Away win for Briar

West Africans United 0:2 Green Briar FC

Green Briar FC made a successful first trip to Lowell this season, taking a 2:0 victory over newly promoted West Africans United at LeBlanc Park.

A horrendous playing surface and poorly marked field made for a difficult day for all players, but particularly keepers and defenders who needed to keep their shape and concentration level high.

Playing five across midfield, the Briar were successful in clogging the middle of the park and meeting the stern physical challenge posed by the West Africans team. Chances were restricted to long range efforts and set pieces in the opening half as players settled into their rhythm.

Recognizing that the Greens were growing into the game as time wore on, captain Tom Caldwell showed a terrific example by dominating midfield and opening the scoring. A strike from 20 yards out was too much for the West African keeper to deal with as he let it bounce over an attempted dive and into the corner. Having a low setting sun in his eyes didn't help either.

As the second half continued, the physical challenges were flying in. A West African player received his marching orders for a blatant stomp on Gary Clarke following a tough tackle.

The Briar goal was rarely threatened with any clear cut chances and the game was eventually put out of reach by Eamonn McCarney. A long clearance by Peter Dupuis in the Briar goal wasn't dealt with properly by the West Africans. McCarney stole in behind the defender to collect the ball and slot a terrific shot into the corner.

With the games coming thick and fast these days, next up is a mid-week clash with Albania United followed by a game versus Olympiakos at the weekend.

Line-Up: Dupuis, Roux, Doonan, Hennessy, Clarke, McLoughlin, Hardy, McGuinness, Caldwell, Claus, Sexton, McCarney, Nguyen, De'Pieri, Beausang, Samati, Altidore

Slippery Nipple, Jager Bomb, Kamikazee

Green Briar O30s 2:2 Dover-Sherborn

As the title of this blog post suggests, the Green Briar made a hatrick of monumental (shot worthy) mistakes in this game, as they well and truly blew what seemed to be a comfortable 2-0 half time lead. Against a team that shouldn't even have been in the game by the second half, the Briar gifted their opponents two soft goals that they hardly deserved.

Starting brightly, the Greens rushed into a 2-0 lead through a pair of goals crafted by Brian McGuinness and finished with aplomb by Michael Graham and Leo O'Connor. Graham nodded home the first and also went close with a long range effort that seemed to catch the keeper napping. Honourary Captain Leo O'Connor finished crisply for the second, picking up a nice through ball from McGuinness following decent hold up play by Graham.

 Honourary Captain Leo O'Connor

The second half was delporable however. Lacking shape, and general composure on the ball the Greens allowed Dover back into the game.

A round of "Slippery Nipples" is owed by Paul Glynn as he allowed himself to get involved in a tussle for position in the box resulting in a soft penalty.

Later on, the "Jager Bombs" came courtesy of Conor Hannick and Jason Sullo who got themselves in a right mess from a simple Dover clearance over the top. Hannick, under pressure and facing his own goal only succeeded in passing the ball back sharply, past an on rushing Sullo and into his own net. Lack of communication all around.

Finally, the "Kamikazee" David Coen received his marching orders after getting the final word in a midfield battle that had been going on all day. A straight red card for a scything challenge on his opposite number that was the culmination of a chippy affair between the pair.

Two points thrown away could prove costly, but with 6 games left the Briar have time to right the ship.

Line Up: Fallon, Glynn, Concagh, Hannick, Higgins, O'Donnell, Hall, Coen, McGuinness, Graham, O'Connor, J Nolan, P Nolan, Kilber-Stearns, McKenna, Daly, Mikaelian, McElwain, Goin

Horse's Ass Nominees

Here we are, not even out of April and we have 2 candidates for the Horse's Ass Award already.

1. Joe Nolan, against Fernandes in New Bedford, the Waterford man proved he isn't even a distant relation to a Gaelic Footballer. Displaying his prowess at kicking the ball out of his hands, he succeeded in kicking the ball out of the ground, over the fence, over a line of trees, over another fence, and into an adjacent garden.

2. John Hickey, the Cork man showed a wanton neglect for club property by leaving the gear after him at training. Making A$$umptions that others would pick up the slack after him is simply not good enough and could have cost the club another set of gear.

FA Cup Minutes Pool

Green Briar FC is running a "1st goal" minutes pool for the FA Cup final, Chelsea vs. Liverpool which will take place on May 5th.

1. People can buy an envelope containing a random minute of the game for $10.

2. If you get minute 45 or 90, that includes any stoppage time as well.
3. One envelope will contain the special case of a scoreless draw after 90 minutes.
4. If the first goal is scored in your minute, you win $400.
5. If the games is scoreless after regulation (90min), the person holding the scoreless draw wins the $400 in the case of any goal in Extra Time or a Penalty Shoot-Out.

If you have any interest in buying a minute (while we still have some left), contact Michael Graham or Leo O'Connor.

We'll be doing the same sort of pool for the Champions League final on May 19th if you miss out this time around.

Big win for MSSL side

Green Briar FC 7:1 Canon Sportif

A miserably wet and wind swept Columbus Park in South Boston was the venue for the much awaited MSSL opener for the Briar versus an under strength Canon Sportif side. The players were eager to start their campaign off on the right note and despite Canon being short handed a job still needed to be done.

Eamonn

The Briar managed to rack up seven goals from seven separate players but also suffered one blotch on their copybook on the afternoon with Canon spoiling the cleansheet just after the break.

The pick of the goals was a tremendously struck free kick from the cultured left boot of Gary Clarke. The ball was delivered with such authority that whatever rain lay clinging to the net when the ball reached the top corner was dispatched into a thin mist above the goal.

Brian and Valerie

Others on the score sheet were Brian Claus, Gary Hennessy, Braima Samati, Eamonn McCarney, Tom Caldwell and Keith McLoughlin.

Next up for the Briar will be a trip to Lowell to face West Africans United. A strong physical challenge awaits this coming weekend.

Michael and Joe

Line-Up: De'Pieri, Roux, Doonan, Hennessy, Clarke, McLoughlin, McGuinness, Caldwell, Miller, Claus, Samati, Jones, McCarney, Nguyen, Mullane

Training & Upcoming Games

Training
Wed Apr 25th: ( 5:45PM Start-Time@ Burr Playground)

For games, please bring mass registration and be at the venue no later that
30 minutes in advance of kick-off.

OTH League Game 4
Sun Apr 29th: Green Briar O30 vs Dover-Sherborn ( 9:00AM Kick-Off @ Filippello Park)

MSSL League Game 2
Sun Apr 29th: West Africans United vs Green Briar FC ( 4:00PM Kick-Off @ LeBlanc Park)

MSSL League Game 3
Wed May 2nd: Albania United SC vs Green Briar FC ( 7:30PM Kick-Off @ Moakley Stadium)

The good, the bad and the ugly of the O30's

Fernandes 3:3 Green Briar O30s

After taking the lead early in the second half, the Briar shipped three goals in quick succession before steadying the ship to come back and earn their second consecutive point on the road. A point that sees them keep pace with the leaders in Division 4S, but a point that so easily could have been three.

Despite the 60 mile trek and 8:30am kick off, the Briar players came out strong, seemingly learning from the harsh lessons of the poor start from the previous week. "Crossbar Challenge" Hickey (or CC for short) was particularly inspired, tormenting the Fernandes defense time and again. On more than one occasion he found himself racing in on goal, but unfortunately as his name suggests on more than one occasion he was unable to find the net.

Enjoying the majority of the possession in the first, the Briar were unlucky not to break the deadlock, but as is always in these games the defense needed to be vigilant also. "El Gato" Fallon produced a wonderful save from a point blank shot just before the break to insure the first half ended goalless.

The second half goal blitz was started by the Briar. Gavin Hall and Michael Graham combined to slip Leo O'Connor in behind the Fernandes defense. O'Connor strode in on goal and clipped the ball home for the 1-0 lead.

What happened next must have cost Gary Keane whatever non-grey hair he had left. The Briar conceded three unanswered goals, two of which came from set pieces the dreaded Achilles Heel of the team, and the other from a sloppy cross field pass that led to indecision amongst the Briar defenders.

The team showed great character however, conjuring up two goal in the remaining 20 minutes to secure a point. Firstly, Brian McGuinness curled in a nice free kick that David Coen managed to break for himself and blast home.

Secondly, as time was expiring, Leo O'Connor completed his brace. Once again McGuinness was the provider finding O'Connor in the box who turned to curl a superb shot into the top left hand corner of the net.

A much improved performance from the Green who still remain unbeaten, but Keane's men will feel it was two points dropped towards their goal of promotion. With four of six teams deadlocked on 5 point at the top of Division 4S, it is still all to play for in the coming weeks.

Line Up: Fallon, Glynn, Concagh, Hannick, Higgins, O'Donnell, Hall, Coen, Graham, Hickey, O'Connor, J Nolan, P Nolan, Kilber-Stearns, McKenna, Daly, McGuinness, McElwain

Games this week

Please be at the field at least 30 minutes in advance of Kick Off

OTHSL O30 League Game 3
Sun Apr 22nd: Fernandes vs Green Briar O30 ( 8:30AM Kick-Off @ Roosevelt Middle School)

MSSL League Game 1
Sun Apr 22nd: Green Briar FC vs Canon Sportif ( 3:00PM Kick-Off @ Joe Moakley Grass)

New Kit



Hard earned point for Over 30's

F.F.C. 2:2 Green Briar O30s

Twice coming from behind, the Briar earned a hard fought away point against D4 rivals F.F.C. in Easton MA. The players should feel that they left the 3 points after themselves however, as a couple of great chances from close range were not converted.

Diran Balekian scored on his debut to cancel out an early strike from F.F.C and Kevin Higgins defied gravity to rise high and flick home a corner after the Briar had fallen behind on a second occasion.

A bobbling pitch and an extra early start could be blamed for a notoriously sluggish start from the Greens but since those factors were the same for both sides it can hardly be an excuse. F.F.C.'s early dominance was capitalized upon when a long range effort found the top corner beyond the dive of Paul Fallon in goal.

Later in the half Michael Graham sent a ball off the crossbar when an attempted header from Leo O'Connor broke kindly to him. The effort will go down as a glaring miss from 6 yards out however, as it looked like it was easier to score. That chance capped an overall poor performance from the Limerick man.

In contrast, Diran Balekian and Kevin Higgins put in great shifts and were rewarded with terrific goals. John Hickey sent in a cross from the left which Leo O'Connor once again challenged in the box. The breaking ball was finished with aplomb by the Armo.

After falling behind early in the second half to a 2nd ball rebound in the box following a free kick which Jason Sullo could only parry, it was up to Kevin Higgins to salvage the point. A series of in-swinging corners from David Coen resulted in Higgins flicking one of them home with a skillful back header. Who says having a head shaped like a 50 pence piece isn't useful.

Brian McGuinness popped up at the back post late on and met another corner with a solid volley. But for the defender at the back post the Briar would have gotten out of Dodge with all 3 points. As it is they sit atop of D4, tied with their opponents of the day on 4 points. 

Line Up: Fallon, Glynn, Concagh, Hannick, Higgins, O'Donnell, Hall, Coen, Graham, Hickey, O'Connor, Sullo, J Nolan, Goin, Kilber-Stearns, McKenna, Daly, McGuinness

Training next week

Training will be held on Wednesday Apr 11th at 5:45PM.

Burr Playground (Map)

Waverley Ave

Newton MA 02458

Briar crowned 2012 Boston Irish Cup Champions

Green Briar FC 5:1 Paddy Barry's

Green Briar Captain and cup final 'Man of the Match' Tom Caldwell broke the deadlock early-on against Paddy Barry's to set his team on the road to their first trophy of the season. Tom was an inspiration to his teammates, leading by example and putting in a typically dominant and tenacious display in midfield.

Green Briar FC: (Back) Altidore, Hennessy, Caldwell, Clarke, Doonan, Coen, De'Pieri

(Front) Sexton, McCarney, O'Connor, McLoughlin, McGuinness, Roux

Mickey Sexton wasn't bad either, securing the match ball with a cup final hatrick, a collectors item in any footballer's career. Leo O'Connor secured the other strike with a superb run and cheeky flick past the on-rushing Paddy Barry's keeper to round off a terrific result for the Greens.

Paddy Barry's

Despite the scoreline on the night, the path to the trophy wasn't an easy one. The Briar seemed to grow into the competition gradually, securing a pair of draws during group play and a narrow 2-1 victory over Kendall A at the semi final stage.

Mark Stokes presents the cup to Briar captain Tom Caldwell

The Briar had a strong team available for selection and with 12 outfield players to choose from Joe Nolan and Michael Graham could afford the luxury of two hockey style lines of players. The team hardly skipped a beat as the talent on the line equalled that of the players on the pitch.

Green Briar FC celebrate with sponsor Dessie Kerins

Assists on the night came from a variety of players. Davey Coen setup Caldwell for the opener, while his midfield partner Brian McGuinness (fresh off of a flight from DC) provided the service for Mickey Sexton's first. The back line were also solid contributors going forward. Fernando De'Pieri sent a long ball over the top for Sexton to grab his brace before Gary Hennessy later turned provider for the hatrick goal.

Managers Joe Nolan and Michael Graham

Colin Roux

Leo O'Connor scored the pick of the goals on the night after he latched onto a through ball from Emmett Doonan and sent a deft flick over the advancing keeper for the silky finish. In fact Leo, along with Michael Graham were the only members of the club on the night that had been involved in the 2009 winning side. Testament to how the club has grown and changed over the years.

Keith McLoughlin

Leading 3-0 at the break, it was looking promising for the Briar. However one had only to look back to the group stage to know that a 3-0 scoreline is nothing in the indoor game. The Briar had managed to relinquish such a lead in their first game versus Bohemians.

Conor Hannick and Yolanda America

The only blotch on the copy book was surrendered just after the break. A Keystone Cops moment in the Briar area resulted in what seemed like a 30 second scramble around the goal mouth before the ball was finally poked home to make the scoreline 3-1. The result on this night would be far different to that from the Bohs tie however.

Peter Miller

Instead of folding or conceding ground and possession, the Briar re-established their foothold in the tie to round out the 5-1 result, and famous victory.

Leo O'Connor

Tastes good from a Waterford Crystal Cup.

Tom Caldwell was charged with raising the coveted crystal trophy and afterwards gave an excellent, all-encompassing speech - Thanking Paddy Barry's for a hard fought match, the Marina Bay Sportsplex facility for the terrific venue, the referee and organizer Mark Stokes for facilitating the event and keeping his cards in his pocket. Above all he thanked our sponsor the Green Briar Pub, represented by General Manager Dessie Kerins who came down to support the side. His managers were so good they didn't require a mention. 

Gary Cassidy

The competition was excellent, displaying all the skill the Irish game in Boston has to offer, and the win serves as a terrific platform for the Briar to enter the MSSL season with confidence.

Line Up: De'Pieri, Hennessy, Clarke, Coen, McGuinness, Caldwell, McLoughlin, McCarney, Doonan, Altidore, O'Connor, Roux, Sexton

What's up for grabs tomorrow night...

The Boston Irish Cup

Games and Training this week

Over 30 Training will be held on Wednesday Apr 4th at 5:30PM.

Burr Playground (Map)

Waverley Ave

Newton MA 02458

Also....

Boston Irish Cup Final
Wed Apr 4th: Paddy Barry's vs Green Briar FC ( 7:00PM Kick-Off @ Marina Bay)

Winning start for Over 30's

Medfield 0:1 Green Briar O30s

A solitary goal from David Coen in the second half was all that was required to secure 3 points and a winning start to the 2012 spring campaign for the Briar. Leo O'Connor supplying the assist with a lay-off to the edge of the box which Coen placed into the corner with an excellent side footed shot.

Coen was perhaps man of the match as he could have secured a hatrick on the day. Similar second half efforts from the edge of the box went just over and cannoned off the post respectively.

Michael Graham spurned a terrific chance to open the scoring early on. An excellent cross from Paul Glynn found Graham unmarked at the back post. His header only found the side netting, and was definitely a chance he would like back. Continuing their dominance in the game, Dan Kilber-Stearns found himself with a carbon copy of Graham's chance. His effort was no better however.

Leo O'Connor was bright in his play up front. A slaloming run in the first half saw him poke the ball past a diving keeper. The keeper made strong contact with O'Connor after the ball was away but the penalty shout was inexplicably waved off.

After the break it was more of the same from the Briar. Medfield were finding it hard to create clear cut chances and the Briar were enjoying a lion's share of the possession. Early in the second half Conor Bagnell was carted off with a nasty injury. A suspected sprained knee for the Middleton man, and let's hope it is nothing worse.

A clean sheet shared by Fallon and Sullo between the sticks was a welcome sight for Gary Keane and his men, something that couldn't be done all of the fall season last year.

Line Up: Fallon, Glynn, Keane, Hannick, McElwain, O'Donnell, Hall, Coen, Graham, Hickey, O'Connor, Sullo, Higgins, J Nolan, Goin, Concagh, Kilber-Stearns, Bagnell, P Nolan