Green Briar O30's 2:1 Marblehead
The business end of the season kicked off at O'Connell Park in Watertown on a bright summer New England morning. Carrying a few injuries in the squad Gary Keane still had plenty of talent to choose from on the day.
The Briar dominated possession and spent most of the early exchanges in the Marblehead half. However as with so many other weeks this season the final product was not there and in fact the Marblehead keeper had little to do. Plenty of good positions came to nothing when our crosses were just not right or our deliveries over the top skipped to safety.
The best chance for the Greens fell to Michael Graham who got on the end of a Leo O'Connor cross only to see his close range header blocked off the line.
Disaster struck after 30 minutes when against the run of play Marblehead took the lead. A high ball towards the Briar penalty area looked to be under control. Conor Hannick calmly flicked the ball back to his keeper with his head only to find his net minder had also come to claim the high ball. The result being a soft own goal and a gift for Marblehead who had created little on their own.
The Briar definitely lost some shape after this set back and were very lucky to avoid going further behind. Tom McElwain came to the rescue with a last ditch block inside the 6 yard box. The ricocheted shot found the side netting as the Briar got away with one.
The second half saw just the reaction that Gary would have wanted. The players showed much more purpose and endeavour in the final third and the equalizer finally came from a reliable source. John O'Brien stood up an inviting ball into the box from the right wing and Leo O'Connor rose high to bury a great header.
With plenty of time remaining the Greens felt confident that a winner was there for the taking. As the pressure continued to mount on the Marblehead goal the ball was smashed home in emphatic fashion. Davey Coen beat two in the middle of the park and drove towards goal, drawing a third defender he slipped the ball right into the path of Leo O'Connor. From a relatively tight angle Leo cruched a shot that went through the keeper's hands and high into the net.
There was still time for one more dangerous break by Marblehead, the attacker getting behind the defense only to be brought down by the Briar keeper just outside the box. A lucky break for the team as a penalty shout rung around the ground. With a straight red card the punishment for the infraction, John Hickey stepped up to deputise in goal. John had a great game overall and his willingness to play anywhere on the park for his side is commendable.
The ensuing freekick came to nothing which allowed the Briar to roll into the playoff final next week and one step closer to their ultimate goal for the season. There were big performances throughout the side including John Hickey and Conor Hannick at the back, Gavin Hall in the middle, John Flannery patrolling the wing and John O'Brien hussling up top. But it would be the combination of Davey Coen and Leo O'Connor that tipped the balance and sent us marching to the final.
Line Up: Kelly(RC), Glynn, Hickey, Hannick, McElwain(c), Flannery, Joyce, Coen, Graham, Hall(YC), O'Connor Subs: O'Donnell, Keane, O'Brien(YC), McDonagh, Bagnell, Nassar, Shursky
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