Dermot found himself with only 12 squad members at kickoff time but Leo arrived soon to help pad out the squad a little. The lads first visit to Llanishen High School saw the Eagles face Heol Hir who we had last met in a one-sided practice affair in the summer. That day our opponents were well under their usual strength and recent matches have proved this side to be capable of stiff resistance. For the first time this season the Side-Line Crew felt the bite of a cold wind which was quite a difference to the balmy weather we saw last week at Pontcanna!

The lads had to face both the wind and the slight slope in the first half and long kicks out by the opposing keeper kept our defence on its toes. This said, the lads took a deserved early lead when Niall put away a chance when the Heol Hir defence failed to clear his first time effort. The lead was short lived however, as Heol Hir came back strongly and equalised within minutes. A second Eagles goal from Niall soon followed and things looked to be going the Eagles way but despite some commanding performances in midfield by Iwan, James and Ross Heol Hir came right back into things by scoring twice and approached half time 3-2 in front. However, the game turned inside the last minute of the first half when Niall beat the defence and the keeper only to be brought recklessly down as he was about to tap the ball into the net. Fortunately, he was able to carry on after several minutes treatment and was able to watch Hassan thunder in the resulting penalty. This seemed to fire the lads up and seconds before half time Ross gave the Eagles the lead with a very well taken goal.

In the second half Leo replaced Sion.  The rearranged formation  saw Rhys push up and Leo fill in at left back.

At the start of the second period the lads took the game by the scruff of the neck! Stout defending from Marley Declan, Hassan and Leo emphatically laid the Eagles' cards on the table. Behind these stalwarts Will put in some telling stops allowing the lads to concentrate on building fine moves upfield. Continued hard work in Mid-field by Iwan, James and Ross meant plenty of ball for Niall, Jon and Rhys up front., ball which was not wasted! The second half saw Niall score three more times with Jonathan getting on the score sheet too! The second period saw Owen come on in a direct swap for Rhys who had given his all in his first outfield performance for the Eagles.

To complete matters on the field, Heol Hir also managed to get two more goals in the second half but at the end the Eagles were well worth their 9-5 win!

Finally it should be mentioned that Hassan might have had a second goal right at the death when his free kick was well saved by the Heol Hir keeper after a bad challenge had seen Iwan brought down just outside the box.

Jon goes through

Match Result

Heol Hir 5
Marlboro Eagles 9

Eagle Scorers

Niall 5
Ross
Hassan (pen)
Jonathan