Spartak Dynamo FC

The end of season awards are upon us and votes have been received in all categories. After various vote rigging attempts and efforts to vote for self and sale of votes (that’s you Jason Northey!) were discounted, the valid polls are complete.

First team player of the year saw votes for seven different players – Stuart Love, Peter O’Toole, Graham Breen, Steve Grier, Dave Browne, Neil McGowan and Alex Kenny.

Second team votes were more concentrated with just four candidates – Martin Costello, Dave (Chopper) O’Kelly , Shane McInerney and Cathal Clancy.

For the over 35s, four candidates have emerged – Gerry Doran, Ken Byrne, Tony Kavanagh and Jimmy Browne.

Clubman of the year nominations include a wide variety of candidates including former winners Frank McNamee, Jason Doyle, Barry Crowe , Paul McGowan and Dave Mohan. Also in the hunt in an effort to put a new name on the award are Mick Greene, Shane McInerney, Stuart Love, Brian Stafford and Dave Browne.

All will be revealed at the awards ceremony, which will be black tie only, to be arranged after we get the cup final out of the way! So get your speeches ready chaps, and no tears please!

Spartak 5 Queen’s Park 3

Spartak trailed in this match 2-3 with just 20 minutes left, but a trademark late surge produced three goals and a good win which leaves Spartak outside the top two only on goal difference.

The baby blues had a tonic start to the game when Glen Burke blocked a clearance and Graham McEnroe’s shot squirmed through the keeper’s legs only to stall on the line. Stuart Love was on hand to force home with just 40 seconds on the clock.

The lead did not last long and in the third minute the visitors scored from an unmarked header from a corner.
Spartak responded with Kevin O’Toole winning a lot of the ball and when a good move started by Kevin was carried on by Ger Byrne and McEnroe, Burke shot over.
A disastrous back pass attempt by Rob Mahon let his man in to give Queens the lead.
Burke was finding it difficult to get crosses and corners delivered with sufficient pace but from one corner Fintan Grace headed just over and at the other end the same player made a timely clearance to prevent trouble. Dave Browne’s free was headed back across goal by McEnroe and Rob Mahon squared the ball from beyond the back post, but the vistors scrambled clear. Mahon’s shot from distance was tipped away by the keeper.

Spartak began the second half in excellent fashion when Ger Byrne sent Glen Burke on a coruscating run and Glen supplied a killer delivery to set up Rob Mahon, on a strong supporting run, to sweep home for the equaliser and his first goal of the season.

Spartak’s defence continued to have shaky moments and Dave Browne had to make a great saving tackle to avert danger. Peter O’Toole came for a ball and missed and Browne cleared again.

Efforts by Ger Byrne, Graham McEnroe and James Finn were all just off target but then a long ball was poorly defended and the visitors scored again on 68 minutes.2-3.

At this point top scorer Graham Breen, recovering from injury, was inroduced along with Martin Costello and the fresh legs gave Spartak renewed impetus. Burke and Byrne combined to put Breen through for the equaliser. On 76 minutes a Burke free was headed down by Costello and McEnroe applied the finishing touch, and with 10 minutes left Love and Breen combined for Byrne to convert the cross. 5-3 and the game was effectively over.

A squad hit by absentees through injury showed resilience, patience and some fine football in the second half to reclaim a game that could have slipped away.

Form Report
Peter O’Toole 6 Fintan Grace 6 Rob Mahon 6 Dave Browne 6 James Finn 6 Kevin O’Toole 7 Graham McEnroe 8 Glen Burke 7 Ger Byrne 7 Shane McInerney 6 Stuart Love 6
Subs Graham Breen 7 Martin Costello 7 Dave O’Kelly 6

Greenhills 3 Spartak 0

With the hosts starting the game with only 9 players, Spartak had the chance to press home the numerical advantage but comprehensively failed to do so, despite the level of experience on view and indeed showed lttle appetite for the contest from the off. Set up for a tight game Spartak were content to play deep against one attacker, and with wide men Jason Doyle and Ray Grady unable to make any impression with crosses or runs the front two were left isolated. Spartak’s passing generally was ragged in a lack lustre first half performance in which central midfielders Brian Stafford and Frank McNamee were unable to impose themselves on the game.
As Greenhills came up to strength with late arrivals, they began to take control of the middle with some good interchanges, but it was not until Jimmy Browne’s catastrophic error in dropping the ball that they took advantage and scored. The lead was doubled when the Spartak defence was caught on the turn with no cover. Spartak made changes which improved things somewhat and Paul Burke clipped the bar with one effort.

More changes at half time gave Spartak some impetus and Shay McClafferty had a good effort saved. The hard running of Paul Tormey was not sufficiently supported by his colleagues to make the required breakthrough as Spartak came into the match for the first time and Fintan Grace might have shot instead of passing when clear in the box. Rory Campbell delayed his shot when in a good position and the chance was lost.

Greenhills wrapped it up when Paul Burke found himself behind his back four and played the hosts onside to score.

Overall a tame surrender with hardly a shot fired in anger.

Form Report

Jimmy Browne 4 Shay McClafferty 5 Gerry Doran 5 Dave Mohan 4 Greg Callan 5 Brian Stafford 5 Jason Doyle 4 Frank McNamee 5 Paul Tormey 7 Rory Campbell 5 Ray Grady 4
subs Paul Burke 4 Ken Byrne 4 Tom Maher 6 Barry Crowe 6 Fintan Grace 6

Who won the Premiership? Who cares?

Liffey Valley 2 Spartak 1

An abysmal first half performance threw away Spartak’s league chances and ended an eleven match unbeaten sequence. Up to this point Spartak had coped well with the loss through injury of Cibirka, Breen and McGowan but in this match their experience was missed. Needing to win to maintain the winning sequence to challenge for the title or just a point to clinch third place Spartak failed on both counts.

Spartak started in casual fashion and when Stuart Love was fouled just outside the box, Glen Burke’s careless free sailed harmlessly over the bar and served as a harbinger of Spartak’s approach to the first half.

Spartak’s back four did not operate well as a unit and took a cavalier approach to marking their men; Dave Browne made some great tackles but his distribution was much less effective. Glen Burke gave his man time and space to turn. Only desperate blocks and tackles by Kenny and Browne averted scores early on.

In central midfield Tom Flanagan, who had to go off at the break, and Kevin O’Toole never got to the pace of the game while out wide Will O’Connell was surprisingly ineffective in tracking his man in the first half and Stuart Love generally failed to trouble the home defence, while the front two of Graham McEnroe and Ger Byrne were isolated.

Liffey scored twice on 26 and 28 minutes. The first came from a throw which found Dave Browne badly positioned and the second from a free header from a corner. Liffey also blasted one off the post. Earlier on Ger Byrne had a chance cutting in from the right but the keeper denied him.

Spartak started the second half in better fashion with McEnroe and sub James Finn taking control of midfield and a neat move involving Finn and McEnroe put Glen Burke in to score on 47 minutes.

Ger Byrne’s cross was headed just wide by Love while Peter O’Toole made a good save at the other end. Dave Browne conceded a free for a vocal protest but Peter tipped over.

A bad tackle by their number 3 on Will O’Connell on 65 minutes led to a red card, and with Liffey down to 10 men Spartak exerted pressure. A lovely through ball by Graham McEnroe put Ger Byrne through; he elected to round the keeper but a heavy touch took the ball wide. Good approach play by Dave O’Kelly and Ger Byrne put Glen Burke in but he shot over from a decent position. Crosses from Love and Anto Doyle in good positions were wasted.

On 85 minutes Spartak had what seemed to be the equalising goal controversially ruled out; James Finn’s cross cum shot was met at the back post by Burke but the ref gave offside, when Burke had clearly ran from behind the ball.
 
The Spartak effort was too late. The game was effectively lost in the first half.

Form Report

Peter O’Toole 6 Glen Burke 5 Fintan Grace 5 Alex Kenny 7Dave Browne 5 Tom Flanagan 4 Graham McEnroe 6 Stuart Love 4 Ger Byrne 5 Kevin O’Toole 4 Will O’Connell 5

Subs James Finn 7 Anto Doyle 6 Dave O’Kelly 6 Rob Mahon

Cullen Cup Final will be played on Wed 19th May at Ballyoulsters ground in Celbridge. Kick off is 7.00pm.

Saturday AWAY to Drimnagh – MATCH OFF

Sunday team no weekend fixture – Tuesday 11th HOME to Queens Park

Over 35s Saturday game TBC – Wednesday 12th AWAY to Greenhills

SDFC 0 Greenhills 2

A case of what might have been for the over 35’s at home on Saturday in the second round of the cup as a good chance to progress in the competition at the expense of the newly crowned league winners went a begging.

Starting brightly Spartak had probably the best chance of the game after 5 minutes when a defensive slip put Ray Grady through one on one but unfortunately he could not convert. Greenhills gradually came more into the game and went ahead on 20 minutes after what seemed like a harmless cross was not cleared giving the opposing forward the easy task of heading in from close range.

For the remainder of the half Spartak competed well and excellent work by Ken Byrne on the left wing put Ray Grady through for another one on one but again the chance was not taken.

For the remainder of the game Greenhills were content to sit back and defend their lead with the result that the second half was played almost completely in their half. Despite dominating possession Spartak were unable to find an equaliser. Good opportunities fell to Rory Campbell and Ray Grady but neither could direct their headers on target. Frank McNamee failed to reach a good cross from Jason Doyle.

Greenhills ended the game as a contest with 10 minutes to go when on a rare foray into the Spartak half a long range strike gave Jimmy Brown no chance and put the visitors 2 nil up.

Overall a very disappointing defeat.

The spartak panel was Jimmy Browne, Brian Stafford, Paul McGrath, Shay McClafferty,   Dave Mohan, Frank McNamee, Rory Campbell,  Ray Grady,  Jason Doyle, Greg Callan, Gerry Doran, Ken Byrne, Tony Kavanagh, Leon David.

Dunboyne o, Spartak 1.

A single goal victory for Spartak, who dominated the first half with good football and struck the woodwork on several occasions as well as having a very good shout for a penalty turned down. 

Spartak’s back four, after a slightly shaky start, had a quiet day and were in control for most of the game.

Without a number of players through injury, Spartak reshuffled the pack and with Tom Flanagan and Graham McEnroe to the fore, passed and moved in a  manner that left the home side struggling. Steve Grier and Ger Byrne played up front but never really dovetailed in a way that troubled the home defence. Steve tended to overplay the ball and Ger was whistled for offside, much to his displeasure, on a number of occasions.  

The Dunboyne team was much changed from the one which Spartak defeated a few weeks ago and the value of the game as a cup final reahearsal must be dubious.  However Spartak went about the task in hand of getting the points in the promotion chase.

A fine move between Glen Burke and Stuart Love ended when Burke crashed his shot against an upright. Minutes later Ger Byrne was taken down from behind in the box but nothing was awarded. 

Tom Flanagan clipped the bar after Byrne laid the ball neatly for him and McEnroe struck the bar after some neat approach work.

Dominating possesion, Spartak sometimes tended to slow the build up and allowed the home rearguard to regroup on several occasions.

Tom Flanagan made a fine run and cross but the ball was just too high for Fintan Grace at the back post.

The vital score came in first half injury time when Burke’s corner from the right was neatly touched on by Byrne and Love hit the net from close in.

In the second half Spartak went searching for the insurance goal but could not quite manage it. Towards the end a great run and cross by Will OConnell set up Ger Byrne who struck the post from only a few yards in what must go down as a big miss. McEnroe and Grier had efforts which went close and at the other end McEnroe made a great block when danger threatened.

As the tempo dropped Anto Doyle and Kevin O’Toole came on to give the extra energy to seal the victory. 

Form Report

Peter O’Toole 7 Glen Burke 7 Fintan Grace 7 Dave Browne 7 Alex Kenny 7 Tom Flanagan 7 Graham McEnroe 7 Stuart Love 7 Ger Byrne 6 Steve Grier 6 Will O’Connell 7

Subs Kevin O’Toole 6 Anto Doyle 6 Dan O’Connell.

Lads,

Time to think about your vote for player of the year and clubman of the year.

Which player has delivered for each team in terms of form and commitment? Which club member has done he most to help the club this season?

Will be collecting votes by text shortly.