A downpour in the early morning made us think it was going to be a wet muddy morning but by the time we reached the venue it was warm and dry! In fact the rain had taken the edge of the hardness to the ground and we had a good surface to play on! Dermot and Mike were pleased to see a squad of ten today even if it meant some selection problems to content with!
The round-up of today's results!
Game 1 Marlboro Eagles 2 Splott Albion 0
Game 2 Marlboro Eagles 2 Danescourt 1
Game 3 Marlboro Eagles 2 Capital Trucks B 1
Game 1 saw us play Splott again; a team we had beaten 3-0 and lost 1-3 to in previous encounters. It was a closely contested affair and Splott could have expected to go into the half time break with a better return than 0-0! Half way through the second half the Marlboro faithful on the side wouldn't have complained if our heroes had been 3-0 down! The woodwork had been hit numerous times by Splott and on several other occasions the ball had been scrambled away from the goal by the Marlboro defence! With A few minutes to go Marlboro gained reward for their resilience when they took the lead after a wonderful flowing move upfield. To rub salt into the wound a second well worked effort made the score 2-0 right at the death!
Game 2 was against Danescourt was another closely contested affair. The fans were left wondering whether the early missed chances were going to be regretted! It certainly seemed that way when Danescourt took the lead before the break! The Danescourt keeper was having a blinder and it was looking bleak for the Eagles! Fortunately our heroes upped their efforts as a result and deservedly equalised soon after! Our heroes continued to press and took the lead midway through the second half! The Danescourt keeper kept all further efforts out and it meant that the result was in doubt right up to the final whistle. However the Marlboro defence was well organised and Danescourt's attacks were well stifled and the game finished at 2-1.
Just like last week game 3 was thought to be a easier affair but in the event it was anything but! The lads had dealt the Capital A team a 3-0 defeat but this B team showed a lot of spirit! After a few missed chances the Eagles put plenty of pressure on the Capital defence but just couldn't get the ball in the net! At half time it was 0-0 and the lads certainly realised they had a game on! Early in the second half Capital scored with a well taken effort. Again it seemed the lads were going to regret missing those early chances! However, the lads responded splendidly and scored within a minute of the restart to dampen the soaring spirits of our opponents! The game continued in the same vein with attack after attack by the Eagles resulting in missing opportunities. However eventually the pressure told and the lads took the lead with a few minutes to go! Fortunately the Capital attackers were now being well Marshalled by our robust defence and the lads held on to win 2-1.
So the morning finished with three straight wins but he lads really had to work hard today! This was a highly enjoyable morning: it was great to see the lads battling right to the end in every game! Well done to all the lads and also to our opponents who all put up splendid resistance!
