3rd round match report and result

Oyster Martyrs 5 Huddersfield Irish Centre 3

Another cracking game served up by two very good sides. What a shame it was only a 3rd round tie and not a semi final.

Oyster started much the stronger and could have taken the lead after 8 minutes, when Graham McLachlan in the Irish goal produced a suprerb save to keep the score goalless. However, he was powerless to do anything about Leighton McGivern's 25 yard wonder strike just 2 minutes later. McGivern was fouled on the edge of the box and picked himself up to hammer the ball home in emphatic style.

McGivern was almost unplayable in the first half and was simply head and shoulders above anybody else on the park.

Irish managed to restore parity 10 minutes later, when 17 year old left winger Danny Naidole (whose performances this season have attracted the attention of Huddersfield Town) cut in from the left and his deceptive strike nestled in the far corner of the Oyster goal.

McGivern was involved again a few minutes later, when the Irish keeper made another great (one-handed) stop.

Oyster regained the lead on 30 minutes, when some more McGivern trickery resulted in his cross being well controlled and drilled home from close range by Thomas (cousin of Wayne) Rooney.

It took a desperate tackle just 5 minutes before half time from the Irish skipper Nick Jaggar, to deny McGivern a second goal, after he had rounded the Irish keeper. HT 2-1.

Oyster appeared to have put the game to bed just 10 minutes after the restart, when Thomas Rooney latched on to a through ball in the Irish half and bore down on goal, despite having his shirt pulled, he coolly rounded the keeper and tapped the ball in to extend the lead to 3-1.

Irish were then handed a huge slice of luck, when after appearing well offside, they reduced the arrears to 3-2, through Anthony Haigh. Unbelievably, it was 3-3 just two minutes later. Irish pressured the Oyster defence down the left wing and managed to centre the ball, which was then shot goalward and deflected in off Paul Pyke.

Oyster made it 4-3 with 15 minutes remaining, when Rooney's well struck effort completed his hat trick. Oyster should have added a 5th in the 87th minute, when after some good work down the left, the recently introduced substitute centre forward, managed to blaze the ball over from just a few yards out, despite being completely unmarked!!

The game was in to injury time when the last goal was scored. Rooney side footing home from close range.

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