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Oleg Zhigalov opens the scoring to send us on our way to the Fifth Round of the Cup the last time the two sides met.
“Liam twisted his ankle quite badly, so in all honesty he’s probably doubtful for Saturday already”, admitted Eike Alanne after the final whistle.
“It’s just one of those things”, he added. “The doc doesn’t think it’s broken, but we’ve sent him off for an x-ray just to be sure. Either way, it looks as if he’ll miss out”.
Saturday’s qualifier will be the second time the sides have faced each other, the first being a Scottish Cup Fifth Round tie twelve seasons ago. A repeat of the scoreline that day, a 2-0 away win thanks to goals from Oleg Zhigalov and Onésimo Murube, would certainly be most welcome.
“That was a long time ago and the teams that walk out on Saturday will be totally different to those that played in the Cup game. That said however, I’ve discovered that Attila Gyöngyösi came on as a second-half substitute and Ezequiel Alexandrino watched the match from the bench! They’ve both come a long way since then”.
The coach however played down his side’s chances saying, “They’re a very good side. We’ll give it a real good shot, but we’re travelling more in hope than expectation”.
He continued, “Our main aim for the game is to gauge just how far we’ve come this season, and to get an idea of how far we’ve got to go to match a Division III side. We know we’re building a potentially very good side, but we’ll be able to see how that pans out in a competitive match”.
Bringing the interview to a close he said, “The players are all very excited, and they’re taking great confidence from the team spirit we have here. We’ll give a good account of ourselves, everyone can be assured of that”.
Adam Humphrey capitalises on a mix-up in the Saints’ defence to send us on our way.
Brook Street stormed to an emphatic 6-0 win away to MacAuleys Saints which secured the Division IV.13 league title at the first time of asking, and with it, brings a Division III Play-Off next weekend against Kobis.
Brook Street got off to a flying start as young Adam Humphrey pounced on a defensive mistake to fire the New Home Park side into the lead with only five minutes on the clock.
The visitors continued to pile on the pressure and only an outstanding save from Saints’ keeper Florian Pułka prevented Andrew Cleary from increasing the lead, but it was only a matter of time before Brook Street did find away through.
And when it came, it was a real beauty. Alex Clapperton had been tormenting Saints’ left-back Arthur Moore throughout the opening period, and with twenty minutes gone, he left the defender for dead before swinging over a teasing, tempting cross which Adam Humphrey met full on the volley to almost lifted the rigging off the goal frame.
Brook Street had their tails up by now and went straight for the kill. Andrew Cleary hit his twenty-second goal of the season in the twenty-sixth minute, and Phil Mullally all but made the game safe eight minutes before the break.
With the Championship in the bag by half-time, all that remained for Brook Street was to improve their goal difference to try to secure a more favourable play-off draw, and the visitors wasted no time in setting about their task.
With just two minutes played after the re-start Andrew Cleary rifled home his second goal of the game to make it 5-0 and secure his place as the league’s top scorer. Then, with sixty-eight minutes on the clock, it fell to Fraser Caragher to complete the scoring with a drilled shot following another defensive error.
So, next Saturday Brook Street will face Kobis in the Division III play-off, but when interviewed after the celebrations had moved on to local hostelries or the fans had headed back down the road, the coach reckons that this match has come too early for his side.
“We’ve been playing to a gameplan which is focussed around building a side capable of challenging in Division II at least. That, I feel, will take around two to three seasons, so while it’s fantastic that we have won the title, if I’m being brutally honest, I think we’ll struggle against Kobis. They are a very strong side in what looks like a really tough league. We’ve played a few of the sides there before, usually in the Scottish Cup, so we are well aware of how good they are”.
He continued, “We’ll give it our best shot, but I think it’s a step too far for us, especially as we’re playing at their ground. It’s been a great season for us in the end, and given time, this can become a great team.
Adam Humphrey blast home a peach of a half-volley to open the scoring in this morning’s friendly.
Although billed as a friendly match, the game was played at a frantic pace, and while not a dirty game, no quarter was either asked for, or given. This didn’t seem to suit the referee however who waved four yellow cards during the game, both sides being shown two apiece.“
That was a good game for the spectators, and I’m reasonably satisfied with the performance”, said Eike. “We were wasteful in front of goal, and I feel if we could have shown a bit more composure we could have scored more. That said, we kept another clean sheet, although that too could be put down to poor finishing”.
With the exception of Eike himself, there were no new injuries, and he will have almost a full squad at his disposal for Saturday’s make or break match at Macauleys Saints.
Matt Cocker slams in his eighth goal of the season to open the scoring against C.D. Tetescoses this afternoon.
“It is just another game to us”, said the German. “We don’t ‘play for draws’, that’s not the Brook Street way; it never has been. We go into every game looking to win it, and next week’s game will be no different”.
Pressed on whether Brook Street’s twelve goal advantage over FC Scourie effectively meant that a point was all that is all that is required, Eike, clearly annoyed retorted, “Look guys, I’m here to talk about a terrific win for Brook Street today. Let’s concentrate on that, eh? I’m not going to answer any questions about next week, so it that’s all you’ve got, I’ll be leaving and going to get my foot fixed”.
Warning heeded, the media asked firstly about his own injury.
“Yeah, I’ve got a gash in my foot, it’s just one of those things but that’s my season over”. He added with a wry smile, “It’s very sore, hence I’m a bit tetchy tonight, in case you hadn’t noticed”.
Turning to the match itself he said, “Tetescoses are a real tough nut to crack, they keep things really tight and are a superb defensive unit. No-one scores many goals against them, so to score twice was truly excellent from us”.
He continued, “It also showed that we are not solely reliant on our forwards, and we can score goals all over the park. The fact that Matt [Cocker] scored his eighth league goal today, and Attila [Gyöngyösi] his sixth just goes to prove this”.
Finishing the press conference abruptly, Eike said, “My foot is really hurting now so I’m afraid ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to cut this short and head off to hospital. Thank you”.
No-one could begrudge the Brook Street coach this, especially after the effort he has put into turning the club around following last season’s relegation back into Division IV. Regardless of what happens next week in the Highlands, Brook Street are on sound foundations and the re-building process is well under way.
Adam Humphrey meets the cross perfectly to power the ball into the net.
“We were far superior in every department”, said Eike Alanne after the match. “We imposed ourselves on the game and there was no way we were going to concede. We were absolutely determined that would not happen”.
The Brook Street players managed to get through the match without picking up any knocks, so Eike will have a full squad to choose from for Saturday’s hugely important home match against C.D. Tetescoces.
Sam Ferretto drives home his first goal of the game to make the score 5-0.
“My players showed real commitment, professionalism and desire to win, and that played a big part in our win”, said Eike Alanne at the post-match press conference. “We eased up in the second half as the game was already won, and there was no real point in pressing the game”.
“We dominated the game right from the kick-off and played some great football”, he continued. “It was important that we kept the pressure on the teams chasing us, and we’ve done exactly that with our display today”.
“We’ve got a huge game next weekend against C.D. Tetescoces, and this result sets us up nicely for that”, he concluded.
Elsewhere, second-placed FC Scourie were 8-0 away winners at Swiss Ranger, C.D. Tetescoces had a good 2-0 win at MacAulays Saints, and BK Flowers ran out 3-0 winners in Dumfries against D & G Rovers.
Sam Ferretto netted both of our goals against Brooklyn Squad in Poland.
“We all enjoy winning by big margins in friendly matches”, he said, “but as far as I’m concerned, I believe the players will gain more from defeats by superior sides than they ever will by hitting seven goals against poor ones”.
“Today’s match is an example of this”, he continued. “Brooklyn Squad are an excellent side. You don’t get to the third tier of the Polish league with a poor side, and they showed what a good side they are today”.
“We learned a lot of lessons today, and we’ll take them away and incorporate them into the way we play. We’ll turn today’s defeat into many wins for us in the future”.
Sam Ferretto rises high to head home to open the scoring against D & G Rovers; the first of his four goals.
Following MacAulays Saints’ surprise defeat, the win saw the Monifieth extend their lead in the title race to two points with FC Scourie now our nearest challengers.
“We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves despite the results today”, said Eike Alanne afterwards. “We played exceptionally well and got the win we deserved”, he said, “but we’ve still got a lot of work to do”.
“That said”, he continued, “the team are playing well, so it’s only natural that the fans will start to think about titles and suchlike. With backing like we had this afternoon, that’s almost worth a goal of a start, and we are all hugely appreciative of it”.
Rovers had proved to be stubborn opposition, and had come with the sole intention of ‘parking the bus’, but once Sam Ferretto netted the opener with thirty-five minutes played, the roof caved-in and goals from Attila Gyöngyösi, Sam’s second, and Matt Cocker in as many minutes killed off any resistance.
Brook Street eased up slightly, but Rovers were in such a mess that goals from Andrew Cleary either side of half-time had the New Home Park side six-up with just over an hour played.
Matt Cocker bagged his second of the game midway through the second half before Sam wrapped up his hat-trick with ten minutes to go.
Brook Street weren’t about to shut up shop at this point, and two minutes later Alex Clapperton finished off a fantastic move, with a finish worthy of the brilliant play which preceded it.
However it was Man of the Match, Sam Ferretto who completed the scoring, rising high to power home a trademark header which left the Rovers keeper grasping thin air.
It won’t be very often that Brook Street will go with three up front, but as Eike pointed out, “When they’re all playing so well, how can I leave one of them out?”
This is Brook Street 