by Matthew Rye – Deputy Sports Editor
In the most anticipated Trinity-exclusive inter-publication sporting contest of the year, the University Times squared off against Trinity News in Botany Bay Arena last Thursday. Both teams came into the charitable fixture with a lack of fitness, as well as basic footballing skills. The UT Galacticos captain Tom Lowe assured supporters that his side would not lack competitive edge, regardless of the match’s good nature.
It was obvious from the opening kick-off that both sets of players would trouble adapting to the slippery astro surface, the five-a-side limit, and the self-refereeing disciplinary system. The opening exchanges involve much finding-of-feet and physical contact, with both teams determined to make their mark on the game. Trinity News dominated early proceedings, as their positional play afforded them good opportunities. Only some good shot-stopping by UT goalkeeper Kevin Shannon kept the scores level.
While UT tended to control possession for long periods, Trinity News used a quick effective counter-attack to create scoring opportunities. Evan Musgrave opened the TN account with a well-placed strike, following some good link up play from Cal Grey. Musgrave overcame the challenge of Jamie Wright to slide the ball under Shannon in goal. Some supporters claimed the celebrations of the goal were over-zealous and unsporting, but no sanctions were made against Musgrave.
Lowe attempted to rally the players before the half-time whistle, encouraging them to keep communication strong between the defense and attack. This proved helpful, as the UT finished the second half on top, after some skillful attacking football from both Rory O’Donovan and Alex Sloan. However, good defensive organisation and tackling on TN’s behalf meant that the Galacticos entered the break one goal down.
When asked what needed to be done to rectify the situation, UT midfielder Jack Leahy commented that the Galacticos best chance of winning the game, was to score goals. “It would also help,” Leahy said, “to concede fewer goals than we score, thus putting us in a good position scoreboard-wise.”
Lowe seemed adamant to change tactics following the break. He brought Max McQuillan and Josh Plunkett into the attack in an attempt to create problems for the News. Things didn’t improve for UT as they came under increasing pressure due to swift counter-attacking by TN. Only excellent goalkeeping by Shannon kept the score at 1-0. Lowe then brought forward the renowned box-to-box abilities of Manus Cronin to add extra pace and flair to the UT attack. However, after only a short stint on the field, Cronin requested to return to the bench to dry-heave.
The superior fitness of the Galacticos seemed to show as the game continued. UT controlled more of the possession and territory, with Rory O’Donovan at the heart of many of their best chances. Plunkett managed to capitalize on one of these chances halfway through the second half. After some good defending by Fionn Fitzpatrick, O’Donovan slipped the ball between two TN defenders to put Plunkett through on goal. The Galactico striker finished superbly, feinting left before slotting the ball home.
Plunkett doubled his tally shortly after, when some statuesque TN defending led to a two-on-one attack by the Galacticos. The UT man finished well again, with a vicious shot from close range to put the University Times ahead.
The Galacticos were caught napping shortly afterward though, as a loose ball in the box was pounced on by Daniel O’Callaghan. The TN frontman poked the ball home under flailing goalkeeper Shannon to equalise, with 5 minutes remaining. It did, however get worse for the University Times. Two minutes from time, O’Callaghan fended off the challenge of Duncan Moss, rounded Shannon in goal and fired home to give TN the bragging rights for the year.
Tom Lowe extended his congratulations to the Trinity News on a splendid performance, but reminded his competitors that he believed The University Times to be a superior publication. Jack Leahy admitted after the game that his tactics were one-dimensional. “We didn’t score enough goals to compensate for the amount we conceded.” Leahy also quashed the recent allegations of steroid use as “sensationalist nonsense”.
