Balaga team photo 2010

Disciplined Balaga Bully Dulleas

The biggest game of the season so far for Balaga as they came up against Ma Dulleas last night in Garryduff. With a crowd of zero the pressure was on the Balagaonian-Tongonian team to perform after last weeks loss. Despite Ma Dulleas goalscoring record and no loss recorded in the first 5 games for them, the word on twitter and facebook pre-match that Balaga would go for the 3 points. 

With Tristan Hurley picking up a Rib-Cage injury over the weekend and David W continuing to have issues with his rotting ankle, the squad was reduced to the bare 7, Rory OBrien was drafted in again for his 4th game in a Balaga shirt. JD moved into a more attacking role behind O'Driscoll as Webz and Parker were charged with controlling the midfield behind.

The game itself lacked quality at times but made up for it in spades with all sorts of action as it turned out to be very competitive as Balaga looked to keep the dangerous Dullea's attackers under wraps. After Going 2 goals down within 4 or 5 minutes in the first half, Balaga woke up a bit and came back into the game and with a goal from Webz and two from JD before half time the game was Balagas to lose.


The second half saw more of the same, determined defending from Balaga and quick attacks. O'Driscoll score d the only goal of the second half as Dulleas went a man down soon later with their usually calm main playmaker Joe losing the head with Parker and threatening an after game car park showdown.  This eased the pressure and with Damo in goal pulling of some great saves and controlling his area, the 3 points came soon later although Webz got a yellow and sin binning for an instinctive handball 3 minutes from time . 

The team looked strong and although it wasn't they're best game ever it was a well won game with everyone playing their part. Interviews with the Goal scorers and man of the match Damo Kennedy.

Reporter: On the score sheet again, can you run me through your goal last night?

Webz: Eh well basically I think there was a hoof from back left to front right and once I taken it down I stroke it with my left across goal and it came off some feen and into there net. Yet to score with my right foot this year.

Reporter: What do you think made the difference between this week and last week?

Webz: What made the difference? JD returning was good. Rory in the team was nice. Parker had an outstanding game (even if it may cost him his life.), Phil was live-o and damo put in a man of the match performance. Of coarse the 2 bys at the back battling the shit out of it. We also played a very good passing game and this was the biggest difference.

Reporter: You are on a hot scoring streak Philip, one more last night, can you run us through the goal?

Philip: the goal? we had a good break away and it ended up with parker in right midfield so i made a run away from him to give him space.. ran up to right wing he slipped me a beauty pass, one touch, saw the keeper come out with legs spread open like a cheaper whore and i slotted it home..

Reporter: You have got a good run upfront and seem to be enjoying playing as the Cucumbers Striker, more than in the midfield?

Philip: very much enjoying the run upfront now i must admit.. getting great service from the lads behind.. midfield and defense.. loving the ball into feet and over the top to run onto.. must just get better at shoooooooooting and playing in the lads coming through....

Reporter: 2 goals last night John, both opportunistic, can you run us through them? Did you enjoy playing in a more advanced position?

JD: Well I'm just delighted we won the match last night. Great result for the team. The lads were all brilliant. I've been playing up there in my last few internationals so the gaffa musta seen something he liked. Delighted to grab two goals maybe i was a bit lucky with the 1st one. their keeper scuffed it a bit and luckily i was in the right place at the right time. Great ball from phil for the second, happy to be there to put it away. AVE IT!

Reporter: Man of the match performance Damo, congrats, it was a good performance what do you think made the difference? Clean sheet soon?

Damo: Well wot did it for me was the fact tom and Kev listen to me for once and picked up their men and the fact that i hitting form again so a clean sheet is on the way but at the end of the day its a team game and if it wasn't for me we would of lost haha.

Other results across the league saw DouglasMortgage beat Balagas next opponents, Passage Rejects 10-5. Temple Inn got their second win of the season against Abtran 5-2 and QEF hammered Friars walk 5-0. This leaves the league like this after 6 games. Very close.

ViVA LA BALAGA

Balaga title in tatters after troublesome test with Gobal

 With 4 games down Balaga were in good shape. 4 matches played, 2 wins, 1 draw and a loss saw them with 7 points, so confidence was high for the visit of the industry's leading fastening and 'c' class supplier’s, QEF Global. QEF  weren’t quite as dominant on the football pitch though as their last 2 matches included 2 ass whippings from douglasmortage(10-0) and Ma Duleas(7-3)…

Tongo were nearly back to full strength bar JD who once more had some CIT match to play. Steve’s hip was good to go and Whifty’s ankle made the grade after the mother of all ankle straps was worn. Unfortunately for Dave, Phils form up front during his absence saw the big man drop back into right midfield with Parker on the left/center… The team:

After last week’s match which the ref called “one of the best matches I’ve ever seen up here”, Balaga heads were inflated and started the game as the dominant side… The little fellah up front for QEF was a handful with a great first touch so both Tom and Kev had to stick close, and while the fisticuffs and handbags were  happening at one end, Balaga were scoring at the other.

GOAL!!!

The first of the night came from Parker on his comeback and he continued Balaga’s run of lucky goals. From Phils corner kick he managed to bundle the ball over the line from about 2cm’s out and  between a maul of players air kicking in an attempt to clear/score depending on who swung… 1-0 Balaga.

A stern talking to from the ref for Kev saw an end to the handbags and the defender started to concentrate on the game, and not yer mans ankles. It seemed to be going to script for Balaga though as 1 became 2 to Tongo.

GOAL!!!

Webz picked it up on the left… beat about 2-3 players and neatly toe poked it into the near post. Another great goal in the space of 2 weeks, although the keeper looked well dodgy and surely a mauling was on the cards! 2-0 Balaga.

Anymore than a 1 goal lead though is  dangerous territory for Balaga and while they pushed for the third a long ball over the top caught the defence napping and outnumbered leading to a goal back by QEF. 2-1 Balaga.

GOAL!!!

Tongo pick up a free kick just outside the QEF box and regular free kick taker, Phil O’D stepped up to take it. He refrained from the Ronaldo/Drogba rasper dipping rocket option, choosing instead to hit it directly at the wall akin to the auld Jesper Gronkjaer style. The QEF wall opened like the red sea and deflected it into the net. 3-1 Balaga………. PARTY TIME!!!

The half time talk was along the lines of same again but that didn’t happen. Balaga just conceded two quick goals and before they knew it, the score was 3-3…

Chances came few and far between after that for Tongo who just didn’t seem to come out for the second half. Miss placed passes and a QEF bus in front of the keeper saw little work for the keeper. Meanwhile although Tom and Kev were coping better with the long balls to the small fellah, QEF eventually got the vital 4^th goal, which turned out to be the winner. It could have been more had Damo not found his form once more and pull off a few great save’s, diving to his right to steer it around for a corner from a rasper of a shot by QEF the most memorable stop.

The inclusion of Tristan gave Balaga different options and although he played well he couldn’t find the break Balaga needed. Dave did have a chance to make it 4-4 but miss kicked at the vital stage, which can be put down to lack of match practice. No doubt the northsider will have his scoring boots back on in no time…

Still though, Balaga should have had this game wrapped up and out of sight before QEF got a sniff and may well regret this loss later in the season… however, the table is still looking kind to the cucumbers as they’re just 2 points behind Global in second.

Balaga Kings of Jungle

The Temple Inn Tigers aka TV Tigers aka the Upsetters, a team from The Temple Inn aka Longboats in Ballintemple were the opposition on Wednesday night and it was a game aka a match that the Cucumbers aka FC Balaga Tongo were favorites to win on form aka the last few results but feared they would loose as they had done twice last season aka dose to some incarnation of this team.

As widely reported in the press before the game Parker and David W were both out. O'Brien was back again and new man Hurley in also.

The game itself was an end to end game with FC Balaga Tongo arguably producing the more beautiful football. But while O'Driscoll was causing problems in the Tigers backline, the two strong fellas upfront for them were causing problems for O'Callaghan and Broderick too despite their best efforts and intent of getting the clubs first clean sheet the forwards strength and eye for goal was telling as they broke the deadlock early enough in the first half and kept them in the game after Balaga began to tame.

Match footage:

Defensive midfielder Webz described the goals...

0-1- Tigers

0-2- Tigers

1-2- One to many one two's between Phil and john and Tristan picked up the pieces
1-3-  Tigers
2-3-  Keeper hoofs it off Phil's wang
3-3-  Webz throw to Phil, Phil hammers it across and it catches Rory in the wang
4-3- Great one touch football with Tristan laying it off to me who surprisingly hit it well with the left peg
5-3-  Phil corner, webz stop, Rory smash
6-3-  Phil smashes a corner off the keeper and then JD's wang

6-4-  Tigers
6-5-  Tigers
6-6-  Tigers

7-6- I strike with the aul left peg again. this time its a normal left pegger that is travelling at 2 miles per hour and well wide til od gets a sexy poke on it past the  already committed keeper.

Damo in goal couldn't do much for most of the goals as they were rockets which should of been blocked down but some great saves as always kept Balaga in the game. our clean sheet will come soon!

Broderick did well all day and was competitive all day with the fella who it was impossible to get the ball off. Good discipline in not going too far forward as him and O Callaghan try to get their partnership sorted. Our clean sheet will come soon!

O'Callaghan tried his best and got his foot in whether it be ball or leg. Speed drills and weights for the next few weeks are needed though to compete with that lethal striker next time around.

Webz was at the heart of the Balaga midfield for most of the day with OBrien dropping in when Webz needed to coughup a lung, prob a result of his and O'Callaghan representation of Balaga at Rag Week Battle of the DJs on Monday. His goal was one of the best of the night as he finished of a great passing move.

Rory OBrien who has been something of a sensation since his introduction had a great game again and lamped in a couple of goals for the cause. His trackign back and work rate was also acclaimed by club management after the game.

JD, John Duggan, managing to fit this game in with Colelge Ball on straight afterwards, was as always MOST EXCELLENT getting a goal for himself and a nasty smack in the nads too at the end.

Hurley was on from the start and once he found his feet he did nothing wrong and was dangerous going forward and well able to beat feens. A goal for him too on his debut and a great ball to Webz for his goal. Just the attacking dimension Balaga needed.

O'Driscoll looked deadly again in his second start upfront in the absence of David W , playing out the whole game he worked hard and was always looking to get in behind, infront and above the lanky defender.  He setup most of the goals, his sharpness off throws and corners was superb and he got the deftest of goals at the end for the 3 points. NICE.

Praise all around from this reporter and a great match to watch for the one supporter Zara. 

Elsewhere Passage rejects got the better of Friars Walk Celtic with the same scoreline as DouglasM. hammered QEF 10-0. Ma Dulleas are out infront now though with a convincing 8-2 win over Abtran connects.

 

VIVA LA BALAGA.

O'Driscoll Leads Walk Over Friars

One draw and one loss from the first two games of the season so this third game with Friars Walk Celtic was high time to put 3 points on the board.

 Steve Parker is still struggling with a hipflexer issue so he was ruled out again in hope of recovering soon. David W joined him on the treatment table last week after getting a knock against Abtran. John JD Duggan was on International duty so had to miss out on this one as well. While news broke this week that Tristan had signed on, he had to miss this week, so Rory O Brien and Emmet long were called in to make up the seven.

Like nearly every week it took about 10 minutes to get into the swing of things, but Celtic didn't take that long and some fella banged in a long ranger to Balaga's dismay. But this woke the team up a bit and attacks started to tell on the opposition particularly as Phil was having great joy against the man marking him. Balaga's first came from good work by Rory in the right corner pulling the ball across to Phil who had an easy finish. Soon after though the Friars got in front again. An equaliser always looked like it would come though and it came via an Emmet through ball which Rory tried to do some spinny take yoke and somehow it went through and past the keeper. Sweet. Then the Cucumbers went 3-2 up as Tom flung in a long throw to Phil who bustled the defender out of the way and the ball went in off the keeper. Phil then got his second of the evening as Webz put him through on the keeper down the right and he finished powerfully into the bottom left corner. 4-2.

Phil O Driscoll Presents new very long awaited kit to team members last night.

Into the second half and Balaga Tongo kept pressuring Friars Walk with Rory and Emmet running they're balls off on each side of midfield and Webz in the centre covering all sorts of ground. Kev, after firing a first half effort into orbit over garryduff, caught a Webz cross to the back post with a very convincing strike into the net. BAM 5-2. Although Balaga were creating the best chances Friars were always hawking around infront of the defense and were not afraid to let fly with some long range shots as Kev, Tom and the cucumber midfield coming back were breaking up their passing attacks. As a result they got lucky with a few deflections, and exactly this happened as the score went to 5-3. This is when Phil really turned on the style though, taking the tip off he turned and fired a first time shot straight over the Friars defense and through the keepers arms! Unreal! Genius! Yikes! were all heard from the sidelines as Phil ODriscoll claimed his hat-trick. A beauty to put Balaga back into a comfortable lead at 6-3. 6-4 didn't take too long to come though and then soon became 6-5 as Balaga tired and lapsed in their defending. But a quick move from defense to attack as Tom made a tackle on the edge of the box and hoofed a ball down the left which Phil ran onto and fired a shot into the bottom right of the goal for his 4th of the night, NICCCEEE. 7-5. The last few minutes were played out as a now tired enough Balaga hoofed a few clearances ridiculously far, this is when Friars frustration and tempers flared up as they knew they had lost out. Great performances from all.

Elsewhere in the league Abtran edged DouglasMortgage 8-7 to go top, Passage rejects edged Balaga's next opponents Temple Inn Tigers 8-7 and Ma Dulleas beat QEF 7-3 to go second only on goal difference.  This means FC Balaga Tongo now sit mid-table after 3 games. Bring on next week!

Hurley Signs on Deadline Day.

Tristan Hurley has signed on to the cause starting next week for the season.

In a press leak today the signing was confirmed...
"ya dude, trying to get my career going again : ) start next Wednesday? have to work tomoro night tho.."

Along with news that Stephen Parkers hip is almost in ship shape again, he is hoping to return next week if possible - things are looking good for the Cucumber squad!

Concentration now goes to Friars Walk Celtic game at 9 tonight.

FC Balaga Tongo 2009 STATS.

2009 saw Balaga play in 3 Footy.ie Div 2 Seasons. From the 42 scheduled matches, there was 23 wins, 5 draws, and 14 losses. 21 Players turned out in the Balaga black and they scored a total 175 goals.

Here is the science!!!