By Paul 'Pablo' Caulfield
The football gods were angry that week my friends… like an old man trying to return soup at a deli…
You’d be forgiven for thinking we'd be in good nick after having a weekend free of Division 1 or 2 football, but with an injury list as long as their arm coming into this weekend’s doubleheader, the Saints were in crisis.
With only a small pool of players to choose from, understandably, priority was given to selecting as strong a squad as possible for Friday night’s Division 1 clash against fellow title challengers Sporting. The Saints enjoyed an explosive start to this top-of-the-table clash when Nathan Sitch scored the opener with a deft header after just 52 seconds. It came as a result of strong pressing by the Saints as Eoin Gannon won the ball high up the pitch and laid it on to Tomás Fonseca, nosso capitão then played a first-time lobbed through ball over the Sporting defence to find Sitch who was able to apply the finish.
As far as I’m aware the game ended after one minute and the Saints sit top of the league, still unbeaten… I wouldn’t pay any heed to those tales of a Sporting comeback and a late flurry of goals.. (redacted).
On to the next imminent trainwreck… By Wednesday of last week, there were just seven players available for the Sinners Division 2 clash against the Raiders on Saturday, one of which was to play in Friday’s game and would need a late fitness check. Questions were being asked… When did Conn Kirby move to Mui Ne!? Does Kev Sul work on Saturdays? Does anyone have a phone number for Craney or Connla Stokes!? It wasn’t looking good… But having been deprived of Saigon’s greatest derby for a couple of years, the Sinners were determined to find new recruits somewhere so the game could go ahead.
In the end, they turned to a familiar friend who had served them well in such crises before- the Saigon Gaels. They were able to sign up five lads from the newly crowned Asian hurling champions as well as long-time listener, first-time caller Adrian Gilligan. Tomás Fonseca and Alan Roche had survived Friday’s massacre and were able to play in Saturday’s derby.
The mood was relaxed as we met for the delayed kick-off under lights. Maybe there was a sense that expectations were low as half of the team didn’t know each other. “Are we playing this way or that way?” inquired one debutant while gesturing to the 7s and 11s pitches during the warmup. “I’m glad you asked before I did” responded another. We were well prepped.
As the gaffer Richie named out the starting lineup, I’d love to tell you that it was crystal clear to everyone listening that he had been up all night coming up with a master plan that would lead us to victory. But when he forgot to name any fullbacks, I got the feeling we weren’t the only ones hearing the team for the first time.
Teague was ‘named’ captain and would start in goal. The ever-vocal Christ Howley started at right back, while the only left-footer in the squad, Brian McDermott, debuted on the left. Glenn Connelly would provide guidance alongside the young rookie Mark Hickey at centre-back. In the middle of the park, the hurl-less Tony French and Joe Cuddihy were to provide the legs while Dominic could add some flair up ahead. With a front three of Alan Roche, Barry McGill, and Paul Caulfield, the Sinners’ attacking strategy was twofold:
GO
LONG
The Sinners started cautiously, trying to win their duels and cause havoc on the counterattack. When the Raiders put the ball in the net in the 9th minute following a botched clearance from Hickey, it looked like it was going to be a long night. Thankfully, the opener was ruled out for an apparent offside, the Sinners had got away with one. Perhaps their luck was changing.
As each minute passed the Sinners grew into the game more, Hickey was switched to right back where he could attack down the line and Howley filled in at centre-back where he excelled alongside Connelly. In attack, they realised they could get a lot of change out of this Raiders defence by pressing them high and they had their first big chance of the game in the 15th minute when Caulfield hit the post with a speculative half-volley following a poor clearance.
Halfway through the first half, the Sinners emptied the bench with Adrian Gilligan and Adam Carroll making their debuts while Saints regular Tomás Fonseca gave us a new creative outlet up front. The fresh legs almost had an instant impact as Fonseca’s press led to Roche intercepting a Raiders’ defender’s short pass. Roche nicked the ball past the defender and sped down the wing before squaring it back to Fonseca whose shot drew a magnificent save from the Raiders’ keeper.
By halftime, some of the Gaels’ WAGs had arrived and were cheering their men on from the sideline. The new Sinners were getting used to life without a hurl and French, Cuddihy, and Carroll had started to get a hold of the midfield, playing some nice, composed football as well as using a long ball option when needed. McCauliffe’s team talk seemed more rehearsed at halftime, we were not here to fulfill a fixture or to hang on in this game, the win was there for the taking.
There was one change at the interval as Teague moved to right back and Mark Hickey stepped into nets. Both played their part in their new roles, Hickey showed superb reflexes to claim a loose ball on the goal line following a Raiders’ corner, and Teague’s set-piece deliveries were a constant threat throughout the second half. The Sinners thought they had the winner when one such delivery met the head of Joe Cuddihy in the 75th minute but it was to be another goal ruled out for an apparent offside.
The Sinners had had their chances to win the game, French found Caulfield with a lovely through ball only for the striker to blast wide. The linesman’s flag stayed down this time, an opportunity wasted. It looked like the game was destined to end as a stalemate as we entered stoppage time before the Sinners were awarded a penalty. It came following another terrific set-piece delivery from Teague, the Raiders’ keeper came for the cross and fumbled it, French pounced towards the loose ball, the keeper missed his kicked clearance and instead brought French to the ground. Penalty to Sinners.
Unconcerned about his fallen teammate holding his crotch on the ground, Caulfield strolled past French to get his hands on the ball to take the spot kick. He stepped up and hit his shot hard and to the right. Although the keeper guessed the right way he couldn’t get a strong enough hand to it, “Richie! Richiiiee!!!” screamed the commentators inexplicably as it nestled in the top right corner. 1-0 to the Sinners.
The remaining two minutes saw the Raiders go Gung-ho in attack in search of an equaliser. They had all 11 players in the Sinners’ box for a corner but the team in green, brown, yellow, and black stripes were able to hold out for their first win of the season.
Full-time result in Division 2:
Saigon Sinners 1-0 Saigon Raiders
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