Captain : Andy Seay
Match Reports
2nds
beat Corinthians 2nds to progress to the IJC Quarter Finals
Team:-Seay, Watson, Cooke, McCloy, Hollway, Madill, Frizelle,
Kennedy, Marks, Carson, Black Subs:-Lowden, McLean
Instonians thought they had been given a bye into the quarter finals of the IJC
due to Three Rock being disqualified from the competition. However, in their
wisdom the IHA decided that the two teams beaten in previous rounds by Three
Rock should play each other with the winner having the luxury of a HOME draw
against Instonians! The 2nds were pleased to hear Corinthians had beaten Bandon
& that meant a trip to Dublin instead of Cork!!
Inst set off early from Shaw's Bridge & the chat in the car turned to
hockey with Charlie Marks telling everyone he doesn't score many but he always
gets the important ones, i.e. the winner at home vs. Cookstown-was this an
omen?! Inst arrived for a 2.30pm start with plenty of time to spare & even
watched a bit of the Corinthians 1st vs. Pembroke 1st game beforehand. But then
it was down to business...........
The game really was a war of attrition with neither team wanting to give
anything away. Most of the play was in the middle of the pitch for most of the
1st half with opportunities to score at a premium. Inst won a short corner after
10 minutes but the shot went down the middle & the keeper saved & cleared the
ball to safety. Corinthians kept possession very well at the back & picked gaps
through the Inst midfield but couldn't get the final pass right to get in for a
shot on goal. However, they pressed Inst very hard for the last 5 minutes of the
half & Inst were relieved to hear the half time whistle.
Half time was used wisely as messrs Hollway & Cooke implemented some tactical
changes which would hopefully give Inst the upper hand in the 2nd half. As it
turned out though, the 2nd half was much the same as the 1st with chances from
open play few & far between. Corinthians played some lovely hockey & won a few
short corners which they were not able to convert due to the great work in goals
by Andy Seay who did well to keep the drag flicks out of the net. Instonians had
a couple of half chances up front & had someone gambled onto the back post they
would have scored from a great John Watson pass from the right hand side. With
the sides not being able to score in normal time & a result being needed it was
into golden goal extra time! Goal the winner anyone?!
The two periods of 7 and a half minute extra time had more action than the 70
minutes before it!!! Corinthians were playing some great hockey & were on top of
Inst right from the start, Inst just didn't look like they could hang on. The
passing was sloppy as was the marking & the legs just looked like they had gone
for a few people. Corinthians won a short corner with 4 minutes gone & the shot
was charged down by Hollway but it fell to a Corinthians attacker who stuck the
ball over the grounded Seay & into the net. It was all over for Inst but the
umpire had spotted an infringement somewhere & given a free out. Relieved, Inst
set about trying to score themselves with Carson coming close with two reverse
stick shots.
It was a quick turn around for the last 7 and a half minutes & again it was
Corinthians who were pressuring & threatening to score. They had a succession of
short corners but again Seay was equal to everything thrown at him. Slowly Inst
got back into the game & had a few breakaways but the final pass never found its
mark! After 5 minutes Corinthians won another short corner & this time it was
flicked to the keepers left. Neil Cooke took the ball chest high but it
flicked off his stick behind him-luckily enough Seay was alert & it hit him &
went out for what Inst thought was a long corner......but NO. The umpire had
given a stroke! After a 'polite' enquiry from Cooke the umpire consulted with
his colleague for a few minutes before finally awarding the long corner. During
the stoppage the Corinthians centre midfielder was yellow carded giving Inst the
advantage. With barely 2 minutes to go Graeme Carson received the ball on the
right hand side at the halfway line, he turned inside & took on the defence. He
released the ball to Frizelle on his left who took it into the circle & hit a
low reverse shot which looked destined for the bottom corner but Charlie Marks
was on hand to make sure & deflected the ball past the helpless keeper. There
was mass celebration from Inst which verged very much on 'football behaviour.'
Either side would have been disappointed to lose the game but in the end the
luck was with Inst on the day. Neil Cooke & David McCloy had a superb game in
the middle of the defence, Graeme Carson was strong & did a great job chasing
down defenders up front & Andy Seay was in top form in goals. Also to all those
worried about Clarke Kennedy-he's still alive, we all saw him on Saturday so
call of the man hunt Barry!!
Next game IJC quarter final vs. holders Pembroke at Shawsbridge
2nds
beat Raphoe 2nds
Team:-Hogg, McLean, Cooke, McCloy, Hollway, Madill, Frizelle,
Taylor, Wilson, Carson, Black Subs:-Marks, Lowden
Inst faced Raphoe at home on Saturday without the services of Captain &
goalkeeper Andy Seay who was away due to work commitments! His absence was made
less noticeable with the inclusion of 4th XI goalkeeper & Captain Tim Hogg who
had an excellent game!
Inst scored early on in the game from a penalty stroke by Graeme Carson after it
appeared the Raphoe defender stopped the ball on the line illegally. The flick
went in but Inst were too afraid to cheer until the ball had fully crossed the
line! Graeme will tell you he gave the keeper 'the eyes' & it doesn't matter how
quickly (or slowly) it went in! The rest of the 1st half was a fairly cagey one
with both teams sharing the possession & chances going amiss at both ends.
Indeed, the most exciting action of the game happened in the Inst dugout at
halftime but whatever happens in the dugout stays in the dugout- isn't that
right Rob?! Perhaps instead of traditional oranges & drinks at the break we
should have Prozac! Call the pharmacy!
Inst changed the team for the 2nd half with Taylor moving into defence & Marks
coming on in midfield. However, it was Raphoe who scored a deserved equaliser. A
midfielder ran through a couple of weak Inst challenges & into the circle &
scored past the on coming Hogg. 1-1. Inst didn't drop their heads however &
worked hard to win a short corner from which Frizelle scored with a well
directed hit. 2-1. This knocked the stuffing out of Raphoe & with a few minutes
remaining Carson scored his 2nd of the game with a reverse stick bobbler which
again wrong footed the goalkeeper! 3-1.
Overall a good win to get the season back on track after two defeats. Jonny
Madill was voted man of the match closely followed by Carson. Thanks to Tim Hogg
for doing a great job between the pipes-all i can say is watch out Andy Seay!
2nds demolish Garvey 3rds
Team:-Seay, Watson, Cooke, McCloy, Kennedy, Reid, Frizelle,
Taylor, Kirk, Carson, Black Subs:-Gill, McLean
Inst hosted bottom of the league Lisnagarvey 3rds in the 4pm slot at Shawsbridge
on Saturday. It was a very strong squad with the inclusion of Reid, Kennedy
& Kirk who were not selected on the 1sts this week. Hollway was unable to play
due to injury but was still there in a coaching capacity.
Neil Cooke took the warm up this week & again decided the tow path was the best
place to do it. It must be a strange sight to see 12 men in tracksuits jogging
along led by the gorilla from the Cadbury's advert, no wonder we get odd looks.
The 1st half was a frustrating one for Inst, they had all the play, all the
possession but only had one goal to show for it! It came courtesy of a Frizelle
short corner within the 1st ten minutes. Inst had chances to increase their lead
but a combination of dogged defending & sloppy finishing meant it stayed at 1-0.
In one of the more exciting moments of the 1st half Andy Seay earned himself a
fine while retrieving a ball from the corner of the pitch. He slipped on the
tarmac & went down with all the co-ordination of a person on a bouncy castle!!
A re-jig at half time saw Taylor revert to a less stressful position for him at
centre back, obviously the coach didn't think he was cutting the mustard in the
left midfield position. Straight away Inst looked good & a flowing team move
resulted in Kirk scoring a one-on-one with the stranded keeper. Man of the match
Graeme Carson got a quick fire hat-trick, with Stephen Reid sneaking in on the
back post to finish off McLean's pinpoint cross. Kirk got his 2nd of the game
when he deftly deflected Watson's long corner into the net. Aaron Gill scored
the 8th goal by doing what he does best, shifting the ball from the open side to
the reverse side & scoring down the middle of the goal. Garvey did get a
consolation goal late on. Quick thinking from a free hit found a Garvey player
free on the flick spot who scored even with Seay doing his best Schmeichel
starfish impersonation.
A final score of 8-1 to Inst who took the majority of the chances that came
their way. They will be hoping for more of the same for the rest of the season.
Thanks to Gavin Currie & Nigel Skillen for umpiring.
Next week, it's Kilkeel 2nds away
2nds progress easily to 2nd round of
Irish Junior Cup
Team:- Seay, Watson, McCloy, Cooke, Hollway, Madill,
Frizelle, Taylor, Wilson, Carson, Black Subs:-Lowden, McLean, Marks, Harvey
Inst faced Newry on Saturday in the 1st round of the IJC at Shawsbridge. They
had a full squad to choose from & even had a reserve goalkeeper in Chris Harvey
who was included for the 1st time.
After a good warm up, Inst began the game strongly. Newry didn't have much to
offer & it seemed more of a case of damage limitation for them. Strong play by
Carson led to a short corner being awarded for the home side. The ball was
switched left to Neil Cooke who unleashed a 'blockbuster' of a shot low to the
keepers right to make it 1-0. Shortly after this Aaron Black was hit in the
ankle & had to go off. Cue Nick Lowden who had an immediate impact as he chased
down 2 Newry defenders on his own, won the ball in the circle & fired a shot
into the bottom right of the goal. 2-0. Inst were cruising now, they had most of
the possession & Newry were reduced to long balls up the pitch to their big
centre forward who on occasion was very effective at holding up play & won a
couple of short corners for his side but Seay was never really troubled. Inst's
3rd goal came on the counter attack, Marks found Watson in space who in turn
picked out Lowden, his shot was well saved by the keeper but it came out to
Frizelle who made no mistake from 6 yards. 3-0. The score line remained the same
until halftime.
A quick team talk by the ever keen David Scott & Inst were out for the 2nd half
looking for more goals. Again, like a couple of weeks ago Inst had all the play
but couldn't quite get the final pass right. Inst won a short corner 10 minutes
into the half after good play from Marks & Wilson which Frizelle slotted home
for his 11th of the season! Changes were made all over the pitch for Inst & a
big cheer was given to Chris Harvey who came on to make his debut for the 2nds.
(We don't know if the cheer was for Chris coming on or for Andy coming off!!)
Inst got a 5th goal with 10 minutes to go. Davy 'Big drag, wee lift' Wilson
sneaked onto the back post to slot home McLean's driven ball in. Its good to see
Davy still going after all these years, it cant be easy being a big chocolate
man but that shows his commitment & determination to keep going! (Davy, you
still owe the kitty £8 kid). With the game dying out in the latter stages,
McCloy & McLean aka Laurel & Hardy decided to show off their comedy skills by
gifting the Newry player the ball & he coolly slotted past a helpless Harvey.
All in all a good performance by Inst & they now wait for news of their
opponents in the next round! Thanks to David Scott & everybody's favourite team
manager Barry Feeney.
Next week, Lisnagarvey 3rds at home 2.30pm
2nds win against Cookstown
Team:- Seay, Watson, Cooke, McCloy, Hollway, Black, Frizelle,
Taylor, Gill, Carson, Marks Subs:-McLean, Lowden
Inst faced their toughest game of the season on Saturday as they hosted
Cookstown at Shawsbridge. Cooke returned from injury to strengthen the defence
as did Hollway who had missed last weeks game as he was on holiday.
The game was delayed slightly as the Cookstown boys got stuck in traffic &
arrived late. Another long warm up was taken this week as it was a cold & wet
afternoon & Inst wanted to start strongly. They did just that, with 10 minutes
gone, when a quickly taken free from the top of the circle found Charles
Percival Marks & he deflected the ball past the motionless keeper. 1-0. Inst
then spent much of the remaining half on the back foot as Cookstown pressed
hard. A ball crossed in from the Cookstown right back found the forward a couple
of yards from goal & his clever deflection was extremely unlucky to hit the
inside of the post & bounce out when it seemed destined to nestle in the goal.
Seay made an excellent save from a short corner shortly after to deny the
Cookstown defender. Inst broke away on the counter attack but Carson's ball
across the circle was just behind Marks & he failed to get a touch.
Inst were glad to hear the half time whistle & it gave them a chance to re-organise
for the 2nd half. Chances were few & far between for the 1st 10 minutes of the
2nd half with neither team looking threatening. Cookstown were then let back
into the game, the defender ran the length of the pitch without being challenged
& turned inside to shoot on the reverse. It was a tame effort that should have
been easily cleared but unfortunately the ball squirmed under Seay's feet &
Cookstown had a deserved equaliser. 1-1. This goal appeared to wake some of the
Inst players & they finally started passing the ball & looked dangerous. They
won a couple of short corners but could not convert them. Cookstown then had a
chance to win the game as Aaron Black decided to liven the game up by running
across his own goal & losing the ball at the top of the circle. The Cookstown
player passed the ball to his forward unmarked & 5 yards out & with the goal at
his mercy he slipped, failing to capitalise on the empty net! A let off for Inst
& they knew it. The game seemed destined for a draw but with 2 minutes left to
go Inst scored. A ball was hit in from the left & Carson's deft touch deflected
the ball into the bottom corner of the goal. 2-1. Cookstown piled on the
pressure but the Inst defence held firm & secured the win!
Thanks to Gavin Currie & especially to 'the ginger one' Barry Feeney who
volunteered to umpire at the last minute. It was not a pleasant afternoon to be
standing on a hockey pitch!
Next weeks game is at home to Newry in the Irish Junior Cup
2nds beat Newry........in Kilkeel!
Team:- Seay, Watson, McCloy, Taylor, McLean, Martin, Black,
Lowden, Carson, Marks Sub:- Vernon
Inst were faced with a tough choice of playing Newry on a Friday night in
Kilkeel on Astroturf or playing on a Saturday afternoon on the gravel! Obviously
the astroturf game was chosen & Inst set off with a slightly weakened team for
this potential banana skin! After his goal last week Charlie Marks retained his
place in the squad, Matt Vernon was called up to play his 1st game of the season
for the 2nds & Matthew Martin must just have been pleased to get some pitch time
after warming the bench for the 1sts recently.
Warm up duties were with Tim Taylor this week & he certainly did his best to
tire everyone out before the game. It almost verged on a fitness session & there
were calls of mutiny from the back of the group but everyone felt the benefit of
it as Inst took to the pitch & went 1-0 down to a short corner! A pretty tame
straight hit down the middle took a deflection off a defenders stick & looped
into the goal. A soft goal to concede! Newry set out to frustrate Inst by
playing 11 men behind the ball at all times & it was very difficult to break
them down even with 80% of the possession! Indeed, Inst found themselves
trailing to that solitary Newry strike at half time.
The 1st 10 minutes of the 2nd half mirrored what had gone before with Inst
having all the possession but not creating any clear cut chances. Eventually the
breakthrough came, good work at the back led to McCloy picking out Frizelle at
the top of the circle & he took one touch & reversed a shot into the corner of
the goal. 1-1. Five minutes later it was 2-1 to Inst as Frizelle scored again,
this time at a short corner. This goal took all the fight out of Newry & they
seemed resigned to defeat. Frizelle picked out Carson from a free hit & he
turned the defender with ease to slot home Inst's 3rd goal. Martin got in on the
act as well as he beat 2 defenders to get into the circle & hit a low shot off
the keepers pads & into the backboards! 4-1. Mention must be made of skipper
Andy Seay who made 3 or 4 very good saves to deny Newry any more goals, long may
his good form continue!
Thanks to Scott Guiler (Clubman of the year 2006/07) for coming to Kilkeel &
umpiring!
Next weeks game is at home to Cookstown 2nds.
2nds win in Raphoe
Team:- Seay, Watson, McCloy, Holloway, McLean, Reid,
Frizelle, Black, Gill, Carson, Lowden Sub:-Marks
Inst travelled to Donegal on Saturday looking to get a result from this tough
fixture. A few changes were made to the team with Stephen Reid making a rare
appearance for the 2's & Charlie Marks was called up from the 3rds.
The start of the game was delayed slightly due to the Irish Senior Cup
game going into extra time however Inst started brightly against a strong &
determined Raphoe side. The first chance of the game did fall to Inst but the
shot was put narrowly wide by the attacker. Within 5 minutes though Inst were
ahead. Frizelle intercepted the ball in midfield & drove into the circle to win
a short corner which was duly dispatched by the same player. 1-0. Things got a
bit heated on the pitch after this but not between the opposing teams as you
might imagine. Instead, Watson's temper got the better of him again (goodness
knows what Reidy said to him in the car on the way down!) & he had what
seemed like World War 3 with David McCloy. Things were calmed down by Robert
'the peacemaker' Holloway shortly after-it had to be him as everybody else had
run away! With the calmer heads on Inst set about increasing their lead which
they did when a quick free from the edge of the 'D' found Carson & he clinically
finished on the reverse. The pressure continued as Reid flew down the right &
passed to Gill who won another short corner. This time Carson's 'dummy' switch
worked well & Charlie Marks slotted home. 3-0 half time
The half time talk was short & sweet, with Holloway reassuring everyone that
Watson had been spoken to & would not commit mass murder during the match.
Raphoe threw a lot more at Inst in the 2nd half & Inst could not hold on. A
Raphoe midfielder took the ball past 3 defenders & coolly slotted the ball past
Seay to reduce the deficit. 3-1. Inst did look dangerous on the attack at times
but could not convert chances. From one particular short corner Frizelle beat
the 1st two runners & with the goal at his mercy decided to miss the ball &
throw his stick across the circle. Perhaps a new grip is required!! Raphoe won
short corner after short corner but a combination of wasteful finishing & good
defending ensured that Inst hung on for the victory!
Thanks to Raphoe for supplying two umpires & for the sandwiches afterwards!
Next week a tough game against Newry in Kilkeel on Friday night 8pm
Man of the match - Frizelle
2nds lose to Banbridge
Team:- Seay, McLean, McCloy, Taylor, Holloway, Madill, Frizelle, Martin, Gill,
Carson, Black Subs:- Lowden, Wilson
Inst made the trip down to Banbridge with only a couple of changes from the
previous week. Holloway returned from a minor sabbatical & Wilson was welcomed
back after his 'Chocolate man' injury.
The 1st half started at a good tempo & Inst created a couple of early chances
but could not find the target. After 15minutes a well organised Banbridge team
started to put a few penetrating passes together & started to look dangerous. It
was from one of these moves that Banbridge scored their 1st goal. The ball came
down the right & into the centre forward who turned Taylor & hit a reverse stick
shot that Seay could only parry into the goal. 0-1.
The second half didn't get any better for Inst as they just couldn't get their
own game going. Chances did come however but Inst couldn't get the ball into the
net. Frizelle had an effort hit the post & roll to a Bann defender who cleared.
The keeper saved well from a short corner & as Inst pushed harder for an
equalizer Bann counter attacked & squeezed the ball into the goal after a good
block by Seay. 0-2.
Inst did not play well at all in this game & will need to pick up the pace with
a big game against Garvey 2nds next week.
Thanks to Tim Hogg for umpiring.
Next week Garvey at home at 4.00pm
Inst's unbeaten run continues
Team:- Seay, McLean, McCloy, Currie, Martin, Watson, Frizelle,
Taylor, Black, Carson, Gill
Subs:-Lowden, Madill
Inst entertained Bangor at Shawsbridge looking to keep their 100% record intact.
The team was slightly changed from the previous week as Cooke, Wilson & Holloway
were unavailable. Currie, Martin & Gill were brought in to cover.
Inspired by the fantastic team talk from Andy Seay (come back Rob all is
forgiven!!!!), the 2nds took to the pitch in good spirits. The 1st half however,
was largely uneventful with both teams looking good but not really threatening.
Chances were few & far between & both defences were being well controlled by
McCloy for Inst & Irwin for Bangor. Inst won one short corner which fizzled out
as Madill forgot to stop the ball from the push out!! Carson had a couple of
half chances as did Black but they never really looked like scoring. Gill
strolled around the pitch looking like he wanted to be elsewhere (probably the
park with a bottle of Bucky). The most memorable event of the 1st half was John
Watson's violent verbal assault of umpire Dennis Guiler for which he received
a deserved green card. Easy, John-the Prozac is on its way! Relax!
After a good half time chat from the 'wise man' David Scott, Inst went out
revitalised & looked sharper. After 15mins Seay decided the game wasn't quite
lively enough & kicked the ball straight to the Bangor centre forward who was
yards from goal. Luckily, he was just as surprised as everyone else & failed to
connect with his shot. Bangor worked very hard & kept it tight however Inst won
a penalty corner after good work from Frizelle then Martin. After being 'Dared'
by McCloy, Frizelle rammed home his 5th goal of the season & relieved the
pressure with ten minutes to go. 1-0. Bangor immediately came back into the game
& looked threatening but could not penetrate the solid Inst defence. Indeed they
were caught out by a quick Inst counter attack which the young sniper Nick
Lowden finished off. 2-0
The game finished with the 2-0 score line to Inst, who made hard work of the
game. Credit is due to Bangor who made it difficult for the home team & if they
play like that for the remainder of the season shouldn't finish in the
position they currently occupy near the foot of the table.
Many thanks to Denis Guiler & 'the ginger one' (forget the special one!) Barry
Feeney for umpiring.
Next week, tough game against Banbridge away at 2.30pm
The Anonymous One
Inst beat Dale 2nds
Team:- Seay, McLean, Cooke, Taylor, Holloway, Madill, Frizelle,
Martin, Kirk, Carson, Black
Subs:- Watson, Lowden
The 2nds travelled to Lough Moss on Saturday to face an also unbeaten Annadale
team in a top of the table clash. Martin, Kirk & Taylor were drafted in due to
injury & unavailability to Wilson, Currie & McCloy.
Inst looked dangerous from the start & could have gone ahead early on through
Carson but his shot was well saved by the keeper. Inst did go in front shortly
after that however as Kirk received the ball at the top of the circle & found
Frizelle, who had space on the right, drove to the by-line & crossed for Kirk to
slot home from 4 yards. Inst had further chances to go ahead but could not make
the most of clear cut opportunities & Dale's keeper was doing his best not to
let his team get further behind. 1-0 halftime
Annadale made a couple of changes & looked a better team in the 2nd half as Inst
again started the 2nd half slowly. Dale pressurised the Inst defence at every
opportunity & made life difficult at the back but just could not break through a
tight Inst rearguard. Inst won a couple penalty corners after 15 minutes but
could not make them count. The 2nd goal was the result of good team play, with
Martin feeding Black who in turn released Carson at the top left edge of the
circle. He held the ball up well & passed to Frizelle who took one touch into
the circle & hit a low shot into the corner of the goal giving the keeper no
chance. 2-0. Inst continued to play some good hockey & were unlucky not to
increase their lead with shots from Carson & Kirk not finding the target.
Annadale didn't really threaten as Taylor & Cooke marshalled the defence well, however Seay did make one excellent save from a Dale attacker who was one on one
with him. The 3rd goal came from a quick Inst counter attack. The ball was moved
quickly from the back by Cooke & Inst were inside the dale 25' within three
passes. Carson found Kirk in the circle who made no mistake & buried the ball
past the keeper. 3-0. The score line could have been more but the Inst forwards
failed to take advantage of a one on one situation & two 2 on one situations.
Mention must be made to Tim Taylor who played his 1st game this season & didn't
look out of place at all. Matthew Martin had a very good game in left midfield &
Chris Kirk made an impact by scoring 2 goals.
Next week Bangor at home!
The Ashes
Rugby Challenge
