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Nat Wallace and Kalle Konkka have both left to join clubs in the Anniversary League.
Kalle will be heading back to Finland to play for Anniversary League V side Coitus Int while Nat will make a shorter move back to the west of Scotland to play for Caledonian Warriors who play in Anniversary League IV.
Before they departed for their new clubs, ‘This Is Brook Street’ was fortunate to be able to speak to both players about their time with the Club.
Nat Wallace
Asked about when he was called up to the senior side he said, “It was such a good changing room when I stepped up. I was probably the youngest in the senior squad at the time, hence the nickname ‘The Bairn’, but I could see straight away it was such a hard working and motivated group of lads. I think you saw that in our performances, we were resolute and together as a team”.
“We really should have done much better than we did. We’ve had some great players but for whatever reason we’ve constantly underperformed as a team. For the life of me I don’t know why; our coaches have been up to the task and have tried different ideas but it’s still always ended up with us being the ‘nearly men’. I can see why the Club are looking to bring the younger players through. One Division III winners medal and two Division IV ones in sixteen years isn’t a great return really, but personally I wouldn’t change a thing”.
However despite Nat moving on, there could be another Wallace waiting in the wings to take his place in the Brook Street defence as his son Donald has just signed up at the Academy.
“Yeah, Don’s looking like he’s going to be a better prospect than his old man. He’s certainly a better player than I was at his age and he’s at a brilliant Club to learn his trade. If he keeps his head down and works hard, he’ll be a much better player than me and it could be him you’re interviewing in thirty-odd years time!”
“Finally I’d just like to say, the fans for me have been incredible during my time at Brook Street Athletic and the relationship I had with them is why I just want to say thank you to them, I appreciate all the support they have given me over the years I have been here and good luck to them.
“I would also like to thank all the staff and coaches that I have worked with along the way.
“There are so many good people behind the scenes, I wish them all the best too.
“I will always keep an eye out for Brook Street Athletic, I have a massive soft spot in my heart for them and hopefully I can come back at some point to see you finally, and deservedly, win promotion again.”
Kalle Konkka
He continued, “When you’re nineteen years old and you’ve already had four clubs the alarm bells can start to ring with some teams, but at Brook Street I found a real home”.
There were a number of us around the same age and although most of them had come through the Academy ranks like Nat and Joe [Anderson] we formed a real bond. The banter in the dressing room could be brutal at times, but it showed just how much we knew each other that we could push the boundaries. It was a really tight-knit community in there; we worked hard, we played hard and we were always there for each other”.
He added, “That community spirit is still very much evident today. We were all absolutely devastated that we threw what was an automatic promotion place away, it was personal. Often football players are portrayed as pampered overpaid primadonnas, but that one really hurt. It was a real kick in the guts for all of us. We are part of Brook Street Athletic and Brook Street Athletic will always be part of us. We know exactly what the fans are going through because we feel exactly the same”.
“I’ve received a number of club awards in my time here along with two League Winners medals but I would much rather have been leaving having secured promotion. This Club is far too big to be languishing in the fourth teir”.
He concluded by saying, “I would just like to take the opportunity to thank the fans for their magnificent support during my time here, to all the backroom and office staff who deserve legendary status, to all the coaches in my time here who have taught me an immense amount, and my colleagues in the playing staff past and present who it has been a pleasure to work with. Finally, last but not least I would like to thank my wife and family who know how to knock me off my ‘high horse’! The Anniversary League will be a new challenge, but only a short-term one, and we’ll be moving back home to Monifieth when that comes to an end”.
Everyone at the Football Club would like to wish Nat and Kalle the very best of luck with their new clubs and say that whenever they want to visit, ‘the door is always open, the kettle is always on, and we have biscuits’.
Joe Anderson celebrates his 100th competitive goal for Brook Street Athletic, his only club since graduating from the Academy as a teenager.
He continued, “I feel we sat back at 6-0 when we should have kept going forward and we were fortunate to get a seventh from the penalty at full-time. We needed to get as many goals as possible to improve our goal difference”.
He was however pleased with individual performances and by the fact he will go into next weekend with his first string free of injury and suspension.
“It was important that we had our strongest squad available for next weekend which is why I benched or rested players on two yellow cards; the last thing I wanted was for anyone picking up a card which would have seen them miss the title decider”.
The coach also commented on Joe Anderson going ‘ton-up’ with his goal just before half-time this afternoon.
“Joe scored his one hundredth competitive goal for the club today which is a phenomenal achievement, and he cemented his place as one of the club’s greats. I am delighted for him”, he said before adding, “He has been a terrific player for me and a model captain. He does so much of his work off the ball but seldom receives acknowledgement of this from outwith the club”.
Looking forward to next weekend he said, “We know exactly what we need to do against Paisley Pirates; avoid defeat and we win the title. There is no alternative”.
Brook Street, urged on by a very vocal travelling support, were slow to get going but the growing nerves on the terracing eased in the eighteenth minute when Kalle Konkka slammed the ball into the net to put the visitors one-up.
Balázs Polyák staked a claim for a starting place next weekend with his second goal in successive league matches in the thirty-seventh minute before Janko Fila added Brook Street’s third goal three minutes later with a spectacular scissors kick.
However the loudest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for the goal two minutes before the break when Joe Anderson netted his one hundredth competitive goal for the club.
So Brook Street went into the second half four goals to the good and with Fermín Romero demanding more. However it took until just after the hour mark before Charlie Benham fired in the fifth. True to the saying, you wait a quarter of an hour then two come along at once as Adam Doyle fired in a thunderbolt just two minutes later.
With this the players thought their work was done much to the coach’s visible frustration, but despite all his urging the momentum had clearly slipped.
Brook Street were in total control but, playing for pride Eilean Donan Devils were determined to keep the score down. This blunted Brook Street’s attack until the ninetieth minute when Balázs Polyák finally broke through and was tripped but a mistimed challenge just inside the box. The ever-reliable Adam Doyle made no mistake from the spot to wrap up the scoring.
With the 7-0 win today Brook Street now know that a win or even a draw next weekend will secure the title and with it a place in the Division III play-offs.
Elsewhere, Paisley Pirates romped to a 6-0 win at home to Badger Loyal, Winbat and Bonnybrig shared the spoils with a 1-1 deaw and St Andrew Paisley ruthlessly swept Livilions aside with a 9-0 route.
After less than thirty seconds on the pitch, Balázs Polyák fires Brook Street into a 3-0 lead.
Gers’ new £1.5M signing Johnny Rollinson made his debut and it was clear that they would be focussing their attacks on the wings. However, Brook Street were far too disciplined to be pulled out of position and it quickly became clear that there would be no repeat of Gers’ shock win of last weekend.
With six minutes played the ball broke to Raúl Colen at the edge of the Gers box. The Brook Street wing-back was quickly surrounded in an attempt to close down the move, but with quick feet he evaded all the challenges and broke through before firing the ball across the keeper and into the far corner of the net.
Brook Street were turning the screw and gaining control of the match, and this became even more evident in the twenty-first minute when Kalle Konkka picked up the ball in midfield and steamrollered his way through the Gers defence before thundering the ball high into the net.
The visitors kept trying to break through without any joy and in one such tussle in midfield in the thirty-fifth minute, Paul Hughes fell awkwardly and injured his collarbone. The game was over for him and he was replaced by Balázs Polyák.
Straight from the restart, the ball was fed through to the young Hungarian who proceeded to dribble the ball through the Gers defence before slamming it past keeper Vicente Olivos to sensationally put Brook Street three-up less than thirty seconds after he had come on.
Gers came out for the second half looking to put pressure on the home side and while Brook Street were happy to surrender possession, they ruthlessly snuffed out any attemps to break forward.
With time running out Gers became more and more desperate to claw themselves back into the game, and while they managed to create a couple of chances, poor finishing saw them slide away.
Brook Street had soaked up a lot of pressure and Gers were getting closer to scoring so Fermín Romero ordered his players to push up the pitch as full-time approached.
With just over a minute of regular time to go, the home players camped around the visitors’ eighteen-yard box looking for an opening until eventually Kari Kienberger lost his marker. He received the ball thanks to a superb pass by Janko Fila and took a touch before sweeping the ball into the net to complete the scoring.
“That was an important three points and four goals”, said Fermín Romero afterwards. “After last weekend it was essential that we got three points today. We couldn’t afford any more slip-ups and it’s a relief to get this fixture out of the way”.
He continued, “We can go to Eilean Donan next Saturday looking for goals and set us up for the final match against Paisley Pirates at the LJG the following week”.
Asked about the injury sustained by Paul Hughes he replied, “He’s injured his collarbone and might miss next weekend. We’ll just have to see how it responds. You can’t rush these things in case you do more damage, but I’d be surprised if he wasn’t available for the Paisley game”.
Elsewhere, Livilions gave themselves an outside chance of avoiding automatic relegation with a 3-2 home win over Eilean Donan while failure to convert chances did for Winbat wonderers who lost out 1-2 at home to St Andrew Paisley. Finally, it was a case of ‘What if?’ at Ochilview as with ten minutes to go Bonnybrig Eagles were 2-1 in front against Paisley Pirates. Had it stayed the same, Brook Street would have headed to the Highlands next weekend knowing that a point would be enough to secure the title. Alas it was not to be as two goals for Pirates in the remaining time saw that dream evaporate. To the final week it goes…
Kari Kienberger scores Brook Street’s decisive third goal in the match at the LJG earlier in the season.
St Andrew started the season strongly but subsequent indifferent form has seen them slip back and they are currently in fourth place well off the title pace. However they are not to be underestimated and posed numerous problems for Brook Street when the sides met earlier in the season.
“They gave us a real fright that day”, admitted Fermín Romero this afternoon. “They were twice in front and we really had to grind out that win. That said I would be happy with a 3-2 win tomorrow”, he added.
Brook Street were boosted earlier today with the news that Kalle Konkka has recovered from injury and will be available for selection.
“It’s good to have everyone availale as it gives us more options”, said Fermín. “We have been lucky to have been able to have a relatively settled starting line-up this season. That I’m sure has helped us”.
Kick-off is at 16:30 tomorrow.
Connor Hutton blasts Brook Street into the lead with his fifth goal of the season.
Brook Street suffered an early setback when Kalle Konkka was forced out of the game with a foot injury after only seventeen minutes to be replaced by Janko Fila.
However the home side didn’t have their troubles to seek in the thirty-fourth minute when they lost keeper Jake Furness with an apparent wrist injury. Keiran Strutt came on to replace him, but the reserve keeper’s first involvement in the game was to pick the ball out of his net following Connor Hutton’s strike.
So Brook Street went into the break with a slender lead, but within four minutes of the re-start they had added another two goals through Joe Anderson and Raúl Colen.
Diego Misuraca added a fourth right on the hour and within sixty seconds Joe Anderson had added his second goal of the game to put Brook Street well in the driving seat.
Brook Street eased off at this point with the game won and being well aware that they were already looking at being a man down for next week’s game and with several players were sitting on two yellow cards and none could afford another.
However just as the game entered stoppage time Brook Street were awarded a penalty which Adam Doyle duly dispatched to wrap up the scoring and give Brook Street another valuable 6-0 win.
“We were a bit off form today, at least in the first half”, admitted Fermín Romero post-match, “but we knew the goals would come”.
“We just told the players to stick to the gameplan and we would score. Fortunately we got two quick goals early in the second half and killed the game off with half and hour to go with the another two quick goals”.
“By the time we got the penalty we were really just going through the motions with time almost up”.
Asked about Kalle Konkka’s condition he replied, “He hurt his foot and we took him off as a precaution. Our medical people are keeping a close watch on it, but Kalle has to get his foot up for the next twenty-four hours minimum. They’ll assess it again tomorrow but initially and a worst case scenario they’re saying he’ll be out for a week”.
Elsewhere in a day of high scores, Bonnybrig fought back from two-down to defeat St Andrew 6-2, Winbat romped to a comfortable 6-1 win over Badger Loyal and Eilean Donan could be relegated as early as next weekend following their 8-0 home thumping by Paisley Pirates.
Joe Anderson watches on as his shot evades the grasp of Glen Cooksley to open the scoring.
The home side stormed out of the blocks and threatened to blow Winbat away in the opening stages going 2-0 up through Joe Anderson and Paul Hughes in the first four minutes as wonderers’ press collapsed.
Charlie Benham almost made it three after seventeen minutes but for a terrific save by Glen Cooksey however the wonderers’ keeper was powerless to prevent Kari Kienberger from making it 3-0 just before the break.
The game was already won but the home side kept the pressure on and Kalle Konkka scored Brook Street’s fourth nine minutes into the second half.
Raúl Colen got in on the act and added the fifth and final goal just after an hour, just a minute after Cooksey had denied him with a phenomenal reaction save.
“I would have preferred us to score more goals, but sometimes you have to be pragmatic”, admitted Fermín Romero. “We had the game won convincingly and there is no need for us to keep pushing. To do so could see us risking picking up unwanted injuries or bookings, which we don’t need”.
While the victory was comprehensive and Brook Street have gone unbeaten in the first half of the season, Fermín is certainly not ready to see his side sitting back.
“The job is only half done and there’s still a lot of game time to get through before we can ease off”, he said. “We will continue to do our work in a professional manner until the final whistle of the final game”.
Bonnybrig kept the pressure on with a 7-0 win against Livilions in West Lothian, Badger Loyal picked up their second win of the season with a 5-0 home win against Eilean Donan and in the ‘Battle of the Paisley’s’, Pirates edged it 4-3 against St Andrew.
Paul Hughes fires the ball into the net to put Brook Street into the lead against Livilions today.
Fermín Romero’s side were right onto the front foot and took the lead in the sixth minute when Paul Hughes stormed through before firing the ball beyond the outrushing Jake Furness in the Livi goal.
Diego Misuraca added a second twelve minutes later, but despite Adam Doyle rattling the crossbar and Joe Anderson having a header tipped over the bar, it was Diego who netted Brook Street’s third right on half-time.
Seven minutes after the restart, a fabulous one-touch move involving Joe Anderson, Kari Kienberger and Kalle Konkka set up Charlie Benham who ran through and although his initial shot rattled back off the crossbar, he had the presence of mind to volley the rebound home.
After firing a free kick over the bar in the seventy-sixth minute, just sixty seconds later Adam Doyle made amends by curling a peach of a free-kick home to put Brook Street five-up.
With nine minutes to go, Charlie Benham broke away from his marker and swung the ball across the Livi box. The ball fell behind Adam Doyle on the far side of the box 18-yard, but the Irishman brought it under control with one touch, wrong-footed his marker, swivelled and fired the ball beyond the grasp of Jake Furness and into the net to register his second goal of the game.
Then finally, with five minutes left, Charlie Benham broke through the centre of the visitors’ defence to wrap up the scoring with his second goal of the game.
“We weren’t firing on all cylinders today and I am slightly disappointed with the performance”, admitted Fermín Romero afterwards.
“We got a good result but I feel we were a bit off the pace”, he added.
“It was also a bit unusual three players got two goals each yet none of them are strikers”.
“In some ways that is good because it is sharing the load when it comes to goalscoring, but now Adam Doyle is our top scorer which is a bit odd”.
Odd or not there is no doubt that the Irishman is on fire at the moment and has stepped out from the shadow of former set-piece taker Bogusz Cacek. Being in excellent form going into the double-header with the only other side with maximum points is no bad thing though.
Elsewhere, in the game of the day visitors Bonnybrig came back from a goal down to defeat St Andrew 3-1, Paisley Pirates capitalised on this to move into third place with a 7-1 win at home to Eilean Donan and Badger Loyal came out of hibernation with a thumping 5-0 home win against Winbat to lift themselves out of the relegation zone.
Aldo Pellone fires Brook Street into the lead against Badger Loyal at Smith Stadium this afternoon.
Brook Street had the game won by half-time being 4-0 up at the time through goals from Aldo Pellone, Kalle Konkka, Diego Misuraca and Raúl Colen. Raúl Colen added his second goal midway through the second half and Kari Kienberger rounded off the scoring as the game entered stoppage time.
To be fair though Brook Street had played well within their abilities and had won the match at a canter. Rarely if at all did they have to get out of second gear and whatever is going on at Smith Stadium, Gers are in serious trouble.
“We set about our tast in a professional and efficient manner”, said Fermín Romero “and we got the result that our hard work merited”.
“We also got back into the groove following our defeat on Wednesday which was almost as important as getting the three points. We also got out of the game without any injuries or bookings which is only good”.
He concluded, “We have a Saltire Cup game on Wednesday, but I’m focussing on next Saturday’s league game against St Andrew which is far more important”.
St Andrew Paisley and Bonnybrig Eagles are still hot on Brook Street’s heels with Fermín Romero’s side only out in front on goal difference.
St Andrew had a fine 4-1 home win over Winbat, but Eagles’ 1-0 win at Paisley Pirates was the stand-out result, as Pirates now slip to six points off the pace. In the other game Livilions picked up their first points of the season with a 2-1 win at Eilean Donan Devils.
Janko Fila celebrates scoring his first competitive goal for the club. His second was only seventeen minutes away.
Brook Street coach Fermín Romero took the opportunity to rotate the starting line-up and reverted to our normal 3-5-2. As expected Jeremías Marchena came in for Benito Buda, with Nat Wallace coming into centre defence and Callum Ironmonger in for Raúl Colen while Aldo Pellone held onto right-wingback spot. Janko Fila replaced Kalle Konkka and teamed up with Diego Misuraca and Kari Kienberger in the middle with Adam Doyle on the right and Charlie Benham making a rare start on the left.
Up front Connor Hutton took the armband and was partnered by Paul Hughes whose recent performances merited the overdue starting place.
Brook Street were quickly into their stride and went 1-0 up after only three minutes. Surprisingly though the scorer was Janko Fila netting his first competitive goal for Brook Street.
Paul Hughes weighed in with his first goal of the season after only twelve minutes however just to emphasise that Brook Street weren’t going to have things all their own way, the Highlanders pulled a surprise goal back in the nineteenth minute through Angus Redcliff, his second of the season.
This served as a reminder that Devils are not to be treated lightly but within two minutes Janko Fila had recorded his second competitive goal to restore the two-goal advantage. Five minutes later it was 4-1 as skipper Connor Hutton got on the mark.
Brook Street were operating like a well-oiled machine and it was one-way traffic after the break.
Adam Doyle found the net six minutes into the second half and nine minutes later Paul Hughes netted his second goal of the game to make it 6-1.
The roof was caving-in on the visitors when Connor Hutton fired home from an acute angle to record Brook Street’s seventh goal with sixty-three minutes played, and Nat Wallace completed the misery eleven minutes later with his first goal of the season.
Afterwards Fermín Romero said, “I think we were worthy of the big win although I’m disappointed that we conceded a sloppy goal”.
He continued, “That however spurred us on and we hit back straight away before running away with the game”.
“We had a number of very good performances and Janko Fila was a relevation in the centre of midfield. It looks like we’ve focussed on playing him out wide when attacking midfielder might suit him better. We tried him there in training and he did ok, and today’s game gave us the opportunity to put it into practice in a competitive game. He rose to the occasion and it’s now for him to push on”.
“Our front two got four goals between them but goals came from all areas of the pitch and that is a huge bonus for us”.
He concluded by saying “We’re building a solid foundation on which to build a serious championship challenge”.
Elsewhere St Andrew Paisley went two games unbeaten with a 6-1 win at Livilions, a result that anchored the West Lothian side at the foot of the table; Bonnybrig Eagles are on maximum points following a 4-0 home win against Winbat while Paisley Pirates demolished Badger Loyal at Smith Stadium to pick up their first three points of the season; Gers on the other hand remain pointless.
Diego Misuraca fires home his second goal to put Athletic 3-0 up with less than half an hour played.
A devastating display in the first half saw Brook Street race to a 4-0 lead at the interval which killed off any challenge from the home side.
Mait Peterson finished from close range after only fourteen minutes before a brace from Diego Misuraca in twenty-three and twenty-nine minutes had Brook Street well in control.
Kalle Konkka struck in thirty-seven minutes to put Brook Street four-up eight minutes before the break and Adam Doyle fired Brook Street’s fifth goal with sixty-six minutes on the clock.
Benito Buda was forced out of the game with just six minutes to go and was replaced by Jeremías Marchena, making him a doubt for Saturday.
The outcome of the game was already decided but as it entered stoppage time United got a consolation goal through Jorge Tarín although were it not for some outstanding saves by United keeper Pedro Ulises Jiménez Brook Street could have added two goals in stoppage time.
“We put the game to bed early so we could ease off which was always the game plan”, said Fermín Romero afterwards. “It was disappointing to lose Benito Buda, but he will be ok for the weekend”.
When asked if Benito would play at the weekend he replied, “No, I was planning on giving Jeremías Marchena some game time anyway on Saturday so it wouldn’t have been an issue anyway. It’s only a minor knock but we don’t want him aggravating it to make it a problem”.
Asked about the draw for the Third Round he replied, “I would have preferred to get an easier tie, but we have a chance to go toe to toe with a top side”.
“It’s a massive step up in class for us, but we won’t let ourselves down. We’ll go into the hame hoping to cause an upset, and it certainly would be quite an upset, but it’s the romance of the Cup and we’re up for the challenge”.
This is Brook Street 