29/05 - After Six Years, 87 matches and 2 years in the Nippers with Most of these Footballers (over half their lives!!!), the manager gets sacked and is sent back to U7 with a double salute from our Injured Left Back, a "Yippee" from the Right Back and a Thumbs Up from the Centre Back!

Thanks very much to all the parents for the very thoughtful present, it will be greatly appreciated in the Siam within the next few weeks (Anna will drink my share of the wine!)

It has been all worth it, even without the winning the league the last two years.

Remember how we felt when Ireland beat Italy in the US, beat England in Stuttgart and the penalty shoot out in Italy, remember how some of us felt with the great West Ham escape when they beat United to stay up, these were great moments in football (for some) but I firmly believe that the emmotions that mess with your head, stamp on your heart and thump you in the belly when your watching your own child and their footballer friends on the pitch cannot rival the big games.

This sounds mad to some I know, but you can see those parents on your own line and on the other side of the pitch and we are all feeling the same! It's just a pity that there are so many parents around the club, county and country that never turn up and watch.

I will miss this bunch of footballers and I sometimes wonder about my decision on going back to U7 bumblebee football - having to start all over again.

Good luck to all of you - I shall follow your progress through the wesbite!

Paul "Curbs" Furey

14/05/07 - Malahide United 5-0 Portmarnock AFC .... LEAGUE CHAMPIONS ... (again - See U9C2 05/06)

As Jess and meself will tell anyone who will (or will not listen) ALL of West Ham's results went their way over the last two weekends. Well - so did the results for Malahide United U10B1.

Five NDSL games were scheduled for the castle today so us and U10B had to move to Glorious Gannon Park!

Portmarnock started our main competitors slide by holding them to a 1:1 draw at home - while we were training right beside them on court 6 in the PSLC. Darndale's slide continued with second draw and then as Big (nay HUGE) Jack from Dunshaughlin promised, Dunshaughlin beat Darndale 4:3. So as we lined up for our 6.30 KO we knew what we had to do.

'Twas a mega nervy first 20 minutes where Portmarnock repelled the odd Malahide attack. We went close in the first few mins with a great cross from Eoin that no one could get a toe to. Luke Chawkey pulled off a couple of great saves in the Portmarnock goal and despite all of our possesion, we still couldn't show anything - until Jess broke through and thumped in our first one.

1-0 at half time and Des has a few words (see below)...

Then we start to get it together in the second half as Andrew nets his second hat trick of the season...and cost me a fiver for our first goal from a header - EVER! I got him his hat trick cert but still owe him the fiver!! Another goal was the result of a brilliant quick thinking throw in from Eoin that put Andrew through for a goal.

Jess finished it off with her second one of the evening. Paul D had his fans on side line and these guys had a fiver on him to score and he went close a few times especially towards the end, when just outside the box he neatly pushed it on, gave himself space and went for the top right hand corner - but narrowly missed! By the way, he was under orders from the manager to do as much of the Ronaldinho cr*p that he is so good at! Got man of the match though.

ALL OF THIS DOES NOT MEAN that our defence had a cushy evening. Liam, Neil, Rob and Keith were busy blocking, winning tackles, heady-ing everywhere and Sam was ready when needed. Portmarnock broke through and it was one-on -one. Sam waited, picked his moment, then tore off his line and won the one on one (!) but the ball then bobbled loose and with more Portmarnock attackers on to it, Sam's smother resulted in another clean sheet and a masive cheer from our side of the pitch!

As the match progressed Josh went back on into the middle of the park while we left 2 in defence and had his chances using his trade mark cut - in fact Josh had a good few shots at goal throughout the game. Sean almost owned his part of the pitch and kept a continuos supply of passes coming from the midfield.

Alex "Bowling Ball" Doherty maintained his recent run of high speed, bruising runs - up and down the right but couldn't manage to repeat his vital brace of goals scored against Dunshaughlin last Saturday.

Andrews shot goes for Berties Mug - got him right in the upper left eye!

How does one keep the tiny little children from playing on the roof?

The squad and their fans celebrate (click here for a larger printable image 1.4mb)!

Click here for last years group sloppy wet celebration picture!

We have 2 more matches left and we do not intend to do a Man Utd or Liverpool (post major winning spells) as we intend to go out and win!! The above 12 footballers all love their football, although they sometimes do not turn up during the match - just like the national team during the Welsh match, but all have the skills and are ready for the next stage of their footballing career, the 11-aside match!

Sam's uncle coaches the DDSL U8B and was at the game. He was impressed with the passing game we play and the we way we can hold our shape during the match.

Many thanks to Fran, Mike and Des for all their help on the sideline, Frank for the Monday sessions in the PSLC and to Eoin Walshe (U15 Premier) for all the valuable Weds night coaching sessions over the last few months - on top of your Nippers coaching and own training session - also on a Weds. Note that all of our 10/11 year old footballers, get that coaching badge when your 15 and get involved in coaching a team like ours!

And many thanks to all the family members that turn up every week to will, push, coax, encourage and cheer on their footballers through all those miserable winter and spring mornings!

I'll miss it all with this bunch next year!

Jess Corr inspires a great Malahide win
© Fingal Independant (Both Pictures and Report) 28/02/07

Malahide United 4 : 1 Santos 15
By Fergal Maddock

TWO goals in either half helped Malahide United to a comfortable four-one victory against Santos 15 in an excellent encounter at Malahide Castle at the weekend.

Star performer for Malahide was Jess Corr whose pace and determination caused the visitors problems throughout the match, although she was pushed close by keeper Sam Furey, who pulled off a couple of saves in the second half to keep his side in the driving seat.

Santos 15 started off the brighter but Malahide slowly played their way into the game and in the eight minute good inter-play between Rob Whelan, Jess Corr and Paul Devaney created a chance for Whelan who pushed his shot just wide. Santos though regrouped and they carved out two half chances within seconds of each other with Paddy Hughes and Stephen Fitzgerald both going close.

But on the nine-minute mark, Malahide opened the scoring through Andrew Perrick, whose shot deflected in off the keeper’s legs after a great solo run down the left. Malahide were now enjoying their best spell of the game and went close again soon after but Josh McDonnell fired over the bar from a good position just outside the Santos box.

Then Jess Corr, whose pace constantly troubled the Santos defence, turned defence into attack with an outstanding run the length of the pitch but her shot was just tipped over. With 22 minutes gone, Malahide finally turned their pressure into goals when a fine shot from Jess Corr was deflected into the net.

Back came Santos and they were awarded a penalty when Paddy Hughes was pulled down when he wasn’t really going anywhere. Up he stepped down and blasted the ball into the net, which rallied his team for the last five minutes of the half and saw them go close on a couple of occasions.

However, within three minutes of the restart Malahide had restored their two-goal lead when a shot from Jess Corr flew into the net off the right-hand post after being put through by a fine pass from Keith Power. Santos were unlucky not to pull one back two minutes later when the keeper dropped a corner from Jordan McLoughlin but there was no Santos player around to take advantage.

Santos were now enjoying the best spell of the game and in the 16th minute Hughes was again denied by Furey. A minute later a shot from Stephen Fitzgerald flashed just wide. But Malahide broke Santos hearts in the 19th minute when Paul Devaney’s shot was deflected into the net, giving them a winning 4-1 margin.

Malahide United: Sam Furey, Liam Finn, Sean Finn, Rob Whelan, Paul Devaney, Jess Corr, Josh McDonnell, Andrew Perrick, Keith Power.

Santos 15: Daniel Bourke, Daniel Matthews, Shane Fitzgerald, Liam O’Connor, Jordan McLoughlin, Stephen Fitzgerald, Robert Bourke, Paddy Hughes, Howard Amir, Brendan Byrne

3/2 - NDSL U10 Cup Round 1 - Clonee Away

(A managers personal reflection - not a match report)

Having met Clonee already in the Castle and come away all square at 1:1 we knew this was going to be close, we never suspected for a moment how close it was going to be.

The full time whistle blew in a 0:0 draw. Frantic phone calls and Evening Herald cross checking produced no clear picture on what we were suppose to do next. Clonee's manager John, suggested extra time of 10 mins each way and then the dreaded penalty shoot out and the ref agreed. He advised that it was best to get a result this day instead of adding to the overall backlog due to the recent deplorable weather - excellent logic!

I was against the idea of the shoot out as our guys are only 10 years old and at least one footballer could possibly be leaving the pitch in a bad way! We played the ET and after 80 mins it was still nil all. It was a cold morning and I had 5 layers when we started, and after 80 mins was down to me T Shirt. The water containers were emptied – mostly over the heads of our footballers.

The debate continued and as I’m on my own as a manager, I asked some of our parents for their opinions, Clonee and the ref had no problems. The parents were no help but by now our boys were jumping up and down “Are we having a shoot out!!!” they shouted.

“Why don’t I ask them” I thought, “Who wants a penalty shoot out” and 11 of them puts their hands up, “who will take a penalty?” again 11 hands went up shouting “Me..me…me…me…”. Having practiced penalties the last few weeks (after missing a couple earlier on in the season) I knew they were good. I went back to the ref but our 12th (anxious) footballer came over to me and said he didn’t want the penno’s – this was our keeper!

So I called over the two keepers (our man Sam and Andre from Clonee) and talked with them for a few minutes. They were both mainly responsible for the 80 min 0:0 draw having pulled many great saves each. I reminded them of that and also told them that they were the only ones NOT under pressure. The penalty takers had all the pressure on their shoulders. They shook hands, wished each other luck and went off on their own to the goal.

When I turned back to the half way line there was Malahide in a line with their arms around each other on one side of the centre circle with Clonee likewise on the other side.

Malahide's Andrew steps up for the first, great strike low to the right 1:0
Clonee great strike to the left 1:1
Josh - another low to the right 2:1
Clonee steps up and Sam saves 2:1
Keith down the middle hard and high and in 3:1
Clonee superb thump top left 3:2
Rob now thumps to the top left 4:2

As I was checking who was next nervous knackered Malahide guy to do the long walk, our guys were restless “If Sam saves this we’re through…” ….How’d I miss that? They were right!

Clonee steps up and Sam makes himself big and is on his toes ready to pounce one way or the other. Clonee moves, Sam waits – Clonee thumps…straight down the middle but Sam never committed to dive either left or right. Sam goes down, the ball is rocketing, he tries a smother, it bobbles….but then it’s smothered!

The other 11 stormed down to the goal ala what you see on TV and below....

I left our guys to themselves and went to the Clonee keeper for a few words, then met up with them on the sideline where the parents tried to recover lost fingernails and divvy out the last Beta blocker pill.

Two hours after kick off, we were cleaning our boots on the side of the pitch. I had to borrow a fiver from Yvonne as I had 3 of the squad in the car with me and if ever a time they deserved a treat, it was now!

As all good stories go, Clonee v Malahide U10B1 is not over for this season, we meet again next Saturday same teams, same pitch and same great footballers.

Will Clonee come at us for revenge? Do we go into the match with a "victory of sorts" behind us? Will the betting men amongst us, please produce the odds!!

My one regret - how did I mess up and not save that picture of both squads mixing at the end. The b@%&£&& disc was full and I never noticed.

Well done to all my guys and also to John and his Clonee United U10B1 squad!!

Paul

p.s. Finally if you were wondering why Andrew was not in our first group shot above, you can see him coming out of the ground as the rest of the team rushed Sam. He had dug a hole after scoring his penno, hid in the goalmouth under the grass and actually made the first save by sticking his hand up!!!