Game 11: FC Balaga Tongo 3-2 Sevin Sinners

A drop in attendance appeared to suggest that Balaga's free flowing Brazilian style football at the beginging of the season had all but dried up, and last night’s match proved to be another tough encounter. All eight members had turned up for the 2nd match against Sevin Sinners. Damo was again in goals with a back three of Deano, Kevin B and John D. Webz again filled the watershed roll behind Phil with Rory up front. Tom O’C and Steve P began on the bench.

As with prior matches, the cucumbers failed to get going early on and a high ball out the right withing the first 5 minutes, which seemed to be a fore gone conclusion for Kevin to clear, was miss kicked, allowing Sevins striker to score passed Damo to go 1-0 up. The former captain tried to make amens for this with a few runs up front and a couple of misguided shots, but eventually he left the attackers get on with the goal scoring side of things.

Balaga's equalizer came from Rory, who is quickly becoming a free kick specialist for Tongo. A dodgy free kick was awarded outside the box on the left. Sevin appeared to have all angles covered but a clinically struck right foot shot nestled in the left corner of Sevin's net, to the joy of John D who gets special mention for his acrobatic skills of getting out of the way! 1-1 it stayed till half time.

The second half saw both Deano and Kevin hit the bench so Phil, Rory and captain Tom O'C made up the back three with Webz, John and Parker the attacking force. Balaga had ended the first half with the more opportunities and this half was no different, but again it was Sevin who took the lead from a corner kick which wasn’t dealt with properly.

Minutes later however Balaga were awarded another free kick in a similar position to the first half and once again Sevin failed to learn from their mistakes. Another super finish by Rory from a dead ball made it 2-2. The breakthrough for Tongo came from another dead ball, this time a corner squared to Tom O’C who rifled it past the Sevin keeper to make it 3-2 to Balaga with around 5 minutes remaining. Surprisingly Balaga’s defence held and a valuable 3 points secured.

Tougher opponents await Balaga, who face top side Seven next week, followed by the 6 pointer match against Upsetters, and finally seconded placed Manning Park Rovers, all potential championship deciders for Tongo. An improvement in opening half performances need to be addressed but thankfully Balaga are right back in the hunt.


With both Manning Park and Seven winning last night, its all still very tight at the top. The fact that Balaga will play 1 match worth 6 points, wont help their goal difference, but at least they still have an oppertunity to win the title.

CL Quarter Finals Sweepstakes Preview

DugganVillarreal - ArsenalBrowne

ParkerMan Utd - PortoNagle

McCarthyLiverpool - ChelseaKennedy

ShineBarcelona - BayernMcGarry

The champions league quarter final draw as drawwwwwwwwwn up some interesting (not for me) ties. The first game see's John Duggans Villarreal go up against Rory Brownes Arsenal in an all Balaga Tongo player match. The second sees good friends Stephen Parker and Fred "Re-Re-Draw" Nagle paired. The third is Ian McCarthy's in form Liverpool against Damo Kennedys Chelsea, a battle of experience and youth. The final tie is Blake "ShinShin" Shines Barcelona playing George "the OX" McGarry's Bayern Munich in a no one cares cause theya re both away and wont get paid if they win match although Georgie might be home in time actually... crap...

Best of luck to all!

Game 10: Balaga 4 - Rosies 3

Second half fight-back sees Balaga get all 3 points

FC Balaga Tongo v Rosies from KevinB on Vimeo.

After last weeks joyous victory over World Class FC, FC Balaga Tongo looked to be back to playing the kind of ball the fans come to see, and with a full squad for the first time in over a month the Cucumbers fortunes were definitely looking more promising then in recent weeks.

Keeper Damo Kennedy now settled back between the posts, Kevin Broderick finding his feet at centre back in the past few games, John Duggan taking his place back in the lineup at left back and with Deano Deane coming off the back of a full game against World Class at right back, the defence seemed solid. Webz was again to start in his unique hovering defensive attacking role behind Phillie O' Driscoll and Rory Browne. Young but old guns Thomas O' Callaghan and Stefan Parkier were on the bench to begin with.

A clear case of Paddys weekend hangover was in effect as the Tongolese players were very quiet and subdued at the start of the first half and this was no clearer than when possession was lost in Balagas half and the back line was a bit all over the shop, leaving a Rosies striker clean through on Damo who had no chance. Not too long later Rosies made it 2-0 and Balaga heads needed to be picked up. It was a Parkier nick from a Webz attacking throw in that got Balaga Tongo back in the game and coming 5 or so minutes before half time, it was well needed as potential was definitely not being reached and some belief was needed across the team.

2-1 at Half time, and it was not a pretty sight on the Balaga side line as they talked in depth tactics and psychological barriers amongst other things. Red Bull was also hawked. This seemed to work as the team came out more determined in the second half than in the first.

Browne, Parkier and O'Driscoll were getting hold of possession in Rosies half more, with the wing backs O' Callaghan and J.D. trying to support them and defend as much as possible with Webz. Kevin and Deano also found their footing more so than in the first half and players were getting stuck in a bit more all over the park.

The pressure payed off as Phil got the goal to make it 2-2, i think a touch from a quick Parkier corner. But then there was a slight HOWLer from the Rock Deane as he scuffed a crucial clearance and left Damo one-on-one at the back. A mistake from Deano but better positioning from the other defenders would of probably helped him out there. Ahem, anyway 3-2 Rosies.

Up step Parkier, who was influential throughout, making space on the right he fired an absolute rocket into the far corner, BAM 3-3, game on again. More and more Balaga pressure saw the goal come to put the Tongolese ahead, another corner (i think) and this time it was Duggan on hand with the touch into the net. 4-3 Balagaaa.

Seeing out the win was no easy feat though as the Rosies team were well able to put a few passes together and had a few chances not to mention a heart stopping shot in the last minute when Damo sliced his kick out to a Rosies attacker who's volley he saved with a flyyyying dive, touching the ball around the goal post and with it putting 3 points in the bag for FC Balaga Tongo.


Captain O' Callaghan had this to say in a post match interview in Cashel Thursday morning...
"Well we got away with playing poorly and thats always nice, but we have four big games coming up against the Sinners, Seven, Upsetters and Manning Park and we will have to be doing a lot better than last night if we want to win them. The lads did do well to fight back and get the win though so you have to give them credit for that."

The rest of Wednesday nights results were World Class 3 Ma Dulleas 3... Upsetters upsetting table toppers Sevden FC 4-1, and Manning Park getting a comprehensive victory over Balagas next opposition Sevin Sinners. This leaves Balaga on 17 points, with their game in hand/6pointer against ze Upsetters. , 6 points behind Seven FC and 4 behind Manning Park The Upsetters themselves are only a point behind Balaga on 16.

Game 9: Balaga 4 - World Class 1

After 2 defeats in a row Balaga really needed to get back to winning ways as they faced bottom side World Class for the second time this season. John Duggan was unavailable due to international duty with CIT up in Galway. Damo started in goals with Tom O’C and Deano playing left and right back. Center back saw Kevin B start for the second week with Webz sitting just in front of the back 3 in a Dechamps watershed roll. Ahead of Webz was Parker, in a familiar attacking midfield roll. Rory was given the job of breaking down the World Class defence up front on his own while Phil O’D was rotated to the sidelines for the beginning of this fixture.

Earlier on in the campaign when these 2 sides met Balaga dropped their first points of the season with a 3-3 draw. This time the cucumbers were not in a mood to drop points this time round and started well with a few chances early doors. The tactic of using a defensive midfielder seemed to steady the Balaga nerves after last week’s upset may have put doubts in players minds over its deployment. It appeared each player had a better understanding of the tactics and seemed more comfortable with the job in hand.

The game was set alight after a Rory rocket from 15-20 yards.. Early doors.. But this was soon cancelled out after a freak goal from the bottom side World Class saw a hopeless effort from their attacking midfielder sailing wide only for the lodging striker to tap the wayward shot into the Tongo net for 1-1. But this setback didn’t deter Balaga from their mission of collecting all 3 points. An on slot onto the Class goal followed with every outfield player trying his luck in an attempt to pull one ahead again. It eventually came from the boot of Rory again with a trademark volley from a corner to make it 2-1 Tongo at half-time.

The second half began as the first ended with attack after attack from the Tongoians athough WC had a couple of break aways which were smothered out by solid defending by the back 3 and confidence building saves from Damo. 3-1 was soon to follow as Phil O’D scored a rare tap in from a corner kick, and not much longer after that Parker got himself on the score sheet after some neat interplay between the Balaga attack saw him tap in a cool finish from a Rory squared ball.

4-1 the final score. Hopefully Balaga are back on the right track to success this season. There was no video footage of the match again this season as Tyrrell TV and broadcasting Network arrived late and didn’t bother.



A 9 point gap between Balaga and Seven FC may be a big one but its far from over yet. The Cucumbers can still pull off a very first championship winner title to their name.

Game 8: Balaga 5 – Ma Dulleas 6

Balaga Tongo Shocked by Resurgent Dulleas

After last weeks defeat to Manning Park expectations for Balaga to get back to winning ways were high as they went into a game that they won 9-3 at the start of the season. But it was not to be on the night as the team never really got firing on all cylinders.

With Webz thinking up some tactics to change it up before the game, Kevin Broderick moved into centre back with Duggan and O Callaghan flanking him and Webz Mascherano-ing like never before out of it infront of Broderick. Parker infront of Webz again with O' Driscoll starting upfront... front front front. Damo was back in goal after his knocking out incident a couple of weeks ago, cech u poof. ..Deano was on the substitute bench to start but was keen as could be to get on and make a difference. Browne as previosuly reported had an international game with Glasheen, but with drunken rumours on saturday in the Classic that he has quit International ball to concentrate on Balaga, everyone is happy, except glasheen i presume.

A shock deflected goal put Dulleas infront first, but it may have been somewhat undeserved with Broderick sweeping everythign up nice and tidy at the back. It wasn't too long until Balaga equalised though, Parker found the net with a calmly taken placed turn and shot that one could watch again and again if one had a decent camera man. ahem Ahl. O'Driscoll was workign like a rabid dogg, well a normal but hyper dog anyway, chasing down balls and turning defenders all over the place to create chances and soon afterwards Webz put the Tongo infront with what was probably a patented tap in but i can remember to be honest. Sorry bai. Dulleas did have some pressure but everyone seemed to be working hard to keep the lead and stop some talented Dulleas heads.

There was some position changing in the second half and it wasnt to Balaga Tongos benifit and it turned out to be a bit of a goal fest of a half. Dulleas went ahead aswell as Balaga at some stage, but it was Ma Dulleas who got the last goal to make it 6-5. A brace from Webz, both cool finishes from the keepers right and a O'Driscoll goal from a corner had put Balaga in good stead. But Defense, not THE defense nessecarily, but defensive play in general was crap and Balaga got done.

All that being said... Damo was awesome tho and it must be said was brave as as as i cant think of brave stuff...lion??? warrior??? flying monkey??? but anyway he was coming out for situations that O'Callaghan would previosuly of dalked him in. fair play. Duggan was keeping tabs on Nala (? think thats what his name was, the unreal fella anyway) and if he was marking him for the game he prob would of not as scored as many. Deano was a rock for the whole game because well Deano is Deano the rock Deano and is a rock!!! Kevin was a god damn marvel superhero of a centre back and can be looking forwad to playing there for the rest of his days. O Callaghan was crap enough and will be starting on the bench this week. Webz was daycent scoring a hattrick and being mascherano in one game is no mean feat. Parker was everywhere as usual and must be frustrated he didnt score a couple more. Phil was prettttttty handy up front and i must say made my heart flutter when he did some of his skills that came off.

Other comings and goings in the league are as follows... (read in boring 5 o clock result readers voice for extra effect...) Partik Rosies 5 - World Class FC Ramblers 3... Seven FC Albion 2 - Sevin Caledonian Thistle Sinners 1... Manning Park Rovers Utd 9 - Sporting Upsetters Athletic 4...

As you prob dont know unless you really love the Balaga these results suck for the Cucumbers and put Seven FC well out infront aswell as Manning Park. Sevin Sinners, Ma Dulleas and the Upsetters are firmly up Balagas posteriors... League table after gameweek 8...




The public can only wait and see how FC Balaga Tongo react to this loss adding to a run of 4 games without a win.

But id say it will probably be with a splendid and convincing VICTORYYYYY!

Game 7: Balaga 5 – Manning Park 8

FC Balaga Tongo lacking in Big Game.

As reported before the game, midfielder O'Driscoll and regular goalkeeper Damo were absent for the long awaited game against Manning Park Rovers. Broderick once again dropepd back in between the posts and J.D. called upon his buddy Chainsaw aka Slots aka SLATZ aka a rake of other names kevin was shouting behind me during the game that werent right. Hopes were high and the players seemed wellll up for it going on the pitch, but a lack of organisation on the pitch or something was the teams downfall.

The Cucumbers had a great start as J.D. clocked up towo early enough goals, one from a corner i think that either webz or Rory fired across goal and it seemed to come of Duggans shins and go past Mannings keeper. The next was a ball down the wing from O Callaghan to webz who played a nice touch into the path of Duggan who finished like the best left back in the world, John Duggan.

But Balaga were soaking up the pressure with Deano (who blew some poor fella onto the ground into the nets at one stage) and the bais battling like gladiators or that fella in gladiator that BEATS gladiators, ya Russel Crowe i know... Anyway the the defense was good but Manning Park snuck in a goal 5 minutes before half time. So going into the break, 2-1... (i think)

After getting some very welcome but probably bad for us redbull at half time, fair play to Rory who i noticed didnt drink any, ATHLETE!!! The second half kicked off and i cant really rememebr anything but i do know Parker put a beauuuuut of a chip to the back post from a corner kick and Rory Browne executed one sexy first time side-ish volley straight into the back of the net. Rory also got another and Webz added one to his tally tooo.

But despite Balagas cutting edge in front of goal, they let themselves down making some terrible decisions, tackles, and general play and conceded 7 goals as heads dropped all over the place and impatience destroyed the shape of the team. That or we didnt have shape. 8-5 win and fair bowellll to manning park who deserved it. Also of note Kev made some spectacular saves at the end.

As Webz commented after the game its better we lost than get another spoofy draw. Prob the kick up the posterior Balaga need to get on track again. But only a lot of hard work will do it if the team wants to start enjoying theyre football again like the start of the season. Rumours now shroud the club, with tactics, formation, passion, love, work ethic and gender all coming into question.

ELSEWHERE in the league Sevin Sinners continued theyre great run by thumping Rosies 9-0... Seven FC still top the table after a 8-3 win over World Class and the Upsetters drew 4-4 with Balagas oppostion for next week, Ma Dulleas. This leaves the table looking like this, although i can barely look... tear.



Kev might have some good video footage, but its prob depressing, although it may be motivational!

CL Last 16 Sweepstakes Draw Preview

The "last 16" matchs throw up some interesting games.

With current keeper Damo and Chelsea up against previous keeper Bundy and Juventus in the first game. Then there is wonderkid J.D. and Villareal up against Balaga legend Paul Scott and Panathinaikos. Braintrust members Webz and George will battle it out in the sporting, bayern tie. A tight game is instore when Phil and Freds Athletico and Porto come up against each other. 223 homies Tom and Blake are the names for the Lyon Barca game, with ShinShins Barca odds on to come out of that and win the cup! Sicknote Deano and Ian McC's will battle it out in a very big game between 2 of the biggest clubs in Europe, Real and Liverpool. Sean and Rorys Arsenal-Roma-super-Pinecroft-head-to-head is another interesting one, where allegiances are split! The last game is the only all balaga tongo squad match up where kevs Inter come up against Parkers Man Utd, the current champions.

Heres the list of odds for winning the cup and the 80 bones that i should really be collecting:

3/1 - Barcelona - BS
11/2 - Man Utd - SP
7/1 - Chelsea - DK
9/1 - Inter Meeelan- KB
12/1 - Real Madrid- GD
13/1 - Liverpool - IMcC
14/1 - Aresenal - RB
14/1 - Bayern Munich - GmcG
20/1 - Juventus - AOF
22/1 - Villareal - JD
22/1 - Roma - SN
28/1 - Atletico Madrid - POD
50/1 - Lyon - TOC
80/1 - Panathinaikos - PS
80/1 - Porto - FN
100/1 - Sporting - EK

Check out the recording of the draw here

Game 6: Balaga - Upsetters... Further Report.

Damo Kennedy recovering after collision.

With Damo now recuperating at his homestead, things are looking a bit more positive then on Wednesday night when the incident had some Tongolese shook. Scans and Tests came back positive for nathin'. No face breakage thankfully! Video footage of the incident has now been released by Kev, daycent!




See the full list of Balaga Video posts here.

Regarding the result of the game, Balaga and Upsetters club management along with league officials have worked out a solution whereby the second game, later in the season, will be played for 6 points.

Other Division 2 results went somewhat in Balagas favour as previous league leaders Manning Park recieved heavy 7-3 defeat to Ma Dulleas. Both Seven FC and Seviin Sinners recorded 6-3 victorys over World Class and Rosies respectively. This means Seven FC have jumped up to first place with Manning Park in second and Balaga in 3rd with their "game in hand".


The much anticipated crunch game between high flying Manning Park Rovers and FC Balaga Tongo will be played at 7 next wednesday in Garryduff. In some early team news, O'Driscoll will miss the game as he travels to the Emirates to see Arsenal-Roma, lucky duck!

CL Last 16 Sweepstakes Draw Results

FC Balaga Tongo 2009 CL Last 16 Sweepstakes Draw from Tom OC on Vimeo.

Match Cancelled.... Damo OWNED!!!

Match 6 saw Balaga face Upsetter's who finished 2nd last season in Division 2. The same formation was employed with Damo kid in goals, back 3 of Tom, John and Phil. Midfield saw Parker back from an enjoyable holiday alongside Rory with the leading goalscorer Webz up front.

The match began slowly again as Balaga quickly conceded a sloppy enough goal. Upsetter's certainly lived up to their name as Tom was stuck marking a fella up front who wasn't afraid to give his point of view of any rough stuff, not afraid to give dish it out either though. A tussle looked to be brewing as within the first 10 minutes both players had words on 2 different occasions.

The scores were leveled soon enough as Rory latched onto a long ball and slotted it past the keeper for his seventh of the season.

The biggest incident of the night though occurred soon afterwords as unfortunately Parker lost possession in midfield and a through ball set the fella up front for Upsetter's 1 on 1 with Damo with a steam rolling Tom in chase. Damo ran out to the edge of his box and slid for the ball. The Upsetter's fella slid to shoot and collided with Damo who saved the shot. Unfortunately for Damo though the onrushing Tom OWNED the Balaga number 1 after smacking his knee/elbow into the face of Kennedy. It has to be said though that this was through no fault of any player involved.

Damo lay concussed on the floor and after quick thinking by the Balaga captain who laid Balaga's stricken keeper onto his side and checked for any tongue swallowage. The Ambulance guys were called and Damo was taken away, awake but groggy. Initial reports are good and here's hoping the trusty keeper is back for next week, possibly with a rugger hat!!

Both teams decided to cancel the game and a decision has to be made about the future fixture.

Get well soon Damo from all at Balaga...

Sign Up For Sweepstakes Draw

O Spots left - Draw Tonight!!!

16 entered: Blake S, Paul S, George McG, Kevin B, Tom O'C, Webz K, Phil O'D, Ian McC, John D, Sean N, Fred N, Rory B, Stephen P, Damo K, Graham D, Alan O'F...

With the first knock out round of the UEFA Champions League kicking off on the 24th of February, it is time to announce the first annual Official FC Balaga Tongo Champs League Super Sweepstakes Draw.

The 16 teams.

Following in the format of previous World Cup and Euro Championship sweepstakes draws , entrant and team names will be randomly pulled out of 2 separate hats and paired up.

Entry will cost €5 with the full €80 pot going to the person with the team who lifts the trophy!!!

Reserve your place in the competition soon by leaving a comment below, lamping me a text, email, facebook, bebo, some other inteweb thing, or maybe even in real lifess?!! All welcome...

Once the 16 spots are filled, the draw will be recorded live and posted here with analysis and odds.

Game 5: Balaga 6 - Seven FC 6

Browne To The Rescue As Edgy Balaga Battle For Point.

After a rollercoaster of a night, which saw Balaga behind for most of the game and in the lead with one minute to go, the match ended with a fair result and one both teams should be happy with.

With Parker and Damo absent from the squad, Fred Nagle came in as cover for the Tongelese side. Broderick had to drop into goal (where he had not played for Balaga since their first season) to cover Damo, and the rest of the side lined out in a familiar enough formation of Duggan, O'Callaghan, Deano across the back, O' Driscoll and Browne in midfield, Webz upfront and Nagle on the bench, keen to get his first Balaga cap before jetting off to Australia next week.

Although not quite as caught as Ireland were in their International match with Georgia last night, Balaga didn't get off to a smooth start as Seven looked the sharper side and it showed as Balaga conceded 2 early goals due to poor defensive organisation and lapses in concentration. But Browne was looking as determined as we have seen him in a Balaga shirt and pulled one back for the cucumbers with a fine solo effort soon afterwards.

About 15 minutes in, O'Callaghan was caught on the nose (which was dawked at the weekend too) by an elbow. A quick substitution was made in the hope the blood flow could be stopped. Nagle was ready and slotted into left back as Duggan dropped into the center. Minutes later things didnt get any better, as Deano looked to have strained some sort of leg muscle and was struggling.

O'Driscoll, Browne and Webz searched hard for the goals to get Balaga back in the game and were not getting much joy from a tough Seven back line. But O'Driscoll did eventually find the net. He recieved the ball from a Deano throw in and fired off a powerful strike. Meanwhile Seven FC were controlling most of the first half procedings and scored another 2 goals, to make the score 4-2 before half time. By this time O'Callaghan had stemmed the bleeding and had replaced the injured Deano.

Unsuprisingly the dressing room/dugout was not a happy place to be at half time. But frustration with the performance didnt boil over and the team kept their heads, coming out for the second half more focused and with more purpose.

It was another very tough tightly contested half where webz was working hard but finding little joy against the strong Seven defenders and O' Driscoll had a tough job of trying to hold the midfield with Browne. Duggan, O'Callaghan, and Nagle were communicating a bit better and were doing their best to stop the Seven attacks.

Browne showed great skill to get his name on the scoresheet twice with two absolutely cracking shots drivinig Balaga right back into the match. O' Driscoll got another too, this time recieving the ball from a Nagle throw in and shooting past the Seven keeper. But Seven got one themselves and the score was 5-5 going into the last 5 or so minutes.

Balaga then scored their 6th to put them in the lead The goal itself was a nice counter attacking move started by Duggan, involving O'Driscoll and O'Callaghan and then finished cooly by Webz.

So it was 6-5 and Balaga just had to hold out for the last few minutes, Seven piled on the pressure and Browne was forced to drop back into defence as Balaga were pinned back. Some heroic defending and goalkeeping by Broderick kept the lead intact. But it wasn't to be and on 59 minutes a lofted ball to the back post was struck well by a Seven FC fella giving Broderick no chance and the game finished honours even.

A good result on the night but Balagas title aspirations will be put into question after a game which saw them palying poorly at times. Definate frailtys in defence were shown again as the players seemed to be uncomfortable and lacking organisation. Captain O'Callaghan commented:

"We have some good players at the back and in midfield but we were caught a lot last night and I am not happy with the performance in that respect and i need to take responsibility for most of that and get it sorted. But the grit and determination shown was excellent to see and although we couldn't hold on for the win the lads really fought to get back in the game after a first half we would like to forget."

When asked about the games intensity(texted) this morning, midfielder O'Driscoll said:

"Can Barely move... Got a knee into the ribs/hip in the first minute and was in agony for the game! Back is wrecked too. A draw awas a fair result though... they were handy."

With Manning Park beating World Class 5-1, Balaga Tongo and Seven drop into joint second place. Fourth are the Upsetters who got a great 8-1 result over fifth placed Rosies. Elsewhere Sevin Sinners beat Ma Dulleas 4-2.

With Parker back from France early next week and Damo hopefully not doing any late shifts Balaga Tongo should have a full squad and will aim to get back to winning ways against an Upsetters team coming of the back of 2 good wins.

Video Highlights Coming Soon!


note: match report may not represent actual events exactly.

News on the Newspaper

Click Image for full size...

Game 4: Balaga 6 - Sevin Sinners 3

Match 4 of the Balaga Tongo season saw the cucumbers face bottom side Sevin Sinners. Balaga were back to full strength following the return of Rory Brown to the starting line up. The starting 7 was Damo in goals, John, Tom and Deano in defense. Rory, and Parker made up the midfield with leading goal scorer Webz up front. Subs for the night were Kevin and Phil.

It was a slow first 5 minutes before Tongo made the break though with a brace of goals to shatter any Sinners early confidence. The first was from on form striker Webz, after some neat interplay from the midfield. Little is know about the actual goal as stand in cameraman Sean Nicholson failed to record any of the first half goals. Rory missed a one on one with the keeper afterward but made up for it with 2 fine goals to make it 3-0 to Tongo. One of these goals was described by Webz after the match "well, Phil played it across from the left wing, the defender heard a shout from the keeper who let it roll, but Rory came in between the keeper and the defender and slotted it home". Balaga's forth came from John Duggan, who started and finished a fine Balaga break. The sequence of passes saw John, Rory, Phil and Parker all involved. Parker crossed for he onrushing Duggan to slot home his forth of the season. Goal number 5 came from Parker(no info on the goal, sorry!)

A lax half time talk didn't help Tongo's second half display and after goal number six by Webz, his 2nd(caught on video)seemed to seal the deal players slacked off and decided to relax. So much so that some rare errors in defense saw a quick 3 goals from the number 7 fella reignite Sinners hopes. After these scares though the back 3 tightened up and Balaga ended the match with a 6-3 victory.

The victory saw Balaga stay on top albeit just on goal difference. A tough match is in store next week as a top of the table clash against Seven FC is in store. Parker is missing due to well deserved holiday, and techno day is on in UCC (an annual stumbling block for Balaga numbers), but players have agreed to attend... Video to follow.

News on the Newspaper

Click Image for Full Size...

Game 3: Balaga 7 – Rosies 2

FC Balaga Tongo Jingle Jangle to the top of the table.

Before the game they lay in second place 2 points behind league leaders Rosies. But on possibly maybe one of the greatest days in the clubs history, Balaga Tongo head the league (albeit on goal difference) after a thriller at Garryduff. With Browne out due to illness, skeptics thought Balaga's attack would be blunted, but with Webz, Parker, O' Driscoll and J.D. untouchable all evening there was nothing to worry about on this occasion.

The first half got under way with a now familiar formation of 3 at the back, 2 midfielders and a lone striker. Rosies played a similar formation and the start of the match was a tight contest.

Phillie O'Driscoll broke the deadlock though after Parker put him through on the right and O'Driscoll calmly finished past the keepers near post. A second was not too long afterwards, a long ball from at the time left back Duggan found its way to Webz who was able to make space for himself and get his shot away. The precise effort flew past Rosies keeper.

With much better work rate, organisation and positioning from Deano, Broderick, Duggan and O'Callaghan, and inspired by a great goalkeeping display by Damo, particularly the awesome flying punch he did, the Balaga defence kept the Rosies attacks at bay.

Parker then had a great opportunity to make it 3 but his shot was blocked by the Rosies keeper. O'Driscoll had the ball in the back of Rosies net for a third time as the half was coming to a close, the goal was ruled due to a poor throw in decision.

Webz'z Delight after he puts in his 1st of the night.

With a record attendance of 7 in the terraces, the crowd were rowdy at times, but it must be said the best support seen at a Balaga game to date drove the team on as Webz claimed his second early in the second half, after a neat setup from Parker who at the heart of Balagas midfield with O'Driscoll was playing one two triangles and creating chances all night.

It wasn't all one way traffic in the second half though, with a lapse of concentration in defence Rosies got one back as their striker poked the ball past Damo. Balaga replied in kind though, Webz won a corner on the right and his powerful ball played to the near post was deflected in by a defender or keeper or some kind of player. 4-1 and after the ref gave him the goal a hat-trick for Webz. Then came Balagas 5th, after more terrific work from Duggan in midfield, O'Callaghan got his name on the scoresheet striding through some tackles and blasting a shot into the bottom right.

Some great running by wing backs Deano and Broderick kept Rosies on the back foot. Deano was intent on keeping pressure (and getting some assists as he did in previous seasons) on the Rosies defence with his long throw ins. Broderick was mad to add to his seasons tally and maybe should of when he had a clear chance but decided to play the ball square to Webz and the keeper was able to get the ball away.

Webz did manage to add a 4th for himself, after what was probably the best move of the match, O'Driscoll found himself deep in Balagas half surrounded with Rosies players, he spotted the run of Duggan and palyed a neat back heal into the space, Duggan picked up the ball, quickly moved forward and layed off the ball to webz who finished calmly.

Rosies then got a surprise 2nd consolation goal as Damo handled the ball outside the small area. A quick taken free kick caught the keeper and defenders off guard as they struggled to get back in positions quick enough, and the ball crept in at the near post. Damo showed his class though when he made some astounding saves. On one occasion saving a certain goal, reaching and scooping the ball around his post.

More neat play by Balaga saw John Duggan get caught on the edge of the Rosies area. He called callzies on the resulting free and fired a low rocket past the wall and into the net. 7-2 and a goal to cap a great performance.

In the closing minutes O'Callaghan came on in midfield after Duggan had to come off with a bad case of sandy eye, and in the last few seconds Parker showed his super vision to pick out O'Callaghans run on the right wing, who played the ball to webz for his 5th but as this was going on the ref had blown the final whistle. The goal wouldn't count, and Balaga couldn't complain on a night that saw them reach their highest ever league position.

In a press conference with himself this morning, captain O'Callaghan praised the work rate of his defence.

"The lads were brilliant last night, there was very little messing around with the ball at the back. Deano and Kev were solid out liiike. John, Phil and Parker were class, they defended when needed and some of the attacking play was sick. What can i say about the Kennedys, i think its the best form i have seen them in, Webz with 4 goals was outstanding and and i think it could of been a different story had Damo not kept out the chances that he kept out."

Seven FC kept the pressure on Balaga with a 3-0 win over the Upsetters, moving them second ahead of Rosies. With Balagas previous two opponents Ma Dulleas beating World Class FC 4-2 and Manning Park beating Balagas next opponent Sevin Sinners, 5-2. These results mean that after the 3rd round of games the table is looking very close.

Hopefully Balaga will have influential attacking player Rory Browne back for the game against Sevin Sinners, and the team wish him well in his recovery. Although Sevin Sinners have just 1 point from their first 3 games Balaga will not be taking anything for granted as they hope to consolidate their position at the top.

Game 2: Balaga 3 – World Class 3

Week 2 of the footie.ie Wednesday league saw FC Balaga Tongo face much tougher opposition in the form of World Class FC. Another miserable night, weather wise, was on the cards but this new look Tongo team appears to be made of tougher stuff than previous seasons, and nowadays rain doesn’t appear to be the Achilles heel it once was for the African/Irish outfit.

A packed house of 4 fans turned up for the match, Balaga’s biggest crowd of the season so far were not disappointed. Tongo’s new captain and agent extraordinaire Tom O’C played a 3-2-1 formation which saw Damo K in goals, a back 3 of Kevin B, John D, and Deano. The midfield 2 of Phil O’D and Rory B, with the loan striker and joint top scorer Parker up front. Tom O’C again decided to start himself on the bench along with Webz, who wasn’t the may west.

A slow and cagey start by both teams eventually opened up after a goal from the well organized World Class FC. It didn’t last long however as a goal from Parker assisted by Rory levelled matters. The actual move and the goal weren’t seen by this reporter though. Midway through the first half WC were awarded a free kick after Damo made a vital save but was outside the box. A snappy free and a deflection of John D saw a hapless Damo watch the ball fly past him for 2-1 to WCFC. John was to make amends though shortly afterwards though as he scored from a clever pass by Webz. Balaga could count themselves lucky to be still in it at half time as WC were clearly the better team. Passes were misplaced and some dodgy decisions in the back line didn’t help Balaga’s confidence. A couple of handy saves by Damo saw the score stay at 2-2 as the half time whistle was blown.

Half time team talks sometimes change games and this was no exception. A new looking Tongo came out the second half and had a string of chances early on but WC had a organized back 3 with a particularly good keeper who kept the scores level. But it was again WC who took the lead after catching Balaga on the break. A long ball up field caught Kevin B flat footed and outpaced by the WC striker who coolly slotted the ball past Damo to make it 3-2. World Class decided to put the game past Balaga and started to push further forward allowing Balaga to catch them on a break of their own for a second on the night from Parker. Once more set up by Rory with a square pass for Parker to tap in for 3-3.

A fine game by last week’s AWOL player Deano, along with other defenders John, Tom and Kevin, and some good interplay by the midfield and forward line of Webz, Phil, Rory and Parker proves that better times are ahead for the Tongo team as they still try to get to know one another’s game. But 4 points from 2 games is better than previous seasons total tally and promotion orr the championship are defiantly possibilities.

Other results saw Rosies scrap a win over Balaga's last opponents Ma Dulleas 5-4. Seven are level on points with Balaga after a 2-1 victory over Manning Park while Upsetters picked up their first 3 points with a 3-1 victory over Sevin Sinners.

Player Profile - Blake

Week 1 of Balaga Player profile past and present focuses on former Balaga goalkeeper and midfielder Blake Shine. More to follow...

New Kit Surprise

Before the season began, club members held discussions on the possibility of Balaga turning out in new kit for 2009. In the past Balaga have only worn the green of Irish jerseys. But change was needed. Ivory Coast Orange aswell as other world football jerseys were discussed as options. The idea faded away as it was decided to stick to the Irish Jerseys.

But management kept the idea alive and asked Phil O' Driscoll to put his sporting goods connections to use and look into the possibility of getting custom FC Balaga Tongo jerseys which would have the official crest designed by Kevin Broderick. O'Callaghan and O'Driscoll made the decision to go with plain black jerseys. Once the squad was together and numbers were settled the order was made, with the jerseys due just before Balaga's first game.

O'Driscoll unviels the new kit

But O' Driscoll had also ordered training tops for the team. The jerseys and tops came as a great surprise for the squad as they gathered at Garryduff in their Ireland jerseys before their first match.The New FC Balaga Tongo Training Top

Game 1: Balaga 9 - Ma dulleas 3

New signings prove their worth as Balaga move top of the league after first game.

Balaga started off with a cautious team. Damo was between the sticks, Kevin Broderick, John Duggan and Phil O' Driscoll in defence, Stephen Parker and Rory Browne in midfield, and Webz up front... Captain Tom O' Callaghan started on the sideline, while Graham Deane was nowhere to be seen.

Browne's tidy finish from some early scrappy play got Balaga off the mark first. Then O'Driscoll showed great skill to dribble through Ma's defence and put a beautiful strike through the back of the net. O'Callaghan's low long range effort took a slight deflection and nestled in the bottom corner to make it 3. The fourth came from an attacking throw in, O'Callaghan spotted a fantastic run by Broderick behind Ma's defence, his throw to the centre of the box was met by Broderick. His header from yards out was unstoppable.

Not much was known of the opposition Ma Dulleas, except that its a pub in Balleypheane. But they provided stern opposition in the first half, scoring 3 goals. Although these may have to go down as poor defending on Balagas behalf Damo Kennedy was strong for Balaga on a night when the weather was horrific for goalkeepers.

In the second half it was a different story defencively, with Duggan more comfortable in his new team, Damo solid, and both Broderick and O'Callaghan battling at the back. Balaga would not concede another goal.

But it is was O'Driscoll, Browne, Parker and Webz, who will get the plaudits. Some awesome movement and quick play resulted in 2 second half goals for Parker who was fed by O'Driscoll. The second was sublime as the pair shared 4 passes before Parker slotted home easily. Then it was Webz's turn. With Browne creating great space for himself on the right he created 3 consecutive chances for webz who was able to slot home 2 and just missed out on his Hat-Trick. Duggan moving into midfield towards the end finished the game off as he passed a rebound into the net from 3 yards out after Webz had a shot saved.

Graham Deane arrived late but did not play. He is sure to be on time for next weeks game with World Class FC though and will be needed as Balaga face their next challenge.

Elsewhere in the league Manning Park Rovers showed they're class with a 6-1 win over the upsetters. Rosies got a close 1-0 win over World Class FC while Seven FC and Sevin Sinners drew 2-2.

The Big 2009 Preview

Hopes are high on the eve of the most anticipated Balaga Tongo Season in years. Opinion is divided about the fate of the club which had so much potential, in Autumn 2006, when it arrived on the football arena.

Since that first turbulent season of astro.ie Balaga struggled to come to terms with the 6-a-side game. With second and third seasons coming in late 2007 and early 2008 the team failed to shine and battled at the bottom of the table in both competitions.

Despite having to rely heavily on part-time appearances, FC Balaga Tongo built a solid base of players. With Broderick and O'Callaghan the only remaining players from the 2006 season. Signings Webz Kennedy, Phil O'Driscoll and Graham Deane all played a huge part and stuck with their club during this time. Youth team star Damien Kennedy who showed great promise during his first team call ups has been given a contract and will be guarding the Tongelese goal for the new season. Blake Shine and Alan O'Flynn who palyed a vital part in these Seasons for Balaga have now moved on in their careers. Shine signed for the Vancouver Whitecaps in October 2008, while O'Flynn decided to follow a management career.

Shine, now goaltender in Canadian Leagues.

With Broderick and O'Callagahan gaining some experience in the footy.ie league over the summer 2008 Club management decided a switch was needed, astro.ie was left behind and Balaga Tongo was entered into the footy.ie 7-a-side league system.

The player base of 6 left the club short 1 of a team and 3 of a good squad, which was their aim. A rigirous recruitment campaign was put into place to get the right balance.

The first good news was an oppurtunity to sign Rory Browne, a close colleague of O'Driscolls and a vastly experinced player, who would give Balaga the stability it was lacking. The deal was done quickly. It wasn't all plain sailing from there though. Shane Deane, a player who had occasionaly put in reliable shifts in the Balaga shirt was unavailable. With other part-time players injured, such has Neil Tully, Management had to go look further afield.

O'Callaghan had spotted Stephen Parker in a St.Lukes/Ashton exhibiton game and had gotten reports of fantastic performances in a 2008 summer league. After another friendly game over the festive period which, Parker, O'Driscoll and O'Callaghan played in, the concensus was clear. Parker would be the clubs main transfer target. Contact was made and an offer was put on the table. The player was frank with his desire to play for FC Balaga Tongo and negotiations with his Agent began. Although talks were slightly prolonged a deal was hammered out and Parker joined the club.

The last piece of the puzzle came from a Damo Kennedy brainwave. John Duggan would be available. A friend of many Balaga players, through Cork Harlequins, Duggan was approached by Kennedy and the reply was positive. The young sensation had become a Balaga player.

Some big name players freshen up Tongo team.

With the 3 new and the 6 present players the club have a great squad to mount a good campaign this season. Although new to the league and in some cases each other the mood is of excitement rather than fear. Crowd sizes will hopefully be up with the team now playing in Garryduff, but its the team on the pitch that will have to gel quickly if they are to get a good start. We have seen poor starts from the Tongonese club before but this seems to be the most settled squad Balaga has had and confidence seems to be on an all time high.

Details on formations and selection decisions have not been released. Club management seem to be keeping their cards close to their chests in that regard, but it should be interesting to see how the players will line out on Wednesday night

If you are unable to travel to the games, there is only one way to find out how the team fairs over the next 14 games, and that is by following FC Balaga Tongo here.