Guilford Celtic is a Connecticut based team playing in the Shoreline Adult Soccer League since 2010. The team was formed in 2003 and played in the Connecticut Adult Recreational Soccer League for 7 years. In 2017 we changed our name from Madison to Guilford Celtic! The team is inspired by Glasgow Celtic FC...probably the greatest football team on the planet!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
End Of Year Statistics 2009!
Well it's nearly the end of the year and its time to take stock of our achievements through the 2009 season. I have to admit I thought that the team was going to collapse into oblivion as we entered the Fall season with a shortage of players and chronic communication problems. But, we survived and got the team on track. We have a new administration team in place to help El Presidente, with lots of CFO's, CRO's, CEO's, CPO's and UFO's. We signed up some new players during the season that really helped us through our constant crisis of injured players, disappearing players and enigmas. And, after all these problems, we actually played better in the Fall season than we did in the Summer season!
Henrique and Carlos were our top goalscorers over the whole of 2009 with 7 goals a piece. Carlos won the most man of the match awards with 3, although 13 players won at least 1 MOM during the season!
The Fall season was tough because bad weather was always a factor but we still managed to get some games and good performances in! The highlights are as follows;
Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3, Drew 0; Goals For 16, Against, 16, Points 12
Our home record was;
Played 4, Won 2, Lost 2
Our away record was;
Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1
Top goal scorers;
Henrique 5, Carlos 4, Roniildo 3, Tom A, Telat, Dejan and Jorge all got one goal!
Man of the Match Awards;
Carlito, El Gato, La Boca, Telat, Tom A, Dejan and Roniildo all got one award!
AS A REMINDER; Our record during the Summer was;
Played 11, Won 4, Lost 7, Drew 0; Goals For 23, Against, 26, Points 12
Our home record was;
Played 6, Won 4, Lost 2
Our away record was;
Played 5, Lost 5!
Top goal scorers;
Jorge 5, Carlos 3, TJ 3, Scott 3, Henrique 2, La Boca, Roniildo, Jodingo!!, Fribeka, Tom A, Ahmad, OG all got one goal!
Man of the Match Awards;
BOR 2, Carlito 2, Kevinho 2, Ron the Toe, Jodingo!!, Henrique, Fribeka and Roniildo all got one award!
SO the overall view of the 2009 season looks like this;
Played 18, Won 8, Lost 10, Drew 0; Goals For 39, Against, 42, Points 24
Our home record was;
Played 10, Won 6, Lost 4
Our away record was;
Played 8, Won 2, Lost 6
Top goal scorers;
Henrique 7, Carlos 7, Jorge 6, Roniildo 4, TJ 3, Scott 3,Tom A 2, La Boca, Jodingo!!, Fribeka, Ahmad, Telat, Dejan and OG all got one goal!
Man of the Match Awards;
Carlito 3, BOR 2, Kevinho 2, Roniildo 2, Ron the Toe, Jodingo!!, La Boca, Henrique, Fribeka, Tom A, Telat, Dejan and El Gato all got one award!
We had a losing season overall, but the Fall season got us back on track. The stats tell us we are a very decisive team..... we either win or lose.... we did not tie a game in the whole of 2009!
Let's hope for an even better 2010 season, both indoor and outdoor!
And....
Have a great Holiday Season, keep happy and healthy..... and see you all in the New Year!!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Striker Of The Fall 2009!
After some outrageous vote counts in the best midfielder poll with a record 54 votes cast and the winner ( Dejan for European President!! ) garnering 80% of those votes, will we see a similar battle emerge in the Striker of the Fall vote?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Midfielder Of The Fall 2009!
After the exciting defender of the Fall vote, which was won by newcomer Telat, it is now time for the Midfielders to be recognized! Some great players for you to vote on.... Vote for the new players Dejan and Ilan? Both have had great starts to their new Madison Celtic careers or you could go for one of the old stalwarts Jodinho, Fribeka, Roniildo or our El Presidente!
Go for it!
And thanks to those guys that turned up Monday night for the team meeting at Augers. It was a good meeting and fun.... and thanks Jodingo!! for providing most of the fun ;o)
We have got several guys signed up, and paid up, for the indoor season but we need more guys to cough up their fees for the indoor. Please get in touch with Cap'n Ron as soon as you can.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Defender Of The Fall 2009!
Hi Guys...yes it's that time again. Your big chance to vote for the best player of the Fall. This time we are going to start with best defender. Could be a close run race this time as a number of our usual stars like La Boca only played a few game during the Fall and some players like Tom A ( El Presidente!) started playing at the back and had some great games. On top of that we had our new players also playing in different positions but I have placed Telat and Ilan in the defender poll because of their great defensive play. Of course we could have the sympathy vote kicking in for BOR after his injury or Johnaldo could get the vote for turning up even when injured! If we had ref of the season as a vote I'm sure Pink would win it but you only get to vote for him in the defender poll.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Season Has Ended!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Snow Day Blocks Friendly
Friday, December 4, 2009
Next Game; Friendly against Guilford!
Group B: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia
Group E: Netherlands, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark
Group F: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Cost, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
New Players Bring New Dimension To Team!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
MATCH REPORT; Madison 1 Prospect 0
Gritty Win for Madison Rounds Off The Season
The bad news was that Prospect turned up with 11 players. Based on what Prospect did to Madison the last time they played this could have been a tough omen. In that game they ran the Celts ragged with only 10 players and out played and out fought them for every ball. As it turned out, this game would prove very different, not that it was all smooth sailing. The first fifteen minutes of the game were all played in the Madison half as Prospect mounted a spirited attack. They fought hard for every ball but Madison were also up for the competitive nature of the game and gradually worked themselves into the match. In fact the first foray up the field for Madison proved to be very fruitful. Having cleared their lines at the expense of a corner Prospect were stunned when a simple cross into the box found ace striker Carlos unmarked allowing him to calmly stroke the ball past the goalie and into the net for a lead somewhat against the run of play. Having taken the lead Madison played the rest of the half in the ascendancy. Their defense held firm and Dejan was having a very effective game just in front of the back three breaking up attacks and sending probing balls forward. The Madison forward line were also moving confidently and taking several shots on goal that missed by only inches. In fact they had so many chances to increase their lead one began to think that they may begin to rue all the missed opportunities.
The second half started much like the first ended, with Madison playing well and looking to score an anxiety lowering second. However, as the game wore on Prospect increasingly took more and more charge of the game pushing Madison further and further back into their own half. In fact the last twenty minutes of the game ended up as a back to the walls battle for the Madison defence with Prospect effectively holding on to the ball and snuffing out the Madison attack.
On several occasions it looked like Prospect might snatch an equalizer but they could not get their shots on target. With time running out Madison managed to push into attack again with the darting runs of Carlos proving to be a thorn in the side for Prospect. After one of his lung bursting runs up the whole length of the field he was tripped in the box for a clear penalty to Madison.
Roniildo stepped up but blasted the ball high over the bar, but any disappointment was quenched when the final whistle blew almost immediately. A great win for Madison against a very good Prospect team and some measure of revenge for the defeat they had suffered earlier in the season.
Man Of the Match; Again several good performances throughout the team from Carlos, Roniildo, Fribeka, Tom, Telat and Jodingo!! But the MOM goes to Dejan for the quiet but very effective role he played today in the pocket just in front of the back three. His effectiveness became very noticeable when he actually subbed out of the game leaving a huge gap in the field that allowed Prospect their best attacking opportunities of the game. He came back on and immediately plugged the gap.
This was also a great Birthday present for Jodingo!! who reached his half century in great style.
Below is the first ever video of Jodingo!! playing soccer when he was very young. He is the little one on the left!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m9quIpIIEs&feature=relatedFriday, November 27, 2009
NEXT GAME; Sunday 29th Nov, Prospect!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving League Game!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
MATCH REPORT; Madison Celtic 4 New Fairfield 3
Incredible Comeback Victory For Super Celts
As the ref blew the whistle for half time Madison Celtic were deep in trouble and heading deeper. Even though they had played reasonably well in the first 45 mins they just could not contain the pacy, incisive moves of the New Fairfield forward line and were 3-0 down and nearly out. And if that wasn't bad enough, in the last minute of the half BOR had fallen heavily on his shoulder and had either dislocated it or broken his collar bone. Either one was not good and the game was delayed for twenty minutes as an ambulance was called and BOR carted off to the hospital.
With no subs left and a rampaging opposition with the taste of blood in their mouths it was with some trepidation that the Madison team took to the field for the second half. But instead of folding Madison launched a stupendous fight back that rocked New Fairfield to their core.
Controlling the ball with more confidence, Madison were able to push up the field and really put the New Fairfield defence under significant pressure. Some great attacking runs by Henrique and Carlos were stretching their back line to the breaking point. And finally, after one of Henrique's probing runs was unceremoniously stopped by an opposition defender blatantly tripping him, Madison were awarded a deserved penalty. Henrique dragged himself up, dusted himself down and slammed the ball into the net to give Madison a lifeline in the game. However, New Fairfield had lost none of their potency up front and were moving forward with great effect. They had several clear goal chances that were broken up by Tom and Telat, both playing their best game of the season. Those chances that did get by them luckily hit the bar, the post or were gathered up by El Gato. After absorbing this pressure for a fair amount of time Madison went back on the attack and some great interplay by Carlos and Henrique resulted in a glorious arcing shot by Henrique that screamed into the net for Madison's, and his second, goal of the game. At this point in the match New Fairfield were clearly rattled and Madison could feel the tide turning. Some great aggressive play by Fribeka and Roniildo in the midfield kept possession for Madison at critical times. Time and again, as New Fairfield broke through, Telat was their to gather the ball up and restart the Madison attack with excellent distribution. Playing with real coolness and quality this was a very impressive display at the right back position. But it was a last gasp tackle by the other impressive defender, Tom A, that led to the best move of the game. A misplaced pass by Madison allowed one of the fastest New Fairfield players a clear run at goal with only Tom to beat. But a superb, shuddering tackle by Tom was followed up by an equally fantastic pass that eventually allowed Carlos a clear run on goal. He didn't waste his chance and amazingly Madison had their equalizer.
New Fairfield could not believe what was happening to them but to their credit they continued to push forward looking for the goal that would regain their lead. Two shots could have quickly given them that lead back but one rattled the cross bar and the other was cleared off the line by Ilan. Celtic were hanging on by their fingernails at this stage of the game as New Fairfield went all out in the last ten minutes. They threw the kitchen sink at Madison with hard play, tough tackles and constant attacking but the home defence held firm. And as the clock edged closer and closer to the final whistle this game had a final sting in the tail for New Fairfield. A free kick won in the New Fairfield half was taken quickly by Johnaldo who found Carlos at the edge of the New Fairfield box. The mercurial striker took the ball neatly past the last defender and with only the goalkeeper to beat he confidently swept past him slamming the ball into the net for a glorious winning goal.
The referee blew his whistle to end a tumultuous game and an incredible comeback by Madison to win the match against a really tough New Fairfield team. What a way to end the season!
MAN OF THE MATCH; The second half threw up a number of contenders for MOM. Henrique and Carlos for their great attacking play, Fribeka and Roniildo for their tough midfield tackling and passing. But without doubt the MOM award has to be given to two defenders for their outstanding play today. Both Telat and Tom A take the award for some fantastic play.
Let's hope BOR is back in action soon.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
NEXT GAME; Sunday Nov 22nd, New Fairfield!
Looks like we will have a strong squad for Sunday with over 14 players saying they will turn up.
Let's try and remember the "no cussing" rule when it comes to you team mates....we are all on the same side!
We should also try and find out if this will actually be our last game.....we certainly could do with some make up games for the ones we missed during the Fall season. I think Tom would have to check with Clinton or some other local team if this is possible. Are you all up for playing on if the weather holds out? Of course with Thanksgiving coming up no doubt people will say we can't play next weekend but i don't see why not!
See you all Sunday, I think Roniildo is the beer boy?.....If it's raining the night before check the blog for a status report!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Final Game Roster Call!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
It's All About Communication!
OK guys, we need to improve this really simple process of communicating urgent events to the team like a venue switch or a game cancellation. I recently drove all the way to Southington to watch you guys only to drive all the way back because no one "communicated" to me that the venue had switched! Now at least 6 guys turned up for the game against Clinton because our communication process was defective.
Looks like Tom does not read e-mail or text messages over the weekend so you CANNOT communicate with him using those approaches. You need to see him eye ball to eye ball or call him and actually talk to him....not his voice mail! This is a bit of a problem because he is the main team coordinator so if another team coach "communicates" with him by e-mail to say the game is cancelled he won't read it until Monday. We should put my name and number forward to the league so that at least I can get the information first hand about cancellations. I will set up a phone tree system for communication of cancellations, as was suggested at our bar meeting.
Over half the team did check the blog last night and this morning so that is somewhat effective but not the answer.
Hope you agree but please give me your comments!
Game Is OFF!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Rain Check Tomorrow Morning!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
NEXT GAME; Sunday 15th November, Clinton!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
MATCH REPORT;Madison 2 Southington 3
You know the scene; it happens almost every week. A tired and stressed out coach is dragged out in front of the cameras to explain how on Earth his team managed to lose a game they were so easily winning. The usual well used axioms that are trotted out at this point are something like " our luck ran out" or " the big decisions started going against us" or, the oldest one in the book; " It's a game of two half's, innit? " As if stating the bleeding obvious is a way out of the nightmare result..... Well i guess we all know how that feels today. After a first half of fantastic passing and assertive play with two fabulous goals that easily could have been four or five, Madison fell apart in the second half sliding to a horrible defeat. What were the excuses? Well it was clearly a game of two half's and the big decisions started going against Madison but... the main reason is they gave up passing and fighting for the ball. The slick, fast moves that led to the first Madison goal when Dejan found Jorge with a delightful ball, who then passed to Henrique who slid the ball to Roniildo, who neatly flicked the ball past the goalie, were all missing in the second half. Even the direct to goal play that gave Madison their second goal, when Kevinho's long kick out landed at the feet of Jorge who slammed the ball into the net for Madison's two goal lead, disappeared completely from Madison's repertoire. In the second half this productive style of play was replaced by an ineffective, lacklustre approach devoid of imagination and coherence. Southington took advantage of this sea change in the game by first scoring a goal ten minutes into the second half that could have been prevented if Madison had cleared their lines. This defensive lesson didn't sink in because Southington scored their equalizer from a similar set of circumstances when the Madison defense could not clear the ball out quickly enough and allowed an overhead kick to sail into the net. At this point in the game Madison still had chances to score but nothing was working and they were clearly running out of steam and luck.
However, despite the woeful inadequacies of the second half it was left to the sunglass wearing ref to execute the coup de grâce with the now obligatory ridiculous decision we see in almost every game, allowing a blatantly offside goal from Southington to stand as the winning goal. The Southington forward couldn't get any more offside if he had tried, but as we have seen many times in the past, the quality of refereeing decisions in this league leaves a lot to be desired. The bottom line is that Madison let a game they had in the bag escape from them and they have to learn the tough lesson of finishing off teams when they are so dominant.
MAN OF THE MATCH; Dejan had a great first half as did Jorge and Henrique but it just has to be the referee for his match winning performance for Southington......
Friday, November 6, 2009
NEXT GAME; Sunday 8th November, Southington!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Horror Show Cannot Be Repeated!
The roster call has us standing at 9 players so far for Sunday.....check in guys before Thursday!