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| Club team fall to Manchester United |  |
| The
top pitch at the LPR Social Club, on Sunday afternoon last, was the location
for RISSC London’s first home league fixture of the season. The
visitors were Manchester United and the encounter produced no little drama
and excitement. Manager, Paul Franklin was forced to belatedly juggle
his resources when three of his squad, unaccountably, failed to appear.
The visitors kicked off and set the tone for the match with a crunching tackle on Irish defender Dan Healy, perhaps not the wisest of decisions. The initial exchanges were fairly even with both sides having possible goal chances. Central defenders, Karl McGee and Donnie Mullan started well but were caught out of position after fifteen minutes by a through ball which allowed the visiting striker the freedom to score. The match continued to be fairly even with RISSC making concerted efforts to gain the equaliser. The lesson of the earlier defensive lapse was not learned and the Irish defence was again exposed and Manchester United went two up with another goal similar to their opening effort. Manager, Franklin reacted immediately by making some tactical alterations to the structure of the team and gained some measure of reward when, with five minutes of the first half remaining, a free kick some twenty five yards from goal was fired home by Mick Coffey. RISSC set out their stall at the commencement of the second half with Coffey switching flanks and providing a number of deliveries which on another day the strike force of Liam Kelly and Dan Duffy would have converted into goals. The frustration of failing to obtain the equaliser was exacerbated midway through the half when following an Irish clearance well outside the penalty area, the ball was driven directly back and into the net, with goalkeeper Darren Nolan having no chance. Despite this setback, RISSC maintained their discipline and continued to press forward in search of some gain. They were presented with an unusual opportunity when a visiting defender, anticipating an offside decision which never came, picked up the ball in the penalty area and conceded a penalty. Coffey duly converted the kick. With the possibility of an equaliser strong in their veins, the Irish chased the game and in time worn fashion were caught on the counter attack and conceded the fourth and final goal. The team showed undaunted spirit and fought valiantly for the remainder of the game with efforts from Mullan, Carey, Kelly, Hughes and Nagle going close to the target. Their luck on the day was reflected in a suberb thirty yard shot from Adrian Ward which clipped the Manchester United crossbar. This was one of those days when things simply did not run for the Irish but the determination and resilience shown right to the end augurs well for the future and the team is looking forward to their next game on Sunday 25 September when they travel to the Ealing Central Ground opposite Perivale Station to meet Blackburn Rovers with the match kicking off at 2.00pm. RISSC
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