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Holger Painter drives the ball home in stoppage time to give Brook Street a 2-1 win in the south-west this afternoon.
“Someone pointed out to me that this is our best start to the season since we won the Division IV title five seasons ago”, said Eike. “I know we have a reputation for being horrendously slow starters, but I had no idea that this was our best start at this level, possibly ever, so it is even more special that we are starting off the season so well”.
“Everyone in this division is capable of beating everyone else, so the fact that we have six points out of a possible nine is testament to the quality of players we have at this club. We have been working hard in training, and that is now paying off with the results we are securing”.
He continued, “The boys are showing a terrific work ethic and I cannot praise them highly enough for that. We are still losing silly goals, but we are showing the real determination to go out and score again, which I can’t fault. OK, we left it very late today, perhaps a little too late for my liking, but we got the goal and the three points”.
“We’ve given ourselves a solid base to work on, so now we have to build on those foundations”.
The visitors were dominating possession while BlackShip were happy to play a counter-attacking game, which didn’t make for a great spectacle in the driving rain.
Brook Street took the lead in the twenty-seventh minute when Vassilis Taxiarchou was on hand to fire home Conor Meldrum’s teasing cross.
BlackShip’s Fidan Ristanoski really should have done better when a Holger Painter slip allowed him in, but his poorly hit shot bounced harmlessly into the arms of Owen Maurice in the Brook Street goal.
Nick Stanmore could’ve put Brook Street two-up five minutes into the second half, but his drive thundered off the home side’s upright with the keeper well beaten.
With the match bogged down in midfield, this miss looked to be proving costly when against the run of play, a set-piece free kick routine saw striker Edson van Klinken prod the ball home to net his one hundredth career goal.
As the home fans whistled deafeningly for full-time, Brook Street’s new never-say-die attitude came to the fore.
With the fourth official showing one minute’s additional time to be played, Brook Street’s wingers pulled the well organised defenders out of position one more time. The ball was played out to Holder Painter who had moved into a more advanced role.
Rather than lay the ball off, a path opened up in front of him as he continued to advance forward. Never needing a second invitation to shoot, as he reached the edge of edge the eighteen yard box, he let fly and the ball ripped into net.
With the home side falling to their knees in despair at losing to such a late strike, the Brook Street players set off to celebrate with the band of fans who had made the journey down from Angus.
Elsewhere, Wasps United thumped Monrawell 5-0, Eliminators Kushevo and liverbenitez shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw, and The Fighting Irish Celts made it three wins out of three with a 5-1 victory away to Ipod Utd to go top of the league.
Bogusz Cacek clips home our opening goal in this morning’s Tartan Cup win over Murray Thistle.
Teenage defender Nat Wallace made his first appearance for the senior side following his promotion from the Academy this week, and would go on to acquit himself well, playing the full match despite his obvious lack of stamina.
Brook Street were out of the traps quickly and found themselves 1-0 up after only seven minutes when Bogusz Cacek chipped the ball over the diving home keeper.
And it was Bogusz who double the lead in the thirty-third minute to put Brook Street on easy street with a spectacular scissor kick finish.
Adam Humphrey had a couple of chances to put the result beyond any doubt either side of half-time, but failed to hit the target on both occasions.
And so the scoreline stayed the same until a sensational last seven minutes of the game which saw four goals scored, almost as if the players had awakened from their slumber.
Pat Kirkwood kicked things off with a stabbed effort following a mix-up between the home side’s centre-backs to put Brook Street 3-0 up.
Jack MacMartin fired in to reduce the lead with five minutes to go, but Nicky Breaden restored it within three. 4-1.
However, we weren’t done yet, and Adam Pyrzyk netted within sixty seconds to make it 4-2 and wrap up the scoring.
Afterwards, Eike said, “It’s all about match fitness and training at this point in the season, so I’m quite pleased with the result. I thought Nat [Wallace] did well in his first game for the senior side and he will continue to improve”.
The coach also praised two-goal Bogusz Cacek saying, “Those were two classy finishes. I need Bogusz to be doing that regularly, as I know he is more than capable of that”.
On the goal-fest in the final seven minutes he concluded by saying, “Probably the luckiest people in the ground were those who came in when the gates were opened with ten minutes to go. They must be thinking to themselves, ‘What a fantastic game!’”.
Brook Street will travel to face old league adversaries Lindrum, now of Division IV in the next round.
Alex Clapperton knocks home our opening goal against Eliminators this afternoon.
Alex Clapperton fired Brook Street into the lead with just over a quarter of an hour played, and Lutz Rösner levelled midway through the second half. Parity lasted for just six minutes however before Holger Painter powered home what proved to be the winning goal.
“I cannot fault the lads today”, beamed Eike at full-time. “We showed real grit and determination and I think we were superb”.
He continued, “Even when Eliminators equalised, we just rolled up our sleeves and went out in search of another goal, which we of course got”.
“That’s what we’ve been working on in training: ‘if you score, we’ll go and score another’. In seasons gone by, when we conceded, we would have let the heads drop and felt sorry for ourselves. In that time, we would probably have lost another and been left chasing the game. Now we’re making the running”.
Eike concluded his post-match press conference by saying, “We’ve started reasonably well, but now we need to build on these foundations we have laid”.
Lewis Espley wheels away after opening the scoring with an outrageous back-heel.
Eike Alanne’s charges had taken a first half lead through Lewis Espley before Cameron Fairholm levelled for the home side midway through the second.
With the teams deadlocked and only seven minutes to go in extra-time before the match headed for penalties, the home side struck with two quick goals in as many minutes to progress to the Third Round.
“It was hugely disappointing for everyone”, admitted Eike at full-time. “We didn’t deserve to lose two in a minute or so, and I thought we were going to see it out”.
He continued, “We didn’t though and we will go again in the Tartan Cup next week. The lads did very well though and we’re giving the reserves game-time with a view to pressing the first team for starting places”.
“I also intend to bring in players from the Academy this season and will be starting that possibly as early as next week. It’s time for old players like me to hang up their boots, and our trainees will definitely be given their chance”.
In the First Round of the Tartan Cup, Brook Street will face Division IV side Murray Thistle at their Rebel Arena next Wednesday. Kick-off is at 10:30.
Alistair Bernard limped out of today’s game and faces a fortnight on the sidelines.
While not as heavy as previous opening day defeats, it is now five seasons since Brook Street kicked off a league campaign with a win, and is something which irritates the coach.
“We put ourselves on the back foot from the very beginning of the season and that makes our performance in the second game that more important.
As with last season, our second game is at home to Eliminators. Last season they left with a 5-2 win, and we’ve got to ensure we play much better, as I could see this being a very tough league if we become detached at the bottom”.
Brook Street’s efforts will be hampered for around two weeks following recent talisman Alistair Bernard’s injury today.
“That’s a real blow”, admitted Eike, “and we’re a bit light for cover with Zak Ailstock, Nicky Breaden and Nick Stanmore all on the pitch. That’s something I’ll have to address, as it means that I’m the cover!”
The coach also bemoaned the lack of chances created by his side during this afternoon’s match, saying, “We only created three chances in the match while liverbenitez seemed to be attacking at will at times. We’ve got to put teams on the back foot more; I’m firmly of the opinion that attack is the best form of defence”.
He continued, “We’ve got a good crop of forwards coming through the Academy at the moment, but they can’t simply be thrown straight into the firing line. We need competition for places all over the park, but especially up front, and I may need to look at bringing a few new faces in to shake things up a bit”.
Elsewhere, there were wins for The Fighting Irish Celts and Wasps United, while Eliminators and Ipod shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw.
Craig Smart celebrates scoring his first senior goal for the club.
Craig Smart netted his first senior goal to open the scoring with eleven minutes played, and further goals from Krsto Grubić and Lewis Espley had Brook Street already looking forward to the next round at the break.
The home side’s cause had not been helped by them inexplicably not naming any substitutes, so when Robbie Alexander limped off just before Krsto Grubić doubled our lead, they were left with no option than to play on with ten men.
Three minutes into the second half, Grubić struck his second and Brook Street’s fourth goal of the game to extinguish any lingering hopes of the home support before Eike Alanne, making a rare appearance, concluded the scoring seven minutes later.
Afterwards, Eike said, “I’m pleased that we’re through to the next round, but I think we sometimes make things tough for ourselves”.
He continued, “After we took the lead, we struggled to press home the advantage, even after they had gone down to ten men. I need my players to be more clinical in front of goal”.
Brook Street will travel to Stirlingshire for their Scottish Cup First Round tie following the draw made at lunchtime.
New Division IV side Plean Thistle provide the opposition, and having only played two competitive matches to date, this will be their first Scottish Cup tie.
Eike said, “On paper, we’re red hot favourites to win the game, but we’ll approach it no differently to we would against a top team. They’re a completely unknown quantity, so we’ll treat them with caution and respect”.
He added, “Getting through the tie without picking up any injuries is our aim, We certainly don’t want to go into our first league game with a full treatment room, so that may have some bearing on the players I select”.
Eike has a full squad at his disposal and kick-off is at 1030 on Wednesday morning.
Conor Meldrum blasts our opening goal in this afternoon’s play-off.
Conor Meldrum fired Eike Alanne’s side in front with thirteen minutes played, and although Heintje Hersel levelled fifteen minutes into the second half, the scores were only tied for seven minutes before Sam Ferretto stabbed home the decisive winning goal to calm any nerves.
Speaking at full-time, Eike hailed his players for securing the club’s Division III status saying, “The team were absolutely superb today, and produced a thoroughly professional performance. We were up against a very good attacking side, but we stuck to the game plan and got the result we were looking for”.
He continued, “I would have preferred it if we had kept a clean sheet, but when they equalised, we kept our shape and re-established our lead in a matter of minutes. I couldn’t have asked more from my players, and we can now look forward to another season in Division III.
In the other play-off, liverbenitez comfortably overcame their opponents to retain their place in the Division.
And with that, the curtain falls on what has been something of a mixed season for Brook Street. Early departures from the Cups and their customary slow start heaped pressure on the coach and his side early on, however performances improved markedly as the season progressed to peak just when it mattered most.
Eike summed up the whole season quite succinctly when he said, “It would be nice to have a straightforward season when we weren’t scrapping for points, and my fingernails weren’t all bitten away, but this is Brook Street; we don’t do things the easy way”.
This is Brook Street 