We did manage to get a squad together with the usual last minute troubles and turned up on the day with a rarely seen sight, a substitute. In goals we had the ever popular Sach, in defence (l-r) J.C Dick (captain, armband missing presumed dead!), Marcin Nowak, Coco Hall, Dex Kinsella. Playing in front of them in midfield were, Kaz, Tulloch, Sean Smith, Olsson, and up front were the inimitable partnership of Owen Kinsella and Mark Valentine, with Louie on the sidelines ready to play in spite of a cracked bone in his foot.

The match got underway pretty sharp as the 6.45 to North Berwick trundled by in stark contrast to the match that was about to be played out at Hallhill. In typical style the match started tight with pressure from both teams, and in even more typical Staggs style after half an hour we were the first of the sides to capitulate and went 1-0 down after a Dunbar attack burst through a high defensive line. However all was not lost and within a couple of minutes the Volleys were right back in the mix after a tremendous shot from Olsson from distance burst the back of the Dunbar net despite their keeper’s best efforts. Already having the psychological upper hand in coming back from a defeceit we set to kill things off before half time and did so through a great piece of work by the dynamic duo of Owen and Val that saw a Dunbar defence left dumbfounded and Val left to slot home past the stranded Dunbar keeper. Shortly after the half time whistle was blown and we went in at half time with a lead but in the knowledge that our defence was looking pretty fractious with a couple near costly errors across the board. To try and stimulate some change and bring in a bit of communication at the back we substituted Marcin for Louie, who despite his broken foot was more than willing to put in a shift.

The second half started with VAFC fast asleep at the back and we were lucky not to concede an equaliser when Dunbar were denied by a fantastic full stretch save from Sach. Constantly pushing and looking to extend the league we were continually leaving ourselves weak at the back and this was soon taken advantage of by a Dunbar counter attack bombing down the wing to score an equaliser. Given that the winner of this match would see themselves reach the heady summit of the Owen Coyle Super League both sides switched to an all out attacking style to nab the 3 points. VAFC were forced to make a change after a harsh tackle on Kaz that saw him replaced by Marcin shortly after half time, and the resultant free kick was taken superbly by Owen curling into the bottom right corner that was cruelly denied by a spectacular save. With both teams in full attack the pressure went back and forth continually and eventually Dunbar snuck back into the lead to really put the pressure on. In a desperate search for an equaliser Staggs picked up the pace with runs coming from everywhere, wings, and even Coco Hall taking a mazy run up the middle of the park. Owen eventually equalised with an effort from a tight angle and with around 20 minutes remaining the pace was frantic. The ensuing carnage saw Owen leather the post and jink past the keeper only to put the ball wide of the net. The most crushing blow came when in the last 2 minutes a Dunbar cross-come-shot went ghosting towards the top right corner and the ball went right over my head to make it 4-3 to Dunbar. The final whistle was blown and disappointment was rife.

A spectacular game that would please football purists all over but unfortunately the result went against us and we were left with the 20 mile trip home pondering all the what ifs and maybes after a round of quality sarnies and the second half of Celtic v Arsenal in the bar after the match. Despite the result it was a fantastic performance from both sides. Many candidates as usual for man of the match but Sach takes the honours after a spectacular performance that kept us in the game time after time.

p.s apologies for the dreadful report, memory is abysmal

Looking to retain the structure of the team we tried to keep a similar selection to recent matches. Sach in goals, in defence from left to right, J.C Dick, Louie, Israel, in midfield, Clarky, Michael McKenna, Ryan Mckenna, Diego Porras, and up front were Owen Kinsella and Val. On the bench were Dougie Todman and my Dad. Only one new start, Diego’s Spanish mate Israel brought in to fill the gap at the back. Playing on a pitch running East to West when I won the toss I chose for us to play towards the East so that in the Second half we might not have the sun right in our eyes. We started the match looking to maintain a solid start and keep things tight at the back. Unfortunately Dunbar had other plans for the start of the match looking to nab an early lead, which they got after catching our defence napping with a high line, Sach was left stranded and Dunbar went 1-0 up. A fairly typical start to a match, which is definintely something to be worked on. However heads didn’t drop and the workload on VAFC had just increased. In the searing heat the last thing required is to have to work harder but in true VAFC fashion we turned up the heat. The pressure was on with attacks raining down the wings and Diego causing chaos in his free midfield role. One such attack saw Diego belting down the right wing and crossing in leaving Owen Kinsella with a free header, which was sent careering straight into the back of peffermill playing fields, and not the net. A pretty promising sign of VAFC coming alive and causing problems for Dunbar. With consistent pressure the equaliser seemed fairly certain and it came from a foul on the edge of the Dunbar 18 yard box. Mikey McKenna was felled and stepped up to take the free kick sending it just over the wall and curling straight into the net on the mark of 40 minutes. A critical time to equalise, but another before half time would surely leave Dunbar fairly jiggered. This eventually did come from a rushing VAFC counter attack that saw Diego eventually hammer home inside the penalty box from Owen’s corner to nab the lead on the stroke of half time and make it 2-1.

At half time the chat was pretty simple, more of the same but tighten things up at the back. Unfortunately the sun hadn’t gone down at all and neither had the temperature so we were going to be playing with the sun in our eyes despite my choice of half. Despite the new rolling substitutes rule no changes were required and due to Dunbar ringing in the changes constantly they were never short of fresh legs. After half time they looked a little rejuvinated and came out of the traps well with a couple of decent attacks and looked to threaten but never capitalised on this despite getting in behind the defence and facing an open goal a couple times the score remained at 2-1. In spite of this second wind VAFC turned things up again and got things moving with some excellent passing between Diego and everybody and Ryan Mckenna distributing well between the wings. Dunbar were beginning to flag a little and this taken full advantage of with numerous counter attacks from all angles. VAFC decided to change things a little bringing Val off for Dougie Todman to try and extend the lead with a fresh pair of legs up front. This turned out to be a tremendous decision with Ryan Mckenna releasing the ball to Dougie down the right wing who switched the ball over to Owen on the opposite wing, who then sent in a delicate cross the Mikey Mckenna converted with a bullet header to make it 3-1 to VAFC. By this stage VAFC’s brand of football was beginning to work its magic and Diego’s free role was really causing chaos for Dunbar. Another Staggs attack burst forward with Declan Kinsella linking up excellently with the midfield to create a change for Mikey Mckenna to dispatch a shot into the back of the Dunbar net taking the lead to 4-1. Dunbar’s heads never dropped at all despite this lead and they began to turn things up with some brilliant seeking balls, one of which should have been easily dispatched into orbit by me but for some bizarre reason I decided to try and perform a backheel nutmeg, unsurprisngly the ball was lost and the Dunbar attacker was through to stick home their second goal on the hour mark and make it 4-2. In the extreme heat I was beginning to flag, so I decided to substitute myself off for my Dad after a fairly mixed performance. VAFC were keen to restore the sheen to a tremendous performance and the attacks rained in again and again with Diego unlucky not to score from a half volley inside the box and Owen Kinsella finishing off a hat trick of missed opportunities with 2 gilt edged chances going begging. In this case I think Eric Cantona’s words are particularly pertinent here when he says “Those who are afraid to roll the dice, will never roll a six”. With the match drawing to a close it seemed as 4-2 was going to be the result but a low cross from Owen looking for Dougie on the goal line was deflected into the net by the Dunbar centre half to make it 5-2 with only a couple of minutes to go. Staggs continued to threaten but with only a couple of minutes to go and a 3 goal lead the pressure was off and the full time whistle was blown on an enthralling encounter to send VAFC back to the top of the table on goal difference.

A brilliant performanced that saw us maintain our 100% record in the Owen Coyle Super League sponsored by Joseph Perrier Champagne. This would not have been possible without Sach’s unforgettable performance between the sticks that saw him command his area with style picking the ball out of the air on numerous occasions. Declan Kinsella proved unmissable also due to his incredible workrate and doing well going forward to link up with midfield players. New signing Israel played particularly well and we will be glad to see him back again. Louie followed up his man of the match performance against Sykes FC with another solid showing and was a definite contender for man of the match. My dad did superbly going forward when he came on and did well to cut out play down the wing on a few occasions. Clarky put in a trademark shift with marseilles carousels and pin point accurate crossing. Mikey McKenna played superb football from start to finish and brought our equaliser through a gold standard free kick that any player would be extremely proud of. His brother Ryan had a sterling game as well releasing the ball down the wings for the forwards and worked superbly with Diego to frustrate the Dunbar midfield and defence. Owen Kinsella put in a brilliant showing and should be extremely proud of his work in setting up other goals. Val showed his usual workmanship and was always in prime positions for scoring and setting up opportunities. Val’s replacement Dougie Todman performed well also, being part of a great combination that lead to Mikey’s header. However the referee’s man of the match and recipient of the wee Joseph Perrier bottle was Diego Porras the Puma King for the work put in his free midfield role. In a fashion typical of Johan Cruyff Diego went from wing to wing distributing the ball with effortless brilliance and threatened every time he went forward. All in all a top level performance that has set up a brilliant encounter against Teuchters FC that could prove decisive in where the title race goes.

Keep the faith

JD

Clad in purest white Sykes looked a mean outfit with formalised pre-match warm ups, we looked….relaxed in the classic Plockton set up doing keepie ups and asking the ref to hold back kick off for 5 minutes while half our team got changed. All the lads were soon out and ready and Sykes won the toss choosing to give us the kick off. The Volleys kicked off the way they would continue with some smooth passing football all over the park making rushing runs forward with some great overlapping play between Declan Kinsella and Espie. Unfortunately despite ruling the roost for the first 20 minutes VAFC were the first to capitulate. A Sykes corner came drifting into the box and after a couple of scrappy knock ons the ball was headered into the bottom right corner of the Staggs net. A bit of a cheap goal conceded but unlike on previous occasions the heads didn’t drop and play got underway again as if nothing had happened. The sharp passing resumed with some deft play with Sach continuously threatening with dangerous goal kicks for Val and Owen to run on to. On one such occasion the Sykes goalkeeper came bombing out and clattered Owen and realistically a booking or worse was merited, but as always it is a particularly hard situation to judge due to estimating intent. After posing such a threat for a sustained period of time the equaliser seemed a certainty. The volleys won a corner and the ball was dispatched into the box, Espie knocked the ball on to the centre of the box and Tulloch belted home on the volley into the bottom right corner of the net to restore parity. Back in business Staggs looked to nab another before half time but despite numerous attempts and Val coming close it didn’t come, even though a dubious goal from Owen was chalked off for offside.  Half time was blown and the teams went into the break equal by scoreline, but certainly not in threat.

The match restarted with both sides unchanged and the Volleys looking to push on and take advantage of the sharp attacking football played in the first half. I could see Diego jogging around the pitch pensively and it was evident he was desperate for football. This hunger had to be stoked for a little longer before unleashing our secret weapon upon Sykes. Often half time can prove more unsettling than anything else and Sykes threatened immediately after kick off catching me napping but thankfully Jamie and Louie were there to mop up and the threat never amounted to anything. After this Staggs turned up the pressure and began what would prove to be 45 minutes of relentless pressure as we sought the lead. As before Sach’s goal kicks continued to threaten and Owen was unfortunate not to capitalise on one particular attempt. Pushing up the park at such pace was beginning to wear on some and it was clear a fresh pair of legs were required on the wing. It was time to use the nuclear option substituting Clarky for Diego Porras. Diego unleashed his own brand of hell on the wing from the off tearing up and down the wing jinking into the box to make a couple chances. It was particularly funny when we was scythed down by a Sykes defender and was met by a wall of spanish (presumably swear words) from Diego. Despite a slight language barrier the team continued to play well with tremendous play from Tulloch linking up with the forwards.  The break was soon to come and after the ball broke from a corner Diegostuck the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-1 to the men from Musselburgh/Mendoza. Two more changes were made with Espie being replaced by Andy McKinlay and Owen being replaced by Douglas Todman. I chose to switch Dougie to the left wing and put Diego in his peferred centre forward role. The attacks continued to rain in with Tulloch and Ryan McKenna proving essential in creating play in the middle of the park. Sykes did push out a couple times but these were cooly dealt with by Louie as he had done the entire match. The match was nearing completion but after playing such attacking football the Volleys still pushed to set the seal on the game with another goal. Time seemed to be running out but with a great run down the wing from Andy linking up with Diego, and 10 yards of jinking and shoulder dropping the ball was sent into the bottom right corner of the net to make it 3-1 and the final whistle was blown. 3 points in the bag and VAFC were top of the league.

Tremendous start to the ‘season’ and an amazing signing for Staggs. However the contributions from everyone added up to bag three points. Sach was never really asked to make a save but his goal kicks were an ever present threat and was unlucky not to bag what would technically be an assist. In defence Declan Kinsella was very effective going forward and continued to be the surprise package dealing with opposition  twice his size and age. Jamie and Louie were ever solid in central defence having never played there before and provided superb cover. Clarky caused problems on the wings with his pinpoint crosses and joined up well with the rest of the team. Ryan Mckenna and Tulloch proved essential in distributing the ball and creating attacks from nothing. Espie proved a physical threat and did very well to knock on for Tulloch to volley home. Owen and Val worked exceptionally well together and were unlucky not to score despite having one chalked off. All the substitutes performed well with Andy and Dougie contributing with some excellent runs linking up with the forwards. Diego scored twice, played well, passed well, shot well, ran well, and slotted right into the squad. Louie was awarded the celebratory bottle of Joseph Perrier man of the match champagne by the referee for his consistently brilliant performance at the back that lead to the creation of a tight defensive unit. A brilliant match and a great sign of things to come.

Keep the faith

JD

The team assembled good and early and we managed to get a pretty decent warm up in before the match. Deputising in goals was Ken Dick due to widespread unavailability of any experienced goalkeepers. In defence (from left to right) were J.Dick, Gordon Mackenzie, Lewis, and Declan Kinsella. In the midfield; Tulloch, Ryan “Georgie Best” McKenna, Clarky, and Sach. Starting up front were the duo of Calum Day and, Owen Kinsella. In reserve; Louie, Andy McKinlay, Douglas Todman, and Mikey McKenna.

The match was soon underway with the sun high in the sky, but with a comfortable temperature. VAFC won the toss and I chose for us to play with the sun in our eyes for the first half thinking I’d rather play the second half against a knackered and blinded Blackhall. This turned out to be a truly crap choice. Blackhall kicked off and a box to box struggle soon ensued for the best part of ten minutes with creative forward play for VAFC and das boot for Blackhall. However a dreadful breakthrough was about to occur from a Blackhall low cross Declan Kinsella lashed the ball into the back of his own net to give the visitors their opener. Thankfully Declan is made of stronger stuff than this and never allowed the incident to dog the rest of his game. Sadly this was only the tip of an upsettingly macabre iceberg. Again, thankfully my memory of this match is patchy at best and my description of the rest will be brief. Essentially VAFC plugged away with yet more creative play but lacked a defined edge and never really came close to a finish, despite the intelligent play all over the park. With Blackhall’s route one style inevitably came some contentious offside decisions and numerous of them lead to goals. However Blackhall did capitulate on one occasion with the Volleys rushing forward and a tremendous ball from substitute Louie seeing debutante Todman clean through on goal finishing cooly to nab us a consolatory goal. Final result was 8-1, particularly draining considering the clean and precise passing from VAFC. However this result sinks off into the past and Thursday sees us beginning our challenge for the Owen Coyle Super League against Sykes FC at Peffermill.

Even more good news to lift us up from the shenanigans against Blackhall. I’ve finally ordered us a new set of strips. Should hopefully arrive in a couple of weeks. Anybody wanting a personalised strip will have to order theirs seperately at a cost estimated to be between 20 and 30 quid, and will have to give me a shout to order.

Keep the Faith

JD

With a horrendous mess made of sorting out a squad I was left at 5pm asking anybody with two feet to come and play for us. In the end we eventually managed to get together 10 players (no expeprienced goalkeeper) and ended up borrowing one of the Baptist mob. I had to ask for kick off to be delayed 5 minuted due to Owen’s train being a bit slow, to which the referee replied “According to my SFA rulebook you have more than 8 players here so the game can go ahead”. SFA rulebook, JESUS. It was a friendly between two non-SFA affiliated teams. Thankfully the ref did back down and decided 5 minutes wouldn’t make that much difference for his bus back to Harthill. Eventually Owen arrived and we were able to line up as follows. Greig Johnstone AKA Sach in goals (despite the fact hes a centre-half by trade), in defence (left to right) J.Dick (captain), Marcin Nowak, Louie (a punter of Staggs), and Ray (a striker from up north we borrowed from the Baptists). In midfield were (l-r) Yorkie (who saved our collective asses by coming in last minute), Clarky, Ryan “Georgie Best” McKenna, and Andy Mckinlay. Up front were the prolific partnership of Owen Kinsella and Val. No subs, which would later become a challenge considering the Baptists turned up with almost 20 players.

The match eventually got under way when the ref made sure the ground was to SFA standards, that all forms were filled in in triplicate, all players were registered, Sepp Blatter had been fully fallated, and that the 6th official was in place to ensure each blade of grass had been well trimmed with a pair of nail scissors. The match started well with fluid motion and pressure from both sides and it was clear there were several goals to come when the Baptist striker chipped a shot over Sach and it bounced hilariously over the bar. However it would be Wester Hailes that would capitulate first with a staggs attack from Owen rushing forward down the middle and Yorkie picking the ball up in the middle of the park, jinking past a couple green and white shirts to slot cooly home and open the account for the Volleys. Soon after the FIFA panel of 8th officials had scrutinised video evidence and deemed the goal as passable the match was ready to kick off again. 1-0 Staggs. Not long after the game was under way again a Baptist attack that was absorbed by the very much makeshift Volleys defence resulted in a swooping counter attack from Owen down the right feeding the ball to Val to power home and sublimely double the advantage to 2-0 with an excellent shot to the top corner. After experiencing the sting of a VAFC team held together by the footballing equivalent of papier mache it was time for the Baptists to rally or die. And rally they did with a couple impressive attacks making use of my poor fitness from the months break and came close when they missed another shameful open goal. The pressure remained even from both sides and a goal was certain to come. The baptists did manage to open their account before half time in a totally unexpected way. After making one of many quality saves sach went to kick the ball up the park and ended up belting it off a Wester Hailes shin and the ball went ballooning into the net. In direct response to this the Volleys had to restore their two goal lead before half time and did so in the smoothest way possible typical of their style. With a cutting run through the middle Clarky played a brilliantly precise ball towards the penalty spot for Andy McKinlay to put away with a diving header that showed true finesse and class.

Going into the break it was fairly evident what we had to do. Despite the team’s piecemeal nature we were holding out and playing together with some strong linkup play from the wings and we just had to focus on keeping the defence tight and further our advantage without making any mistakes. Obviously no changes were made as we had no substitutes to mention and we had put in a good performance in the first half. Wester Hailes rung in the changes bringing on numerous fresh legs. Keen to regain some control of the match Wester Hailes got the match underway with intense vigour making full use of fresh legs with dashing runs left right and centre looking to break apart our makeshift defence. With long balls coming over the top everytime the match looked to have gained a rather Scottish feel to it, with Wester Hailes purveying a brand of football particularly popular with those of a maroon or royal blue persuasion. However they managed to gain a foothold on the game after a superb shot ghosted in across goal and went just out of Sach’s reach to make it 3-2. With weary legs and half an hour remaining it was time to opt for a christmas tree approach with Yorkie pulling back to play in defence to make it a 5-3-2. The most dreadful moment of my entire life was soon around the corner. Another speculative hoist up the park from Wester Hailes keeper left the Volleys tired defence for dead and a striker charged through onto the ball. I managed to catch up with him and nick the ball. I gave it das boot to put it out for a corner and it landed sweetly in the bottom left corner of our net. Absolute dismay. It had all gone very much Billy Gallas. There had been a major collision between the brown stuf and the fan. The buns had been sold. I had equalised for Wester Hailes. I wanted the ground to open up and disentegrate me. From this point on it was gung ho, throwing everything at the goal to make up for my dreadful error. Another fresh pair of legs were brought on for the Baptists, a fairly short wee lad with piles of pace who I reckon was one of their best out there. With Staggs piling forward a goal seemed very likely to come from some brilliant attacks and a couple of near miss free kicks. However upset was yet to come when a Wester Hailes striker added insult to injury with a spectacular shot that ghosted across goal and slotted in sublimely to the top left corner of the goal. 4-3 to the Baptists, with time against us it was serious gung ho time with Sach coming up from the goal for everything but sadly it was not to be and with the final whistle came the overwhelming feeling that I had ruined things.

Very much a positive performance from VAFC and I think the only person who can’t walk away from this one with their head held high is me. I can’t begin to apologise enough because we truly deserved to win that game, having had a goal chalked off and dealing with a referee with a very poor sense of geography and the rules of football as he chucked about the yellow cards like nobodys business, to all and sundry in green and purple. Definite positives to take though. Andy put in a solid shift on the right wing and was deservedly rewarded with a brilliant goal. Owen and Val worked superbly together up front with Val being unlucky to see a goal chalked off and Owen being very unlucky not to add to his already impressive tally. Clarky and Ry worked tremendously in the centre of midfield and provided excellent service for the lads up front in their usual industrious manner with Clarky setting up Andy’s goal with a characteristicly great ball. Yorkie was ever industrious and made a great call to drop back into defence and put in a quality shift. Ray the lad we borrowed was good as well despite being a forward and if he didn’t live up north we’d snap him up. Louie and Marcin were solid at centre half and did well particularly covering for me at times. I was dreadful. Totally inept and completely unfit, I really feel worse for wear for the month we had off due to not being able to get a game together. However, man of the match has to go to Sach for bravely stepping in between the sticks and putting in a brilliant performance that certainly merited a pair of gloves from Sports Soccer, despite shipping 4 goals he did exceptionally well to cope with a makeshift defence and made some tremendous saves.

As for the man in the middle all I can say is that Harthill are welcome to keep him.

Keep the faith

JD

After a week long break since a tiring pair of games the team were fully rested and refreshed for this fixture, and a particularly valuable fact to be gleamed from this game is that we only called upon one new face for the match. This is slightly innacurate, as the new face actually called upon us for a game. Andy McKinlay from Leith dropped me an email basically saying he had been playing fives for ages and was looking for a more realistic challenge, such as that posed by 11 a side. It seemed a fair enough request, and since this was essentially how the team was founded I gave him a shout for the game. Sticking to the ever reliable 4-4-2 we were blessed with a rare ocassion where Mike Kinsella wasnt working to have him between the sticks. In defense (left to right) were J.Dick (captain), Greig Johnstone, Plockton’s favourite son Gordon Mackenzie, and Gordon’s mate Lewis. In front of them were (l-r) Tulloch, Clarky, Val, and Owen “I can surely get a knee replacement on the NHS” Kinsella, and starting up front were Calum Day and Ryan “Georgie Best” Mckenna. A record breaking subs bench of five consisted of Ken Dick, Olsson, Declan Kinsella (due to only being available for the 2nd half), Marcin, and our import from Leith Andy McKinlay.

After disappointing him with a last minute call up cancellation we called on veteran whistler Chris Muir to take charge of proceedings, which he was as usual extremely glad to do. Winning the toss I chose to kick off with VAFC shooting towards the park end, saving the second half to shoot towards the favoured Director’s box end. The match started off with some early pressure from Wester Hailes that was well absorbed by our now experienced defence and they never troubled the steadfast Mike Kinsella. VAFC responded to this well by pushing up making critical advances due to some brilliant play built from the back, including a couple brilliant nutmegs from a particularl tall, mildly ginger, Musselburgh pub team captain. From this intelligent play came some intense goal mouth scrambles that should have seen Calum Day open his goalscoring account and VAFC take the lead. Wester Hailes ocassionally broke forward but it was consistently dealt with by our defense and Mike Kinsella rushing out safely to pick up some loose balls, and with Weste Hailes mostly remaining penned in their own half a goal was certain to come from the Volleys. This would eventually come from a penalty decision that was hotly debated when Owen Kinsella was felled by one of the visitors. Owen cooly converted from the spot sending it into the top right of the goal leaving the Wester Hailes keeper with no chance. The match continued on in very much the same vein with Wester Hailes picking up a few corners but never really threatening at all, and the first half was eventually drawn to a close with VAFC leading 1-0.

A truly delightful first half performance with some tricky play from VAFC, the plan from here on in was pretty obvious, more of the same lads. Continue pushing up, penning them in, extending our lead, and most importantly playing with the style and fun attitude from the first half.

Having a lead from the first half there was no need to make any use of our populous subs bench, as to do that would interrupt the flow and tempo of the game with our boys linking up intelligently. Much like the first half the match was restarted with some pressure from Wester Hailes keen to equalise and bring the game back on their terms with some cutting attacks down the wings that were aptly dealt with. Pressure and dominance were soon restored and VAFC were chasing for more goals. With a Volleys attack coming down the middle the Wester Hailes defence were forced to put the ball out for a corner. Clarky stepped up and delivered one of his trademark sniper crosses into the box and Plockton’s finest export was there to deftly volley the ball past the ailing Wester Hailes goalkeeper to open up the lead to 2-0. After play was resumed posession was soon snatched back by VAFC and a quick driving attack down the right wing was lead by Owen Kinsella who played a short pass in to Val whose insurpassable close control saw him slip past 2 defenders and put in a surprisngly mild shot that ended up in the back of the net to finish off a very quickfire double for the Volleys and make it 3-0. With a fairly comfortable lead now established and the match having reached the hour mark I decided to honour our subs and substituted Owen Kinsella for new comer Andy McKinlay, Lewis for the ever present Declan Kinsella, and Val for Marcin. Despite the relatively simple nature of the substitution it caused absolute chaos. I think this can mainly be attributed to Greig Johnstone decided to go into a central midfield role and putting Marcin at centre back. Wester Hailes capitalised on the afforementioned carnage with a swift break down the middle that caught us out due to Marcin not knowing whether he was centre-mid or centre half. Mike Kinsella was forced to rush out and despite Declan Kinsella’s best efforts to stop the ball going into the net Wester Hailes pulled back a goal to make it 3-1. After this goal Owen took it upon himself to ring in the changes from the sidelines and took me off for my Dad, and replaced Calum Day with Olsson. Shortly after this substitution we saw a brilliant piece of play from Wester Hailes down the wings that resulted in a truly amazing strike from 35 yards out in the middle of the park that unfortunately caught Mike off his line to make it 3-2. Despite the close nature of the scorline, the Volleys were still very much in control and we continued to push with some excellent dashing runs from left back by my dad and a brilliant through ball typical of the industry he’s shown in previous appearances which were unfortunate not to prove more productive. Looking to excert our dominance and capitalise on our almost constant pressure we started off a massive drive from Declan Kinsella at right back that was played into Ryan Mckenna in the centre and flicked on for the Leith Legend Andy McKinlay who charged down the right wing with electric pace, cutting into the box and putting away a square ball from Olsson on six yards to open his goalscoring account on his debut and make it 4-2. At this stage Wester Hailes were totally beat and despite a spirited performance it was evidently game over for them and despite some excellent play from the ever-bright Olsson the final whistle was blown ending the match at 4-2.

A victory, at last. After a lengthy wait for the taste of glory again we were able to finally walk away from a brilliant performance with the proverbial three points in the bag. Every single player is able to come away feeling good with themselves after this game. Despite having a fairly quiet night Mike Kinsella put in yet another solid shift making some brilliant saves and was very unfortunate not to bag a clean sheet. The relatively unexperienced Lewis continually pushed himself and made some critical challenges, Declan Kinsella again proved a surprise package for the opposition with a physically intimidating performance and some smart balls to Andy on the right wing. Gordon Mackenzie was once again intensely impressive with a very solid performance that included a well converted goal, and combined well with Greig Johnstone who together kept us very tight at the back. I was please with my own performance with numerous nutmegs, but must concede that at times I was trying to do too much and could definitely put in a more focused performance. Ken Dick was tremendous when he came on for me with an unforgettable contribution that sadly didn’t lead to a goal. Matty Tulloch again won every thing on his wing and did some good work tracking back. Clarky’s contribution was brilliant again proving himself for the umpteenth time with a great ball from a corner for our second goal. Ryan “Georgie Best” McKenna continued his reputation with some brilliant close play linkin up well with wingers and forwards. Andy Mckinlay proved himself worthy and justified his trek from Leith with some brilliant movement and a great goal. Owen Kinsella again defied all medical advice to put in a quality performance that once again saw him strike the back of the net and continually trouble the Wester Hailes defence with his trademark cutting runs. Marcin did well once the confusion was settled and made some critical challenges. Calum Day was massively unfortunate not to open his account after some mad goalmouth action, and its now clear that its all psychological for him. Olsson brought with him some technically intelligent play when he came on and caused utter chaos and had he started the match would certainly have made a massive difference. However man of the match award goes to Mark Valentine for an immense fitness defying performance. Continually creating opportunities from his unfavoured central midfield position, never being afraid to track back and doing a great job to put away the goal to make it 3-0.

A performance that truly showed how we have gelled as a team and now play together as a unit rather than eleven headless chickens. Man of the match realistically could have gone to anybody on the team. However one fact this match highlighted was the desperate requirement for a manager off the field. With the carnage caused by the substitution and myself and Owen having to make decision based on not offending people it has become crystal clear we need someone to fully manage. On this ocassion it only cost us one goal, but it needs to be rectified before it costs us a match. I have made moves for booking a game next Tuesday against the infamous Musselburgh Baptist Church and we can expect them to confirm on Thursday night or Friday morning. The best news of all is that there has been some major movement on the strip front, but at this stage I can’t fully reveal the extent of the progress as negotiations are still ongoing, but trust me, its big.

Keep the faith

JD

Team Photo Copyright of Louise Hoban

Take 1 promising team of underdogs, mix with one fine established team in a well lit grassy surfaced sprinkled with a salty gale and bake for 90 minutes.

All of these factors were certainly to be found last night with Fisherrow blowing a now infamous Easterly gale. Taking into account the standard of team we were up against calls were made to a couple more experienced players, namely Greig Johnstone and Olsson, and also a shout was sent to Gordon Mackenzie’s mate Lewis a committed shinty player with a pretty in depth defensive knowledge. Despite the predicted high tempo match up ahead we were only able to bring together a squad of 12 due to communication errors and the close proximity to Sunday’s match against Teuchters. The starting 11 consisted of Jacob in goals, in defense (from left to right) J.Dick (captain), Greig Johnstone, Gordon Mackenzie, and Declan Kinsella, in midfield (l-r) Jamie Stevenson, Clarky, Marcin, and Alwyn Flaws, starting up front were Olsson and Val. On the ‘bench’ was Lewis, Gordon’s mate.

Because of the intense nature of the game, the scoreline, and the fact that I missed about 15 minutes getting changed after being subbed off a full match report is near enough impossible. However I will give a bit of a summary. As expected Haddington came right out the traps and turned on the pressure that would inevitably last 90 minutes. The first few attacks could have proved fruitful for HAFC with an ex-Swindon striker lashing in a couple good attempts but Jacob started off as he meant to go on with some truly brilliant saves. A couple more attacks were deftly dealt with and put out for corners and it was from one of these that the deadlock was eventually broken when HAFC stabbed home from a couple yards. The pressure continued with the inimitable winger ‘Jackie’ cuasing me problem after problem with his truly outrageous pace. After a couple similar goals to the first the half time whistle was blown with us sitting in the respectable position of being 3-0 down, which was both evidence of our resilient defence but also evidence of just how wasteful Haddington had been in front of goal spurning many chances.

The second half started off much the same way as the first with VAFC coming under some intense fire that was well dealt with by the comparitively miniscule Declan Kinsella proving himself worthy of the opposition with some strength that must have been unexpected by Haddington. The volleys did put up some fair pressure under the circumstances with newcomer Greig Johnstone coming very close with a brilliant attempt. On the hour mark I gave up the ghost after starting the match far from 100% fit after ruining myself against Teuchters and was substituted for Lewis who put in a worryingly brilliant performance. Eventually the final whistle was blown closing a belter of an affair with Staggs losing 7-0 and matching Musselburgh Windsor U21s pre-season result, which was secretly my target.

To only go down 7-0 against a team containing semi-pros, ex pros and even one ex FC Steaua Bucureşti player with champions league experience (who thankfully was spared this encounter). Despite the result there were some remarkably performances, Jacob put in a consistently good shift between the sticks and despite shipping 7 goals was solid. Gordon Mackenzie put in the usual machinistic performance running down every single ball and doing well pushing forward on a couple of occasions. Lewis must also be noted for his brilliant performance off the bench putting in some excellent decisive tackles, one of which denied a goal for Haddington and was unfortunate to be penalised for a questionable handball. Howeve the one player who walks away with the most glory and the man of the match award is Declan Kinsella who did exceptionally well to deal with players that most 15 years olds under 5ft in height would normally run away requiring a fresh pair of underwear.

Definite positives to be taken from the encounter, and despite coming under fire for going ahead with the fixture I think we will reap the positives from it and we will go into our game against Wester Hailes Batist Church FC and bang in the goals.

Keep the faith

JD

As mentioned previously with a big midweek fixture we were forced to put out a slightly reduced squad having to save some of the boys for Tuesday’s match. As usual everything came together squadwise within the hours/minutes or even seconds before kick off and we had been forced to call upon two new names to wear the famously temporary green and purple of the volleys. With Gordon Mackenzie still a couple days from 100% fitness the decision was made to keep him on the treatment table until Tuesday, shoes inevitably hard to fill Colin Hall of the famous Musselburgh footballing family was called upon to fill in and at 6ft 7ins he promised to give it a pretty good bash. At 5pm we were still without a right winger and with Ken Dick still building up to a full 90 minutes we were forced to scour the phonebook and call upon an old St Dave’s chum Matthew Smith, who’s dad famously hit the bar for Whitehill Welfare against Celtic at Easter Road and went for a pint with Pierre Van Hooijdonk afterwards.

Once again sticking to the familiar 4-4-2 with a Mixu Paateleinen based midfield full of ball players we were set out to play some slick football. Calling upon fan’s favourite Mike Kinsella in goals, with (left to right) J.Dick (captain), Colin Hall, Marcin, and Declan Kinsella playing in defense. Our selection of midfielders included (l-r) Matty Tulloch, Clarky, Ryan Mckenna, and newcomer Matthew Smith, and playing in front of them were firm Fisherraw friends Owen Kinsella and Calum Day, and Ken Dick started on the bench. With a bumper crowd of 11 watching (4 of which were in the New St three tier grand stand) we were ready to go….as soon as Owen and Mike showed up at 7:02pm after some equipment location issues.

Due to some difficulties booking a referee we turned to up and coming certified whistler David Doig who got the game underway on a wild Fisherrow night. Teuchters kicked off and put us under some immediate early pressure winning a bewildering five corners and hitting the bar once from these with Mike Kinsella putting in a sterling performance worthy of a man twice his height to divert most of these over the bar. However the last of these corners broke to the edge of the box and an intense scramble ensued and the men in black soon stabbed home from a couple of yards out narrowly beating Mike to the bottom left corner. VAFC returned the pressure with a heavy push but with the wind blowing against us the usual over the top through balls were coming to no avail with the ball usually breaking back into the middle of the park. The advantage was soon doubled after such a situation lead to a fast Teuchters break that left the Volley’s defence for dead. With the scoreline at 2-0 to the visitors it could have been easy for the heads to drop but the pride in a green and purple heart is far too great for such folly. Half time only a matter of minutes away it was evident that a goal for VAFC was both required and in the pipeline, however an unfortunate stain on an otherwise good performance from Dave Doig saw a blatant offside not given and the visitors took full advantage to stick home an illegitimate third. With one last chance to break Teuchters down before half time the Volleys were forced to turn up the heat with some smooth ball play from wing to wing. Eventually an error was forced and one of the visiting centre halves believed it was safe to play the ball back to the replacement for the infamous Richie Bartsch, however little did he know Owen was lurking behind him, and in true smash and grab style nicked the ball picked his spot and belted home to open the account for Staggs and bring him within two goals of scooping twenty quid from me.

With the half time whistle came a sense of contentment after a good first half played into some strong wind. The message was very much clear, more of the same. After some intelligent play being spoiled by the prevailing Easterly wind it was time for Staggs to ‘Go West’ and attack with the wind very much in their sails. Petshop Boys references over it was time to get express ourselves, create the space, know we can win and not give up the chase (free pint for whoever gets the reference here, answers on a postcard please).

Time to put the foot to the floor and take advantage of the wind that had caused so much havoc in the first time. 3 goals required, 45 minutes to do it we got right out the traps gaining several yards with some crafty play between the wingers and central midfielders. 10 minutes into the second half Matthew Smith was substituted for Ken Dick. The ball eventually broke to Clarky on the edge of the box after a slick one-two move between him and Owen Kinsella and he lashed a terrific shot in on the second choice keeper that was aptly put out for a corner by a visiting centre half. A perfect chance to make advantage of the wind with a delicately placed inswinging ball from Clarky that found the head of Matty Tulloch at the right post leaving him to simply nod it in to bring the Volley’s right back into the game. Teuchters fought valiantly against the wind but balls delivered into their right winger, either named Fluffy or Duffy, were mopped up effectively by Tulloch and myself. One of these balls lead to a moment that proved to me just how much I’ve come on since December. After dealing with a goal kick coming in on my wing I controlled the ball and belted up the left wing jinking it past 1 man, nutmegging a second, and dummying a third and then playing the ball into Ryan Mckenna in the middle. Unfortunately this moment came to no avail but its made a huge impact on my confidence. Shortly after this we advanced up the right wing with Ryan ‘Georgie Best’ Mckenna gaining significant groung with a brilliant run into the middle of the park and laying the ball on for Calum Day who squared to Owen Kinsella within the 18 yard box. Owen deftly turned the visiting defender and wrongfooted the keeper to equalise and take him a perilous single goal from me being twenty quid lighter. At 3-3 I would have gladly paid the Earth for Owen to make his hat trick and secure us the win. The game was now well and truly on and after scoring 3 goals without reply we definitely had the upper hand to continue the big push. After several good attempts that saw Clarky come close twice from long range it was soon time for the Volleys to nab the lead that was coming. Reverting to the familiar over the top through balls that were hemmed back by the ensuing gale Ryan Mckenna spotted Clarky on his way into the box and played a perfectly time long ball over the top for Clarky to dummy a shot and leave two defenders for dead and then belt in to make it 4-3. Everybody went absolutely wild after gaining a lead and the celebrations couldn’t even be sullied by the appearance of maroon underneath the delicately woven silk of Clarky’s green and purple stripes. Shortly after this goal we pushed up for a fifth with a driving run through the middle from myself that was met with a 50-50 challenge by one of Teuchters burly central midfielders. For some bizarre reason he took exception to this and decided to lash out with a push, unfortunately I returned the push, which was switly followed by another push from the black shirted vagabond and some harsh words, but thankfully I laughed in his face and walked away. However, the last laugh was still to come. With Dave Doig announcing 2 minutes to play an intense midfield battle ensued, amongst the chaos came a prospective long ball from Teuchters that was mopped up by Colin Hall who marshalled it back to Mike Kinsella. Mike pounced on the ball to hold it for the remaining seconds but sadly the ball squirted from underneath him leaving the Teuchters centre forward to slot home into an empty net. 4-4. Absolute heartache for the impressive VAFC and an unfrotunate blemish on an otherwise tremendous performance from the ever solid Mike.

The resilience shown by Staggs was enough to make any team proud battling back from a 3-0 defeceit to lead 4-3 but as is well known this is a cruel but beautiful game. The result itself however stands out as staggs longest unbeaten streak now stretching to 2 whole games, both of which could have gone the way of the men from Fisherrow. The disappointment is a factor but every single player can walk away from the match feeling total pride and a slight sense of being robbed. As previously mentioned Mike Kinsella put in a stellar performance and did well to cope with Teuchters barrage of corners. Defensively this was one of the best games we have played and shows great promise for our ultimate defensive task against Haddington AFC. With another blinding performance from the young Declan Kinsella mopping up everything on the right wing, despite being half the height, weight, and age of all the attackers he faced. An impressive pair of performances from Colin ‘Coco’ Hall and Marcin kept everything well tight in the middle dealing well with the blitz of long balls from Teuchters. For once I can include myself in this round up with what was described by Mike Kinsella as ‘arguably your (my) best performance in a Staggs shirt to date). Ryan Mckenna kept up his reputation of delicate play and good link with the forwards to provide service for two of the four goals scored tonight and debutant Matthew Smith did will to service Ryan and track back to provide cover for the advancing Declan Kinsella. Matty Tulloch was absolutely incredible on the left wing and its a total pleasure to play on the same wing as him and watch as he wins every single goal kick. Calum Day was particularly unlucky not to open his goalscoring account last night and worked well with Owen constantly getting involved showing a massive markup in fitness and pace. Owen Kinsella continued to add to his outstanding goalscoring record with a quality brace despite being under the kosh of a big knee injury, however he has paid the price and will probably never walk again. Ken Dick did well after coming off the bench and showed massive industry and was extremely unfortunate not to score with the Teuchters keeper caught napping. Man of the match award has to go to Clarky for rifling in a brilliant goal that could have proved truly vital. On top of this brilliant goal was some genius build up play and always knowing where the other players were, and also playing in a simply fantastic corner for Tulloch’s goal.

After and incredible performance from a fairly weakened team it would be easy to take the foot off the pedal and relax but we still have it all to do when we face our biggest challenge yet against Haddington Athletic tomorrow night at 7.30pm at Fisherrow. I’m also able to announce another fixture for a week today the 30th of March also at 7.30 pm at Fisherrow against Wester Hailes Baptist Church, more build up to follow.

I trust I will see you there.

Keep the faith

JD

Fisherrow was in peculiarly good nick after some promising weather, but some particularly inclement weather was forecast for during the game, including wintery showers. It was really good to see pitch 1 back in action too with an earlier kick off fully underway upon my arrival to Fisherrow, the true home for any Musselburgh based team.

After our truly dreadful result against The God Squad the decision had been made to ring in the changes. A few new faces were brought in to assess if they were going to be able to fill in gaps in the squad and do us a job. With Mike Kinsella ruled out due to work commitments we brought in the first of two new Polish signings Jacob, a goalkeeper of particularly good repute who played despite an injury, albeit completely off his nut on painkillers. The other of these was a tall physical central defender called Andy, like Jacob Andy is one of Marcin’s mates that had been drafted in to fill in for unavailable players. With all of our centre-halves ruled out due to injury and sickness Owen called upon the first of two brother to make their debuts against the Witchery. An experienced player at under-21 level Joey was willing to slot in at centre half and we were fully confident he would be a suitable player to fill the shoes of Plockton’s favourite son Gordon Mackenzie. Joey’s brother Yorkie was drafted in at left-mid with promise of industry, creative play, and the ability to track back.

Sticking to what we know we went again with the flat 4-4-2 that looked set to reap success due to a far stronger midfield contingent. In goal as I have already mentioned was Jacob, in defence (from left to right) J. Dick (captain), Joey, Marcin, D. Kinsella, in midfield (l-r); Yorkie, Clarky, R. Mckenna, O. Kinsella, and finally starting up front were Val and Tulloch. Starting on the bench were; Calum Day, Ken Dick, and Andy. With our new Polish contingent came a small following consisting mainly of Marcin’s sisters, and Damo Scott and Dougie Todman, good chums of mine from St Daves had made the epic journey from Morningside and Loanhead respectively to watch the game. Big Gordon also managed to fire down, but purely as a spectator (or did he…).

The game soon got underway with man in the middle Chris Muir conducting the pleasantries. 1811 Witchery kicked off the match but posession was soon regained by VAFC. From this point we got straight into a positive start making some brilliant flowing play in the middle of park inevitably leading to some smart through balls and a couple threatening attempts. With some clever early pressure it didn’t take long for Staggs to open the account for the evening with an attack that began as many did with Tulloch winning the ball in the middle of the park from a goal kick. Some deft movement in midfield eventually lead to Ryan “Georgey Best” Mckenna jinking his way past a couple of blue shirts and eventually playing a superb through ball to Yorkie that was chased into the box and put away into the back of the net to give Staggs the psychologically crucial lead. Play resumed again much as it had started with a couple good attacks from Staggs but it was soon time for the Witchery to turn up the heat with some intelligent play leading to a shot from within the 18 yard box that saw a truly dreadful scuffed clearance from me that was stabbed home from 6 yards to regain parity. By this point the match was shaping up to be a far more competitive affair than at St David’s and it became evident the tie would be hard to settle. With my confidence at a massive low after being responsible for us conceding our lead I had to keep my head down and power through and make up for such a dire performance. It didn’t take long for me to pick myself up. Within 10 minutes of conceding in such embarrassing fashion I was presented with an option for redemption. Picking up the ball within our half after a Witchery attack I spotted Owen in space on the wing near their 18 yard box. My well timed overhead through ball found Owen in good space and with one touch to control the ball and one touch to take it within range Kinsella sent us back into the lead with a driving shot from tight angle and 20 yards that nestled in the bottom left corner perfectly. If we were able to control the match and go in at half time with the lead in the bag it would have been a perfect start to the game but however it was not to be. Not a bunch to be downhearted the Witchery kept up some good pressure and with an attack down the centre they took the lead again. Joey was unfortunate not to win the ball off the attacking blue shirt with a well timed challenge but the ball broke through and clean through on goal the Witchery converted despite my best attempts to put off the attacker with a blood curdling scream in the earhole.

Half time soon arrived and we were more than happy to in at half time equal after a hard fought half. There was a general feeling that we could have been sitting on a lead but there was no sense of discontent. Despite the battle the first half proved to be most of the lads were in fine fettle, and only Marcin volunteered himself to be substituted for his mate Andy. The message was clear, good first half and just go back out there and continue to play our own brand of football.

The second half was soon underway with fire in our bellies to nick a winner or even open up a lead. The half opened with a blazing shot from Val on the half way line that fell short of goal, but certainly proved useful in getting our players up the park to apply some pressure. We remained consistent and did well to fight off a batch of Witchery attacks, many of which coming from corner kicks that were well defended which was a refreshing thing to see. The play in the middle of the park continued to be creative and the through balls were raining in and Ryan Mckenna was unfortunate to be deemed offside by Chris Muir when played through on goal. There were further chances for each team with the corners continuing to rain in from the Witchery but to no avail. In the last 15 minutes a couple tactical substitutions were made with Val going off for Calum Day, and Yorkie coming off for veteran winger Ken Dick. Both substitutes got involved straight away with Ken making some promising runs about the park and communicating well with the team. Calum also got straight into it winning the ball in the middle of the park a couple of times and playing some intelligent passes. Gordon Mackenzie eventually caved in to the desire for football and got changed out of his civvies into a pair of shorts to come on for the last 10 minutes for Val. Presumably a bad decision for someone that has ruined the cartilege in their knees from being a sporting machine, but nonetheless proving that playing for VAFC is all about the love of football. The pressure was heaped on by both teams looking to steal the proverbial three points but the whistle was soon blown to end a highly entertaining encounter that really could have gone either way.

It was great to pull off a result like this, particularly against a team that only a month ago rifled us 8-0. Lots of positives to be taken, mainly the fresh faces in the side proved very useful additions to the squad and will be called upon in future. One particular negative was the flashpoint that erupted between Declan Kinsella and the boy he was marking. A heated exchange resulted and it was only resolved when I took Declan by the scruff of the neck and told him to drop it, and Chris Muir got involved to discipline the blue shirt involved. Another potential scuffle ensued between Owen Kinsella and his marker after a pretty harsh challenge, but thankfully no cards were shown. There is evidently work to be done regarding discipline but the football that was on display was so promising that it negated all the jiggery pokery that went on during the game.

When it comes to picking a man of the match I am once again totally spoilt for choice due to the marked improvement in play. Jacob was totally solid in goals and despite injury put in an excellent performance. In defence Joey and Declan were well solid and were involved in some great link up play with the midfield. I thoroughly enjoyed my assist to Owens goal as it is the highlight of my career to date, but my name is not in the ring due to my horrific error early in the game. All the midfield can be proud of themselves with great play between Clarky and Ryan Mckenna in the middle. Clarky once again putting in some brilliant crosses, particularly from corners, and Ryan Mckenna maintaining a cool head to display some effective close control that saw me dub him as a dead likeness for George Best. Both wingers proved themselves of immense value, mainly due to them netting a goal each, but also due to some good tracking back and creative through balls. However, scooping the man of the match award for our best team performance yet is Matthew Tulloch. His intensnely industrious play was vital to the success of the team. Happy to come back to the middle of the park to win the ball numerous times from goal kicks but driving forward constantly contributing pricelessly to keep up the pressure required to grab a result

I think it would be reasonable to say the Mulscrew family have been silenced.

Keep the faith,

JD

With Owen having a mild score to settle with The God Squad he had pressed on with team selection and pulled a few strings to pick up some excellent new players. With stalwart Gordon Mackenzie out due to a knee injury (scans still pending) Owen called on an old pal from Luca’s, Gordon Devine to fill the epic chasm left by Musselburgh’s favourite Plocktonian. A very big lad who at times can be spotted chasing an egg arrived with promise to mop up any balls in the air and provide an ample amount of sliding tackles. With Gordon came his mate Adam with a reputation as a good goalkeeper, but willing to do a job at centre half also. The match also provided opportunity to feed in some players for their first appearance after pledging their pub football career to VAFC. Ryan Mckenna was available selection for this match and is part of one of Musselburgh’s famous football families with his father Tony a leading presence at Musselburgh Windsor, and younger brother Michael who served an apprenticeship at Dunfermline. Another promising player that had pledged his future was Mark ‘Perfect Diluting Juice’ Valentine, a technically gifted striker looking to restart his career after a brief hiatus. In order to provide ourselves with a few defensive options Owen called upon the services of Paul, his sister Siobhan’s mate’s Fiancee. Last, but not least is Matthew Tulloch, an experienced, fit, and creative player, happy to do a job almost anywhere on the park. Precisely what we have been looking for.

With a brief window in the weather the match drew a massive crowd of 20 (which includes subs for both teams) on a clear and fresh Fisherrow night. It was good to get a return to action on home turf and it was clear the boys were all up for it. We stuck with the good old flat 4-4-2 with Ciaran Mulgrew hitting the sticks, (from right to left) Declan Kinsella, Adam, Gordon Devine, and myself Joe Dick (captain) making up a physically solid back four with plenty of height. In midfield were Kaz, Derek, Clarky, Owen Kinsella, and up front were Tulloch and Val. With a pretty large subs bench we had depth in the squad consisting of; Paddy Gauson, Calum Day, Paul and Ryan Mckenna. For once we were able to line up with 11 men at kick off without having to wait on anybody and the match got underway with the God Squad winning the toss and choosing to give us centre. The match started well with some tremendous early pressure from us focused mainly down the right wing Kinsella partnership. The through balls were flowing and we had a couple good chances. However it didn’t take long before we were caught napping at the back and The God Squad took the lead through a curling effort from the right flank that eventually nestled in the top left corner. It was crucial for us to keep the heads up and we resumed the game just as we had started it but again got caught out after a long spell of pressure that saw a sparkling white shirt skip past big Gordon and slot home to extend the lead to 2-0. Psychologically we were in a truly fragile position, continue the push and risk conceding could prove fatal, however sitting back and accepting a 2-0 loss would be utterly useless. At such an early stage we continued the pressure seeing the ball switch from wing to wing and a couple brilliant runs that should have lead to goals for the Volleys. The God Squad made a quick break that lead to a real goalmouth scramble, I thought I had it truly dealt with but my clearance was totally dreadful and The God Squad rifled home from a yard. Probably the worst moment of my career so far and somemthing that I really have to work on. At 3-0 down after 25 minutes or so it was time to push the gung-ho button and try and pull at least a couple goals back before the break. With some deliciously delicate play between Declan, Clarky, and Owen, the ball was sent through on the right wing where Owen picked it up, carried a few yards, dropping a shoulder to beat 2 players and then belting it home from a tight angle and 25 yards. A truly excellent team goal with a superb finish from Kinsella. This goal had a massively galvanising effect on the team and we retrieved posession shortly after kick off. A brilliant move up the left wing with some delicate passing saw the God Squad put the ball out for a corner. A great inswinging ball from Clarky was cleared out for another corner, and he followed it up with a carbon copy ball that lead to an epic goalmouth scramble. With a couple of gilt-edge chances we should have nicked a goal, but the biggest disappointment from this move came when a crystal clear handball was not given. To pick up a penalty to make it 3-2 just before half time would have completely changed the face of the game and I feel this was a really significant moment in the game and it blighted an otherwise spotless record for our whistler Mr Cochrane. Before the break we saw a couple of pretty dreadful defensive errors that allowed The God Squad to extend their lead by another 2 goals to make it 5-1 at half time. It was glaringly evident that something had to be done at half time.

Learning from previous tactical errors I made certain we didn’t change the formation as it was only necessary for a change of personnel. With Ciaran Mulgrew blatantly refusing to play another second in goals we were forced to put Adam in goals, I had to fill in at centre back and Paddy Gauson deputised again at left back. With Declan Kinsella picking up a knock to his back in the first half he had to come off in exchange for Paul. Suffering from below match fitness Mark Valentine was substituted for Calum Day. Clarky, another casualty of fitness was swapped for debutante Mckenna and we were able to retain our shape for the second half. Adam in Goals, in defence (r-l) Paul, Gordon, Joe Dick (captain), Paddy Gauson, in midfield (r-l) Owen Kinsella, Derek, Ryan Mckenna, Kaz, Forwards, Calum and Tulloch.

The second half started dreadfully. From kick off their number 8 Eebzy (unsure about the spelling) planed straight through the centre and once again slotted home from close range into the bottom left corner that Adam would have been lucky to get to. It was pretty clear at this stage we  had to go at this match all guns blazing in a brave attempt to try and restore any pride. The push continued and we conceded 2 further pretty sloppy goals from close range. At 7-1 down things couldn’t seem to get much worse, until big Gordon injured himself and had to go off. I was forced to pull Derek back from centre-mid and brought Mulgrew on for Gordon. This decision did actually prove fruitful as Mulgrew keen to impress finished off a brilliant move in similar fashion to Owen’s earlier goal. A definite morale boost and signs of promise for the future. For some reason this goal didn’t have the effect it should have and the team became pretty unstable, with people making their own substitutions the formation soon went to the dogs and at times we were left with only 3 at the back. I eventually found myself at right back due to the injured Gordon deciding he was sound and Paul subbing himself for Gordon. With such drastic instability it should come as no surprise that we went on to concede an astonishing 5 further goals, most of which again were from close range and the sense of relief at the final whistle was pretty evident. 12-2, a 10 goal defeat, definitely something hard to take inspiration or positives from, but surprisingly there were.

The biggest positive I’m taking from this is the expansion of the squad and rooting out some talent. We managed to discover Adam, a fairly poor centre half, but a pretty good goalkeeper with the height and bravery to go with it. Gordon Devine proved a useful addition with his height and fearless challenges, his only downside being occasional lapses of concentration. Tulloch also proved his worth with excellent technical ability and the fitness to prove himself a consistent nuisance for defenders for the entire 90 minutes. Ryan Mckenna put in a good shift in the middle of the park, winning balls in the air despite his height, and playing some excellent balls from the centre midfield. As expected Val caused problems for the God Squad defence with a good performance laced with trickery and a physical presence. Last but not least is Paul, an extremely handy option at full back that will be called upon in future.

Another positive is the networking due to this game. Picking up a contact for Stevie Cochrane the referee who put in a pretty good performance and stamped his authority on the game and didnt stand for any nonsense from players. The other handy contact established is Paul Harkins the gaffer of Musselburgh Baptist FC and we will definitely be calling on them again for a friendly when they aren’t on league business.

As far as picking a man of the match I would probably nominate Eebzy for his pacey, technical performance that saw him constantly skipping past defenders and causing some real problems. Staggs most valuable player is once again a difficult choice to make, firstly because of the result of the match, but secondly and most importantly because of the variety of good performances out there. Gordon Devine did put in a pretty excellent performance for his debut but due to some lapses in concentration loses out on the award. Paddy Gauson is another contender with some brilliant runs from left back and mopping up many attacks, but also working well with myself to provide cover for each other. I could easily pick out any body from the midfield as there was some tremendous play amongst them and they all serviced the forwards well with some excellent through balls. Tulloch made a brilliant debut notable for his selfless play and was unfortunate not to score when he hit both posts with a brilliant effort. Mulgrew’s contribution is also duly noted for finishing off a well worked move with a curling right foot strike from the edge of the box that found its way into the top right corner. Declan Kinsella must also be noted for his quality workmanship and creation of an almost flawless partnership with his brother, but it is Owen who swipes the award for a brilliant shift over 90 minutes and a remarkable 25 yard strike to go with the partnership with Declan.

With the benefit of hindsight I can say that we were pretty unfortunate to lose by such a huge margin as they finished most of their goals within 10 yards, and we also heaped on the pressure from start to finish and if it wasn’t for a few unfortunate errors at the back and the penalty decision it could have been a very different story. However we have to continue to march onwards and upwards, at this stage im just happy to get games in and have them go ahead, and its pretty clear we are building towards a bright future with a good squad and a fair passion for the club building up.

Keep the faith,

JD