Luck on our Side
Mark Bradley
We came into the cup game as clear favourites. On paper, we had the firepower, the midfield, and the form. But football isn’t played on paper or a computer —and this week, we had to fight for every inch to stay in competition for the cup.
From the start, Belfast Firefighters made it clear they weren’t here to roll over. They pressed hard, chased everything, and gave us no time to settle. We had a few shaky moments early on—N_Andracki had to clear after W_Prossimo slipped in the box, and C_Danvers found himself in the middle of a penalty shout that thankfully didn’t go against us. A drink for the referee was duly left behind the bar!
We struggled to find rhythm or Netbappe! Our midfield couldn’t quite link up, and while we had flashes—J_Cerro and G_Kinsley tried to build from deep—we weren’t sharp enough in the final third. O_Ruggieri and Nettbappe had little service, and Belfast’s back line held firm.
If there’s one reason we’re not licking our wounds tonight, it’s Suga. He was immense. Save after save, calm under pressure, commanding in the box—he kept us alive when we were wobbling. Oh Suga was the most common phrase of the night as Bradley had a sense the match was slipping away from them.
W_Prossimo was a constant threat. He chipped, he twisted, he fired from distance. But Suga stood tall. His stop in the 67th minute was world-class, and the tip-over from L_Freire’s rocket in the 73rd was just as good.
Churchill had our chances. C_Danvers broke through in the 69th minute—looked offside, but the flag stayed down. His lob beat the keeper but not the bar. No drink left this time. Mega star Nettbappe then missed a golden header late on, and you could see the frustration on his face. He knew.
We made changes to try and find a break through with S_Bear and J_Rep but the momentum never changed and Belfast kept coming. Their energy never dropped, and we were forced to defend deep as the referee blew for 90 minutes.
Extra Time.
Extra time was a battle. Gru went down injured, W_Prossimo kept probing, and we had to dig deep. S_Bear had a late chance, and S_Charlton’s corners caused chaos, but N_Kepford denied us again.
We weren’t at our best. We didn’t dominate. But we didn’t fold either.
It came down to penalties.
Belfast led early on 3-2 as L_Gerin came to keep Churchill in it.
He missed, hitting the ball out of the stadium with it landing some where near Glasgow. Horrible.
G_Suckley to give Belfast the game virtually but he also missed by a country mile and momentum back on CHurchill. I_Umstead made it 3-3.
2 more penalties took us to 4-4 as T_Maracle step up and unfortunately did not live up to his name, no miracle on this shot. S_CHarlton stepped up, disposed of his cigarette and lamped the ball in to the net and out the other side.
As manager, I’ll be honest—we got away with one. We were favourites, but we didn’t play like it. Credit to Belfast: they made it ugly, made it hard, and nearly made it theirs.
But we’re through. And sometimes, surviving a scare is exactly what a team needs to sharpen up. We’ll regroup, we’ll reflect, and we’ll be better next time.
Churchill survived and on to the next round!