NEXT GAME; Sunday Nov 2nd,Haddam Killingworth

Celtic dogs get ready for a Happy Halloween!!!

Our next game is this Sunday away to HK and it could be a tricky one.......or maybe a treat. They currently sit 4th in the league on 26 points after 14 games. They have won 8 tied 2 and lost 4. Two of those losses were against Woodbridge,the most recent being last week when they were beaten 4-2 at home. They have also lost to Trumbull and the Falcons. They are a tough team to beat but we have a good record against them going back several years. It would be great to get out of our tied game rut and collect 3 points to close the gap in the league. We are currently on 21 points after 15 games, 5 wins, 4 losses and 6 draws! By the way Tom, the Trumbull score has still to be entered into the league results and standings....

It will be good if Ahmad gets to play for us at the weekend. He was a very strong and skillful player for us over several years until he made the mistake of joining Cheshire.

Ron and i are bringing the beer this time....... and some Haggis....

Have a scary Halloween!

PLAYER FOCUS on........Rohan "The Tank!"

Rohan joined Madison Celtic in the summer and he has already become a major goalscoring threat in the league. He has scored 8 goals in the Fall season so far, including two great goals at the weekend, and his robust style of play has earned him the nickname "The Tank". He's as tough as a $4 steak, he rampages through opposition defences as if they don't exist and has a rocket shot to finish things off. But....he is still new to the team and we don't know a lot about "The Tank" so I took the opportunity to carry out an extensive and revealing interview with Madison's top striker.

First time you played soccer? At age 6

Favorite Team? Liverpool and Brazil

Favorite player? Pele (Not cause he played for the Cosmos? )

Motto for life? Be the best at whatever you do

Your nickname at School? Ro Ro

Fav Band? Steel Pulse ( is this a Country and Western band?...)

Fav Movie? Scar Face ( Likes his movies tough!)

Fav moment on a soccer field? When I played for the first time in high school at age 15

Beyonce or Christina? Beyonce all the way ( All the way?)

Something we don't know about you? I had to shoot a robbery suspect when I was a police officer in Jamaica. It was in his ass. I am also very afraid of heights, but guess what? I want to get my pilots licence before I leave the Navy. I forgot to mention that I am a Corpsman ( OK, I think we should tell the opposition about your ability to shoot before every game! )

Thanks Rohan! Now get out there Tank and roll over the opposition with another hat trick!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 2 Falcons 2

Madison Celts Clip Falcons' Wings

Madison kept their reputation as the leagues draw specialists in this bruising encounter with the high flying Falcons. Although the Polish team were a constant threat throughout the game Madison had some significant chances late on in the match to snatch a winner.

On another bright sunny Fall morning this game promised to be a real treat for the soccer connoisseur, and so it proved. A strong start by the Falcons was matched by an equally confident display by the home team. Early chances fell to both teams but alert goal keeping by Behrooz and strong man to man defending kept the Falcons at bay whilst Madison peppered the opposition goalkeeper with a series of speculative shots. However the match really burst into action when Madison won a direct free kick just outside the Falcons penalty box. This allowed Rohan to step up and showcase his incredible dead ball shooting skills when he rocketed an unstoppable shot high into the top left hand corner of the Falcons goal to put Madison one up. This was Rohans seventh goal of the season and emphasised how important his robust forward play is to the Madison team. The goal clearly rattled the league leaders who sprang into attacking action with a series of smart forward moves. Great movement on and off the ball by the Falcons really put the home team on the back foot. After a corner was conceded by Madison the subsequent cross was whipped in and met sweetly on the head by one of the Falcon forwards for the equalizer. The Falcons took great heart from this goal and they really took a grip of the game at this point. After several minutes of sustained attacks the Falcons released a great defence splitting ball down the Madison right. The Falcons forward latched onto the ball and with defenders trailing in his wake he fired a fantastic finish beyond the grasping arms of Behrooz for a 2-1 lead to the Falcons.

Madison held out to half time with this score line but were beginning to struggle. Madison had only 11 players available for this game, so with no substitutes they would have to be careful to conserve their energy. The second half started with renewed attacks by the Falcons and some great possession play. At this point Madison were kept in the game by a sequence of superb saves by Behrooz and some great backs to the wall defending by the Madison back four. And as the second half wore on with no further goals from the Falcons the Celts confidence started to rise and they began to push the league leaders back into their own half. Then after one great run by Ronnie down the left and a great ball to Rohan, the "TANK" brushed off a number of the Falcon defenders like flies as he drove into the penalty box before smashing a great equalizer into the net. His eighth of the season and a major blow to the Falcons. At this point in the contest it was anyones game and a number of close chances near the end for Madison could have ruined the Falcons impressive unbeaten run. The Falcons started to take out their frustrations on the Madison team with some hefty late tackles and some petty fouls and trips. In the end they held out for the draw and Madison could feel disappointed not to take all three points in a game that showed their strong defence and attacking qualities in full force.

On this form Madison are proving to be a tough team to beat. Apart from the aberration of the Bridgeport result they have been unbeaten in their last 8 games. If they had been able to convert some of these tied games into wins they would be challenging at the top of the table.

Weather Update!! Game Is On!

The game is on Today!!! See you at Madison High School.....

NEXT GAME;Sunday 26th Oct, Falcons!

Tom lays down the law to Ronildo!

Looks like Tom has the plan for victory....and he's sharing it with Ronnie....let's hope it's a good one 'cause we will need it! This weekends match is a home game against Falcons FC. They are top of the league on merit. They are unbeaten over their last 9 games and are on a current win streak of six games. They have won ten games, lost one and tied only three over the whole 2008 season giving them an impressive 33 points. Our stats are poor in comparison this year, with only 5 wins in amongst 4 losses and 5 ties, a meagre haul of only 19 points! I hate to say it but this looks like Man Utd versus Celtic. We can't expect to win but we have to go out and try to compete. I think we can surprise the Falcons if we play to our potential and manage to take our chances. We played well against this team earlier in the year with a really depleted squad. Only in the second half did we look second best. Let's bring the Falcons down to Earth!!

The game will be played at the Madison High School. Let's hope the rain stays away.

PLAYER FOCUS on.....Rob "The Heckelator"

Ok, so i haven't come up with a great nickname yet for Rob but "The Heckelator" can do for now...sounds like a cross between "The Terminator" and an angry guy in the crowd. Hey, maybe that is a good nickname! Rob has been one the defensive regulars this season playing either left or right back.....he can do both you know! Beside him in most games has been "The Toe" although he has been posted missing recently. But even missing a toe Rob has not had any defensive howlers or own goals although we still have a few more games left in the season~!

First time you played soccer? 6th grade (age 11). Never even saw a soccer ball prior to then.

Fav Team? NY Cosmos ( Really?....I mean really?? )

Fav soccer player? Steve Savage. Never heard of him, have you? Kinda short, long blond hair, good midfielder. He's the one who came up to me after I blew out my knee in practice at the University of Tampa, the echo of the "pop" still reverberating under the grandstand roof, leaned over, got in my face, and asked two very simple questions that put everything into it's proper perspective. ( ....and? ...and?...jeez, has this story been censored?)

Best band ever? So many from which to choose... Indigenous, Screaming Cheetah Wheelies, Joe Satriani, Soundgarten, Led Zeppelin, the list could go on and on. ( Thank God you stopped though....)

Beer or wine? From the size of my belly, what the hell do you think? ( Hhmm)

Best Movie seen? I've got three kids... I don't get to go see movies.

If you could be a singer who would you be? I don't sing. I don't want to sing.

Halle Berry or Jessica Alba? Who? What?

Motto for life? Love my wife, love my kids, pass the ball to Ronny, Carlito and Jorge.

Can you describe your best ever moment on a soccer field?
1981, NCAA Division II championship. And I had to watch from the bench because of the knee thing mentioned above.


Thanks Rob, a great insight to your love of music, family and football. And you are the first interview that had to be **** for use of **** language!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 0 Trumbull 0

Awesome goalkeeping display denies Celts

A virtuoso performance by the Trumbull goalkeeper was the story of the day. One fantastic save after another proved that this young Chilean phenom will rescue Trumbull many more times in the future. In a game that Madison should have won by a handsome margin the visiting goalkeeper proved that even in a team game one player can dominate the result.

Madison started this game strongly and continued that way for the full 90 minutes. In stark contrast to last weeks performance, the defense had its best game of the season with Behrooz hardly troubled during the first half. Rob H was unbeatable in the left back position and Danny was able to sweep up any loose balls coming his way. Normally from the base of a defensive rock you can build a victory but no matter how hard Madison tried they could not find a way past the Trumbull goalkeeping Colossus.

The pattern of missed opportunities was set early in the game after one particularly great move. Skillful midfield wing play by Carlos put Ronnie K through in the opposition penalty box where he swung over a great cross to meet the head of the on rushing Jacques. It hardly seems believable now, but with the goal wide open and the goalkeeper stranded, Jacques contrived to head the ball high over the post.....! A clear cut chance gone and Madison would be left to rue this easiest of chances to go ahead. Madison continued to dominate possession throughout the first half and Jorge and Rohan managed several attempts on goal that were either saved or mopped up by the Trumbull defence.

The second half was a replica of the first, with strong, controlled possession play by the Madison midfield and wave after wave of attack on the Trumbull goal always being thwarted at the end. Numerous chances came and went and as the second half wore on it became obvious that nothing short of a miracle or a bolt of lightening hitting the Trumbull goalkeeper would allow Madison to win this game. Even in the dying seconds of the game with Jorge clear on goal with only the giant goalkeeper to beat, a superb double save clinched the point for Trumbull in a game that Madison deserved to win. All credit to the goalkeeper for the best display of agility and bravery I've seen in a game for a long while.

What now for Madison? Although the result was hard to swallow this was still a very good attacking and defensive performance by the Celts. If they can carry this attitude and aggressive style through the rest of the season they could finish the year strongly. It's unlikely they will meet a more dominant goalkeeper in their remaining games.

NEXT GAME; Sunday 19th Oct, Trumbull!

A MESSAGE FROM OUR COACH;

"Gentlemen,

This Sunday we will play against Trumbull team and this is a Home game for us. We will be using the Exchange field behind the Surf Club. Please come through the Madison Surf Club that you can park at the top Parking area.

Please be there at 9:30 am.

Jacque will you do the honor bring beer for the team please...Dutch and German beer will get you a lot of attention. I will have Carlos to bring something that goes well with the beer.

We have to win this game....go Madison Celtic

Eric, please bring the Flags....thanks

Tom"

We have played Trumbull once already this year resulting in a 4-4 home draw. They currently sit 5th in the league having played 12 games winning 6, losing 4 and drawing 2. They sit one point ahead of us in the league and if we win this game we go above them into 5th position!

Depending on which Madison team turns up this Sunday this will either be a struggle or a good home victory. I think we are tracking the DOW this year in terms of our form...sometimes up....most times down! GUYS, it's time for a rally. Let's turn up on Sunday and really set out to win this game from the start. No more defensive mistakes.....!! Tom Tom ;o)

PLAYER FOCUS on.....Behrooz "The Cat"

Behrooz is another member of the "Fab 4" founder players of the Madison team. Back then he was a goalie then he decided to be a defender and then he quickly realized he was a goalie. Apart from being constantly injured Behrooz is renowned for his cat like instincts in goal. At various times during the game one can see him run off for a sip of milk or have a quick nap before the opposition attack. Yes, he's a one off and today we get to see inside the mind of "El Gato". He doesn't mess around with his answers so i had to mess around with his questions.....

When did you first start playing soccer? Since age 5

Fav team? AC Milan

What's you nick name? KaKa

Best band? Eagles

Fav movie? French Connection

Who do you play soccer like? Eric Clapton

What was your proudest moment? Being voted best defender ( total fix!)

Who would you like to be if you were not"El Gato"? Halle Berry

Straight forward answers from the no nonsense goalie....but let's face it, all goalies are crazy!!

MATCH REPORT; Milford 2 Madison 2

Erratic form returns to haunt Madison


Vibrant Fall colors, a verdant lush field and a warming Sun arcing across an azure sky created the perfect conditions for playing the "beautiful game". Unfortunately this picture perfect scene was to be ruined by some pretty ugly play by both teams during the match. For some strange reason Madison started the game in a very sluggish manner with some very low energy performances permeating through the team. Milford, although not exactly magic, were sufficiently enterprising to force the Madison team on to the defensive throughout the first 15 minutes of this game. Although the Madison defense has played well at times through the season this game would not prove to be one of their best. Even with the return of the nomadic Hamid to the defensive ranks the back four played out an error strewn first quarter of the game and were rewarded for this sloppy play by a goal from Milford. A simple ball was lobbed up through the left of the Madison defence and chased by an on running Milford forward who was easily first and last to the ball as he slammed it past the stranded Behrooz.

This served as the wake up call for the Madison players as their play started to noticeably improve. Some nice touch and go passing between the defence, midfield and attack ended with another classic mazy run by Carlos into the opposition penalty box. After a few scrambled and frantic attempts at shooting by Madison, and desparate clearances by Milford, the ball finally made its way into the back of the net with the help of the battling midfielder Jacques. At this point Madison were playing well and getting on top of their opposition. However, in another moment of defensive befuddlement Tom A over hit a pass to Tom P across the edge of the Madison penalty box straight in to the path of the on rushing Milford forward who wasted no time in dispatching the ball into the Madison net. Another avoidable goal from Madison which could have signalled some heads going down and the game running away from them. To their credit Madison again raised their play and got back into the game. Several chances went begging at the Milford end of the field but, shortly before half time a free kick on the right hand side for Madison was expertly swung in by Scott and met at the far left post by Eric to squeeze the ball in for the equalizer. All tied at half time and some frustrations beginning to show around the field.

The second half was a largely fractious, bad tempered affair with both teams having trouble completing their passes. There were still many chances to score with Rohan and Carlos doing some strong running but getting no luck in front of goal. Milford also had a clear goal bound shot cleared off the line before having a player sent off for persistent fouling. After this the game ran its course with no further incident as Madison slumped to another avoidable draw.

Next up will be Trumball and hopefully a return to the form that saw off New Fairfield earlier in the season.

NEXT GAME; Sunday 12th October, Milford!

We have an away game this Sunday against Milford Magic. This is a make up game from earlier in the Fall season. We have played Milford twice already this year losing the first 3-1 and winning the second 4-1. Overall, in season 2008, Milford have played 14 games winning 4 against the likes of Clinton ( twice ), Southington and us. They have lost 8 games and have tied 2. They sit 4 points behind us in the league even though we have played 2 games less. After last weeks result we should be flying! But, we must not be complacent....remember the Bridgeport result!
Bottom line..... we should beat them, so let's do it!!

Tom, Behrooz, John, Rob, Tom P., Carlos, Jorge, Rohan, Scott & Eric....can all meet at 8:45 am at Exit 58 in Guilford.

Here are the directions to the Fred Wolfe Park in Milford for those making their own way there:
I-95 South to Exit 39B (Mall Exit / Rte 1), end of ramp take Rte 1 North. Move into left lane, at 1st light (near Burger King) turn left onto Cedarhurst, go to 3rd stop sign and turn right onto Orange Ave for 1mile where it will change to Ridge Rd. Continue on Ridge for about ¼ mile and turn right onto Hollow Rd. Go to end of Hollow and you will see entrance to park.

See you there!

PLAYER FOCUS on....Jody "Tenbrinhosa"

Jody is one of only four survivors of the original founding players of Madison still playing in the team. Yes, he is that old......He has outlived many team changes, player formations and countless injuries to finally get off the bench this season for a few games. He is an old Navy guy so he knows a sinking ship when he sees one which makes it all the more surprising he has stuck all this time with Madison! He is a tough midfield battler and is more than happy to take all the blame when the team plays badly. Which is great news for Jacques! In our current set of articles we want to get to know what makes the Madison players tick! Jody took sometime off from his hectic beach party lifestyle to give me this in depth interview recently. Slainte Jody!

First time you played soccer? Just left my mother's teat...( Yuk, Ed)

Fav Team? Bayern Munich

Fav soccer player? Van Nistleroy ( Cause he's Dutch)

Best band ever? Pearl Jam

Beer or wine? Yes, and liquor too!

Best Movie seen? Top Gun ( Weren't you in it? )

If you could be a singer who would you be? Eddie Vedder

Your best soccer quality? Showing up to the game! ( Unlike some, Huh Hamid?)

Motto for life? Life is good...enjoy it! And don't take yourself too seriously!

How do you keep fit? Biking, boarding,tennis, soccer, drinking (that's why you are always too tired on a Sunday!)

Can you describe your best ever moment on a soccer field? Scoring a hat trick in high school in the division playoffs ( Ah, the good old days....)

Thanks Jody, now i know what makes you tick for the Celtic!

MATCH REPORT;Madison10 Southington1

Guys, guys....I wanna talk to you about when it rains.....

When it rains it pours, or so the old saying goes, and after the veritable drought of goals in last weeks game against Bridgeport, today was a rip roaring deluge. The short hand version of the game was that Jorge scored four, Rohan scored three with Tom, Ron and Danny picking up the scraps to make it a perfect 10. In between all these goals Southington, to their credit , kept going and scored a decent goal which prevented an even tougher whitewash for them.

You could tell after 5 minutes of this game that Madison had their tails up and Southington were in for a torrid time. After that small amount of time Madison had already hit the bar twice and the post once as they bombarded the Southington penalty area. It was therefore no surprise when a tidy set of quick passes found Rohan running strongly into the box to slam in the first goal for Madison. Shortly after that he repeated the trick with another great powerful run and goal after a great midfield tackle by Carlos that won possession. Carlos was also instrumental in the third as he whipped over a wicked cross from the left hand side of the field which Ronnie smartly dummied and there was Jorge at the far post to head the ball into the net for the third goal. Ronnie's smart play was rewarded shortly after this when he received the ball in the box from Carlos and slotted the ball into the net for Madison's fourth of the game.

The goal scoring then took a step up in quality as dead ball specialist Danny, stepped up to curl a phenomenal 25 yard free kick high into the far left hand side of the fully stretched Southington goalie. A truly unstoppable shot and at this point so were Madison. Before the half time whistle went Jorge managed to score his second, and Madison's sixth of the half. A great first half with some truly fantastic goals and some great tackling and possession play by Carlos.

The second half again started off at a brisk pace with Madison attempting to keep possession of the ball with some neat passing. This paid of handsomely when first Rohan, then Jorge completed their hat tricks to take the score to eight nil. At this point Madison clearly took their foot of the pedal and Southington started to control the game with some powerful running. Having said that, it was still a bit of a shock when they managed to score against the Madison defence which prior to the goal had had little to do. Normal service was restored when Jorge slammed in the ninth goal for the home team and Tom rounded of the scoring with a tap in to make it ten just before the final whistle sounded. A strong performance by Madison against a weak Southington side who fought hard but were never really in the game. Let's hope Madison can keep up this form as they next play Milford in the league.

Loved the white gloves Jorge!

NEXT GAME; Sunday Oct 5th, Southington!

We will be playing at home this Sunday against Southington United. Our game is at Town Campus Field in Madison off of exit 62 of 95. From Northbound, take a right at the exit and go up for about a 1/2 mile and the field is on right. From Southbound, you have to take a left instead. Please be there by 9:30 am..... Tom

Southington, like Bridgeport, have had some pretty poor results this season and last. Over the last 13 games they have lost 12 and drawn only once , against Milford. They have scored 24 goals and conceded 78!! Their average score seems to be to lose 7-2. After the disaster of last week we need to get "stuck in" early in this game and try and get a goal or two lead. This should be an easy home win but it looks like we can't predict how well we are going to play at the moment. Hopefully, we will have a full squad available!

The Fitness Challenge has a Winner!

Yes, after four tough weeks of profuse sweating, painful exercise at the gym, extensive road running, prodigious weight lifting and one terrible soccer game I still managed to lose to the eventual Fitness Challenge winner..... Ron "The Toe"Barba! The final result wasn't even close....Ron, with the help of a trained professional assistant mind you, amassed 305 points!!

I think the focus article on him really spurred him on!

I am currently holding down second position with 191 points and Rob H third on 190 points. ....but I've still to hear from him on any exercise he did this Monday or Tuesday. I think i could be heading for third if he has managed 30 minutes of workout on either of those days. My trip to Disney didn't really come at a good time for this competition....get my excuses in first.

Everyone else who started out in the competition or said something about it.... Behrooz, Jody, Ron, Jacques,Tom P and someone called Choccie Biscuit all fell by the wayside or couldn't be bothered to send me their points. The last i heard they were all roughly on the 80-90 points mark Anyway thank you for joining in and well done for doing any of it! I think this Challenge win has helped Ron to keep his fitness levels going for the game and the same with Rob which is great for the team. We need players that can last more than 30 minutes!

I'll see if we are up for a similar challenge sometime next year. Anyway, I'll have to go and find a suitable prize for "The Toe".......Well done Ron!!