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Santos	0-2	Queens Grads
	HT ( 0- 0 )

Queens grab full points

While Santos have graduated to Division 2B they have yet to attain that Master’s degree and experience that the Grads exhibited on Saturday.  It really was a master class to the young Santos team on locking up a game then striking clinically. 

A disappointed Santos squad, who have not failed to score in a league match for over a year, never looked to unlock a watertight Grads team where Ciaran Cooley in goals oozed confidence in his handling of a few fierce Santos efforts and looked totally invulnerable.

In truth it was strangely a game lacking passion.  Grads demoted last session look determined to return to where they undoubtedly belong in the higher league and Santos a bit cagey and unsure, finding for once a team with no apparent weaknesses to exploit. 

The game was tame in long stretches with the Santos danger man Paul Brady snuffed out by the powerful Paul Caughey, who was a rock at the back for Grads.  With Michael Daly returning as sweeper, this Grads back line was just too powerful and the experiment of Conor McCormack partnering Brady foundered for Santos who were thus toothless. 

Santos did test Cooley in the opening quarter afs Brady then Doherty then McCormack fired in powereful shots.  But the ease with which Cooley dealt with these broke Santos’ hearts. In midfield McGeehan and McCullagh, usually so dominant, finding their front men so shackled ran out of ideas and too often opted for the longer ball forward. This tactic was to see a rather turgid game as the Grads midfield also was uncreative.  Only Jonny Agnew competing against his brother Simon added a modicum of inventiveness to the situation and looked dangerous in his fast raiding breaks.  He too however ran into the brick wall that was the Grads defence. 

A 0-0 looked very much on the cards as half time saw few chances at either end.

Tactically Santos were more imaginative after the break when Paul Brady pulled deeper off his marker but unfortunately his support partners McCormack and Conor McAuley did not exploit the openings he made. 

It was that sort of day when a player flashed into the game only to find lack of support was to fail him.

Defensively Santos were superb.  Hughes at centre back dominated everything and Liam Maguire (suffering as he was with injury )still produced a classic defensive performance along side the towering Hughes. But at full back Barry Doherty and Manus O Gorman were the stars setting up much of the Santos attacks and defending stoutly. 

So it was cruel that one small moment of indecision on the part of these two fine performers should see Queens grab the vital first goal, which was in fact the “killer” goal.  In a exact replica to the last home game, an innocuous throw on the right saw young O'Gorman ‘asleep’, then the early cross caught Doherty on the wrong side of his marker too and Brendy Agnew, nodded back into the middle for a delighted Robbie Meridith to hammer home. To their credit Santos do not usually let a losing the lead worry them but in this game it was obvious that the first goal would probably win the match so Queens were lifted by the score. 

As Santos pressed, Queens broke and a very fortuitous free kick was awarded against Hughes who was so clearly annoyed by what he considered an injustice, that Santos concentration went and the quick free saw a totally unmarked Michael Harte head home from six yards to kill the game.   Surprisingly Santos hit a late purple patch and only reckless finishing was to be their downfall. 

Conor McCarthy coming on as sub, with fresh energy and enthusiasm, was proving a real handful and provided the highlight moment of the game when from a dazzling piece of skill by Brady he raced in to head home when a most brilliant and acrobatic piece of work by the Grads full back McGinley saw the ball whisked off his head at the last second. 

Still Santos management knew this would only have been a consolation as Queens were undoubtedly the Masters and Santos the Pupils on this showing.  Grads had the Man of the Match in the dazzling Brendan Agnew on the right wing whose control and pace proved a thorn in the side of Santos all day.  The Santos heroes again were Hughes and Agnew whose “never say die attitude” stood out on a day of lethargic performances.

Santos travel to high flying Bangor Rangers next seeking that elusive first league win, but confident that the knowledge gained in these opening two games against experienced sides will rub off soon.

ch report to follow.

Lineup
		Player	Position	Rating	Info
		Patrick Murphy	Goalkeeper
		Barry Doherty	Left Back
		Manus O'Gorman	Right Back
		Liam Maguire	Centreback
		Aidan Hughes	Centreback
		Michael Burns	Center Midfielder
		Joseph McGeehan	Defensive Midfielder
		Johnathan Agnew	Center Midfielder
		Conor McAuley	Right Winger
		Conor McCormack	Striker
		Paul Brady	Striker

Substitutes
		Player	Position	Rating	Info
		Conor McCarthy	Striker

Man of the Match
		Player	Notes
		Aidan Hughes	Again a dominating whole hearted display.