Tues Oct 20th 2009

MHC 2 Wild Geese 1

McAdam on the alert

The Wild Geese are out of the Inter-Firm Cup - even after a rare display of adaptability by Geese captain Martin McAdam. His team were without a goalkeeping specialist but McAdam was undeterred - he volunteered to make his debut in goals. But just like the previous week, the Geese conceded two early goals, and were never able to get back on equal terms.

Neither goals could be blamed on the net protector. MHC, the league's second-best team last season, pinned the Geese into their own half for the first twenty minutes. The first goal came on five minutes, when a ball across the penalty area was converted from close range. The second ten minutes later arrived when the MHC centrehalf muscled his marker in the goalmouth and shot from two metres. This looked ominous.

For twenty minutes McAdam made a string of outstanding saves that kept the Geese in the game. His desperate blocks provided a springboard for the Geese to lose their fear and pass the ball more effectively. Rob Fallon and Colm Daly also started dominating the MHC attackers. The Geese had finally started to play with confidence.

Rob Fallon on his debut

Geese chairman Steven Connolly got some positives from this loss. His two two new signings Rob Fallon and Rob Traynor looked like quality and suggest there will be many victories ahead. Fallon showed plenty of class on the ball in defence, and delivered many accurate passes, and Traynor's runs, and willinginess to have a shot from a distance, put his opponents on the back foot.

Rob Traynor on his debut

However, it was that goal machine Emmet Gorman who eventually made the breakthrough. Some good play between McCarthy and Tormey created space for Gorman who kept his usual zen calmness to shoot low and into the corner. Gorman continues to keep one of the highest chance/conversion ratios in the league. The game was 2-1 and everything looked possible.

From then on the Geese dominated possession, but they could not find the target. But despite the Wild Geese pressure, MHC still made the occasional excellent break and McAdam was called upon several times to keep his team in the tie.

The Geese are out of the cup. But with an inspirational Captain, players like Colm Daly starting to show their true pedigree, and finally two fantastic new signings, the Geese fans have much to savour.

GOALS: Gorman 1

GEESE: McAdam, Daly, Fallon, Traynor, Gorman, Boyle, McCarthy, O.Tormey