It was a day of maybes for Marist Casuals. Maybe if Weekenders hadn’t poached a winner over Thirsties in injury time. Maybe had Casuals not let in two first half goals and scored from one of their chances. Maybe there would be a semi-final next Saturday for the boys in Orange in the Charity Bowl.
Well maybe I’m a dreamer, as John Lennon warbled a long time ago. And that dream is over as the Casuals were sent packing from the Bowl after succumbing to a resurgent Athletic Cosmos.
Casuals went into the match without star striker Matt Roberts and midfield workhorse John McDonald – both called up to the Marist side for the NZ tournament. Ken Graham and Michel Manning were otherwise engaged and John Dale still injured. Danny Jonas was brought in as a worthy replacement at left back in the second half.
The game was played on a glorious spring afternoon at a leisurely pace as Casuals pressing forced Cosmos to play keep-ball in their own half. However two goals from counter attacks saw Casuals pegged back to 0-2 after half an hour. There didn’t seem much doubt the Marist side would come back however as they were continuing to make a lot of the play.
Half time came with a 2-0 lead to Cosmos and in the adjacent match Thirsties and Weekenders were deadlocked at 1-1. Advantage Casuals.
The second half saw Jonas the Elder on for Newman and again the Casuals had a decent amount of possession. It’s hard to remember apart from a couple of corners the Cosmos threatening keeper Buchanan.
But there was a definite lack of sharpness in front of goal. Through balls to the unlucky Steedman were misplaced or over-hit and the final ball never quite right.
A brilliant passing move starting from the back saw a Jonathan Sykes volley sting the gloves of Hickling n the Athletic goal, but after that the Casuals dropped their intensity and the game drifted to a 0-2 loss.
Next door 90 minutes was up and it was still 1-1 as Weekenders mounted another attack which the Thirsties keeper thwarted. But agonisingly there was still time for another. As Casuals players urged the ref to blow his whistle an attack down the right saw Thirsties exposed and a squared pass found ex-Marist man Andy Manboobs who slotted home ironically knocking his former side - the Casuals -out of football for 2015.
The dressing room atmosphere was of a rather sombre nature but soon talk started of a plan for Casuals to aim for at least Division Two glory and Charity Bowl success in 2016. And you wouldn’t bet against it.
