Our good run in the George Dobbins Cup came to an abrupt end on saturday as Premier league side Shankhouse showed their class to ease to a 4-0 win on a rainy day at action park.
The saints made 2 changes as Kane and YT came back into the team as Capey and Brucey were injured and started with a 5-4-1 formation looking to keep it tight against higher opposition. The saints fans were over the moon with the Shankhouse club shops food facilities as they recorded their highest profit in years due to ralphys love of the corned beef pie.
The game started in wet and windy conditions and for the first half an hour the saints looked comfortable as the 5 at the back dealt with anything Shankhouse threw at them with ease whilst looking dangerous on the counter attack with yt and kane getting in behind a couple of times without success. The game changed in the 32nd minute tho when Carl failed to hold onto a long range shot and the Shankhouse forward Chris Rue tapped in from close range to give them the lead. 2 minutes later it was 2-0 as the quay failed to spot a short corner leaving their winger with bags of time to pick out a cross that the tall forward Paul Dunne headed in from 6 yards to double their lead.
5 minutes later it was 3 as the right winger went around cal before producing a brilliant cross that once again Dunne finished with great aplomb in what was the goal of the game, the half time whistle couldnt come quick enough for the saints as they looked shelllshocked. No changes were made at half time for the saints and we started the second half like we had the first looking comfortable without threatining ourselves. Bod replaced Andy Breheny 10 minutes into the second half and quickly tested their keeper with a low long range shot that was our first real effort at goal.
Carl then denied Dunne a hat-trick with a great one on one save as the home team took their foot off the gas knowing they were in no danger of losing their 3-0 lead. Grant came on for the injured kane and Andy Duff replaced Pughie who put in a great shift as the lone striker as the game petered out to a slow pace with the shankhouse forward missing 3 chances to get a hat-trick the last chance brilliantly cleared off the line by Micky Austin. Grant then went agonisingly close to a consolation goal as he got onto hendas long cross to brilliant slide the ball across the face of the goal inches wide of the far post. Shankhouse added their 4th in the last minute as left winger Josh Walsh drilled home a powerful shot from the edge of the box to seal the win.
A difficult day for the saints but they must take heart from the first half hour and most of the second half in which they were ok, 10 minutes of madness just before half time ultimately won shankhouse the game but the effort and committment never stopped just need to add a bit more quality in upcoming weeks to try and haul ourselves up the table. Sean Blakey was the Official Beast/Lowes man of the match with Kingy and Dale coming close.
