Shall we Sing a Song for you?

I feel your pain boys…
RENWICK STICKY PATCH CONTINUES AGAINST POUTING PRESBYTERIANS

Renwick’s indifferent start to 2008 continued this week at Ozone, in yet another edgy encounter with Derryvolgie, which resulted in a 3-3 draw. After defeat to The Monarchs and a tight draw with Union Theological College last week, the Boys from Brazil were keen to get back to winning ways this week, but couldn’t dig out a performance to do so. As has been the case in every match between these two teams so far, the match was marred somewhat by the attitude of the opposition when decisions went against them, which only added to the frustration of Renwick on a day when we simply failed to play to our best.
Both Conor Hyndman and Ian Dunwoody were unavailable this week – Conor for teaching placement and Ian for some rugger sport – but Peter Loughridge and Philip Moffett returned for another run-out. They made up this week’s midfield pairing, while Gavin started on the left wing, giving Andy Lynch the first half off to recover from a mile sprint earlier in the day. What an athlete. Mark McCavery once again moved heaven and earth to get to the match on time and played upfront.
The first half was a fairly dire one in all honesty. Renwick were in the ascendancy in the first few minutes, pushing on from midfield and putting some pressure on the DV back four without getting too many shots on goal. But against the run of play DV took an early lead, when a ball was played over the top from their midfield and gave their striker a one-on-one with Joel, who couldn’t get to the shot, which was well-hit. Frustrated with our lapse in concentration, we tried to attack with more urgency, but DV worked hard and turned it into a scrappy half. If we had been keeping count I’m sure we would have recorded more throw-ins in the half than in most of our previous matches put together. It all made for a disjointed, and ultimately poor game of football. We managed to equalise about halfway through the half, when P.Mo launched a throw into the box, and in the ensuing scramble the ball made its way to the far post where Ian Buchanan slotted in his twelfth of the season. We felt we’d been given our break and could start playing some football, but failed to register another goal in the half. We caused them problems at corners – Mark and Pete going close – but otherwise didn’t bother their keeper very much.
At half time Gareth Hughes and Andy Lynch replaced Pete McConaghie and Jonny McCollum at full back, Jonny taking the ref’s whistle despite the well-documented half he refereed last year between the two teams. We knew we weren’t at our best, and that we were a better team than DV. Our opening ten minutes in the second half were much better. We got a grip in midfield and played some nice football, feeding Gav and Phil on the wings and putting the ball into Ian and Mark’s feet more often. The next goal, however, came from a set piece. Phil launched in a corner from the left, which Pete met with a header into the top right corner of the net (though the usual suspects did try and claim a final touch on it!). The goal was a fair reflection of our start to the half, and once again we felt it would give us the boost to push on and put the match beyond DV. Once again we did not! After another scrappy period of play, in which Renwick failed to get tight to their men all over the pitch, DV went sniffing down the other end, and scored another scrambled goal, in a series of attempted clearances and deflections.
Then came our penalty. Up until then we had been surprised at this year’s DV side, since they had, for the most part, kept their mouths shut. But when Jonny, quite rightly, gave a penalty for a blatant hand ball in the area, they were up in arms for a good three or four minutes, complaining as loudly as possible about the decision. I could waste time explaining what they thought the rule was and what it actually is, but take my word for it, you’ve seen them given every week on Match of the Day and they had no grounds for complaint! So, despite shouts that we had ruined the match (a good attitude with twenty five minutes left to play and only one goal down), Steve McCollum stepped up and dispatched a great spot kick passed the keeper, his first strike of the season. DV managed to dry their eyes to restart the match, which saw neither side really gain the upper hand. Renwick did manage some nice passages of play now and then, none more so than when some good play by Pete and P.Mo in the middle put Gav through on the left wing. Gav got into a great position and put in a dangerous cross, with DV at sixes and sevens at the back. Unfortunately, the cross found only the Renwick number 7, who, in shocking Cristiano Ronaldo v Sheffield United-last-season-fashion, missed from about three yards, failing to keep the ball below the bar. As we say, that’s a mare.
So inevitably, having missed our chance to put the game to bed, and with Steve hobbling of injured with a bruised ankle, and DV desperate to take something from the game, our poor defending invited them onto us in the last ten minutes. Their number 10, needlessly wearing a pair of Edgar Davids goggles, was given far too much time and space on the edge of the box, and scored the goal of the game, a powerful shot straight into the top corner. He shouldn’t have been given the space, but it summed up our day really.
Always frustrating to lose to a team you know you could have beaten. Especially this team. Rumours are now abounding that the new kit is cursed, something team psychics are looking into. The only consolation we took was that, on the pitch opposite, World Eleven United, donned in our old kit, stumbled to a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Jordanstown. Yooo!

Team (4-4-2): J.Loughridge – P.McConaghie (for G.Hughes), S.McCollum (for P.McConaghie), A.McKelvey, J.McCollum (for A.Lynch) – P.Dunwoody (c), P.Loughridge, P.Moffett, G.Blackwell – M.McCavery, I.Buchanan

The best thing since sliced bread. Make sure and go to one. It’s in the West tonight, the South tomorrow night (I assume) and the North on Friday night, all at 8pm.

Including an update on the plan to present the Gaelic version of Ultimate Questions to the First & Deputy First Ministers. G!

In other Galway-related news, Billy Hamilton’s “Take a Risk” talk from the GO Rally in January is now available.

(From the Defence & Exposition of Reformed Presbyterianism by Rev. Mark Loughridge at the installation of Rev. Blair McFarland in Bready, 29 December 2007. The audio of Stuart Olyott’s sermons from the installation and the next day are now available at www.breadyrpc.org. Video coming soon. The quality of it all isn’t great though.)

Steelo’s notes:
- First ever all RP team. Yooo!! If only we’d realised at the time!
- Given recent news reports, we were expecting Union to field an all-girls team. However it turned out that the only thing to worry Stafford was a guy with long hair and a bandanna.
- PS: Phil I’ll have you know my goal was from at least 3 yards!! :-P And you forgot PMO’s header! And mine cleared off the line!

Phil’s report:
RENWICK 2 UNION THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE 2

Renwick were held to a 2-2 draw this week, in a friendly against Union Theological College at Ozone. With the league organisers failing to update results or provide a fixture list for the week (worryingly, it was at about this stage last year that the organisation of the league went to pieces), competitors were left to their own devices if they wanted some football. Graham of Union sent round a circular text, and Renwick were the first to reply, and so here we are.
Once again there were some selection problems in midfield and attack for the RP lads – ALL RP lads, possibly for the first time… Ian Buchanan and Gareth Hughes were the earliest withdrawals, and were followed by Peter Henderson and Andy McKelvey, both of whom were ill. Desperate times call for Steelo and Philip Moffet, so we called them. Philip was delighted to make his Renwick debut, having played against us twice for the ministers (none of whom called to protest at the move). Gavin returned for another outing in a Renwick shirt, and this time started on the right wing. Mark McCavery, determined to maintain his record of most appearances for the team, made it from Bangor to Belfast in record time for kick off. With no Skills Buchanan or P10 McKelvey, Phil moved up front with Steelo, and Phil M subbed for the first half.
All the disruption, and the late arrival of half the team, contributed to a rather lame first half performance by the boys in yellow. Union had been ready to go for about twenty minutes, and had plenty of motivation to get one over their RP rivals, after we beat them 2-0 in the league earlier in the season. As a result they were by far the sharper team in the first twenty minutes. They created a number of half chances and played some nice football. Their first goal, however, was more a result of a mix up at the back coupled with a lucky bounce for their attacker. Renwick failed to clear and the ball was stabbed home from close range, to give Union what was probably a deserved lead. The second twenty/twenty five minutes of the half did not produce anymore goals. Renwick began to get more adventurous in attack, but the ball wasn’t sticking upfront and Union’s midfield worked hard to cut out our passes. Apart from a few shots from distance we didn’t really trouble their keeper. Despite this, Union did not press on and build on their lead, and seemed to think the game was already won. It was 1-0 at the break.
At half time Philip Moffett made his debut, as we changed things around to try and offer more in attack. He came on the middle, with Phil D going back to his usual place on the right and Mark going upfront to give their centre halves something to worry about. We knew if we got more physical Union would be frustrated and there would be greater opportunity to play our football.
Almost immediately the changes worked. Phil M had a great performance in the middle, and Phil D provided more of an outlet on the right. Mark was troubling the defence and the combination put us in the ascendancy in the first few minutes. Our equaliser came when Conor played a ball over the top which Phil D ran onto against the keeper, who missed the ball entirely and gave Phil a virtual open net to shoot into. We felt we’d been given our break and tried to push on for the lead.
Unfortunately this didn’t really happen. We were certainly playing better than in the first half but couldn’t get the final pass. At the other end our defence was playing well – Pete and Jonny gave great performances against two tricky Union wingers, and Steve and Ian were solid in the middle, closing down strikers and making clearances. It would take something special for Union to get another, but they stepped up after about twenty minutes. Their right winger got half a yard out wide and put in a cross which their forward met with a fantastic header which gave Joel no chance. It was a reminder to us that we still hadn’t played our best in the game, and we pushed on with greater effort as a result. Philip and Conor were fantastic in central midfield, working hard to feed the wingers and forwards. We had a couple of half chances and good shots, but the equaliser, again, was a combination of good pressure and poor goal-keeping. Phil D got the ball out wide, and thumped in a high ball towards the far post to put the keeper under pressure. He came to meet it but missed, with Andy Lynch and Steelo waiting to pounce. It was the latter who got the final touch, knocking it in from half a yard in typical fashion!
The last fifteen minutes saw the teams locked in stalemate; Union were dangerous on the counter and Renwick always looked dangerous in attack. Both teams had a number of corners and free kicks (there were a few minor skirmishes on and off the ball!) but neither were clinical in front of goal, and a draw was probably a fair result in what was a strange game, from a Renwick point of view.
Given the circumstances we weren’t entirely disappointed, and it was good to play a in a tough match ahead of our last few league matches. Some would say it is a little worrying that no difference could be found between the RPs and Union, but we can console ourselves with our league victory over them earlier in the year. Mention must be given to P.Mo, who told me he had been waiting a long time for his call-up, and did not disappoint when thrown into midfield. Same time next week Phil!

Team (4-4-2): J.Loughridge – P.McConaghie, I.Dunwoody, S.McCollum, J.McCollum – G.Blackwell (P.Moffett, ht), P.Dunwoody, M.McCavery, A.Lynch – C.Hyndman, S.Steele (r: G.Blackwell, 85)

Photos (thanks again to Bob P)

Steve diving header – wasn’t as good as their’s for the second goal

Similar to GO team t-shirts, Steelo couldn’t resist the opportunity to try out the new kit

According to James, this is called ‘hyperextension’. Looks painful

Gav about to get crunched

A Lynch Mob

Getting the tackles in

Dodgy

Nice wee blur thing going on there

Sporticus

Great shot of PMO!

Back on the wing

“It’s just like watching Brazil”