Shall we Sing a Song for you?

Renwick returned to winning ways this afternoon with a 3-2 win over PCI chaplaincy Derryvolgie at the Ozone. Following criticism of the management on internet websites during the past week, Joel and Phil picked the team for today’s match (sortof like Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier but they’re actually good) with AJ remaining in overall control in a head coach / director of football style role. The big news on the teamsheet was that Andy McKelvey made his return following an ankle injury sustained on the day of our first ever match. McKelvey had returned to rugby training on Monday night and was able to report that he didn’t feel any twinges at all – it just hurt the whole time! He partnered Strob in central defence. It had been thought that Strob was going to miss his second match in a row due to ANOTHER careers fair (like who wants a career?!), but Phil told him to have more faith and pray about it instead. Simon moved to left-back with Jonny at right, although J only lasted about 12 minutes due to the recurrance of an injury picked up last week. Steve moved up to central midfield and Mark played left wing.

We didn’t start particularly well, but soon were 1-0 up from our first attack of the game as AJ headed in a cross from Phil. Once again however we managed to hold our lead for only about as long as Northern Ireland in the early days of Lawrie and they scrambled home an equaliser. After this it was all Renwick, and we re-established our lead when one of their defenders tried to play the ball across their own box, and Mark gleefully smashed in his second goal of the season. Things got even better soon after as the ball broke to AJ after they hadn’t completely cleared a corner and he turned and banged it in – the ball hitting the post, running along the goal-line and eventually deciding to go in.

So it was 3-1 to Renwick at half-time, happy days, and it looked like there were a lot more goals in it for us. McKelvey, still on the comeback trail, was replaced by Andy Currie for the start of the second half, with Stevie going back to defence. The second half however was very different than what we had imagined, right from when, only a few minutes after the restart, Derryvolgie put in a corner low across the ground and their American centre-back (overpaid, oversexed and over here) was left all alone to hit the ball into the net. Derryvolgie had been gurning in the first half, but now it got even worse, directed at both Jonny (who took over reffing at half-time when they refused to do it!) and their own team-mates. Incidentally, Jonny had become the first ever Renwick player to be booked when he got one for handling the ball in the first half. There was some desperate defending, and they also hit the post, and Maik Taylor did tremendously well to windmill a shot from range over the bar, when it looked like he might be about to have another ‘Royston’ moment. At the other end, a great save denied AJ his hattrick, and he headed against the post from the resulting corner. I had one shot blocked and one over the bar. At no stage in the second half did it look like a one-goal cushion (if you can call it that) would be enough for us, but suddenly we were in the final ten minutes and the end was in sight, and we did manage to hold out to record a victory in the one match in the league that really counts.

RENWICK: Joel, Jonny (Piemonger 12, r: McKelvo), Strob, McKelvo (Currie, ht), Simon, Phil, Conor, Steve, Mark, me, AJ

Photos courtesy of Deborah and Rosie:

The Ultimate Male

Steve places the ball for a free kick

The sniper strikes again

Crouching Jonny Hidden Dragon

Mark is congratulated after his goal

Would you mess with Andy McKelvey?

Half-time

Conor Knox it past his man

“The first Joel…”

Debs and Daphers

And the rest of the fans

Post-match interviews:

Phil: “I enjoyed the first half but I thought we would drown in the tears that were shed in the second half. We were just about worth our win. A big thank you to Jonny McCollum. I thought he put Uriah Rennie to shame!”

Renwick suffered their second successive Belfast Mini League defeat this afternoon at a very bumpy Ozone, going down 5-2 to a better side, although one who were somewhat flattered by the scoreline. Renwick started pretty well, however the Lawyers took the lead after a clearance from David Walker, centre back in the absence of Strob (who was away in search of a career – what a way to waste an afternoon!), only got as far as a Law player who smashed it through Piemonger’s legs into the net. They soon added to their lead as one of their strikers skipped around a few of our defenders before firing a low shot into the net. However, despite the scoreline the game had been fairly even, with us having a few half-chances at the other end, most of them falling to me. At 0-2 the next goal would be crucial, and it came to Renwick as Simon ‘Duracell Bunny’ Curry hit in a high cross-shot which a Law Society defender couldn’t resist jumping and flicking over his keeper into the net, but we’ll give the goal to Simon. Then with about 5 minutes left before half-time, O Come All Ye Faith-Phil! Phil! Phil! brought the ball into their box and fired past the keeper to score a great goal which he dedicated to Beulah since it was her birthday last week. So we were right back in it, but less than 2 minutes later we were behind again after one of them let fly from 25+ yards giving Joel no chance. Not what a dude needs when he’s having treatment for gambling and alcohol problems.

The Real Andy Currie had turned up before the match with shiny new football boots, so at half-time AJ hauled Steelo (ok I’ll try not and cause another nation-wide investigation by reverting to the 3rd person) off to give him a chance to try them out. However, despite some nice football, Renwick went further behind when a header from corner looped over everyone, even Jonny, and landed in the net. With 20 minutes left and needing 2 goals, Renwick brought on their leading scorer again as we tried to chase the game. However our formation had gone all over the place and we didn’t have any clear-cut chances, AJ going closest with a free kick which left the Law keeper scrambling to push it round the post. With about 85 minutes played, as we pushed men forward, they rather predictably got a fifth, the last action of note on a miserable afternoon for a hard-working Renwick side.

However next week is the big one against the Covenant Breakers of Derryvolgie (PCI chaplaincy), which will be followed the next week by a game of ‘who can break Matt first’. Onwards and Upwards!

RENWICK: Joel, Piemonger (r: AJ, 80), Walker, Stevie, Jonny, Phil, Conor, Mark, Simon, AJ (r: me, 70), me (Andy Currie, ht)

(Photos will follow if and when Rosie finds the time in her busy life to send some across.)

Renwick FC this morning completed the signing of Northern Ireland international David Healy. Healy, 27, is expected to make his debut in this afternoon’s match v. the Law Society.

Manager Andrew Johnston completes the signing

Healy will be looking to learn a few tips from Renwick’s leading goalscorer Stephen Steele

Strob (jnr) and famous people

Phil McC forwarded me an email this week from Japanese RP Katsunori Endo, alleging that he was going to be on the BBC programme ‘A Pilgrim’s Progress’ on Wednesday. I meant to mention it on the site, but it’s a good job I didn’t as the episode was all about Canada (and how some dude revived his church by bringing in rock music, yeah great, and also churches that accept same sex-relationships, even worse!). However, the next episode is on on Sunday night at 10:55 on BBC 1 and it promises to be about Japan, so maybe we’ll see Katsunori on it yet.

Katsunori giving it some

Also, for those interested in my dissertation (which, judging from the response last time I mentioned it, is no-one!), my provisional title is ”The controversy over the introduction of hymns in the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland in 1896″. (The first PCI hymnbook being published in 1898). Something very interesting that I found in some background reading is that it seems in the PCI it is still illegal to use instruments in worship! (I’ll update this with a proper reference on Mon/Tues). I won’t really be doing anything more at the dissertation till January. The funniest thing I found in reading up on the subject was about the wee songs they made up to practice psalm tunes to (as mentioned in the Rachel Millar show) – one quoted in the book by my dissertation supervisor (a Christian, and friend of CG) contained the immortal line: ‘Scrabo is an ugly hill’ – What about that Ardies?!!!

Finally, Dundela FC become the latest outfit to ‘make use of’ SWS photos :-P