Supporters Club Notes 16.07.2012

SLIPPAGE

Unfortunately we slipped up again last week-end down in soggy Wexford and now we're behind Limerick on goal difference following a one all draw. Again we made hard  work of it in front of goals and with Limerick scoring freely, the second part of our season is going to be tougher than what went before. In front of a small home crowd and with just the usual die hards  making the long trip, it  was the hosts who took the lead with a penalty  after Salmon brought down a Youths player. Indeed, it has to be admitted that Salmon was lucky to stay on the pitch. The first half belonged to the Youths side and if we had gone further behind before the break, we could have had no excuses.

The second half was barely ten minutes old when Daniel Purdy scored the equaliser with a real peach of a goal. His sweetly taken placed kick rose delightfully over the wall and flew gracefully into the top corner. No doubt Marty has it chalked down as a goal of the season contender. In our first game down in Ferrycarrig Park, Keith Gillespie was red carded but this time a Wexford player received his marching orders  for going in unfairly on the same Keith. Despite playing  against ten men, De Town were not able to find the net and net all three points on offer. The ref made a bit of a name for himself having to go injured ( like in our first game  against Mervue) but there was no shortage of cards being shown. Wexford Youths picked up three yellows and one red  while for the visitors Craig Hyland,Mark Salmon, Alan Kirby and Collie James had yellow flashed in front of them. In an incident packed night Noel Haverty had to go off after being visibly sick following a hard knock. We all felt a bit sickened on the long journey home but we know we can play much better than we've been playing recently. With Waterford narrowing the gap, it has added to the urgency of a renewed and vital improvement.

And finally,  on a night when we didn't have a great deal to smile about, the local chanters came up with a gem “Wallace for Taoiseach, he'll pay taxes when he wants to.”

WATERFORD  AT  HOME

We're entering a manic few nights of activity at Flancare Park but our home game on Saturday  against Waterford is massively important. If our visitors manage to defeat us at home, then they're within spitting distance which would leave us most uncomfortable. Of course there's a long and twisty road ahead yet but we don't need to lose any wheels just yet. If we can get our act together properly and win, then we'll face SD Galway  and Limerick themselves with a little more confidence. But if ever we need our local support, it's now that we really want to see as many get behind the team and support them positively from the first to the final whistle.

MILLWALL  AND  MAN UTD

This Wednesday sees the first of our two fascinating friendlies when we face Millwall. It's a fantastic chance to pit our best  against a fully professional side playing at a very high level. It may have th etitle “Friendly” but these games are taken very seriously by both teams. For the visitors, it's a chance to see what their future season holds and usually a few new signings are blooded. Hopefully we won't be seeing any  real blood though since we're entering a vital time in our push for promotion. Maybe as some are suggesting, it'll give Tony Cousins a chance to try out different combinations as face this challenging period.

Then on Monday night we face the might of a Man Utd selection. Even if it's not the first team, only the very best get into  the squad and for every player  it's  absolute  dream time to be representing Man Utd on an overseas tour. A few short seasons agao we had a squad from Athletico Madrid play at Flancare. Some locals said they couldn't be bothered turning up to see their second squad play us. Well five of those who played against Longford Town  picked up European medals this summer.

For both the real sportsperson and for the youth of the area ( and beyond) this is an incredibly rare opportunity to see some fabulous and exciting talent. It goes without saying that some of those plying their trade at Flancare for the friendlies will be making headlines later this season.Imagine turning down the chance of seeing a young Cantona, Giggs or Rooney. You'd be truly mad to miss these games. Not only will you get to see them play, it's also a terrific chance to get autographs and photos and to be up close  and personal in  a way that you never would, if you travel to see them play at home. Make sure to get your tickets in plenty of time and to turn up  for the games in time too. Without doubt, it's an opportunity not to be missed.

PATIENCE

If you're in the Clubhouse for the Friendly games please be patient with our hardwoking staff behind the counter. Remember we're only volunteers and we'll be doing our best to serve you as quickly as possible. We're expecting a larger crowd than usual , so if you'd lke to make things run smothly, please don't hand in large notes.We don't have a till to do the hard sums ! And despite expecting a large crowd, we're keeping  our prices as low as always. We have the best value in the entire country and because we value your support, we're keeping our prices  at rock bottom. But if service os a little slower than usual, please be patient, we'll do our best.

CAR BOOT  SALE

There have been many phone calls, texts and e mails asking about our next Car Boot Sale. Well as usual, we're sticking to out tried and tested formula of having them only on Bank Holiday week-ends. In short that means our next one will be on Monday August 6th, which is a long way off  yet.

BEST WISHES  

Best wishes  for a speedy recovery to Ina Mc Cormack, one of our most loyal stall holders at the Car Boots Sales. Hopefully we'll be seeing Ina in full health again in time for the start of August.