The Big Game!!!

On Thursday the 24th of January 2008 a phenomenon in the world of football was about to occur.

At 4 o’clock in the afternoon the stage was set, a sandy football pitch and a hostile crowd of over 1,000 fanatic Indian supporters.

The game was to be played over 50 minutes, two 25 minute halves.

The Irish team was chosen and it is as follows:

Seosamh (Joseph in Irish)
Kevin Haines
Johnny Delaney
Adam Mooney
Andrew Dunne
Mark Logan (c)
Eoin Griffin
Peter Collins
Dan Alexander

Subs:

Matthew
David
Leo

Mark Logan was the captain and Dan Alexander as player/coach. The match kicked off and we started off the brighter side. We had the Indian on the back foot from the tip off. The ball was played back to Mark from the kick off and he picked me out from a darting run down the line. I took a touch and whipped the ball in from the right hand side. It was headed out of play by a star-struck Indian defender. The game continued and Mark hit the cross-bar and post in quick succession. Finally after about 19 minutes of bombardment on our part the deadlock was broken. Mark Logan struck the ball from about fifteen yards out and the ‘keeper palmed it into his own net. The goal was well deserved. The Indians tried in vain to snatch an equalizer and after pushing 7 of their ten men forward for a corner they were caught on the break. Adam Mooney cleared the ball up the line and Peter Collins hounded the ball down from a defender who dwelled on the ball a second too much. He took the ball from under him and unleashed a thunderous strike with his favored left foot across the ‘keeper and into the side of the net. That topped off an intense first half.

The term ‘a game of two halves’ springs to mind.

The second half began and from the off the Indians piled the pressure on. A succession of aimless hoofs up field by the Indians put our defence ‘under the kosh’. At long last in about the 40th minute of this epic clash the Indians capitalized on a mistake from both Mark and Seosamh. They both left the ball for each other to clear and in the end neither kicked the ball and a small Indian ran in and poked the ball into the net.

This set up an anxious last ten minutes for us. But being the hearty and courageous players we are we grinded it out and even hit the post in the dying minutes and a powerful shot from myself coming inches from the target striking a poor child sitting beside the goal.

The game ended and supporters Indian and Irish alike swarmed the pitch in a frenzy and chants of ‘championes, championes’, ‘ole ole ole’ broke out.

This capped off an immense day and the triumphant team returned to the luxurious CINI hostel to bath in our success.

Man of the match Eoin Griffin because of his outstanding skills and flair throughout the game.

By: Andrew D.