U16 John Cooke Cup Carrigtwohill 2 Passage 4. Ballyadam was the venue on Sunday morning for the under 16 Division 2, and lower leagues , first round cup match versus Carrigtwohill. After two consecutive defeats Passage went in search of a win and a good performance. These aspirations were very nearly undone early on when after only two minutes Carrigtwohill worked the ball down the Passage right which culminated in a powerful drive from the edge of the Passage box. Fortunately for the visitors Dylan Murphy in the Passage goal was equal to the shot and got a strong right hand to the ball which forced it onto the post and away to safety. After this early shot across their bow Passage began to play themselves into this game with Kristiek Zilinski and Craig Crowley both leading the line with Craig showing a new found maturity to his game as he constantly chased, harassed and harried the Carrig defence. Carrigtwohill are a very good team with some tasty players who combined well together. With two well matched and committed teams the first goal in this game was going to be extremely important. Midway through the first half the stalemate was broken when Cathal McCarthy with the ball at his feet drove into the home penalty area. From the right hand corner of the box he headed for the near post and with perfect timing unleashed an unstoppable shot across the goalkeeper and into the far corner. This type of run and finish are becoming Cathal’s trademark and are welcome additions to the Passage arsenal. It was important for Passage to consolidate this lead and not to let the home side back into the tie. This they did manfully with the Passage defence stifling any attacks and always posing a threat in attack. Passage were worth their one nil lead at half time yet it had to be stressed that Carrigtwohill were not yet out of this game. The start of the second half was almost a carbon copy of the first with Carrig hitting the Passage crossbar after only two minutes of play. This scare seemed to focus the Passage minds and they resumed the good play of the first half. After ten minutes of the second half a sweet ball was played down the Passage left resulting in Eoin Daly running on to it. Eoin delivered a cross into the box whose accuracy William Tell himself would have envied. Craig Crowley ran across the defender on the front post and glanced an exquisite header past the helpless keeper to double the Passage lead. Carrigtwohill are a good team and showed plenty of character by refusing to roll over as they took the game to Passage. A slide rule pass into the Passage area lead to an attacker being bowled over and the referee having no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. Up stepped the Carrigtwohil man and he confidently struck his penalty low and hard into the right hand corner of the Passage goal. Passage took this setback in their stride and continued to press forward with menace. That man again, Craig Crowley, popped up on the left hand side of the attack and similar to Cathal’s goal in the first half scythed through the home defence and dispatched a beautifully placed shot across the goalkeeper and into the far right hand corner of the Carrig goal. With the score at three one, and Carrigtwohill to their credit laying siege to the Passage goal, an incisive pass from the Passage midfield cut through the heart of Carrigtwohills rearguard. Mark Hanlon latched onto the ball and displayed some nifty footwork, which would not be out of place on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, to glide past a defender and the goalkeeper and finish high into the net. With the score at four one and ten minutes remaining Carrigtwohill again showed their resilience when they scored directly from a free kick. Passage however had the wherewithal to see out the game four two and gain a good hard fought victory. This was a very creditable win as this was a very good Carrigtwohill team who will pose Passage some considerable headaches when they meet again in the league later in the season. Special mention must go to the Passage defence who played well throughout the game and held their nerve whenever Carrigtwohill threatened. Michael Fenton in the centre of midfield orchestrated everything with the variety and accuracy of his passes. Dylan Murphy in the Passage goal performed well and indeed pulled off a stunning save near the end of the match when another Carrigtowhill goal would have made things very interesting. The plan is to take this performance and transfer it to the league match next weekend versus Corinthians ensuring that this was not just a flash in the pan.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:07:47 +0000
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