BRNESC COLLECTED THEIR SECOND WIN OF THE SEASON BY VIRTUE OF A PAUL FINNAN FIRST HALF STRIKE AT MELLING RD AGAINST LUCAS SPORTS.
BRNESC ONCE AGAIN DOWN TO THE BARE BONES FOR THER GAME VERSUS LUCAS SPORTS WITH JAMIE ASPINWALL MAKING A SUPRISE AND WELCOME RETURN TO THE TEAM SINCE INJURING HIS ANKLE IN A PRE SEASON GAME.AFTER 5 MINS BRNESC SHOULD HAVE SCORED WHEN FROM A BARRY McMILLAN FREE KICK PAUL FINNAN HEADED IT ON INTO THE BOX JOE STEPHENS COLLECTED IT BUT RATHER THAN SLIDE IT UNDER THE KEEPER HE WENT ROUND HIM BUT HE WAS FORCED WIDE AND BACKHEELED IT TO DAVE WHITNEY WHOSE SHOT WAS TURNESD ONTO THE POST BUT IF JOE HAD GONE FOR GOAL FIRST TIME HE SURELT WOULD HAVE SCORED,
IT DEVELOPED INTO END TO END GAME WITH BRNESC DEFENCE REPULSING LUCAS SPORTS ATTACKS TIME AFTER TIME BRNESC HAD A VERY YOUNG MIDFIELD AND AT TIMES WHERE VERY NAIVE IN THEIR MARKING AND COVERING AND THE DEFENCE CAME UNDER PRESSURE BUT STOOD FIRMHAVING SAID THAT BRNESC WERRE CREATING THE MORE CLEAR CUT CHANCES AND IN THE 20 MINUTE PAUL FINNAN BLASTED A FREEKICK PAST THE KEEPER TO MAKE IT 1 0 TO BRNESC,
AFTER 35 MINS BRNESC VSHOULD HAVE MADE IT 2 0 WHEN JOE STEPHENS SHOT OVER THE BAR FROM 10 YDS WHEN HE LATCHED ONTO A LOOSE BALL IN THE BOX.3 MINS LATER THE KEEPER MADE A GREAT SAVE FROMA PAUL FINNAN VOLLEY DAVE WHITNEY THEN MADE A GREAT RUN DOWN THE RIGHT AND FLIGHTED THE BALL TO THE BACK POST WHERE PAUL FINNAN SHOT WAS BLOCKED AND SCRAMBLED AWAY,DAVE WHTNEY THEN HIT A CROSS SHOT NARROWLY WIDE AND WAS THEN CLATTERED BY A DEFENDER THE ONLY PERSON WHO DIDNT THINK IT WAS A PENALTY WAS THE REF!!
PAUL FINNAN THEN BEAT THE KEEPER WITH A FEROCIOUS SHOT WHICH THE HIT THE POST AND REBOUNDED INTO THE KEEPERS ARMS AS HE TURNED EXPECTING TO PICK IT OUT OF THE NET!! 1 0 TO BRNESC AT HALF TIME
BRNESC MADE A BLISTERING START TO THE HALF WHEN MICK OBRIEN ,WHO BY HIS STANDARDS HAD HAD A QUEIT GAME BROKE DOWN THE LEFT PLAYED A ONE TWO HIT A SHOT FROM 10 YDS THE KEEPER PARRIED IT WENT BEHIND THE KEEPER ONTO THE LINE MICK CHASED IT AND WHEN ABOUT TO STRIKE IT INTO THE NET WAS PUSHED BFROM BEHIND AND THE BALL WAS CLEARED ONCE AGAIN THE REF WAS THE ONLY INDIVIDUAL AT THE GAME NOT TO THINK IT WAS A CLEAR CUT PEN AGAIN!!
IT WAS END TO END STUFF AS THE RAIN POURED DOWN AND THE CENTRE BACK PAIRING OF BARRY McMILLAN AND TONY McDERMOTT,THEIR FIRST APPEARANCES OF THE SEASON WERE USING ALL THEIR VAST EXPERIENCE TO MARSHALL THE YOUNG BRNESC TEAM THROUGH SOME STICKY PATCHES DAVE WHITNEY ,PAUL FINNAN AND JOE STEPHENS ALL WENT CLOSE TO MAKINF IT 2 0 BUT WERE DENIED BY LUCAS SPORTS KEEPER AND INCREASINGLY STRETCHED DEFENCE .MATTY NAGLE MADE A TREMENDOUS ONE ON ONE SAVE FROM LUCAS SPORTS FORWARD TO KEEP IT 1 0.DAVE WHITNEY WAS AGAIN BROUGHT DOWN IN THE BOX AMAZINGLEY NO PENALTY WAS GIVEN.DAVE DEMPSEY WHO HAD REPLACED THE WEARY JAMIS ASPINWALL WAS CARRIED OFF INJURED WITHN 7 MINS TO GO AND REPLACED BY KIERAN KELLY AS BRNESC SAW OUT THE GAME TO WIN 1 0.
IT WAS A GOOD GAME END TO END AND AT TIMES BRNESC WERE AT FULL STRETCH TO PREVENT LUCAS SCORING BUT BRNESC HAD AT LEAST 7 CLEAR CUT OPPORTUNITIES AND ONLY GOOD KEEPING AND SOME WAYWARD FINISHING PREVENTED THEM SCORING MORE THAN ONE,THATS NOT EVEN COUNTING THE THREE CLEAR CUT PENS THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD.IN THE END THE BETTER TEAM WON,BETTER IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE GAME SKILL ,ATTITUDE, APPROACH TO THE GAME ,SPORTSMANSHIP AND FAIR PLAY BRNESC WERE OUT IN FRONT
