. What a team! What great management! What support! Especially Sami who prowled the touchline like a man possessed, speaking in tongues. (Does anyone know a good Exorcist?) Thanks to the officials for doing a great job, but ref please get your watch checked out it appears to be running a little slow. The Mighty Wanderers are eagerly awaiting the news of their next opponents in the quarter finals. Can the Wanderers go all the way and win the trophy? This is a cup competition and ‘literally anything can happen.’ Man of the Man. Adam - calm, composed and made a number of game changing saves. Outstanding.