Ezy FC Closing In On 5th Straight Title

Thursday Division 1

     Ezy Fc are just a point away from securing their fifth straight 1^st division title and a remarkable record, that may never be surpassed. After a shaky start with a defeat and a draw in their opening games of this Spring Footy season, they have gone on a brilliant run of 10 wins in a row to put them within a point of winning the league with 2 games to spare. They have given the rest of this 1^st division a lesson in defending, passing and finishing in the process, with some big wins against other good sides. Steve Dwyer must take huge credit for their success as he has worked tirelessly in their midfield and is currently leading the golden boot race with 20 goals, which is a huge haul for a midfielder. Centre forward Dave Johnson has been pivotal for them all season and will definitely be a MVP nominee. Johnson may have lost a step as he gets older but has adapted his game as an extremely effective holding centre forward. His touch and control have been superb all season and would easily have the most assists in all of the Footy leagues. John Daly's pace on the left side of midfield has been an excellent weapon for Ezy and both he and Dwyer have capitalised most from Johnson's assists. Andy O'Mahony and Peter Fitzmaurice have marshalled their defence superbly all season, while Paul Smith Lyons has had his best season to date, also in their midfield where he has been very sharp in the tackle, winning his side lots of possession. With the excellent Charlie Fitzmaurice in goal, Ezy have indeed turned into the complete Footy side, and the challange is there for other teams to knock them of their perch.

The Thirty Somethings ended their 6 game losing streak, with a narrow 2-0 win over the Net Busters. Mark Murphy and Shane O'Donoghue with the goals, while they had Colm Dooley excellent in defence, but the Somethings keeper Niall Kerrigan got the man of the match with a brilliant display between the sticks. 

        Second placed Booze Buddies had a narrow 3-2 win over the veteran Boca Seniors in a cracking game. The Bocas whose average age must be on the 40 mark deserve huge credit for still competing in this division. Bocas had a last minute chance to win the game, but failed to take it and the Booze Buddies went up the other end to score in a dramatic final 30 seconds. Jimmy Griffin was best for the boys from Cobh, while Eric Cotter put in a brilliant display for the Bocas and scored both their goals.

          

Thursday Division 2

With 3 games left in this division the Sons of Pitches lead the way by 3 points and are favourites to take honours as they are in a rich vein of form with 4 wins on the bounce. After losing a key player in Michael Deasy through injury a few weeks ago, they have showed excellent resilience and organisation, winning out some tough battles with other contenders, most notably the scalp of Mount Oval 3 weeks ago. William O'Brien in defence has been in excellent form and must take the most credit for their organising their team. Alan O'Sullivan has also been excellent while James O'Loughlin has been their main man with some fine goals over the last few weeks, and impressively scored 5 in their 8-1 demolition of Cork Celtic last week.

Mount Oval got back to winning ways after 2 defeats in a row, and got their title challenge back on track with a 5-2 win over FC Copen Badly. A strong 2nd half performance, a Dave Hogan hatrick and a brace from Rob Kreigal did the trick for the Oval as they did well to come from behind. Peter Carroll was best for Copen Badly and pen their account with another fine goal.

         The Cowboys had their best win of their 2 season old Footy history, as they beat the JT Specials 8-4 in a very open game. Danny O'Connell looks like an excellent addition to their side and was the best player for the hour and scored a hatrick in the process. Darren Murphy was strong in defence and marshalled the very dangerous Dan Hegarty effectively. A Shane Murphy free kick to open the scoring for the Cowboys, was the game's highlight.

         River Plate lost a big game and perhaps their chance of finishing top, when they went down 3-1 to Hardly Athletic. It as easily Hardly's best performance of the season as they beat a strong River Plate side. A brace from Gerard Dolan and a Declan Dwyer strike sealed the points and gives them an outside chance of winning the title. Mount Oval poise the biggest threat to the Sons of Pitches but cannot afford another slip up. The Pitches potential banana skin might well be their final game of the season when they face the JT Specials who are capable of upsetting any team on their day.