Spartak Dynamo FC

Time to get some fitness back……

Tuesday 5th July at 7pm and Thursday 7th July at 7pm in Marlay.

Friendly matches to follow later in the month.

All welcome, old and new.

The last Summer kick about is on this Wednesday 29 June at our pitch in Marlay from 7.15. All are welcome to come along.

Pre-season training for the LSL Saturday and Sunday Teams is starting Tuesday 5th July. All players new and old are welcome. Will update later with the time.

Contenders for Player of the year so far are as follows:

Sunday: Keith Kelly, Peter O’Toole, Steve Grier, Neil McGowan.

Saturday: Cathal Clancy, Niall Hanratty, Martin Costello, Dermot Dooley.

Over 35s: Paul McGrath , Paddy Hughes, Frank McNamee

Presentation has not yet been arranged, as over 35s finish their season on 28th May; with Bank Holiday and Swindon Trip, weekends in the immediate future are booked up; so watch this space.

20 have booked flights so far. 24 went last time we were there. Can we beat the record?

Looks like a good trip in prospect. More cry ons than cry offs! Trap is jealous…..

+ Rob Smith and Alan Kavanagh already over there!

Lads,

Rob Smith, our man in Swindon, is arranging games on weekend of 11th /12th June.
Plan is to fly out on Friday 10th June and return on Sunday 12th.
Flights are €62 at present (to Bristol) and rooms in Holiday Inn are £50 per night. That’s only £25 per head.
So cost per head per weekend would be less than €130. Cheap as chips!
Swindon has been a big success on previous trips – we have been there 3 times before.

Need indication of interest by this Friday. Log on here or on Facebook to make your comment.

14.5.11
Swords 2 Spartak 0

In a good game of football, well referreed and sporting, played on the intermediate pitch, Swords showed the Sky Blues the difference between shooting and finishing.

As usual with the Saturday lads, there were the usual large quota of absentees, and only three of the starting line up having started the previous game. This has been the case all season, with the very same story for the first two games of the season. Certainly a disadvantage when playing settled sides.

Spartak played well enough up to the 18 yard line, but lacked both composure in the box and desire to follow up loose balls in the six yard area.

Kevin Mannion’s cross was perfect for Jose Vargas, but he got his header under the ball and directed it over when unmarked. Steve Walsh and Mannion were playing some good approach passes, but there was no first half breakthrough.

The game turned on 54 minutes, when a surging run by Dave O’Kely gave Vargas an opportunity; the goalkeeper gathered the effort and set off a counter from which the home side took the lead. Perhaps a touch of offside involved?

Spartak continued to make chances. Lennon, on early for the injured Kelly, had a near post header saved from Mannion’s cross and then the big chance fell to substitute Chris Hogan, straight through on goal seven yards out, who miskicked weakly wide. Hogan then crossed for Mannion, but when his initial shot was blocked by the keeper, he fluffed the loose ball. Steve Walsh turned well in the box, but shot weakly into the keepers midriff.
Swords added the second on 82 minutes, with another break.

Form Report
Stephen Harris 7 Dave O Kelly 7 Mick Greene 6 Martin Costello 6 Paul Kinsella 6 Shane McInerney 5 Steve Walsh 6 Kevin Mannion 7 Derek McGoldrick 5 Ross Kelly 4 Jose Vargas 5.
Subs : Niall Lennon 6 Chris Hogan 4 Barry Maguire 4 Steve Browne no show.

Pegasus v Spartak in the Tom Cullen Cup Final in Kilnamanagh’s ground at 2.30 on Saturday 7th May.

All support very welcome.

30.4.11
Tymon Bawn 1 Spartak 1

Spartak huffed and puffed their way to a disappointing draw and relied on a 72nd minute og to claim a point.

Tymon took the lead when the Sky Blues betrayed inexcusable laxity by failing to follow the maxim of play to the whisle. With a Tymon player down and calls for the ball to be put out, Spartak switched off. Tymon did not and took full advantage of the hesitation to score. They then had a header off the bar form a corner.

A number of Spartak players looked very short of attacking desire; it is the main weaknesses of the side this year that very few players have been able to find the net: Mick Costello with 5 and Dermot Dooley with 4 are the top scorers with very few players getting more than one goal. The strike force on the day of Ross Kelly and Steve Browne have just 4 goals between them.

In this game that scoring rate could have been remedied and an opportunity to improve the goal total was missed against an uncertain Tymon defence; Spartak had numerous chances but poor approach play, weak shooting and a sheer lack of willingness to make support runs into the box meant that opportunities created were too few.

Spartak had first half claims for a penalty when Steve Walsh was impeded, and a Steve Browne “goal” was somewhat dubiously ruled out. Browne also had an effort off the post.

Spartak only came alive on the hour with the introduction of the substitutes. Keith Kelly hit the post with a fine late effort. The equaliser came after Seamus McCahill had contrived to miss a chance but the full back obliged by poking the ball past his keeper. Earlier Neill Bolger and Seamus McCahill missed from close in with the keeper absent, allowing a full back to get a block.

Improvement will arrive when all the outfield players show more creative and attacking responsibility.

Form Report
Niall Hanratty 6 Chris Hogan 5 Martin Costello 5 Keith Kelly 7 Cathal Clancy 5 Seamus McCahill 5 Niall Lennon 4 Steve Browne 4 Steve Walsh 4 Ross Kelly 4 Mick Costello 4.
Subs : Shane McInerney 6 Mick Greene 6 Neill Bolger 6 Ryan Burke Dillon Burke

Drimnagh 5, Spartak 1

Spartak took an injury hit squad to Brickfields and were on the receiving end of a hiding, a great deal of it self inflicted.

Regulars missing, all injured, included Niall Hanratty, Martin Costello, Shane McInerney, Mick Costello, Mick Greene and Dave O’Kelly. So the side was something of a scratch X1, given the number of changes required.

Nonetheless, there is little excuse for such a tepid performance.

Two first half goals from corners, with unmarked efforts from the same player going past guardians at each post, gave Drimnagh an advantage at the interval. Sandwiched between these was Spartak’s goal, a Stu Love header from Dave Browne’s long throw.

Drimnagh, whose reputation for poor behaviour precedes them, were well controlled by a good ref. Spartak on the other hand failed to show sufficient desire to make a real go of it. Drimnagh did not have to overly exert themselves to gain superiority.

Dillon Burke and Dave Browne both struggled for pace against speedy wingers, with Browne partly compensating with some good recovery tackles. Cathal Clancy’s exuberance was curbed by an early booking, and Fintan Grace was left to do an awful lot of defensive tidy up work.

In truth the midfield and attack never got going, nothwithstanding Stuart Love’s appetite for work, with Dermot Dooley also trying to plug gaps. Thom O’Driscoll had an off night, with passing awry, and Niall Lennon could not make any headway. Chris Hogan was off the pace from the start , while Derek McGoldrick had to revert to full back as Burke struggled.

Jason Northey left the fray with an injury early in the second half, having made a few decent stops, but beaten from long range by one effort. Ross Kelly deputised capably.

A renewed effort will be required to compete with Tymon on Saturday.

Form Report
Jason Northey 6 Dave Browne 5 Dillon Burke 4 Fintan Grace 6 Cathal Clancy 5 Stuart Love 6 Dermot Dooley 5 Chris Hogan 4 Derek McGoldrick 5 Niall Lennon 4 Thom O’Driscoll 4.
Subs : Steve Walsh 5 Ross Kelly 6 Jose Vargas 4 Mick Costello Kevin Mannion Shane McInerney

16.4.11
Spartak 1 Booth Road Celtic 2

Crucial errors and missed chances were the big features of this semi final tussle. Steve Walsh blazed over early on when put clean through by Dermot Dooley and a first time injury mistake by Niall Hanratty gave the visitors a chance to open the scoring.

Spartak began nervously, with possession lost all too easily in midfield by Shane McInerney and Mick Costello who along with Dermot Dooley in the Sky Blues midfield never got to grips with the match, and were never able to pass with any fluency.Spartak’s substitution options were restricted by injuries with a number of players carrying knocks in the run up. Dave O’Kelly succumbed to a groin injury after 15 minutes and Niall Hanratty struggled until replaced; perhaps neither should have declared fit.

Bobby Hayes made a point blank save to deny Booth and then conceded a free for carrying outside the box.

With the game finely balanced, Hanratty’s error in first half injury time resulted in the lead goal that settled the visitors.

A fine left footed volley by Martin Costello struck the post and then Mick Costello volleyed Steve Browne’s cross over. On 60 minutes possession was lost from Derek McGoldrick’s throw and Booth broke. Cathal Clancy tried to intercept and missed, but fatally Chris Hogan stayed back to play the attack onside. Two nil.
Booth had a player dismissed and caused a fracas on the line as they tried to play out time.
Steve Browne’s free was saved after Dooley was fouled as Spartak tried to get back in the game.
Booth’s had chances when errors by Kevin Mannion and Chris Hogan saw Clancy clear superbly off the line and Booth strike the bar.
Spartak scored, all to late, with a Martin Costello penalty after good work on the right by Browne.

Spartak will reflect on a winnable game which slipped from their grasp.

Form Report :
Robbie Hayes 6 Dave O’Kelly 4 Derek McGoldrick 6 Martin Costello 7 Cathal Clancy 7 Shane McInerney 5 Dermot Dooley 5 Steve Walsh 4 Steve Browne 6 Mick Costello 4
Subs Chris Hogan 4 Kevin Mannion 4 Ross Kelly 4 Mick Greene Dillon Burke Niall Lennon Jose Vargas Adam Doran