Saturday, September 17, 2011

Shelbourne 1-2 Limerick 16th September 2011

My first game at Tolka Park since moving to Dublin and it was game that showed you have to play to the final whistle. Shelbourne came into this game with three wins from three since that 4-1 defeat to Cork City at the start of August. Limerick on the other hand were after beating Longford since I last saw them against Cork City at the start of September.
The game itself was good in the first half with the home support singing on their side. After 35 minutes their were celebrating as Philip Hughes continued his impressive season by putting Shelbourne in front.
Limerick who had made news earlier in the season with the high profile signings of Joe Gamble and Denis Behan were still finding their stride while also collecting a large amount of yellow cards. The 2nd half saw Limerick get stronger and force Shelbourne into defending. However Shelbourne looked more than capable of keeping them out with a Denis Behan shot over the bar the best they could muster mid way through the 2nd half.
Referee Conor Fitzgerald added four minutes added time as Limerick went in search of an equiliser. That equilising goal was scored in the 91st minute when Paudie Quinn headed home from a corner from the flamboyant Rory Gaffney. However the game wasn't over and Limerick amazingly got a second just a minute later when Denis Behan lashed home a rebound in the six yard box to continue Limerick's push for promotion to the premier division while putting a dent on Shelbourne's own prospects.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Cork City 2-2 Wexford Youths August 12th 2011

 The usual stroll up to the stadium for the 19:45 kick off on a cloudy Friday afternoon in mid-August wasnt as bad knowing that Cork were playing well. Our opponents that night were Wexford Youths, a side that have struggled badly this season with all their points this season coming on their travels. So I wasn't sure what to expect that night in terms of scoreline or performance. Wexford had beaten Limerick already this season which was no mean feat considering the force Limerick are becoming this season. I meet up with a friend for this game so this game was going to be enjoyed no matter what the result, as long 
 as it was a win for Cork of course.
The game started as a good tempo from Cork, who were obviously going for victory to aid their promotion push. It took just eight minutes for the game's first goal to arrive and it came from Graham Cummins, top socrer for City last season and looking odds-on again this season. Cummins had been attracting interest from Britain this summer also. Us home fans were delighted of course with the goal. Wexford continued to push deeper into their own half after ward as Cork dominated. When half time came it was a surprise to see the scoreline at just 1-0 because
 Cork really did stamp a lesson to Wexford. The 2nd half saw a more adventerous Wexford to be honest.  They surprised Cork and attacked forcing some corners and shots that went over. Just after the hour, disaster as Danny Furlong scored for Wexford. Barely a murmour from the stadium apart from the one or two Wexford fans in the main stand. The goal was deserved for Wexford by their 2nd half performance which without jumping to conclusions made you wonder how they are 2nd bottom of the 1st division.
The game was running away from Cork after that goal as chances came
 and went which at times was very frustrating from a fans point of view. To think seven days previously everything we touched went between the posts.
Lady luck was watching Cork though because with two minutes to go Wexford keeper Packie Holden bought down Gearoid Morissey. Vincent Escudé-Candau was successful against Limerick and he was successful against Wexford as he scored to make it 2-1 with barely enough time left. However the ups and downs of a promotion race bought one of those downs that night as Wexford levelled in stoppage
 time to the fury of the Cork fans, players and bench with Tommy Dunne particularly unimpressed.
However despite being a 2-2 draw in which Cork should really have been out of sight by half-time it was an entertaining game but that is scant consolation for two points definetly dropped.
The ride home that night wasn't one of joy let me tell you.

Cork City 3-1 Limerick August 8th 2011 League cup Semi-final

 League-cup semi-final fever didnt quiet grip the city as expected with a crowd of just 2000 turning up. The munster derby between these sides nowadays is much more intense with Limerick sending out a serious message of intent with their summer transfer signings of former Cork city stalwards Denis Behan and Joe Gamble to add to the quality they already had in the shapes of Paudie Quinn, Brian McCarthy and goalkeeper Barry Ryan. This had the makes of a good game which we were not disappointed.
The 4-1 win over Shelbourne saw Cork play poorly for the first twenty
minutes and that was the case once more in this game as Limerick hit the front with a goal on 13 minutes from Peter Hynes which went down well with the 20 or so Limerick fans in the away section.
For the second time in three days, Cork were behind early. That goal kicked Cork into gear and they began to create chances with some nice football being played in between. Any side would struggle to replicate the form they showed in the victory over Shelbourne but Cork did make a good stab at trying. Limerick came with a plan to strike early and keep Cork out and try and hit them on the counter. Limerick did force a few counters which were twarted by the rear guard defense and goalkeeping of McNulty. Just short of the half-hour though, Cork won a penalty. Davin O'Neill stepped up to convert past Ryan and level the scores at 1-1. Limerick though continued with their tactic while Cork seemed to be in a hurry to get in front before half-time.
The game in the 2nd half had chances but neither set of fans could celebrate a goal. As time went on both defenses became tired which explained the raft of attacking chances and personnel. Denis Behan on his first game against Cork always looked for scraps that he could feed off. Joe Gamble couldn't stamp his authority in midfield as he was closed down very quickly once in possession. Paudie Quinn looked dangerous up front and on the wings with some nice touches and almost sent Behan through.
For Cork the usual sight of Cummins and central defender tangling was all to see once more. The central defender in question here was the towering Brian McCarthy who was lucky to stay on the pitch when he bought down Graham Cummins one-on-one.
Extra-time was next and again both sides looking for that vital goal. After 104 minutes of play we had a penalty in front of the shed end. Responcibility was left to Vincent Escudé-Candau to dispatch past Ryan and put Cork 2-1 up with the 2nd half of extra-time to play.
Limerick simply had to attack and they duely did with some close run shots that missed McNulty's goal by centemeters. Then after 118 minutes of play Limerick forced a corner which was cleared to Grahm Cummins, he ran towards goal one-on-one with Ryan and powerfully struck the ball past the Clareman to end the game at 3-1 to Cork. That secured Cork's path to the League cup final to the delight of the fans that turned up on the night.

Cork City 4-1 Shelbourne August 5th 2011

 The top two in the 1st Division clashed at Turners' Cross with Cork taking on a strong Shelbourne side. Shelbourne, coached by former Cork boss Alan Matthews were unbeaten away from home until this game. Cork were also defending an unbeaten home record this season.
The kick-off time was the usual 19:45 and as per usual I turned up early for the game to catch the atmosphere building.
By kick-off the shed was rocking. We were welcoming are long time rivals from Dublin. This fixture had a history of high intense games especially when the two clubs were battling for League of Ireland titles,
 now it was a battle for the 1st division title. This game was going to be epic for someone!
The game started with an unfamiliar sight of the away side stamping their authority on the game. Shelbourne were on top for the opening minutes and it showed when David Cassidy placed expertly past Mark McNulty to put Shelbourne 1-0 up right in front of the Shed.
Shelbourne continued to dominate for the opening twenty minutes until Cork finally rose out of their shell and attacked the league leaders. 
 Cork leveled the game on the half-hour when Graham Cummins headed past Dean Delaney to the delight of the home support. The game was poised to be a classic, which it duly turned into just shy of half-time when Davin O'Neill made it 2-1.
Shelbourne were shell-shocked with Cork's resurgence. That resurgence was shown again in the 2nd half despite no goals to show for it. The next goal did arrive on 78 minutes with the shed singing as O'Neill got his 2nd goal of the evening with a tap-in. Cork were well and truely on top and Shelbourne's unbeaten away record was ebbing
 away from them.
Three minutes after O'Neill made it 3-1, loan-signing Daryl Horgan managed the squeeze in a shot past the crowd of players in the six yard box and made it 4-1 to the delight of the 3500 strong crowd.
For the last nine minutes of the game Cork played possession football, looking to expolit any more gaps that would appear in the shacky Shelbourne defense. Of all the games I have seen Cork play, they were playing with superb confidance that night with every player getting a touch of the ball. To think that Shelbourne were the dominant side in the
 opening twenty minutes was mind boggling.
The final whistle from referee, Pádraig Sutton sounded and Cork were 4-1 winners on the night and closed the gap between the two sides to seven points.
Without doubt it was the performance of the season from Cork and ahead of the League cup semi-final against Limerick three days later it was perfect preparation.





Longford Town 1-3 Cork City July 23rd 2011

 My first game back home with my beloved Cork City was an away trip up to the midlands to face Longford Town. Longford had a good squad that featured former Sheffield United winger Keith Gillespie and former "Football's Next star" contestant Craig Walsh but our side also featured some stars with Graham Cummins being top scorer once again, Derek O'Brien out on the wing with Daryl Horgan, on loan from Sligo Rovers parading the opposite flank.
A long trip in time for the 19:00 kick-off in Flancare Park. A good number of Cork fans made the journey with around 50 in total. The home side started well enough forcing a few shot but Cork settled into their rythm and were first to score on sixteen minutes with Daryl Horgan heading in from a Gearoid Morrisey corner. Things were playing out nicely until Cork gave away a penalty when Don Cowan was bought down in the penalty area by Greg O'Halloran. The resulting spot-kick was scored, just about by Mark Salmon.

In the second half both sides chased the game with the home side looking to push on from that penalty. It was Cork though who scored next when Daryl Horgan, who appeared off-side slotted past the keeper for 2-1 to the delight of us travelling fans.
Gearoid Morrisey wrapped up a good nights' work with a third goal on 72 minutes that killed off the Longford tempo of getting an equiliser. Three points in the race for promotion and Shelbourne at home were next up.





Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Örebro 0-0 FK Sarajevo July 14th 2011

 As it panned out the last game of the Scandinavian tour was the game closest to where my base in Sweden was. Orebro while I was in Scandinavia were on a disasterous run of form that included defeats to Djurgarden, Mjallby and Elfsborg home and away. They qualified for the Europa League by finishing 3rd last term and this was their first game in European competition for 14 years. Their opponents, FK Sarajevo as the names suggests are Bosnian. FK Sarajevo were tricky opponents for Orebro especially since a high number of Bosnians live in Orebro and the surrounding areas.
 What also made this game interesting was that Orebro were in dire form and that their opponents were getting prepared for their season. I expected a tense and tight game. The kick-off was 19:00.
The game kicked off with FK Sarajevo maintaining possession for long periods. They played the ball mostly on the artificial turf which surprisingly they adapted too. The visitors also had a new coach in Czech Jiří Plišek, so I wasn't sure what to expect from them.
Orebro took a while to settle and once they did they wanted to get the ball out to the wings and use the pace and trickery of Valdet Rama. Rama being an Albanian-Kosovar with a bag of tricks. He always looked dangerous by cutting in and heading for the by-line but the game was turning out to be cancelled out in midfield.
 The vocal traveling support were making the most of their trip with singing and flares lighting up the away section. There were anumber of visiting fans in the main stand too and were desperate for an away goal to take back to Bosnia.
The game was fizzling out and in the second half despite some improvment in the number of shot was still lacking the final finish.
 The hosts were getting frustrated with the poor finishing and having never won a game in Europe it was looking like extending.
The game ended in a 0-0 shut-out draw and no doubt that FK Sarajevo were the much happier. They did eventualy go through by winning 2-0 at home the following week.
After the game I called a taxi and headed home to pack for my trip back to Ireland.








AIK 4-0 Halmstads July 11th 2011

The trip down from Haparanda to Stockholm ended at 6am on the morning of the AIK v Halmstads game. I planned to go see this game to see for myself the hype that was being centred around AIK's striking duo of Mohamed and Ibrahim Bangura, no relation. This game was also featuring a Halmstad side bottom of the Allsvenskan and by some distance. The Spanish invasion at the club simply hadn't worked and the club have been dire defensively. However there was also Irish interest in this game as AIK had Kevin Walker on their books. Kevin being the brother of Jonkoping's Robert.
Having spent the two hours looking around Stockholm and walking to Solna, I found my hotel where I got settled in and began reading up on the match ahead. The national paper reported that Kevin Walker had handed in a transfer request if my Swedish is anything to go by, which meant he would proberly not be at the game tonight which was a pity.
The game had a kick-off time of 19:00 which is the norm in Sweden. Halmstads bought about 20 fans to the Rasunda. AIK named a strong team that did include the two Banguras up front.
The encounter began at a ferocious pace, with AIK dominating in the opening stages. After twelve minutes it was no surprise when the front two linked up to open the scoring with Mohamed cleverly back heeling into Ibrahim's path for him to place past Karl-Johan Johnsson. Mohamed injured himself in the back-heel and was forced off but barely two minutes later Ibrahim Bangura made it 2-0 with a well placed header.
AIK continued to dominate afterwards and gave their shellshocked opponents no time on the ball with players hounding the ball when not in possession. Kenny Pavey, the English winger particularly working hard to win the ball back.
Pavey is such a cult hero in Solna with the fans chanting and singing his name after every touch or tackle.
AIK did manage to win a penalty just shy of the half-time break and was comprehensively dispatched by no other than Ibrahim Bangura to complete his hat-trick. With that the half-time whistle went.


Halmstads were surely thinking now "How do we contain this side". Contain being the crucial word because AIK came roaring out in the second halfwhere they finished in the first. Halmstads did have a few half-chances which were easily saved by Croatian keeper Ivan Turnia.
Just before the hour-mark AIK rounded up the game with the best goal of the night when Ibrahim Bangura picked up the ball 30 yards from goal and unleshed an unstoppable drive that dipped over Johnsson and into the top corner of the net right in front of the AIK faithful. A real peech of a goal that rounded off a fantastic individual performance. The game ended in the 4-0 victory to AIK and confirmed the standard that Halmstads will have to rise to if they are to have a chance of staying up in the Allsvenskan this season. However for AIK, they simply played fanastic.
After the game I took some photos of the stadium and the surrounding areas and ventured back to the hotel some one and a half miles away. The hotel was comfortable with a lovely room and the following morning I boarded the train that took me back to Orebro.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Gransvallen Stadion and Pojhan stadion visited

I made a trip up to Haparanda and Tornio after I was told that I was underage to get the ferry into Finland. This trip was the only way I could get to Finland. I caught the 21:40 train from Stockholm that was to take us right up to Luleå for 10am the following morning, which it duly did. On the trip I got to see the amazing sights of the absolute wilderness that is the Swedish countryside. Once past Sundsvall the country became very undisturbed and of course being the beginning of July it never got close to being dark. There was always a bright sky above the train which duly got brighter the further north we travelled.
 Once in Luleå I made the short five minute walk to the bus station to catch the bus to take me to Haparanda. The distance was something around 120km which the bus complete with stops took just over two hours to complete.
 Haparanda was reached at around 3 o'clock which suited me down to the ground as I found my hotel room and tuned into the GIF Sundsvall v Degerfors game. After that match was over I went straight to Finland. When I say Finland I mean literally five minutes walk and I was in Tornio and an hour ahead of Haparanda. I got to see alot of Tornio and of course got to see the Pojhan stadion, home to TP-47 from the Finish 3rd tier. I thaught the stadium was nice. A small multi-use stadium that hosted athletics a few years previously. The Pojhan stadion was being overlooked by tower that is used for water I am led to beleive.
 The local team in Tornio are called TP-47 for short. Their official name is Tornion-Pallo-47. They play in the Kakkonen (3rd Tier). Their current squad is mostly local Finns, but they do have a Russian player and a Cameroonian on their books. The club is proberly best known for producing Teemu Tainio, former Tottenham and Sunderland midfielder now with New York.
After seeing what Tornio had to offer which was a nice town with some class looking buildings such as they new shopping centre right on the border, it was back to Haparanda to see the scene of the town I was staying in for the night.
Haparanda had the very classy Stadshotell which is where I was staying and had the world's northernmost IKEA store as well as being home to Haparanda FF. Haparanda FF play in the Division 4 Norrbotten Norra (5th tier) and play their home games in the Gransvallen, located just outside of the town to the north across from IKEA. Like TP-47, their ground is also multi-use with the facilities taking in Tennis, field hockey and football with a hall for Ice Hockey. 

After seeing the rest of Haparanda, the streets, parks and the scenery of plants outside the Stadshotell, I returned to my hotel room. After a few hours of watching tv with programmes from Finland and Sweden I finally found Collateral which I was delighted with.
The following day I packed my bags and got the 11am bus to Umea which was over 350km and seven hours bus ride. From Umeå I would get the train down to Stockholm in time for the next match of the holiday.