MATCH REPORT; Arsenal 3 Madison 1

A frustrating day for the Celts resulted in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Greenwich Arsenal. There was no doubt that Arsenal are a good team but Celtic did themselves no favors in the first half  by falling into the same old bad habit of treating the ball like a plague ridden handkerchief. At times it looked like there was a competition to see who could boot the ball as fast and as far away as possible. Of course, this could have been due to a rough start to the game when the Celts found themselves 1-0 down after only a couple of minutes. An attack down the Celtic right found the defense claiming for offside rather than stopping the player. It was then relatively easy for the Arsenal striker to slot the ball past an unprotected Hulk for the go ahead goal. The Celts tried to get in to the game but appeared to be nervous and treating their opponents with too much respect. It was very difficult to get hold of the ball and even harder finding a player to hold on to it. As the half wore on Johnny B found himself isolated on the left wing with Alex and Roniildo sitting almost on top of the defensive back line leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the field. The team were relying on Tim and Mike to clear up as best as they could and try to stem the tide. This "tactic" seemed to be working until the 30 minute mark when a speculative shot outside the box found Hulk temporarily blinded by the Sun allowing the ball to fly through his hands into the net. At this point the heads went down and the Celts were just holding on.  Clearance after clearance was booted up the park and  it looked like Celtic had endured another storm and might be able to get to the half time break only two down.  But once again another attack down the  right side found the home team in acres of space. A despairing last minute tackle by Tim, trying to cover the huge gap in the defense, was not enough to stop another shot being blasted into the net.  A tough half time discussion did lead to an attitude change  and a vow to have a real go in the second half. And that approach really did lead to a much better performance by the visitors. There were more attacking opportunities for the attacking front line and the midfielders were able to unsettle the opposition defense a little more. But as the half wore on it was still difficult to get shots on goal. Leo came closest a few times with some fine runs and shots but to no avail. With only 10 minutes left the Celts did get the reward their efforts deserved when a good move down the left side resulted in Tano squeezing the ball across the box to Kevin who squirted the ball into the net for a consolation goal.  Another defeat after a run of good games but Celtic did show signs that they can hang with even the best teams in the division. Two games left now to save their berth in the second division.

MAN OF THE MATCH; A tough game for players to stand out but one player who put in the telling tackle and never gave up was Tim. So the MOM goes to him.

NEXT GAME; Sunday Sept 29th vs Greenwich Arsenal

Our next big game on the way to league survival comes this Sunday with an away game against Greenwich Arsenal. The game is an early 9am kick off so for most of us it will mean leaving around 7.30am to get to the Greenwich Central Middle School  (Directions below).  Car pool at exit 58 on 95....leaving at 7.30 am, so maybe get there by 7.20?  ;

CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL:

9 Indian Rock Lane, Greenwich, CT 06830

I-95 to Exit 4, Southbound right, Northbound left onto Indian Field Road. Go about 1 mile, you will cross East Putnam Avenue/Route 1 where Indian Field becomes Old Post Road #6 and turns sharply right. Go about 100 yards, turn left onto Stanwich Road and go about 7/10 mile, turn right onto Indian Rock Lane, school on left. Field behind school.

Teams should note that NO ALCOHOL is allowed on school grounds!

Arsenal are having a pretty good season so far, sitting in 3rd position on 29 points. When we played them at home earlier in the season they had an easy 5-1 victory. Match report here;

MADISON CELTIC 1 GREENWICH ARSENAL 5

If we play the way we have been over the last few weeks I'm confident we can get something from this match! Let's put everything we can into this one. Watch Braveheart the night before to get in the mood!!

"Fight and you may die. Run and you will live at least a while. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!"

Substitute 'freedom' with 'three points' and you get the message!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 5 Fairfield 0

Celtic posted their biggest and best win of the season with a five nil demolition of Fairfield. It was their first home points of the season, their second shut out of the year and their 9th point out of the last 12. Some good statistics but it would be no exaggeration to say that Celtic could have hit double figures in this game if the two shots cleared off the line, the ball that hit the post and the weird penalty reversal all counted. The Celts were firing on all cylinders with a very strong team out on the field and seven great subs on the side. The teams commitment to staying in this division was there for all to see.

Madison were handed an advantage right at the beginning of the game when Faifield turned up with only 10 players. We know how that feels, but it was difficult to hand out any sympathy to a team that have been somewhat aggressive with their tackles in the past.

Madison were up for the game and totally dominated the opening exchanges. The first 25 minutes flew by with Celtic in almost total control of the ball.  The ball possession must have been approaching over 75% at this point and the passing between midfield and attack was superb. Great play by Johhny B, Roniildo and Alex set up numerous chances for Kevin, Leo and then Tano.  Ruggero also had some great runs into the box. At the back new signing Mike was simple immense and the combination of him and Tim plus Edmilson and Flaco at the back made the defence impenetrable. In fact Hulk was so clearly bored and untroubled with the lack of action at his end of the field he set up a barbecue in his goal and cooked a steady stream of burgers for the fans!

For all the possession and attempts on goal Fairfield were managing to hold on and frustrate Celtic with a superbly executed offside trap. Just as it looked like the half would end in a stalemate another wave of attack ended with a great pass across the opposition box to find Tano in space allowing a simple tap in for the go ahead goal. A well deserved lead and a body blow to Fairfield who noticeably shrank after this set back. In fact it was no surprise when shortly after this opener a great move by Carlos saw him flick the ball over the head of the last defender control it on the other side and slam the ball past the goalie for a two goal lead. As the half ended the two goal lead was no more than the Celts deserved for their industry and great possession.
If Fairfield were hoping that the Celts would ease up in the second half they were going to be disappointed. The home team roared back into the half and had the opposition under the cosh again. Alex and Johnny B were running riot in the midfield and huge gaps were appearing in the Fairfield defense. Again, a lot of the possession was ending in shots cleared off the line ( Tano and Johnaldo ) or offside calls. The rare attacks Fairfield mounted were snuffed out easily by Mike and Tim allowing Hulk to have a few more beers in the impromptu bar he had set up. But just as some mild frustration was starting to build up Johnny B scored a great individual goal for the Celts 3rd. Fairfield's frustration started to spill over with some meaty challenges going in and they made their situation infinitely worse when one of their players was red carded for a foul on Edmilson. After this the Celts took them to the cleaners with some superb attacking play which was rounded off by two fabulous goals by Alex. Sitting pretty at 5 0 the Celts could have rounded things off in style when they were awarded a penalty. Roniildo dispatched it into the net with his customary ease only for the ref to chop the goal off for player infringement in the box, Tano? The Celts finished off the last 5 minutes of the game keeping the ball and ramming home  their superiority.  A great 3 points for the Celts that allowed them to leapfrog Fairfield into the safety zone. This leaves three big games for the bhoys to hold on to their Div 2 status!

MAN OF THE MATCH; So many players to choose from and some fantastic play but it was too difficult for me to distinguish between two goal hero Alex and debut boy Mike, so two MOM's heading their way!

GAME IS ON TODAY

Guys the game is on   Field looks ok  1015 kick off Bring your black shirts!

NEXT GAME; Sunday Sept 22nd vs Fairfield

Our next game is a home game against Fairfield at Town Campus with a 10 am kick off. This is a huge game for us as Fairfield are our closest rivals fighting for survival in the league. They sit one point above us in the safety zone and it's up to all of us to play TO WIN!

We have been playing really well over the last few games and if we keep that standard up we will claim all three points.  This is a team that also plays in green and white hoops so i will bring our black shirts just in case. To the new guys, if you can bring a black shirt with your number on that would be great!

My only concern is the weather forecast that looks not so good for Sunday. If it's raining early Sunday we may need to cancel so watch out for that  I will post again and send emails out if that is the case

Any beer boys?

MATCH REPORT; Norwalk SC 0 Madison 1

A bumper turn out of 18 squad members made it an ideal day for a team photograph and a superb win! The Celts turned out in force and showed the strength they have in their squad to full effect with a superb away victory. Norwalk SC have been one of those teams that have always frustrated Madison. There have been close games but the Celts have never claimed all 3 points before. At the start of this game the coach had the enviable task of picking the strongest starting 11 he could from a great selection of players. Having Carlos and La Boca back in the fold made up for the loss of Johnny B and Rob Bz from the line up. Up front the ever strengthening line up was bolstered by the latest new recruit Leo. The Celts started the game in a dominant fashion with great running from the midfielders and attackers and some solid defending by the back line of Edmilson, Dan, Tim and Flaco. The first forays up front were promising and it looked like the Celtic midfield was clearly going to hold its own with Alex and Ronnie winning every battle. La Boca was called into quick action in defence when Edmilson was the victim of a crude tackle but any worries that the long lost La Boca had lost any of his skill or pace were immediately dispelled as he fitted in superbly to a defensive back line that was fluid, robust and taking no prisoners. The game really kicked off after around 20 minutes when a long ball from La Boca found Johnaldo free on the right wing. He chased the ball down and ended up in a couple of tussles with the two Norwalk defenders but his annoying persistence forced one of them into making a crazy penalty box pass that was picked up by the marauding Leo who instinctively fired the ball at the goalkeeper who then parried it right into the path of Alex who slammed a glorious shot past the goalkeeper. At this point in the game the Celts were well worth their goal lead and started to turn the screw on the home team with chance after chance coming their way. However the Colombians held out for the half with only the one goal to catch up. The second half saw the home team come at the Celts with more vigor an intent. As the half wore on it became more and more a battle of them against the Madison defence. A couple of amazing saves by the Hulk kept the Celts in the game and Edmilson, Dan and Tim were making sure that as few of those chances got through to Hulk as possible. Alex was running himself into the ground and as he tired the home team pressed ever harder. With only a few minutes left on the clock it looked like their pressure was going to pay off after a great shot and save allowed the ball to spill to an onrushing Norwalk attacker who slotted it past the prostate Hulk. The expression on the Celtic goalies face was something to behold when he saw the offside flag thrust up in the air! A reprieve that gave the Celts only three minutes to hang on a for a famous win and, with the clock well past the 45 minute mark, and deep into injury time, a final attack by the home team nearly saw the win snatched away. A scramble in the Madison box saw the ball fall to a Norwalk player who blasted a shot at the goal. The Hulk was rooted to the spot as the ball arced high over his head and as the whole Celtic team held their collective breath the ball slammed against the cross bar! The ball was cleared, the ref blew the whistle and all three much needed points were in the bag. The fight against relegation is well and truly on! The next game is the big one against Fairfield who sit one point above the Celts!

MAN OF THE MATCH; This was a difficult one as so many players played out of their skins. The defense was immense with Tim and Dan getting to every ball. Hulk saved superbly when he was called into action and the midfielders were all great. New boy Leo had a superb first game but my man of the match goes to the human dynamo, Flaco who ran and ran and ran. It was great seeing him back in the team and his non stop  performance earns him the MOM

NEXT GAME; Sunday 15th September Away to Norwalk SC

Our next game is an away match versus Norwalk Sports Colombia with a 10am kick off at Broad River Soccer field in Norwalk. We have only a few games left in the season and every game is vital for us to gain the points needed to avoid relegation. We have had a few close games with Norwalk but have not got the better of them as of yet. Le's get all three points this weekend!

Need more for the roll call guys!

BROAD RIVER SOCCER FIELD:

I-95 to Exit 15. Continue on the Expressway and get off at Exit 2 (New Canaan Avenue). At the end of the exit ramp, at the traffic light, turn right. Go to the second traffic light (a Wendy’s restaurant is facing you) and turn right onto New Canaan Avenue (Route 123). Go to the next traffic light and turn right onto Silvermine Avenue. Take the next left onto Harris Street. Take the next left into the Broad River soccer field parking lot. Walk through the tennis courts to the field entrance.

Route 15 (Wilbur Cross / Merritt Parkway) Northbound to Exit 38 (Route 123/New Canaan Avenue). At the end of the exit ramp turn left onto Route 123 (New Canaan Ave). Go 1.5 miles and turn left onto Bartlett Avenue and then your first right onto Harris Street. Go 100 yards and Broad River Soccer Field parking lot is on your right. Walk through the tennis courts to the entrance to the field.

Route 15 (Wilbur Cross / Merritt Parkway) Southbound to Exit 38 (Route 123/New Canaan Avenue). At the end of the exit ramp turn right onto Route 123 (New Canaan Ave). Go 1.5 miles and turn left onto Bartlett Avenue and then your first right onto Harris Street. Go 100 yards and Broad River Soccer Field parking lot is on your right. Walk through the tennis courts to the entrance to the field.

MATCH REPORT; Madison 1 Orange 2

The Celts are clearly a team that are getting stronger and stronger as the season progresses and although this goes down as another defeat, the home team were never outgunned and in fact should have won. An impressive start to the game by Madison was maintained for almost all of the game and stand out performances by Johnny B, Alex and Hulk meant that Orange had to work hard for everything they got. The first half presented a number of great chances for both sides with the post keeping the Celts out at one end and the Hulk keeping the opposition out at the other. Marauding runs by Alex and other midfielders like Roniildo really kept the visitors on their toes.  Ruggerho also had some great runs down the right side of the field with some attempts on goal. The pressure from the Celts paid off in spectacular style when one of the attacks from the Celts saw Ruggerho tripped just outside the box. Johnny B stepped up and sent a glorious shot into the net with the opposition goalkeeper rooted to the spot.  A well deserved lead for the Celts at the end of the first half.

The second half was very similar to the first with two unfortunate exceptions. The first, just a few minutes after kick off when a simple ball down the middle of the Celtic midfield resulted in a defensive slip allowing the nippy Orange forward into the box. Even though the Hulk did everything to close down the angle the attacker managed to squeeze the ball in for the equalizer. The second was deep into the second half when another defensive slip allowed Orange to get the ball into the net. In between those goals the Celts had numerous chances to score, hitting the bar, shooting just wide, and forcing their goalie into action. With some better passes in the final third the Celts could have had even more chances. Unfortunately, none of the opportunities fell the right way and the game ended with a tough 2-1 defeat. The season is fast getting near to the end and the Celts really need to pick up some points to avoid relegation.

Man Of The Match; Great performances by TomA, Alex and Hulk but the MOM goes to Johnny B for his great goal and numerous attempts on goal.

Many thanks to Annie for the great action photos!

NEXT GAME; Sunday September 8th VS Orange!

Madison Celtic are back in action this weekend with a HOME game against Orange.

This will be a 10AM KICK OFF at TOWN CAMPUS in Madison.

Orange will be hurting after their defeat to Madison earlier in the season and will be out for revenge. But the Celts are coming off a morale boosting win against the Eagles. Who will come out on top?

We will!   Who is on for the game, and just as importantly who is out?

Any beer and snack volunteers?