09/02/08 - GLEBE NORTH 2 : MALAHIDE UNITED 1

TEAM SQUAD (10 players available for match) Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Paul Grehan; Conor Reilly; Daniel Murphy; William McNamara; Niall McCann; Jack Torpey; Max Sheridan; Jack Butler

Ideal match conditions - a mild, dry morning with broken cloud cover, an early kick off (10am) in Balbriggan, the boys were keen to play as last weeks game had been called off. Niall Mc Cann was team captain for the match. Malahide started well and put some early pressure on the Glebe goal. Glebe counter attacked and took a shot which Jack T saved but cold not gather – the rebound fell kindly to a Glebe player but again Jack stopped his shot only for the rebound to hit off a Malahide defender and trickle over the line!!! One nil down after one and a half minutes gone!!

Malahide gathered their composure and fought hard to dominate possession. Niall Mc Cann in mid field fought hard to win the ball with tenacious, but fair tackling; laying off good ball to our wingers; with William, Niall H, Jack B and Max all combining to press the Glebe defence. Glebe in fairness were well organised in defence and conceded corner after corner. From one of these corners Daniel Murphy saw an excellent shot well saved from the Glebe keeper. As half time approached Malahide were well on top but their attempts on goal were either off target or saved by the Glebe keeper. We lost count of the number on corners won by Malahide! It is worthy to note that both Paul and Niall H took some excellent corners today.

From the start of the second half Malahide continued to take the game to Glebe. Again Glebe were limited to counter attacking – one of their counter attacks in the tenth minute of the second half, down the left wing resulted in a two on one on Jack T in goal – the Glebe forward slotted the ball home – there was nothing Jack T could have done. Two nil down in a game they had dominated – would the players crack? – NOT THESE BOYS!! Malahide continued to fight hard and time after time attacked the Glebe goal. Cian was particularly effective on the left wing and after beating two Glebe plays was clearly fouled in the Glebe penalty area – the referee for reason only known to himself gave for a corner!!!

Malahide continued to pressure the Glebe goal and during another attack in the thirteenth minute of the second half kicked a series of shots which were blocked by the Glebe defenders – the ball fell to Conor Reilly on the edge of their penalty area – Conor shot hard and although the Glebe keeper got a hand to it he was unable to prevent the ball reaching the back of the net. Malahide were well and truly back in the game and laid siege to the Glebe goal, only to see their efforts either sail marginally wide or saved. Glebe were again limited to counterattacks time and again Paul Grehan snuffed out Glebe attacks with well time tackles or interceptions; anytime Glebe did get through Jack T saved their efforts.

The boys put huge effort into todays game – although we did not win any points I am confident that the team now knows that they have the ability to fight back – I believe todays excellent team performance will stand them in good stead for the remainder of this season.

26/01 - MALAHIDE UNITED 2: 1 MAYNOOTH TOWN

First Report
© Fingal Independant Rory Kerr

Malahide United moved up to joint second in the division with Niall Horan claiming the all important winner for the home side at Malahide Castle at the weekend.

They had taken the lead on six minutes when William McNamara broke up a Maynooth move before moving the ball out wide to Cian Reid.

Reid then sent the ball across to Daniel Murphy who swept the ball home but Maynooth were back on level terms shortly after the interval when one of their players drove a hard shot through a congested goalmouth and into the back of the net.

But although playing against the wind, United continued to press with United keeper Jack Torpey getting plenty of purchase on his kick outs to drive his team up field.

And after they had struck the crossbar, United finally went back in front with six minutes to go when Horan delivered an unstoppable shot past the keeper.

Malahide United: Jack Torpey William McNamara Daniel Murphy, Niall Horan, Cian Reid, Niall McCann, Jack Butler , PhilipRyan, Conor O'Reilly, Paul Grehan , Max Sheridan

TEAM SQUAD (9 players available for match)
Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Paul Grehan; Conor Reilly; Daniel Murphy; William McNamara; Niall McCann; Philip Ryan; Jack Torpey

Second Report - Dave Torpey

A cold, windy dry day with cloud cover, there had been a lot of rain over the preceding week – it was a surprise that the Castle was playable; however the pitch was in good condition. Conor Reilly was team captain for the match. Our first match for 2008, Malahide started the brighter and had the benefit of playing with the wind. Our 3 man mid-field with Niall McCann in the middle was winning a lot of possession; we launched a series of attacks which resulted in us getting goal scoring chances, but none of our shots found the back of the Maynooth net. In the 6th minute the ball was again played forward into the Maynooth half, as their defenders attempted to clear the ball William Mc Namara challenged them for possession, he managed to lay the ball out to Cian Reid on the left wing, Cian ran the ball into the Maynooth penalty area; with the Maynooth defenders drawn towards him Cian looked up and passed the ball to Daniel Murphy; Daniel took a touch to control the ball and before the Maynooth defenders could close him down he released a shot which found the back of the Maynooth goal. Malahide continued to pressure the Maynooth goal for the rest of the first half but did not score again.

Malahide were playing against the wind and Maynooth took advantage by launching a series of balls deep into our half. During this period of pressure we conceded a corner. We did not challenge for the ball and it fell to a Maynooth player on the edge of our penalty area – his shot went through a crowd of players and found the back of our net, one all! All of our good work from the first half was undone – would we cope with the Maynooth pressure for the entire of the second half? The boys seemed to double there effort and succeeded in gaining the upper hand in midfield, time and again Conor Reilly broke down the Maynooth play. We were gaining the upper hand and again putting the Maynooth goal under pressure; we created several chances but our shots were either saved or went narrowly wide. During a period of sustained Malahide pressure the ball fell to Niall Horan whose powerful shot found the back of the Maynooth goal, we were deservedly back in front. Our defence coped with the Maynooth attacks with Paul Grehan and Philip Ryan making good strong tackles. Jack Torpey had to make a number of saves; his kick outs were consistently good for the entire game especially for the second half when he was kicking against the wind.

A strong team performance; every one of the boys gave their all and all contributed to todays deserved victory.

20/10 - MALAHIDE UNITED 3 : 1 CASTLEKNOCK CELTIC

TEAM SQUAD (10 players available for match)
Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Max Sheridan; Paul Grehan; Conor Reilly; Jack Butler; Daniel Murphy; William McNamara; Niall McCann; Philip Ryan

A mild, calm dry day with broken cloud, the pitch was in great condition, the grass was recently cut.- ideal football conditions. Niall Horan was team captain for the match. The boys started lively and were soon making progress up both flanks. In sustained early pressure Niall Horan saw a good shot on goal saved but the rebound also fell to him and he found the back of the net – one nil to Malahide with barely 2 minutes on the clock!

Malahide sustained the early pressure but in the fifth minute their attack broke down and Castleknock counterattacked – it looked like we had enough cover but the Castleknock player got a shot off which found the back of the Malahide net. For the rest of the first half the team worked hard but seemed to rush the chances at goal. The Malahide defence dealt comfortably with the Castleknock chances. Malahide forced a number of corners and Max Sheridan was unlucky to see his header sail over the cross bar form one of the corners. The score remained one all at half time.

In the second half Malahide continued to pressure the Castleknock goal but their goalkeeper made a series of excellent saves to prevent us from going ahead. In the 28th minute Conor Reilly’s shot found the back of the net. Malahide continued to dominate the possession and most of the play was in the Castleknock half. In the 33rd minute Conor Reilly finished a strong Malahide move with a shot which found the back of the Castleknock net – 3 – 1 to Malahide. There were other shots on goal but no further goals for Malahide before the final whistle.

A win is a win but this was a strange game in certain respects – several of our players played within themselves whilst a small number put huge energy into the game. We will continue to work with the boys to ensure they all get and give the most out of the opportunity of playing for this team – it should be possible for us to ensure that all of the boys contribute to the best of their ability and therefore get the maximum enjoyment out of the games.

13/10 - MID SUTTON 1 : 3 MALAHIDE UNITED

TEAM SQUAD (8 players available for match)
Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Max Sheridan; Paul Grehan; Conor Reilly; Jack Butler; Jack Torpey; William McNamara

A warm dry overcast day, the pitch was a bit uneven. Cian Reid was team captain for the match. The boys got stuck in from kick off, though the game was scrappy. Malahide put pressure on the opposition goal – it was not until the 7th minute when Cian Reid got a strong shot on goal which was well saved. Malahide continued to put pressure on the opposition goal however in the fifteenth minute Mid Sutton launched their first attack of the game, the resultant shot found the back of the net; one nil to Mid Sutton at half time.

At half time we asked the boys to continue playing football. In the thirtieth minute Jack T kicked a long clearance deep into the Mid Sutton half, the ball was knocked forward to William McNamara who placed his shot into the left hand corner of the Mid Sutton net for our equaliser. The boys continued to pressure the opposition goal and 1 minute after scoring the equaliser some hard work from Conor and Cian pressured the ball Mid Sutton failed to clear the ball and Cians shot was deflected into the back of the Mid Sutton goal. Malahide kept working hard and from a corner taken by Niall Horan in the thirty third minute the ball was forced into the Mid Sutton net

06/10 - MALAHIDE UNITED 3 : LUSK UNITED 1

TEAM SQUAD (10 players available for match)
Daniel Murphy, Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Niall McCann; Max Sheridan; Paul Grehan; Conor Reilly; Jack Butler; Jack Torpey; Philip Ryan

Some days are special days – Heaven sent – Saturday 6th October was one of those days; a beautiful day – clear blue sky, no wind, warm enough to feel comfortable in a t-shirt. Our kick off was delayed to 10.40; Philip Ryan was team captain for the day and won the toss – Philip elected to play with the sun on our backs for the first half.

From the first whistle the boys got stuck in and put pressure on the Lusk goal. The boys seemed intent on imposing their tempo on the game and forced a number of corners which though well taken were not converted though a couple of the resultant headers were frustratingly narrowly wide. Lusk gradually got into the match and forced our defence to concede some throw ins deep in our own half. In the eleventh minute Malahide failed to clear a ball and a toe poked effort found the back of the Malahide net – 1 nil down after such early dominance! The boys kept playing their football and in the 16th minute a ball was played out to Max Sheridan on the right wing, Max took on an beat a defender and cut in to bear down on the Lusk goal – Cian was calling for a pass in the middle of the penalty area – Max thundered a shot into the roof of the Lusk goal – one all!! and scenes of jubilation. The score remained one all at the half time whistle.

Malahide did not reduce their physical effort in the second half and the boys kept winning more of the 50:50 balls. Malahide continued to threaten the Lusk goal and in the 31st minute anther strong attack came down the Malahide right wing – the ball was played between Max, Cian and Daniel before Max shot and found the back of the net – 2 – 1 to Malahide. Lusk responded with a number of attacks which forced Jack Torpey in goal to produce a series of fine saves. In the 37th minute another strong Malahide attack resulted in the ball falling to Niall Horan in the Lusk penalty area – his shot found the back of the Lusk net – 3 – 1 to Malahide. The boys continued to pressure the Lusk goal and might have scored again; but at the final whistle the score was 3 – 1 to Malahide.

This was a great victory for the boys today; won with some fine passing moves and a lot of energy and effort – congratulations boys – well done.

2/9 – Malahide Utd 2– Darndale 0 (William McNamara, Niall Horan, Conor O’Reilly)

Dave, Derek and the boys start their promotion from 9B to 9A1 with a massive win. Click here for the full Daily Star match report complete with photos.

22/9 – Malahide Utd 3 – St Itas 2 (William McNamara, Niall Horan, Conor O’Reilly)

Team Squad :
Squad: Jack Torpey; William McNamara; Daniel Murphy, Niall Horan, Cian Reid, Niall McCann, Jack Butler , Philip Ryan, Conor O’Reilly, Paul Grehan , Max Sheridan

After the previous week’s fine performance with our first win the squad were chomping at the bit for another match. What a glorious morning for a soccer match – it was a day for the beach ! However the team only had soccer in mind.

Max was the captain for the day and got us on our winning way with the toss outcome. Malahide started well with the midfield gaining posession and putting the St Ita’s defence under pressure. Jack Butler made a fine run down the wing with a powerful shot from outside the box that just went wide. Following further hard work by the first midfield trio of
Paul, Jack and Conor, we won our first corner. The delivery was excellent by Paul and the razor sharp William slotted home.

Our defence then had to deal with a St Itas corner and their player was first to react for the equaliser. The heads did not go down though. A quick turn and burst of speed by Niall H put him clear thorough and he unleashed an unstoppable shot from outside the box. 2-1 to Malahide ! Our defenders of William and Max (both later moving to midfield/striker) dealt with any threat. Then a good long clearance by Jack T in goal was controlled by Cian in midfield who beat his marker and saw his shot go wide by inches ! Malahide were well on top and didn’t want the half time whistle to blow !

Our rotation policy of switching player/positions every 10 mins was particularly important today due to the hot sun and the earlier Gaelic Blitz that 4 of our players were involved in.

Again we started stong with Philip (back from injury) and Daniel mopping everything up in defence. We had a couple of chances to go 2 goals ahead but the St Itas keeper did well from good efforts by Cian and William. Against the run of play, St Itas equalised with a fine goal that our keeper had no chance with. However we just go on with the task in hand and with the hard work and skill of Max and Niall Mc we created our third goal, calmly put away by Conor.

For the last 5 mins St Itas threw everything at us but the solid net minding of Jack T and his defence kept them at bay. Also our midfield kept the ball with some lovely passes using the full width of the pitch to stretch the opposition. It was an excellent team performance by all the players and the boys fully deserved their victory.

There were smiles all round and it was fitting that the Official Squad photo for the season was taken showing happy faces and tired legs !

09/09 - MALAHIDE UNITED 4 KINSEALY BOYS 2

TEAM SQUAD (9 players available for match)
Daniel Murphy, Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Niall McCann; Max Sheridan; Paul Grehan; Conor Reilly; Jack Butler; William Mc Namara

A dry, warm, sunny Saturday morning with a stiff breeze; William Mc Namara; team captain for the match; won the toss and elected to play against the breeze for the first half.

We are still sticking with our policy of position rotation and make substitutions in the middle of each half. From the kick off Malahide directed the tempo of the game and created plenty of early pressure on the Kinsealy goal. Our wingers Jack Butler and Conor Reilly in the first quarter were causing lots of problems for the opposition defence. From a corner Niall Horan (up front for the first quarter) connected well and his shot found the back of the net. Malahide continued to work hard with Niall Mc Cann and Paul Grehan anchoring the midfield, Malahide created chances but none were converted. Kinsealy were finding it difficult to maintain possession in the Malahide half but a speculative long ball was not cleared and the Kinsealy player converted a chance in the 18th minute. So at half time the score was all square despite Malahides’ dominance of possession and goal scoring chances.

Early in the second half a Kinsealy player took a speculative long range shot which Niall Mc Cann (in goal for the second half) could do nothing about as it came in off the crossbar. Two – one behind with 17 minutes left on the clock – how would the players react? Malahide continued to play with skill and determination exemplified by William Mc Namara who harried the Kinsealy defence resulting in a defensive mix up which William punished by scoring an equaliser with in the 29th minute. Exuberant celebrations followed!!

Malahide kept their concentration and in the final quarter expended huge energy keeping the Kinsealy goal under pressure – with Daniel Murphy in mid field and Max Sheridan taking a turn on the wing working hard for the team. From another corner the ball broke and fell to Conor Reilly whose thunderbolt shot found the back of the Kinsealy goal with 5 minutes on the clock. Kinsealy Boys worked hard to put pressure on the Malahide goal but to their credit Malahide continued to play passing football, in an attacking move by Malahide in the 20th minute the ball bounced in front of Cian Reid who calmly slotted the ball over the keeper - a suave finish from a natural goal scorer. This fourth goal settled the result of the game and the final whistle blew a couple of minutes later.

The result was deserved, based on the effort made by all of the team. Credit to Kinsealy Boys who also worked hard; this was a very enjoyable match to watch and credit is due to all the boys who participated.

02/09 - GLEBE NORTH 1 MALAHIDE UNITED 0

TEAM SQUAD (10 players available for match)
Daniel Murphy, Niall Horan; Cian Reid, Niall McCann; Max Sheridan; Paul Grehan; Jack Butler; William Mc Namara; Jack Torpey; Philip Ryan

A dry, mild, overcast Saturday morning – our first match of the new league season; we had trained hard and had played 3 friendly’s in preparation for the new season. We decided to stick with the policy of position rotation and make substitutions in the middle of each half. The pitch was shorter and wider than most; we were concerned that on one half of the pitch the grass was very long and damp!

From the kick off Malahide got stuck in and laid siege to the Glebe North goal. Chance after chance was created but were either saved; hit the post or were off target. Huge effort was made by William McNamara and Jack Butler on the wings and Paul Grehan and Daniel Murphy in mid field. Late in the first half in a rare Glebe North foray into the Malahide half a speculative shot was taken on the Malahide goal from the left wing – to his credit our goalie (Jack Torpey) was alert and made a finger tip save to parry the ball for a corner. Unfortunately Jack injured his back making the save and we were forced to substitute him – Daniel Murphy volunteered to go into goal. Niall Horan and Philip Ryan dealt well in defence and snuffed out any attempt by Glebe North to launch an attack in numbers.

In the second half the team showed they had the spirit to continue forcing the game, unfortunately they were now attacking the half of the pitch with the long grass – it was difficult for the boys to weight their pass for these conditions. Niall Mc Cann and Cian Reid worked hard to provide the telling pass. Chances were again created but none converted. In the thirtieth minute a Glebe North player broke from mid field; despite being challenged by 2 defenders he got a shot off which squeezed in by the near post. The boys did not give up and Max Sheridan made several efforts engineer an equaliser – quality chances were created but we always seemed to have to rush at them because of the ball sticking in the grass - unfortunately we were not able to get the telling score before the final whistle.

The result was perhaps harsh, our players efforts were not rewarded; this is a lesson for us to learn; effort alone will not win matches – goals determine the result. We can use the result of this match to show the players what the must do in this league – score goals!