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League - Saturday 6th October 2007 14:00 Venue: Sydenham

Santos bag first league win

Santos’ belief continues to grow after this efficient win on Saturday against a Temple side committed to play football. While not a classic, and nowhere near their best Santos continue to improve match by match.  Winning here was just the morale booster that the players needed.  The match never really fizzed… ,in fact it was mediocre enough at time… then would light up with passages of superlative play then revert to mediocrity again.

Temple set off passing and moving determinedly and Risedale on the right side was causing many problems down a Santos left flank left exposed too often. A few Santos players suffering a loss of form at the same time meant the usual organized link up play of the Santos squad was missing.  But to their credit they stuck to their intensive training ground routines to help them out and,sure enough, from one such, they carved out the first goal in the 31 st min.  Hughes bowled a fine pass to Mc Cormack. Backed by the ever present support of Mc Geehan, Mc Cormack’s lay off was played delightfully by  the skipper to Paul Brady on the left.    By instantly reversing the ball back to the middle it allowed  Micky Mc Cullagh  to steal  in, take one touch before rifling a daisycutter from all of 25 yds to score a beauty.  A true Santos training ground goal!

Santos assumed control now and Brady tested keeper Madison with a crisp drive that the young keeper excelled in saving. Then Conor McCarthy, in only his second senior game, powered a shot to the side netting and Santos were high at this stage not wanting the half time whistle to come.  

HT Santos 1 Temple 0

Sometimes the half time break breaks the flow of a team’s game but the opposite was the case here. Santos continued to dominate and Temple erred in pushing back men forward for an equalizer. This proved a disastrous option as both Brady and the youthful Mc Carthy revelled in new found space. These two players gifted with pace created havoc with the depleted Temple back line.  First Brady swivelled and raced 20 yds to fire just wide, then McCarthy, (a real find )disposed Jenkins the Temple Centre Back at halfway.  Racing on he drew the keeper and produced the most exquisite of chips from 25 yds.  Amazingly the ball struck the underside of the crossbar and came out. 5 mins later both Santos strikers signalled injuries. As the subs waited to come on Brady raced clear to a gem of a pass from Agnew and this time the predator gobbled up the chance leaving Santos comfortable. With his last touch too Brady seized on a  classic Santos set piece throw in to nutmeg a defender and placed in a near post cross which the onrushing McCormack fairly hammered home..

Both strikers retired to be replaced by Doherty and O Gorman. Then a body blow to Temple at 75 mins ..they lost a player harshly red carded.  Strangely this seemed to galvanize them and they played their best football of the game as Santos sat back to hold their lead. This proved to be the Candystripe’s worst 15 mins of the season and were it not for the defensive qualities of Johnny Agnew,  slotting in perfectly at right back, and the ever excellent keeping of Player of the Month Aidan Hughes, Santos would have paid a high price.  As it was a surprise free kick to Temple was expertly bent to the top corner by Spencer. To bring Temple a well deserved goal

Yet Santos had one last attack. Again Agnew’s expertly weighted pass put McCormack in and he waited for support  . Sub Gerard Brady arrived to curl a beauty past the Temple keeper only for that inside of the post to rescue Temple yet again.

So a solid, accomplished performance for the South Belfast boys. With Agnew supreme, McCormack ever a danger, McGeehan relentless in driving his team mates on in usual inspirational fashion, these players compensated for a few below par performances from team mates but the Man Of Match award went to the dynamic newcomer Conor (Lazio) McCarthy…. a real find for manager McGeehan. 

Next match see's high flying McQuiston visit Santos at Blanchflower on Saturday and a classic is expected.

Lineup
		Player	Position	Rating	Info
		Aidan Hughes	Goalkeeper
		John Ossawy	Left Back
		Johnathan Agnew	Right Back
		Liam Maguire	Centreback
		Stephen Walker	Centreback
		Patrick Parker	Defensive Midfielder
		Conor McCormack	Left Midfield
		Joseph McGeehan	Center Midfielder
		Michael Burns	Center Midfielder
		Paul Brady	Striker
		Conor McCarthy	Striker

Substitutes
		Player	Position	Rating	Info
		Manus O'Gorman	Striker		Replaced Paul Brady.
		Barry Doherty	Left Back		Replaced Conor McCarthy.
		Gerard Brady	Striker		Replaced Manus O'Gorman.

Man of the Match
		Player	Notes
		Conor McCormack	a superb goal and all round excellence