Heaven for Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams Athletic offered hope in the RM Invitational title fight by defeating West Brom Strollers 2-1 at Summer of 69 Dome. Eadbhard Liffey had a 13th minute free-kick saved by Carson as the hosts warmed to their task of facing the league leaders. They would receive a massive boost before half-time as Logan MacCanish toe-poked home on 40 minutes to give them a 1-0 lead. West Brom finally awoke from their slumber on 63 minutes but Cyrille Regis found a post in his way after beating Sapienza with a toe-poke of his own. The game would have a dramatic final 10 minutes with Enzo Maresca firing the visitors level on 81 minutes. Moments later Richard Sneekes had the chance to put them in front but his fine strike would test the woodwork before going safe. The home side would also suffer courtesy of the goal frame as Percival Horsfield’s header struck a post as they searched for a winning goal. Miles Madeley looked to have wasted their chance as he curled a shot wide on 95 minutes but miraculously the home side still had time to forge one more attack and MacCanish rose majestically to head past Carson. SLS confirmed he had ‘mixed feelings’ about the result as scores elsewhere meant their relegation was confirmed but he was ‘chuffed with manager of the round’ and a brilliant three points. DD will stress to his side the importance of three points against Hun Haters on Tuesday as the following round sees them take on Kirkbride.

Kirkbride themselves enjoyed a stunning day as they thrashed Manchester United 7-0 at The Bush. Andrew Harrison toe-poked home the opener on four minutes and the home side never looked back. Billy Maneater had a driving shot saved by Kuszczak before Stephen Robinson curled in a free-kick for 2-0 on 18 minutes. A powerful header by Mark Blacklock narrowly missed the target but Craig Stockdale did shoot home the third on 29 minutes. 4-0 would soon follow as Blacklock lobbed the ball over the advancing ‘keeper following a fine breakaway move and they would take this lead into the half. The second-half saw further goals with Blacklock heading home his second goal on 47 minutes before Keith Ellison steered in a sixth on 51 minutes. The rout was completed late in the game as Harrison hit through Kuszczak’s legs for a clinical seventh goal. Jazza was modest following the victory and put it down to United not being ‘prepared for the match’ but he did add that with his side being ‘strong at home’ their match with West Brom ‘might turn into a title decider.’ The loss might shock Pakya when the manager returns but such things can happen if you leave your players to their own devices for any length of time.

ThunderCats stayed in third with an easy 3-0 win at Hun Haters. The visitors would strike with their first chance as Izet Hadzic placed home a fine header. Fabricio Cidade might have added a second moments later but toe-poked wide while Marcelino Morte had a dangerous moment in front of his own goal at the other end but luckily his header drifted off-target. The second-half would open up as ThunderCats became rampant. Ursu would first save from a Ted Caird shot from distance and he would then watch as his teammates took over proceedings. Leonardo Borja put a lob attempt just over the bar while Cidade also put his header over the bar. Borja would make it 2-0 on 78 minutes with a calm finish in the area while a diving header by Jake Sephton was well-saved by Boruc. Placido Polo would add the third but it had an element of luck to it as his mishit shot evaded the ‘keeper. Boruc did redeem himself on 95 minutes with an outstanding save to deny Alirio Ramalhao from distance but he couldn’t prevent his side from slipping to defeat. Baz’s side face a massive match on Tuesday against Kirkbride and if they are victorious second-place will look very likely and they might retain an outside shot of the title. Celticchris will undoubtedly be happy to see the end of the current campaign as they sit rock bottom of the division following 15 losses in 19 matches.

The Vikings had a comfortable evening as they disposed of Totaalvoetbal 3-0 to stay in fourth spot. It took a while for the home side to get into their attacking rhythm but from their very first forward surge they would take the lead; Vassilis Papakostas heading expertly past Metelo on the half-hour. Justin Portway very nearly made it 2-0 before the break but his lob header hit the bar, much to the relief of the struggling young ‘keeper. Totaal became more competitive after the break but Pierre van Diemen couldn’t get his shot to curl enough and it went wide. They would receive a boost in the shape of the sending-off of Evstathios Gourmas for aggression that would have been better served in the WWE. However, the home side remained confident and won themselves a penalty; Anastasios Tassiopoulos making no mistake to double their advantage. A free-kick by Aris Almanidis needed tipping over by Metelo but the ‘keeper was horribly wrong-footed as Papakostas’ mishit shot on 66 minutes trickled into the net. Totaal created a couple of late chances in a vain effort to get back into the contest but van Diemen put a lob high and wide before flicking a header well off-target in a disappointing display from the normally brilliant front man. Eagles explained that the win ‘was fairly expected’ before going on to add that they are now ‘guaranteed to finish no lower than fifth’ which his side are ‘delighted’ with. Robin Meeblind admitted that he is ‘looking to strengthen his squad’ when the transfer window opens and there might be a few in the current team who are looking nervously over their shoulders at the moment.

AFC Stanley and Underdogz United both secured their safety after a 1-1 draw between the sides at Garden Street. A free-kick by Matts Wallman needed saving by Casillas while Zlatan Izuhimovic had a toe-poke saved by Hessbo as both sides found openings in the first 45 minutes. Per-Elvis Granander’s shot forced Casillas into further acrobatics on 36 minutes and the ‘keeper was the equal of the shot as he palmed it away. United took advantage of their ‘keeper’s performance by hitting the front as Izuhimovic placed in a fine shot on 42 minutes to give them a half-time lead. The second-half saw United create the majority of chances but it would be the home side who would find the net. Robin van Izu wasted an early chance as he shot wide and Granander thundered in an effort at the other end to tie the game up. Luis Carlos Almeida nearly restored the visitor’s lead but his header struck a post while Izuhimovic’s lob was saved by Hessbo. A free-kick by van Izu would be easily held by the ‘keeper while Granander remained dangerous at the other end but his lob just had a little too much on it. The same could be said of van Izu’s effort at the other end and the game would finish in a stalemate which would actually suit both sides just fine. Stanley News reported that ‘Markham33 has a lot of hard work to do in the close season if he is to get his side to challenge next season’ but the fans will remain confident in their manager. Izu declared himself ‘happy to be staying in the top flight for at least one more season’ but his forward line looks under threat after admitting they have had ‘huge problems scoring goals this season.’

Sanity Clause continued to show a marked improvement as they gained a point in a 2-2 draw at Santos. They would begin the game really strongly and had already seen a header from Sammy Shepherd punched away by home ‘keeper Valdez before they took a hold of the game. Yves Vairelles produced a superb diving header to give them a 1-0 lead on 19 minutes and just a minute later a chip by Shinosuke Isimaru had them 2-0 ahead. However, the home side fought back and Adriano Ribeiro halved the deficit following a fine header while a free-kick by Torbjorn Alshammar went wide. Cesar Duarte would level proceedings as the home side dominated the aerial battle in the opposition’s penalty area. They weren’t quite so strong defensively, though, and Eugene Kameni Idriss nearly had the visitors back in front but his flick header hit the woodwork. There would just be two further chances in a quieter second-half; Alshammar lobbing against the bar unfortunately for the home side while Idriss also smacked the bar with an excellent free-kick attempt at the other end. Sean7 was disappointed with how his season had petered out but said they have a ‘good blend of experience and potential’ and he would only be ‘tweaking some positions’ in the off-season. Crismorena continues his rebuilding job at Sanity Clause and with form looking strong Division One might need to fear his side next term.