Another draw gives Briar a chance to progress

Green Briar FC 2:2 Kendall Wanderers B

The Briar twice came from behind to secure their second point in the Boston Irish Cup and with it a chance to progress to the semi's. Any result but a high scoring draw between Bohemians and Kendall on the 26th March will all but ensure the Briar progresses to the knockout stage.

New Over 30's signing Jason Sullo started in goal and marshaled his defense very well in the opening half. Janak Altidore also made his debut with the Briar in an impressive display at the back.

The deadlock was broken by Kendall however, as yet again the Briar fell victim to a penalty shout. A late challenge was punished with the spot kick and Kendall made no mistake in converting.

Big man Colin Goin restored parity soon after when he took up a somewhat unorthodox role as striker. A typically barreling run saw him create a nuisance of himself in the box which allowed him to finish high into the net from close range.

The second half saw Gary Hennessy deputize between the sticks and he performed excellently, turning a couple of close range shots over the bar and completing numerous kick saves. Having Gary back there allowed for plenty of build up play from the back as he picked the right pass to setup an attack on more than one occasion.

Kendall yet again took the lead in the second half. A break down the right hand side resulted in an inviting squaring pass that was finished well. The game was a tight affair and it would take plenty of effort and all Briar players to get the equalizer.

Gary Clarke was the man who put the finishing touch on a Briar move that ensured a share of the spoils. Clarke had an impressive game, covering ground in the back, in midfield, and also coming up with the timely goal.

With 2 points in the bag the Briar are still in the competition and hope to progress to the semi's if the remaining fixture goes their way.

In Group A, Groton House suffered a tough 3-0 loss to Paddy Barry's thus eliminating them from the tournament.

Line Up: Sullo, Hennessy, Clarke, Coen, Altidore, Hardy, Roux, McLoughlin, Goin, Doonan, McCarney

Pre-Season Loss for Over-30's

Green Briar O30 1:2 International Allstars

The Green Briar Over 30's opened their pre-season with a tough test against International Allstars, a solid D2 outfit. Although the result may not have been to manager Gary Keane's liking, the effort put in by his players must have been satisfactory.

The Over 30's have a lot of work ahead of them in the coming weeks as the season fast approaches. There was plenty of 'rusty' performances put in today, as players' bodies struggled to keep up with their minds after the long winter break.

Some bright spots of note were the welcome return of Joe Nolan into the fray, the introduction of some new players such as McGuinness and Daly and the continuation of Hickey's scoring form in front of goal.

Daly was comfortable in his centre back role and McGuinness had a hand in the Briar goal, springing Michael Graham in the second half with a terrific ball over the top. He in turn set up Hickey for a typically clinical finish. As Hall noted on more than one occasion today..."Not a Keeper in the World...."

In a surprising twist on the day, Usain Bolt took time out of his busy Olympic preparations to partner Hickey up top. However he must have left his track shoes at home on this occasion.

Line Up: Hennessy, Glynn, Concagh, Hannick, McElwain, O'Donnell, Hall, Coen, Graham, Hickey, O'Connor, McGuinness, Higgins, Kilber-Stearns, Bagnell, Daly, Nolan, Vegetti

Briar Let 3-Goal lead slip away in cup

Green Briar FC 4:4 Bohemians

Goals from Tom Caldwell, Keith McLoughlin and a brace from Mickey Sexton were not enough to secure the three points in the Briar's Boston Irish Cup Group B opener. The Greens contrived to squander a comfortable 3-0 half time lead as the seasoned Bohemians players finishing the stronger to earn a valuable point.

Domintating proceeding in the first half and early on after the break, Green Briar were unable to to add to their goals tally. When Bohs pulled one back, the lead quickly began looking particularly fragile. Early season fitness and a lack of match sharpness may have contributed to the disappointing collapse.

When the 3 goal lead finally evaporated the Briar players managed to get their noses in front once more to take a 4:3 lead in the closing minutes. Tom Caldwell's late strike was deflected into the net by Keith McLoughlin as it looked like all would end well.

But what would the Irish Cup be without controversy? As the final minutes were ticking down, Bohemians mounted one last meaningful attack. With Briar defenders the wrong side of the ball, the Bohs attacker went down in the box and Mark Stokes awarded a penalty. The kick was duly converted as parity was restored for the final time on the night as each team earned a point.

Group A Results: Groton House 0:1 Kendall Wanderers A

Line Up: Dupuis, Clarke, Hennessy, McGuinness, Caldwell, McLoughlin, Sexton, O'Connor, Coen, Miller, Coen, Hardy, Roux, De'Pieri

Win a free trip to Ireland from the Briar Group!

For more info & to sign up please visit  http://winatriptoireland.eventbrite.com/

High intensity and quality during training

Click here for a video describing Man Utd's style of training. Important things to note are the importance of quick feet, confidence to play out of pressure, high intensity and quality.

Green Briar FC's Practice

Green Briar FC will be kicking off the season with an outdoor practice this Sunday Feb 26th @ 9AM to be held at Danehy Park in Cambridge. A club AGM will follow next week with all interested players invited.

Practice ( 9AM Kick-Off  )
Danehy Park (Turf)
160 New Street
Cambridge MA 02138 (Map)

Strategies for Learning

I'm sure this article describing the best ways to learn and retain knowledge (and skills) could be applied to our training sessions (somehow). Click here for the article.