|
DOUBLE HEADER VICTORY FOR RESURGENT GLENWOOD
Report: Kevin Prendergast
In a world football first last night, Glenwood played two games back to back in the form of a baseball double-header, and
emerged with two comfortable victories to enhance their promotion prospects.
As the weary team dragged their numbed
bodies from the pitch in total darkness at 11.30 pm, they could reflect on the fact that although the League experiment has
left them somewhat drained for this weekend's match, the manner of their victory bodes well for their campaign.
A
pair of 2-0 victories does little to convey the overwhelming superiority of Glenwood against the below par Edenmore. Indeed,
in the second game, and under cover of pitch darkness, manager Niall Ward threw on a number of squad players to give them
a run. Glenwood were emppatically superior both games, from their imperious back line dominated by monumental performances
from
Brian Gilroy and Colm Ward, through a battling midfield from which Kieran McSherry and Odhran O'Brien emerged with
enormous credit, through to aforward line where the full range of deadly finishers in Glenwood's armoury
put on a masterclass
in defensive torment. Manager Niall Ward may well indeed be disappointed by the fact the the victories were limited to just
the two goals in each match.
The first game commenced at 7.30, with a modicum of light from the passing cars and
buses at the fag end of Dublin's rush hour. Manager Ward opted to start with Odhran O'Brien in midfield, and moved Gilroy
back to centre-half,
in the only change from last weekend's defeat by Usher Celtic, the unfortunate Colm McAdams making
way for Colm Ward on the right. Glenwood immediately tore into the Edenmore back line, with Paul Foley and Jonny Roche creating
numerous chances. The breakthrough came just before halftime when Kieran McSherry raced down the right wing and bent in a
cross for Foley to volley into the top left corner. A fantastic goal.
After the brak it was more of the same. As
the evening wore on and the temperature dipped, Glenwood keeper Darren O'Brien took to jogging laps of his penalty box to
keep warm, such was his lack of work. At the other end
the action was red hot, with O'Brien scooping over from two yards,
and Roche cracking the ball off the post from the edge of the box. The Edenmore keeper was finally beaten for the second time
when a clipped cross from Paul McSherry was buried empphatically by Cormac Langford, surprisingly still on the pitch at this
late stage.
On to match 2, and at this stage, with Nutgrove Shopping Centre shutting up and the passing cars few
and far between, the match became quite difficult to follow. Indeed, on several occasons the mact came to a halt as hoofed
clearances resulted in lost balls, even tough they were still on the pitch. Glenwood took the lead when Brian O'Brien, one
of several changes from the first game, latched on to a flick from Eamonn Dunne to bend the ball into the net with the outside
of his left foot. Exhaustion, cold and injury took its toll, and with near zero visibility the second half was a slog for
both
players and spectators, who were beginning to question the wisdom of this experiment. Still they were rewarded near
the end when the landing lights of a low passing airliner lit up a dazzling forty yard run and thunderous shot
by Kevin
Prendergast to seal the second victory.
At the final whistle players raced off to try and find their gear and hobble
home, stricken by cramp and hypothermia. Mission accomplished for Glenwood, though they met yet rue volunteering for the FIFA
driven idea.
Post Script:
Following their two losses to Glenwood in the double-header last night, Edenmore have announced the break-up of their team.
It is rumoured that a dressing-room spat after the game turned into a pitch-battle, as several of
the players complained
that they had work the following morning, and hadn't wanted to play in the first place. As boots and shin-pads flew, Gardai
from Rathfarnham had to be called to quell the situation. At 2.30am, Edenmore club secretary Barry Macken contacted the league
by fax to annouce their resignation from the league
|
