Merry Christmas Madison Celtic!

Guys, hope you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends over the festive season!

We have a whole new year of soccer coming up and I know it will be fun. Let's see if we can get our indoor season off the ground and then get ourselves in shape for the new outdoor season.

We will get back to basics this season. We are there every Sunday morning to have some fun with good company. That's the way we used to do it but we lost our way a bit last season. We can bring that back.

Anyway, have fun over the next week or so and see you all in the New Year!

Are you playing Indoor Soccer ?

The indoor season starts up the first week of January and we need to know who is up for playing.

Thursday January 3rd. 8 Games for $850 per team.   If you are in we will need to know quickly and you will have to pay up quickly too!  Ronnie is still chasing team fees for next season and this indoor fee is much bigger. Even if we got 10 guys saying yes that will be $85 per head!

Email me or put it in the comments section below if you are in for the next session

Forward of the Season?

Last poll of the year and this time its for best forward of the season. It wasn't our best year for goalscoring but we had some great chances  and some wonderful goals through the year. So go ahead and vote for your forward of the year!

If you haven't got in touch to say you are coming to the party next Friday I will assume that is your way of saying no thanks #doesnttakemuchtimetodropaline.........

Midfielder of the Season?

Who was your midfielder of the year? Some great choices like John B, Rob Z, Roniildo, Fribeka, Ruggerho, Carlos, Ilhan, Halil, TomA?  Go ahead and vote!

Player of the Year Votes!

I know it was a tough year for us in Division 2 but we still had some great moments of skill from our players. Fantastic saves, superb goals, crunching tackles and so on. So we have  a little tradition going back a few years of selecting our players of the year and this year we start with our defender of the year poll.  We have a lot of candidates in the list and i have more or less covered as many players who played several times in defense. Some of them may appear in other polls as they played in other positions. So go ahead, vote for your fav player!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

          Have a great Thanksgiving with your family and friends!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 0 Vasco 3

Madison Celtic's adventure in the SASL second division came to it's expected end with a 3-0 loss to the newly crowned champions Vasco Da Gama. A season that started brightly with the Celts holding their own in the league went south after the break with the Madison bhoys gathering only 2 points out of a potential 27. The game itself was very typical  of the games that the Celts have had this year. An opening 25 minutes that was very even with the home team giving as good as they got. A strong Madison defensive line really blunting an aggressive Vasco attack that had scored 41 goals though this season. The Celtic midfield had lots of possession in these early parts of the game with John B, Roniildo and Rob dealing with the lions share of the battle. With only one lonely striker it was perhaps too much to expect an onslaught on the Vasco penalty box but chances were few and far between. One of the significant failings of the team this season has been an inability to score when the game is balanced or even when we have periods of domination. This pattern has shown itself in many games this year and this match was no different. The first sign that the game was turning in a negative direction was when the increasingly picky ref started to get to the Madison players. When the players get more focused on  the refs decisions than the game then we are in trouble. Some loose defending allowed Vasco to get some great scoring chances and it needed some big saves from Hulk to keep us on a level pegging. However, after a good solid 30 minutes the pattern consolidated when the ref gave a dubious free kick to Vasco just a few yards outside the box. Even though the box was packed with Madison players you have to give credit to the Vasco striker who curled an unstoppable shot into the top right hand postage stamp of the net. One nil down and though you couldn't argue that it was against the run of play it did seem rather unjust. The halftime whistle came with the team feeling disappointed with the score, but even more annoyed at the somewhat mercurial ref. The second half saw Vasco start to turn the screw on the home team with more and more chances coming their way. The Madison midfield was still trying hard but at times looked like five individuals running with the ball rather than a cohesive team. The simple out ball to a team mate was rarely used as the ball was smacked away as though it was a ticking time bomb. With that lack of love for the ball coming from the Madison players it was perhaps no surprise that Vasco grabbed another  goal. A nicely worked move down the Madison right ended with a cracking shot past Alex into the  net. On the sidelines you could tell the Vasco management and friends were greatly relieved that they had got this second goal and tied up the points. The visitors relaxed after this and Madison had some of its best play in the second half but any thought of a revival were quashed when Vasco scored yet another fabulous goal to round off a great win for the new champions.
A disappointing end to the season for the Celts, but Vasco played well and are worthy champions. I'll do a more detailed analysis of the season after Hurricane Sandy has passed but for the moment I just want to thank the whole squad for playing through a tough season. We will be back!

Man Of The Match; Some great saves by Hulk in the first half, some solid defending by Edimar and Edison throughout the game and some great running by La Boca up front but MOM goes to John B for holding the midfield together and always being available for the out ball.

Many thanks to LOTB for taking the great pics during the game!

NEXT GAME; Oct 28th Vasco da Gama

The crazy race is nearly over. The final game of the season is upon us and the league is running to a nail biting conclusion at both ends of the table! Vasco da Gama and the Norwalk Mariners are duking it out at the top end of the table while Madison, Fairfield and Guilford are clinging on for dear life at the other end. The simple facts are that Norwalk Mariners have to win and hope that Vasco drop a point for them to take the championship. And guess who Vasco are playing? Yes, the Madison Celts! In another twist of fate Fairfield are playing Norwalk Mariners in their last game. If Fairfield gain a point then they are safe assuming Guilford do not win their last two games. If Fairfield lose, then for us to stay up we simply have to beat Vasco Da Gama. The only other unlikely scenario is that we draw against Vasco and Norwalk hammer Fairfield 14-0 to demolish their hugely advantageous goal difference. Either way it should make for a very interesting last day of the league.

I'm not sure how we got ourselves into these dire straights after a reasonable start to the season. But the facts don't lie and the Celts have only won two points out of a potential 24 over the last 8 games. That's relegation form in anyone's books. All we can do now is go out on Sunday and enjoy ourselves.... i know we can do that!

Beers for the last game? I brought some last Sunday and a few of us had a few after the game. I can bring some more and if someone else wants to share the load just holler

See you Sunday!!  It's a 10 am kick off at Town Campus. Turn up early so we can warm up.

I've copied another update on the end of the season from Garry Archer of the SASL;

With only one week remaining in the season, there are still several issues
not resolved making for a very exciting end to the SASL 2012 for some teams.

The SASL Masters League Second Division has almost nothing resolved as yet
-- except Vasco da Gama CC and Norwalk Mariners will be promoted to the
First Division next season.

With only one week left to go it is still a dogfight at the bottom end of
the SASL Masters League Second Division to see who will survive and who
will be relegated with four teams still involved.  Ironically, Vasco and
the Mariners are playing teams involved in the relegation battle and they
need the points also to see who will be Champions.  Here are their
remaining matches with the home teams listed first:

    - Greenwich Arsenal versus 7th-placed Norwalk Sport Colombia FC.
Arsenal are safe and Sport Colombia only need one point from this game and
a make-up game to be assured of safety themselves.  Sport Colombia have
drawn more games than any other team in the division.

    - Norwalk Mariners versus 8th-placed Fairfield GAC.  The already
promoted Mariners must not lose in order to stay in contention for the
Championship and would prefer all three points, meaning a very tough
road-trip for GAC.  One point from this game may be all GAC need, but they
cannot afford to take that chance, a win would assure safety.

    - 9th-placed Madison Celtic FC versus Vasco da Gama CC.  Vasco are also
already promoted, but are looking over one shoulder at the Mariners in the
race for the Championship, they cannot afford to slip up.  Celtic would
need to win and Fairfield GAC to lose to avoid relegation.  A draw would
not be enough owing to GACs superior goal difference -- unless GAC were
beaten by something like 14 goals!

    - Easton Rhinos versus 10th-placed Guilford Bell Curve.  The Rhinos are
already safe, but Bell Curve must win.  A win would still leave Bell Curve
in 10th place, but they have a game in hand, a game that they must also win
in order to stand any chance of survival.

    - Norwalk Sport Colombia FC versus Guilford Bell Curve.  This is a
make-up game scheduled to be played at Guilford.  As stated earlier, Sport
Colombia only need a point to be assured of safety, but depending on their
earlier result against Greenwich Arsenal, they may already be safe.  Bell
Curve must win.  Even if Bell Curve win their last two games, depending on
how other results go, it may not be enough to save them from relegation.

Good luck to all teams in the next week or so!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 0 Greenwich Arsenal 0

With only two games left in the season and a relegation battle as hot as Hell, the Celts started this game like they meant business. Strong confident passing, great positioning and strong defending had Arsenal on the back foot right from the start of the match. The midfield pairing of John B and Rob really played a major role in subduing the Arsenal team and created some great chances for the Celts. One superb move that released Tano into the box allowed him to unleash a powerhouse shot that was parried by the goalkeeper. Superb covering defending by Rugginho and box to box running were also a  feature of the first twenty minutes of the game. As ever though, the Celts were unable to convert any chances and gradually the game evened out with Arsenal getting more and more chances. More often or not these attacks were swept away by the impressive defence but it was clear the second half would be tougher. In fact it ended up being more of the same with two teams largely cancelling each other out with few opportunities arising for either team. Even though a few shots came in it became increasingly clear that no team was going to deliver a knockout blow. And so the game ended in a scoreless tie. A result that ensured Arsenals' future in the second division for next year but leaving the Celts with the daunting task of having to beat league leaders, Vasco da Gama in the last game of the year to stay up. Can the Celts do it?  Well, if they are as strong at the back as they have been over a few select games during the season then they have a chance. We do need to score though. One point won't be enough unless the Mariners beat Fairfield by a barrow load of goals

Anyway, it's been fun. Last game is coming up. See you next Sunday

Man of the Match;  Some great performances by the Hulk, Edimar and Edison in defence ably assisted by Rob and John B in midfield but my mom was Ruggerho for his non stop running and last gasp defending!

NEXT GAME; Oct 21st, Greenwich Arsenal

The penultimate game of the season is upon us with a home match against Greenwich Arsenal. This is a home game at Town Campus with a 10.30am kick off. I guess we just need to go out and have fun. Let's just play the last two games the way you would play a pick up game. Johnny B said this at half time in the last match and it's true. That's when you have the most creativity, the best fun and you never know.....we might actually play better because of that.

My one request is that you tell me before the end of Saturday if you are going to play, and if you are, can you please turn up well before kick off?

Could you also bring $20?

The team is officially broke because we did not pull in enough money at the beginning of the season to pay for 3 officials per game. I will bring my own personal check book to pay this weekend but I am already over $1000 out of pocket for the team over the last few years.  I'm not looking for that back but let's try and keep our playing fees up to date. It's  not that much money for 18 games a year. Thanks for your help on this.

See y'all Sunday!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 0 Norwalk M 5

Two nil down after four minutes, three down after twelve and five by half time.  It could have been a recipe for a world record defeat for the Madison Celts but they recovered a semblance of pride by holding the hard charging, title chasing Mariners to a dull scoreless second half.  Some pride possibly, but certainly no points and the team remain rooted to the bottom end of the table with games fast running out.
After beating the Mariners earlier in the season one would have thought the Celts may have had some confidence coming into this game but that would be ignoring the awful run of defeats they have gone through in the last eight games. Added to that, with two minutes to kick off time only 8 players had bothered to turn up. We finally had 11 guys  pulling up their shorts and tying shoes as the whistle sounded but I guess we should not be surprised that the team was totally unprepared for the game. Madison got what they deserved which was a total pummeling in the opening 15 minutes. No tactics, no passing, no fight other than shouting at each other. It was an unholy mess and frankly totally un-enjoyable. What's the point of getting out of bed on a Sunday morning for this?

Basic mistakes, poor positioning, lack of communication, no team spirit and a total lack of support for team mates on the field were just some of the off field observations I could make. We were lucky to make it to the half only five down.

A half time "pep" talk and some basic truths got the team back out on the field with at least some idea that they should go out and try and enjoy themselves.  We were beat so what  would we have to lose?  Well we could have lost another 5 goals but the second half was much more even although the Mariners were always the dominant team.  Some great midfield play by Rob B and John B kept the team in the game and the defence played a much stronger game. The chances were few and far between up front and the final whistle was a pleasant sound at the end of the game. It felt like a victory not letting in any second half goals. But, it was no victory and the team has now gone through 8 games gathering only 1 point!  Two games left before the end of the season. Next week is a home against Greenwich Arsenal.  Our best chance of points before meeting the league leaders Vasco in the last game of the season!

Man of The Match;  Rob B ran his heart out  and was the clear MOM

NEXT GAME; Sunday Oct 14th, Norwalk Mariners!

You ever feel broken and downhearted? You ever feel like sitting in your car after a game and just crying? Well you can join TomP after this weekends game for a group cry. Our next game is a home game against the team in second position, Norwalk Mariners, and it's an 8.30 am kick off at Town Campus. Believe it or not, this was the last team we managed to beat 8 games ago! We have been in a death spiral since then whereas they have gone from strength to strength. If we want to save ourselves from relegation then the fight has to start now. We need to start getting some points! No more tears, no more excuses! Control your fears and let's go out and play like we are enjoying ourselves!

If you want to know what is happening through the rest of the leagues as they get to the business end of the season then read below. The  following article is from Garry Archer of the SASL and it his assessment of the league campaign in all the divisions with only a few games left. We do get a mention but you can tell where Garry's sentiments lie!

"For the Shoreline Adult Soccer League, the 2012 league season has rounded
the "final bend" into the "home stretch."  For most teams fifteen matches
are already in the records book and there are only three more to go.

It is typically here where teams pour on the pressure -- or falter with
"the tape" in sight.  Championships, promotion and relegation are all at
stake.  Here is a brief look at how the 2012 season is shaping up in the
final weeks.

http://saslsoccer.com/2012/standings.html

*SASL Over-30 League*

*First Division*
Club Napoli currently lead the division with a "massive" five point lead *
and* a game in hand!  Only Danbury United and Waterbury Albanians, in
second and third place respectively, can catch them.

In the relegation battle, disbanded Westport FC will count as a relegated
team, so there is only one other spot open for relegation, currently owned
by Milford Tuesday.  The Tuesday are only three points behind Greenwich
Rhinos and Newtown Salty Dogs are the only other team who can be caught,
mathematically at least, and it would take a lot of goals to overtake
them.  Salty Dogs' safety seems assured, but a point from their last three
games will make it definite.  One of the Salty Dogs' remaining games is
away at Milford Tuesday.

*Second Division*
The teams who win the East and West divisions will be automatically
promoted to the First Division, but there will be a post-season play-off
game for the two winners to see who will be the overall Champions and
Runners-up for this division.

Currently the *West* division is being lead by Bridgeport Blue Dragons by a
healthy four points, but Henry Reid FC and Stamford FC can still catch
them, no-one else can.  It will still be a battle though, perhaps even
"down to the wire," but the Blue Dragons with the extra points in the bank
already are probably feeling pretty confident by now of reaching the
Championship play-off game.

In the *East* division North Branford SC lead Newington Portuguese by a
narrow two points.  Mathematically, Hamden Hawks could still catch these
two, but no-one else can.  It would take a massive collapse by the top two
for the Hawks to make the Championship play-off game.  North Branford SC
only need one more point from three games to ensure that does not happen.

*SASL Masters League (Over-40s)*

*First Division*
Wilton Ancient Warriors FC are leading the division by three points with a
game in hand.  Rowayton FC, Cheshire Azzurri and Greenwich Gunners are all
still in the chase for first place, but the Azzurri are six points behind
the Warriors and the Gunners are a huge eight points behind the Warriors.
Mathematically, Connecticut Storm FC could still finish in second, but
Rowayton FC only need one more point to ensure they do not.

*Second Division*
Vasco da Gama CC have lead the division pretty much all season with only
Norwalk Mariners and Greenwich Pumas in serious contention for the
Championship and Runners-up places.  One of those teams will be very
disappointed at the end of the season.  Vasco lead the Mariners by four
points and the Pumas are only one point behind the Mariners.

The remainder of this division have basically all been in one huge
relegation battle where anyone can beat anyone at any time, any place.  As
the season winds down, however, time is fast running out for the bottom
two, currently Fairfield GAC and Guilford Bell Curve.  Both can still get
out of this sticky situation, but they need to win points now rather than
later.  The Bell Curve are only three points behind eighth-placed Madison
Celtic FC *and* still have a game in hand, to prove that *both* the Bell
Curve and Fairfield can still escape the drop zone.  With 12 points still
to play for Bell Curve could haul themselves well out of trouble and
mathematically, at least, could still overtake Orange SC in fourth place!
This relegation battle is that close and it will be interesting to see how
it develops over the next few weeks.

*Third Division*
As if anyone has doubted it all season long, Ridgefield Kicks still have
four games to play, but are already Champions.  They have won every game
and have scored nearly an average of six goals per game.  For this
division, it has really only been to see who will finish with the
Runners-up trophy.  Currently, Cheshire Inter FC, Albanian Eagles and North
Branford SC are only separated by a mere three points -- one win -- and the
odds seem to favour one of these teams to finish in second place.  But!
Newington Portuguese, Delaney's FC and New Haven Americans -- all tied on
19 points! -- are only three points behind North Branford SC.  Perhaps a
late all-winning surge from one or more of these three could make the race
for second-place even more interesting, so hold on to your hats!  Even
Wallingford Morelia with 16 points have an extremely slim mathematical
chance!

*SASL Over-48 League*

*First Division*
The teams who win the North and South divisions will be entered into a
post-season play-off game for the two winners to see who will be the
overall Champions and Runners-up for this division.

In the *North* division Falcon Polonia Stars FC have lead the way the whole
season with only Glastonbury Celtic FC and New Britain Falcons,
interchangeably, giving the best chase, but both Cheshire United and
Waterbury Pontes have also given a good account of themselves.  Initially
this season, New Britain Falcons seemed to be the only team to challenge
the Stars as Celtic got off to a slow start.  But, as the Falcons faltered
this fall half of the season, Celtic have surged and are now nine points
ahead of New Britain and with a huge goal difference.  Celtic are now
"only" six points behind the Stars and with both clubs still with nine
points to play for, so, who knows?  The key game will be when Celtic host
the stars this coming Sunday!  Should be a cracking game!

In the *South* division it is Club Napoli who have lead the whole way and
have already qualified for the Championship play-off game with still three
games to go.  In fact, Club Napoli are 15 points ahead of their nearest
challengers, Vasco da Gama CC, so it was decided some time ago when, not
if, Club Napoli would make the Championship play-off.  The other contenders
where Greenwich Wolves, who got off to a solid start but have slowed up in
recent weeks.  Vasco got off to a slow start, but kept getting better as
the season went on"

MATCH REPORT; Orange 3 Madison 0

Another game, another defeat but this time the score really doesn't reflect the evenness of the game through most of this encounter. Games against Orange are always tough and after the run of terrible form that the Celts have endured you would not have been surprised with another hammering. As it turned out this was a close game with some real chances for the Celts to score throughout the match and to dominate significant passages of the encounter. The opening fifteen minutes of the game were all about the attacking force of Orange and the shot stopping abilities of Hulk who kept the game at zero zero. Those great saves built some confidence in the team and the defensive pairing of Carlos and Jodingo!! well assisted by Edmilson meant we had a fairly strong defensive line to keep the home team out. Up front Tano and Edison tried their best to get some of the ball and take shots when they could. It looked like we were heading for a scoreless first half when Orange got a corner and during the split second it took to organize the defense they took a short one, got the ball into the box causing some real panic. Unfortunately, their striker was first to react to the loose ball and slammed it past the blameless Hulk for the lead goal.
The second half was very similar to the first with some real chances falling to the Celts. Posts were hit, bars were glanced and saves were made but no goals were scored. Unfortunately, this has become the norm for the Celts. Over their last seven games only five goals have been scored and our inability to get through a game without losing a goal means we have been losing more often that not. And so it came to pass in this game. Two defensive mistakes from an otherwise solid defense were cruelly punished by the home team to make the final score 3 0. It looks like every mistake we make at the back results in a goal for the opposition and every mistake they make results in a miss by us. We need to change that equation in the last three games of the season if we want to stay up. Luckily for us, our current abysmal run of lost points has been matched by two or three other teams  and only 5 points covers the last 5 teams! Our next game is a tough one against the high flying Norwalk Mariners. Let's try and bring our best form and stay in the second division!

Man of the Match;  Great game by Jodingo!! and Carlos at the back but even though he only played the first half the great saves by Hulk made him my MOTM! Oh, and happy birthday to Roniildo!

NEXT GAME; Sunday Sept 30th Orange

Well, sounds like the game against Easton was a total debacle.  Something has clearly gone wrong with the team over the last 5 games. We have taken only one point out of the last 15 and are now facing relegation. Our last four games of the season are all very, very tough. The "easy games" are behind us and we now play Orange away, Norwalk Mariners at home, Greenwich Arsenal at home and finally run away league leaders Vasco at home.......   Easy huh?

Well I know we are a better team that our results are telling us. It is clear our tactics are wrong right now   and we are playing as eleven individuals rather than a team. We need to get this right if we want to grab any points over the next four weeks.

This has to start with a tough away game this weekend against Orange. We beat them earlier in the season and they will be out for revenge. If we play to our best and try and defend as a team and attack as a coordinated unit we may have a chance of repeating the win. But we all have to try together!

The game is an early kick off 830am at the Fred Wolfe Park in Orange. Directions are below;

FRED WOLFE PARK:

I-95 South to Exit 39B (Connecticut Post Mall Exit / Route 1). At the end of the exit ramp take Route 1 North.  Move into the left lane and at the first traffic light (near Burger King) turn left onto Cedarhurst Lane.  Go to the third stop sign and turn right onto Orange Avenue for 1 mile where it will change into Ridge Road.  Continue on Ridge Road for about ¼ mile and turn right onto Hollow Road.  Go to end of Hollow Road and you will see the entrance to the park.

Route 15 South (Wilbur Cross / Merritt Parkway) to Exit 56.  At the end of the exit ramp turn right onto Grassy Hill Road (Route 121 South).  Go 0.6 to 0.8 miles and turn left onto Meeting House Lane.  At the stop sign at the top of the hill, turn right onto Ridge Road.  Go 0.3 miles and take the third left onto Hollow Road.  The entrance to the park is at the end of Hollow Road (a cul-de-sac/dead end road).

Teams should note that NO ALCOHOL is allowed in the park!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 1 Easton 5

Hulk Hogan reports on the debacle;

Any words that can explain how today went would not properly show how today went.....as the goalie 5 goals let in would say that the Hulkster was very drunk from last night......not the case.......we played the first 10 minutes like madison celtic pro league with multiple scoring chances....with all missed apportunities then the whells on defence fell off.....1 goal from a unmarked guy from 15 ft went top left " one of the best shots i have ever seen"....2nd goal was a 2 on 1 which was easily put in......begining of 2nd half defense was still on bench leaving 2 goals in first 7 minutes with unmarked players at all times with alot of tired players.........and the 5th goal was given in the last 30 seconds when the entire team just sat and watched the guy get the ball 10 ft from the net and laughed as he shot it over my left shoulder when i went down but that was after he took a drink from his pina caloda...........1 goal on me for misplaying a corner but in general the worst overall preformance as a team we have ever had.............Tanos outstanding direct kick goal was about the only positive in a very depressing day....................even el gato would not take the pipes when asked when it was 3 - 0........that says it all 


Man of of the match ?? lol

NEXT GAME; Sunday Sept 23rd Easton Rhinos

Fall is nearly here and the Celts have another chance to get the second half of the season back on track with a home game against Easton Rhinos. They are above us in the league but are arriving after a 9-1 hammering from Norwalk Mariners. Of course, our last opponents had also just been scrubbed  by the Mariners and little good that did us. Every game is there to be won from the first whistle. The last time we played the Rhinos we lost 3-1. The match report is here ;

Easton 3 Madison 1

Doesn't that report sound familiar??

Bottom line is we need to take advantage of the meagre chances when they arrive. For whatever reason we are turning out to be a low scoring team in this league and we cannot last 90 minutes without making mistakes...... so....we lose.  We have a somewhat depleted squad for this weekend with 4 of us over in Scotland playing for the Atlantic Rovers.  Fribeka, El Gato and Tano are in charge of the team this weekend. Let's bring home three points guys!!

MATCH REPORT; Norwalk SC 3 Madison 1

The bitter taste of defeat once again hit the throats of the Madison  team as they slumped to a miserable loss to the bottom team in the league. A closely fought goalless first half,  with few chances of note from either side, gave way to a second half of misery for the Celts. Inconsistent refereeing decisions, shockingly bad passing,  badly timed tackles and a team bereft of a single effective tactic was the poor brew that resulted in a deserved defeat for the visitors. Even though the team had a number of players missing from the game there should have been enough talent on the field to take the three points. However, the Celts struggled to pull any form together. Some strong performances by Rob B and great running by Tano were notable but not enough to get the team to gel. With very few attempts on the opposition goal the Celts were always running the risk of the sucker punch in the game and so it came to pass. A strong run by one of the home team strikers allowed him to ride two wayward attempts at a tackle before the third brought him down for a penalty. The game went from bad to worse from this point as over the next 20 minutes the Norwalk team took their chances to get three up. Playing for pride now the Celts scored the best goal of the game in the last couple of minutes as Edison cracked in a scorcher of a free kick for the consolation goal. However, there was no hiding the fact that this was one of the worst displays by the Celts over the last few years and they will have to recover some form to avoid being stuck in a tough relegation battle. With only a couple or so points covering the bottom five teams the next few games will be very interesting.

Man of the Match;  Edimar covered being dropped into the goalie position at the last minute very well with some great saves. Tano did some great running and Ruggerho had some great approaches in the first half but the best overall performance for Madison was from Rob B as he tried to push the team forward.

NEXT GAME; Sunday 16th September Norwalk SC

Our next game is an away match against Norwalk Sports Colombia. It's a 10am Kick off at the Broad River Field in Norwalk. Field directions are here;

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.

The last time we played them we lost 2-1 at home. The match report is here;

http://madisonceltic.blogspot.com/2012/05/match-report-madison-1-norwalk-sc-2.html

Norwalk SC have hit a run of bad form and currently sit at the bottom of the league on 9 points having won only 2 games so far. Their last two games have resulted in 7-2 and 8-1 defeats! But i repeat ...... they beat us 2-1 at home!!! This is another chance for us to get back on track and put some points between us and the bottom of the table!

A few guys have said they are available but a few are injured or unavailable.

Halil, Jodingo!!, El Gato and John B are out and Tom A is 50:50 so lets have some more names on the roll call

See you Sunday!

MATCH REPORT; Madison 2 Fairfield 2

For the first time in my life I was hoping a team was going to beat the one in green and white hoops! Yes, our Celtic cousins Fairfield GAC were in town off a great no lose streak that had seen them haul themselves off the bottom rung in the league. Madison, playing in uncustomary black shirts, got off to a great start with some really dominant play and equally robust defending. An early  breakaway in the first minute of the game could have seen Tano put the Celts in the lead but for a brilliant stop by the visiting goalie. The Celts kept the pressure up and were rewarded with a fabulous goal by Ronilldo with a lovely shot into the postage stamp corner of the net. A well deserved lead and a good sign that the Celts were ready to shake off their recent bad from. Fairfield were also showing some great attacking bursts getting behind the Madison defence and whipping in dangerous crosses. The Hulk had to tip some shots over the bar and others at full stretch round the post and just when it looked like the Madison defense might let one in Tano scored a great goal to put the Celts two up! The Argentinian striker had been threatening throughout the  match and it was great to see him get his third goal of the season to tie with Edimar on the top goalscorer chart. However, the good feeling didn't last too long as a defensive stramash allowed the visitors to get a goal against the run of play. It had looked like the Celts could have ran away with the game but that goal put the home team on the defensive for the rest of the half. The terrible field conditions were beginning to wear down both teams and the skill level in terms of passing and running started to deteriorate in the second half. Madison were relying more and more on the incredible last minute clearances of Goggs and some out right fabulous saves by Hulk. The strong forward line of Fairfield were getting more and more chances and with only ten minutes left on the clock they got the equalizer that was coming. To the credit of everyone on the Madison team they put in their best attacking play in those last ten minutes as they tried for the winner. Great runs by Edison and a close chance by Tano almost gave the dream end but it was not to be as the game ended all square.

Man Of The Match;  a tough one to pick as their were some great performances by a number of players especially the saves of Hulk, the last minute tackles by Goggs and some great breakaway runs by Edison. It was also good to see the debut performance of Robert B. But with a string of great saves the nod goes to Hulk for another great game

NEXT GAME; Sunday Sept 9th, Fairfield!

We have a home game this Sunday at 10 am against Fairfield GAC. We will be playing on the Town Campus field for this game and we may have to play in black shirts for this game as Fairfield also play in green and white hoops.

 I have a whole bunch of numbered black shirts that i got last year for this very type of event, however a number of new players have arrived and i may not have enough shirts so please come with a black shirt with your number on it.  In the comments section below i will list the shirts i have that already have a number on it already, if you see your number then you are ok.  IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR NUMBER then please turn up at the game with a black shirt with your number on the back!  This is very important as you will not be allowed to play unless you have the number on your back.

This is an important game for us to get back on track in the league. We have lost our last 3 games in a row after two great wins against Orange and Norwalk Mariners. The last time we played Fairfield we beat them 1-0 and for most of the first part of the season they have been bumping around the bottom of the table. However, they have hit a bit of form recently hammering Guilford, drawing against Orange, and beating Easton and Arsenal! They now sit only 1 point behind us in the league and this will prove to be a much tougher game than our first game against them!

Make no bones about it, the next couple of games will be vital to making sure we gather enough points to stop us dropping into the relegation zone!

Let's turn up on Sunday ready to compete and to play well as a team!