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Joe Anderson fires home his second goal of the game against Bankhall FC this afternoon.
While Claus Christoph’s men were making light work of Bankhall, Glasgow Giants were doing their championship rivals a huge favour by denting Dutch Lions’ title ambitions at The Giants Arena. The Brook Street fans were more than aware of what was happening in Glasgow, and the cheers that greeted every Giants goal certainly let the players know too.
They however remained totally focussed on their own job throughout, a fact that Claus Christoph was quick to point out at the post-match press conference.
“Yes we were aware that Giants were winning, but the players blocked out all distractions and maintained their concentration which won them the reward their play merited”.
“We were totally professional in our approach”, said the coach. “It could have been easy to become distracted, but they stuck to their task and they deserve credit for that”.
He continued, “We played some excellent football today, and again the goals have come from all positions, so that is particularly pleasing. When every part of the team are contributing goals, it takes pressure off the strikers and makes it more difficult for our opponents”.
With Brook Street now three points clear and with a vastly superior goal difference, most pundits are suggesting that they are now firmly in the driving seat regarding the title race. However, Claus Christoph dismissed this out of hand.
“There are still ten games remaining and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. To start talking of titles this early in the season is ridiculous, not to mention insulting to the other sides in the league. No-one at this club is talking about titles”.
Brook Street’s form of late has however been impressive, and when Holger Painter netted the first goal after a quarter of an hour, followed ten minutes later by two goals in quick succession from Joe Anderson and Bogusz Cacek and a fourth from Conor Meldrum just after the half hour, the game was done and dusted.
Brook Street took the foot off the gas in the second half, but that didn’t prevent them from adding to their lead, and eleven minutes into the second period, Joe Anderson pounced on some slack play from the home defence to net Brook Street’s fifth goal.
It looked as if the scoring was done as the clock ran down, but with five minutes to go, the game burst into life again, when Tibor Koteczky cut inside and fired low into the net to put Brook Street six-up.
Joe Anderson came within inches of his third goal a minute later but the ball cannoned back off the upright and was cleared away to safety.
However this proved to be just a respite as, from the resulting throw-in, the ball was fed through towards Bogusz Cacek. Two defenders left the ball to each other allowing the Pole a free run in on goal. Bogusz doesn’t pass up chances like those, and the ball was duly dispatched into the net to complete the rout.
In addition to Glasgow Giants 5-2 win at home to Dutch Lions, there were also narrow away wins for Athletic Hippies and Hootenanny FC, 3-2 against AFC Ravens and 4-3 against FC McMoney respectively.
Diego Misuraca making one of his few appearances so far in an injury-blighted season.
“It’s certainly a bonus”, admitted Claus Christoph this afternoon when he spoke to This Is Brook Street. “We didn’t expect to have him available so this is certainly good news”.
Intimating a place for Diego on the bench, the coach went on, “I won’t however be rushing him back. He’s had two injuries in quick succession so it’s important we ease him back slowly. If he plays for example, he might only come on for the final fifteen minutes or so”.
Bankhall have found life difficult in Division IV and, having lost all three of their games to date, sit in seventh place ahead of Hootenanny FC on goal difference.
“Although they’ve lost every game they’ve played this season, we will not be taking them lightly”, said the coach. “We have prepared for the match in the same way as we would have for a top side and we certainly will not underestimate them”.
Kick-off at the compact Bankhall Street ground is at 16:30.
Brook Street winger Adam Doyle drives the ball into the net to complete his first senior hattrick.
Diego Misuraca hit one before going off injured in the first half, with the other goals coming from Joe Anderson and Achmed Grenz after half-time.
Brook Street were happy to sit back and allow saints the lion’s share of possession, and it was the hosts who had the first chance in the eleventh minute when Emil Schilgen shot wide when well placed.
However, it was Brook Street who took the lead in the twenty-first minute when Adam Doyle broke free of his marker before cutting inside and unleashing an unstoppable drive across the keeper and into the bottom corner of the net.
The second goal ironically came from a saints attack that Nat Wallace broke up at the edge of the Brook Street box. Nat advance into midfield before going route one and launching the ball up to Adam Doyle who had come inside from the wing again to act as an auxilliary striker. Adam brought the ball under control with one touch before dispatching the ball beyond Fraser McElroy in the saints goal.
Two minutes later and it was 3-0. Doyle again was central to proceedings as he turned his marker inside out before squaring the ball in to Diego Misuraca in front of the goal where it was impossible to miss.
Misuraca was however forced out of the game in the fortieth minute with another groin injury; the last thing he would have wanted.
With an hour played, Paul Hughes came on as planned for debutant Davie McKallon who received a huge hug from the coach.
Two minutes later and Joe Anderson increased Brook Street’s lead to four goals after a classic counter-attack.
With sixty-five minutes on the clock, a swift interchange of passes between Adam Doyle and Gillis Jacob released the Irishman and Adam Doyle completed his hattrick firing high into the net.
Although the game was clearly won, Brook Street kept hitting their hosts on the break. Lewis Espley and Joe Anderson linked well on the right wing, freeing Lewis to play a tempting ball in between the defenders and keeper. They all left it to each other which allowed Achmed Grenz to nip in and fire home Brook Street’s sixth and final goal with twelve minutes to go.
“It was a very professional performance and we were well worthy of our win”, said Claus Christoph Gralath afterwards. “They played a defensive game and we were happy to give them possession and hit them on the break. It’s worked well and we are now through to the Third Round”.
He went on to praise the performance of young Adam Doyle saying, “Adam was absolutely outstanding today and totally deserved his hattrick. He dominated his wing and showed just how well he can finish given the opportunity. We’ve been working on him cutting in at training and he’s taken the advice onboard and you saw the result today”.
He continued, “You often forget he’s only seventeen because he plays with such composure, and I am certain we have got ourselves a young man with a huge future ahead of himself”.
He was asked if Remko de Rijke’s departure had had an effect on the team, and replied, “No, I don’t think it had any effect on the team whatsoever. We were focussed and we have players looking to win. We don’t have time to be sentimental. Remko has moved on and so have we”.
He continued, “Davie [McKallon] made a very strong debut today and I am delighted with that. He did very well despite the game being played at a fairly fast pace and once we work on his stamina he’ll be playing full games before you know it”.
Asked about Diego Misuraca’s injury he said, “It’s another groin injury, and unfortunately he is out for Saturday again. He should be ok for next week, but he’s definitely going to miss the trip to Bankhall”.
Following this afternoon’s draw for the Third Round, Brook Street will travel to West Lothian next Wednesday to face fellow Division IV side Livvy Loonies at The Asylum. Kick-off will be at 11:00.
Skipper and future manager Leoš Loos struck twice in the only other meeting between the sides.
“It’s more than I anticipated”, he said, “but it’s welcome nonetheless. Remko’s almost thirty and his form over the past couple of seasons has been disappointing. It was inevitable that he would be dropped sooner or later, it just happened to be sooner and he didn’t take it well. He or his agent decided it was time to move on and that was that”.
“However, we only look forward and to that end we’ve brought Davie McKallon in from the Academy. He’s a player that I know Andrew Cleary has high hopes for and if Andrew rates him very highly, that’s good enough for me”.
He continued, “He’s very raw, but he knows the way to goal. This is a huge step up for the lad and as such we’ll maybe give him a half or an hour tomorrow depending on how he’s doing.
Tomorrow’s Tartan Cup tie with saints are coming in Paisley will be the second time the sides have met, the last resulting in a 6-2 win for Brook Street in the Thistle Cup twenty-two seasons ago. In that game Leoš Loos and Krsto Grubić both struck twice with Brook Street’s other goals coming from Andy Harte and Zsolt Baboss.
Kick- off at Love Street tomorrow is at 11:00.
Kari Kienberger finishes off a superb solo run with a real thunderbolt to put Brook Street two-up.
The home side took a while to get going and it wasn’t until the thirty-fourth minute that they took the lead.
Tibor Koteczky made a run through the middle and when Bogusz Cacek’s cross came over he brought it under control before firing an unstoppable volley that went in off the underside of the crossbar leaving Callum Heatly rooted to the spot.
From the re-start, McMoney midfielder Kenny Linney tried to play a through pass to Seymour Clarke, but Kari Kienberger was alert to the danger and cut it out in the middle of the Brook Street half. The Swiss midfielder set off on a run forward which took him past four attempts to halt him before he hit a rasping drive high into the postage stamp. What a goal!
As soon as Kalle Konkka dispossessed Miller Drummond immediately from the kick-off the visitors funnelled back, almost expecting an onslaught. The Brook Street midfield probed for an opening and after knocking the ball back and forward, Zak Ailstock wriggled free of his marker. Kalle Konkka threaded a magnificent to his midfield partner who drove the ball across the keeper and into the net.
Three goals in as many minutes had the visitors reeling and it was a relief for McMoney that the home side didn’t make it four in four minutes, but Brook Street were only taking a breather.
With only thirty-eight on the clock, Connor Hutton recieved the ball at the edge of the box and feigned a pass to Joe Anderson before cutting into the box and firing the ball past Callum Heatly and into the net to put Brook Street four-up before the break.
Again, Brook Street had eased off in the second half and were happy to knock the ball around. Claus Christoph was less than impressed and he urging his side forward from the sidelines.
Eleven minutes from time they finally added to the scoreline. Bogusz Cacek was dominating his wing and fired in a tremendous early cross that caught the McMoney defence flat-footed and Zak Ailstock pounced on the blind side to roll the ball home.
With seven minutes to go the visiting defence parted like the Red Sea allowing Vassilis Taxiarchou in on goal. With a finish more befitting a striker, the big defender wrong-footed Callum Heatly and rolled the ball into the opposite corner to put Brook Street six-up.
Brook Street weren’t finished yet and with three minutes remaining Connor Hutton was up-ended in the box. The resulting penalty was buried by top scorer Bogusz Cacek without any problem to wrap up the scoring at 7-0.
Afterwards, Claus Christoph said, “We got the job done which was the main thing, but we could have played a whole lot better. We sat back too much and we should have put them under much more pressure than we did”.
He continued, “That said, we’ve ended with a 7-0 win and we shared the goals around the pitch, so I can’t really complain”.
Asked if the Remko de Rijke situation had affected the rest of the team he replied, “No. As soon as they go onto the pitch they are completely focussed on the match, so I had no doubt that this would be the same today. The timing was poor, but it didn’t affect the rest of the players”.
Elsewhere, Dutch Lions kept the pressure on Brook Street with a 6-0 home win over AFC Ravens, Athletic Hippies are up to third following a 4-0 home win over Bankhall FC and Glasgow Giants heaped pain on bottom side Hootenanny FC with a 4-1 away win.
Remko de Rijke appears to have played his last game for the club.
The Dutch forward requested the transfer having been dropped from the squad for this afternoon’s game as was confirmed by Andrew Cleary.
“It’s probably the best for both parties”, said Andrew, “as he’s not been in the best of form for some time and probably needs a new challenge. Being dropped was probably the final straw for him. He was furious and he burnt a few bridges. Let’s just leave it at that”.
He continued, “We’ve had interest from a couple of European sides, so we can say for certain he has played his last game for the club”.
Asked if Brook Street would be entering the transfer market themselves he said, “That’s unlikely, certainly in the short term, and we have also promoted Davie McKallon from the Academy as we build for the future, so we’ll still have four out and out strikers on the books”.
Connor Hutton will lead the line this afternoon alongside Joe Anderson, with Paul Hughes on the bench.
Connor Hutton is set to lead the line tomorrow following his midweek performance.
Scoring goals will be key to keeping the pressure on their title rivals, and following his heroics on Wednesday, Connor Hutton is set to lead the line.
Speaking this afternoon Claus Christoph said, “After netting four goals it’s impossible for me to overlook Connor. His confidence took a battering last season when he was struggling with a succession of injuries, but he’s back to top form now and will almost certainly start tomorrow”.
He continued, “However I’m looking for all my players to score. It’s important that the goalscoring responsibility is spread around”.
The coach also confirmed that Mait Peterson and Diego Misuraca have suffered no ill effects from midweek so he once again has a full squad to select from.
Kick off tomorrow is at 16:30.
Connor Hutton volleys home his third goal in as many minutes to complete his hattrick.
Brook Street took the lead in the tenth minute when Adam Doyle’s free-kick beat the home keeper all ends up after Paul Hughes had been fouled just outside the box.
It took a goal-line clearance from a Bairns!!! defender to keep the score to 1-0 in the twenty-seventh minute when Fin Morton curled a peach of a shot from the edge of the box.
This was only a reprieve though and ten minutes later, Connor Hutton embarked on a scoring spree that would ultimately see him topping the Tartan Cup scoring charts by the end of the day.
With thirty-three minutes played, the home side made a mess of their offside trap allowing Connor a free run in in acres of space. Ben Cameron the Bairns!!! keeper made himself big, but he stood no chance against the Brook Street striker.
As the game restarted, the defenders were bickering amongst themselves and clearly weren’t totally focussed on the game. The ball broke into their defensive area and in a comedy of errors the keeper and his central defender left the ball to each other allowing Connor Hutton to nip in and knock in his second goal of the game. Cue more bickering.
Straight from the kick-off Connor won the ball and passed it out to Conor Meldrum who set off down the wing while Connor continued his run forward. Conor swung in a teasing cross that Connor Hutton caught right on the volley and lifted the ball high into the rigging.
Three goals in as many minutes had killed the game and booked Book Street’s place in the Second Round with only thirty-five minutes played.
With the game won by half time, Claus Christoph brought Mait Peterson and Diego Misuraca on for the second half in place of Nat Wallace and Lewis Espley respectively.
Brook Street were able to take their foot off the pedal in the second period. Even so, with fifty-eight minutes played, Diego Misuraca fed the ball out to Achmed Grenz who swung in a tremendous cross.
The chance seemed to have been lost as the cross went behind both Paul Hughes and Connor Hutton, however Hutton was more than ready for the cross and adjusted his feet before executing a textbook scissor kick that beat Ben Cameron all ends up.
This proved to be the final goal, but this was only down to some tremendous goalkeeping by Ben Cameron denied Craig Smart, Diego Misuraca and substitute Remko de Rijke to keep the score down.
“We probably weren’t at our best”, admitted Claus Christoph afterwards, “but we did what we had to. Obviously the three goals in quick succession killed the game, but it meant that we could ease up in the second half”.
He continued, “We were able to bring in Mait Peterson and Diego Misuraca at half time and both performed well and without any reaction. Getting them game time was really imortant to us and if they have no adverse effects, we’ll see if we should include them in the squad for Saturday”.
The win sets up a meeting with saints are coming in Paisley next Wednesday, a side that Brook Street have faced once before albeit twenty-two seasons ago in the Thistle Cup. Brook Street ran out 6-2 winners that day at Love Street and Claus Christoph will be looking for the same outcome next week.
Brook Street travel to face Bairns!!! in Falkirk tomorrow in the First Round of the Tartan Cup.
The Brook Street coach was given some good news this morning when it was confirmed that both Mait Peterson and Diego Misuraca will be available for the match tomorrow.
“We knew Mait was going to be ok, but we weren’t sure about Diego”, he said. “Obviously neither are fully fit, so we might only give them a half each. It’s fortunate that we have a squad big enough that we can rotate to a certain extent and we’re able to bring players back gradually”.
He concluded by saying, “The last thing we need is for the players to have set-backs because we’ve brought them back too quickly”.
Kick-off tomorrow is at 11:00.
Bogusz Cacek blasts the ball intothe net to score the first of his four goals.
The coach had asked for patience while his side probed for weaknesses in the ranked home defences, but the tiki-taka the Monifieth side were playing was certainly impressive.
It wasn’t all show though and although it took longer than initially thought, Brook Street finally found that opening in the twenty-sixth minute.
Zak Ailstock, in for the injured Diego Misuraca, picked up the ball in midfield and advanced forward. With Bogusz Cacek and Conor Meldrum dragging defenders out of position on the wings in support, a gap opened in the middle of the defence. As Zak advanced, the home keeper was caught in no-man’s land and didn’t stand a chance as the ball was lifted over the his head and into the empty net.
You wait twenty-six minutes for a goal then two come along at once…
From the restart, Kari Kienberger dispossessed Fraser Catherwood and passed the ball to Bogusz Cacek who raced through the home defence before firing the ball past Quim Borges in the home goal.
Following a hand-ball in the box, Brook Street were awarded a penalty in the thirty-second minute from which Bogusz Cacek sent the keeper the wrong way to put Brook Street 3-0 up.
The home side were all over the place and conceded a fourth goal in eight minutes in the thirty-fourth minute when Kalle Konkka fired a magnificent diagonal pass up to Conor Meldrum who cut inside and drew Quim Borges before chipping the ball over him into the empty net.
Brook Street’s attacks were relentless and five minutes before the break Connor Hutton netted his second goal of the game. Bogusz Cacek was the provider as he attacked down the left before threading the ball through to Connor who hit a real thunderbolt goalwards. Quim Borges got his hands to it but there was far too much power behind the shot and the Hootenanny keeper couldn’t keep the shot out.
Brook Street after a slow start had been rampant in the first half and they continued their relentless quest for goals in the second.
They got a break eight minutes after the re-start when they were awarded another penalty, this time for a shirt pull at a corner. Bogusz Cacek stepped up and although Quim Borges guessed right, there was far too much speed and power on the shot and it easily found it’s way into the net.
That was six for the visitors and a hat-trick for Bogusz!
With sixty-two minutes played, Claus Christoph decided to ring the changes with Connor Hutton making way for Remko de Rijke.
Twelve minutes later, Brook Street were awarded a corner. Bogusz Cacek fired in an inswinger that was met by Holger Painter’s forehead. Quim Borges got his hands to it but the the ball squirmed free and landed at the feet of Remko de Rijke who toed it into the net.
Four after the seventh goal was scored, it was 8-0. The Hootenanny defence was stretched to breaking point and made a mess of their offside trap giving Conor Meldrum the chance to run in unchallenged. The finish was clinical and the home keeper didn’t stand a chance.
Finally, six minutes from time Brook Street were awarded a free-kick. Bogusz Cacek took it and bent the ball into the postage stamp to finish the scoring at 9-0.
At the post match press conference, Claus Christoph Gralath hailed his players’ performance today saying, “The lads were outstanding today. I wanted a positive response to the Cup defeat, and I couldn’t have asked for better than the one I got today”.
“We bossed the game right from kick-off, but we showed patience and great determination to unlock their defence. Once we made the breakthrough, the floodgates opened”.
“I certainly can’t complain about us not finishing chances today”, he laughed.
The win takes Brook Street to the top of the league on goal difference from Dutch Lions, the only other side with maximum points. In the other games, Dutch Lions won 3-0 at Bankhall FC, FC McMoney defeated AFC Ravens by the odd goal in three and Glasgow Giants got their first points on the board with a 1-0 win at home to Athletic Hippies.
This is Brook Street 