Shall we Sing a Song for you?

I’m afraid I’m going to have to close the site as it seems the Reformation was all a big mistake. Renwick suffered their first defeat in the Belfast Mini League this afternoon at the hands of the Catholic Chaplaincy. If you think you’ve seen bad starts to football matches, you’ve seen nothing as bad as this. Within about 2 minutes we were 2-0 down, following 2 goalkeeping errors (The Goalkeepers’ Union ig Joel would beg to differ on the second one) for the Catholics’ first two shots of the match. However, at least we had plenty of time to recover, and Renwick’s first chance came when Andy Johnston was played clean through, but his attempted dink over the keeper landed agonisingly just wide of the post. We also hit the bar, when a Phil did well to even get to a cross that was drifting out at the back post, never mind nearly score from it. However, there weren’t many positives in the first half as our midfield seemed to be completely overrun. On half an hour, things got even worse, when during a Catholic attack, one of their players handled on the edge of our box. They played on however and got a shot in, which hit Walker’s foot and bounced up and hit his hand – the referee ignored the first handball and awarded a penalty, which was duly put away.

Manager and Captain Andy Johnners gave an inspirational half-time team talk at 3-0 down, but despite an immediate improvement in performance it was soon 4-0 as the Catholics got in again – Johnny pulled off a good save, but they hammered in the rebound and things were not looking good. However, we rallied, and the battle cry “Do it for James Renwick!” went up (well, that was just me). Phil was torturing their left back, and got in a great cross for me to head in at the back post from about 3 yards with 20 minutes remaining. Within a minute, AJ had pulled another back. We were firmly in the driving seat by now, and had a few free kicks and corners which we couldn’t capitalise on. Simon had a shot beaten away by the keeper and I’d one cleared off the line. Then, with 8 minutes left, I scored again to make it 4-3. Surely we could get one more and complete our Counter-Counter Reformation! AJ had a chance, but their keeper saved well to concede a corner, which was cleared, and the final whistle went.

So a disappointing result, but we can hold our heads up after that second half performance, which made it a very exciting encounter for ardent fans who stood out in the rain for an hour and a half to watch us (and in the case of Rosemary, took photos – good stuff!). No songs this week though! Onwards and Upwards!

Jonny and his all new centre back pairing of Strob and Joel.

Stevie played midfield this week until he swopped with Strob soon after half-time

Obviously we were much less practiced in crossing than our opponents, but here’s Simon giving it his best shot

A Renwick corner

Simon chases the ball

AJ is yet to turn on his direct-from-corner scoring technique for Renwick

Johnners temporarily regains his position as top all time Renwick goalscorer in his own right

Phil flights in a free kick

RENWICK: Johnny, Walker, Joel, Strob, Piemonger, Phil, Stevie, Mark, Simon, me, AJ

Next week we play Tates & Melrose (sortof like Trinidad and Tobago, but we’ll complain if they play Dwight Yorke), ko & venue tbc. The only other result we know from today is that BBC beat their even-more-liberal counterparts, Union, 5-1.

In other football news, the grudge match of the season so far sees Stute v. the Duns in the final of the Carnegie Cup on Tuesday 14th November (possibly to be played at Dungannon Swifts).

Galway Ordination & Installation of elders

Last Lord’s Day morning, Covenant Fellowship, Galway gained elders of their own.

The Society (with interim elders)

Everyone that was down for the big day

The 2 new elders will be interviewed in “Issue 6″ of the Messenger, which I am assured will be out before the end of the year. Issue 4 is making its way to congregations as we speak, and Issue 5 should be out in a coupla weeks.

Mission Committee Update Meetings:

Before I lose my important readers, here’s a suggestion for the next update meetings: Hold the meeting in the Eastern Presbytery on a week night and in Belfast so all the students are able to go (this is what anyone I’ve heard discuss the meetings has said). A few suggestions of my own would be don’t hold any at the same time as an NI match, and maybe don’t hold them on Fridays when churches have youth clubs etc. But definitely sort out the one in the East – sure we all know how much the RP church loves young people!

Funnist Song Ever!

Well, near enough. Performed in Faughan church hall at the leaving do for Bob & Georgia McFarland.

Renwick Football:

The wider Church of Ireland didn’t take last week’s 6-2 defeat well either it seems, and after crisis talks between the two denominations, the Rev. Ted Donnelly was dispatched on Sunday to preach at St Patrick’s Church of Ireland (not the one in Coleraine – apparently it’s near Jordanstown) as a gesture of reconciliation.
This week Renwick are in action again, taking on the Catholic Chaplaincy (‘The Saints’) at the Ozone tomorrow afternoon (ko 2:30pm). Manager Andrew Johnston is forced to make 2 changes to the side that defeated the Church of Ireland as Andy McKelvey tore ankle ligaments later the same day doing a spot of egg-chasing, and Conor is away to Inglin to watch some dufty team. However, Joel & Strob are available and are expected to slot in.
Apparently the Catholics play in blue also, so Renwick may have to speed up the order of their away kit, which is likely to be one of the following:

Update: There is a website for the league.

Renwick played their inaugural (in our era at least) proper football match this afternoon, and stuffed the Church of Ireland (who, like us, have a house on Elmwood Avenue) 6-2.

The match was a full 90 minute game and was played on the pitches at the bottom of Shrewsberry Park, if you know where that is! The match started slowly, but with us pretty much on top. We had a few chances, but couldn’t break the deadlock, however the breakthrough came after 25 minutes when Everton forward Andy Johnson scored from just outside the box. All our hard work was soon undone however as they played a long ball over the defence and the unrushing Jonny (“2 Jonny McCollums, there’s only 2 Jonny McCollums”) couldn’t prevent a sickening equaliser. However ‘Johnners’ soon restored our lead and Phil added another to make it 3-1. Right at the end of the half, Piemonger brought down an Anglican on the edge of the box and a penalty was awarded, however their player dragged the spot kick past the post.

Conor got on the scoresheet just after half time (I think) to make it 4-1. We soon added another, which technically went in off their keeper, but since I hit the initial shot I’ll be claiming it! Steve McCollum strolled forward from centre back to make it 6-1 with yet another shot from outside the box, and ‘Gary’ McCavery hit the bar late on. They had got another consolation about 10 minutes before the end, after we went to sleep at the back, but it couldn’t hide the fact that they’d got hammered.

We had support throughout from most of the Renwick girls, who showed great proficiency in the use of an air horn, and even composed a song on the fly which they sung repeatedly. And no, it wasn’t “Are you papists in disguise?”!

More matches are planned for future Wednesdays, and manager Andy Johnson is in talks about entering us into a league. Onwards and Upwards!

Amy and Claire

Debs and Rachel

Me!

AJ

AJ on the ball

Steve launches the ball up the pitch

Jonny was disadvantaged by having to hold the posts up for the whole match

Walker and McKelvo ready to clear the danger

Renwick on the attack

Simon kept popping up all over the show

Walker gets taken out

Half-time

Another Renwick attack

Jonny mimicks COI worship styles

“She’s on the ball, she’s Alan Ball”

Phil

Steve flights in a corner

Team photo

Ecumenicalism!

RENWICK (4-4-2): Jonny McCollum; Walker, A McKelvey, Steve McCollum, Piemonger; P Dunwoody, C Hyndman, M McCavery, Simon Curry the Baptist; me, Andy Johnson.

That’s what the man who came to fill up the oil in Ulsterville said to me and Strob as we sat playing Pro Evo in the middle of the afternoon on the first Monday of term. Having 5 and a half hours a week isn’t as easy as it sounds though – wile lot of reading to do! Anyway, I’m also now working in the Covenanter Bookshop (Mondays 11-4 & Fridays 10-1) so come and see me [and buy books - Tom!]

Seeing as this is the first post I’m writing since I was 21, here are a few snaps (scanned so quality isn’t great) from my party (I’m refusing to comment on rumours that I’ve had 17 parties in the last month!):

And from my actual birthday:

Here’s something that has been cracking me up lately. This couple on the road up to our house from Drumahoe set up some cottage-things to let out to people, choosing to call them ‘Derry Farm Cottages’. So a sign appeared in Drumahoe with that on it about a month ago. Within a week, the signs (there are 2 back-to-back) had been modified to simply say ‘Farm Cottages’! Genius!

What about the legend that is Andy Cole – on target today and then interviewed by MOTD after: “I’ve been fortunate enough to be blessed with the talent from God to score goals.”

In other news, even more disturbing than the threat of Castlewellan being moved from Castlewellan, apparently Castle Erin in Portrush is to close in November!

Finally, football fans across the country who turned on the TV to see Northern Ireland’s visit to Denmark last week (the same night this happened) were greeted with the sound of people singing psalms at them, as the BBC decided to show ‘that psalms program’ (known in some circles as “The Rachel Millar show”) for the 43rd time, and it ran over into the time MOTD NI was scheduled to start. Sort it out!!