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The Thirds had a long drive out into Wallonia this Saturday to take on league leaders, Braine Terminus. They were thrilled to find upon arrival an absolutely pristine grass pitch awaiting them (by Walloon standards – it was still about as flat as a Green ski piste). But that excitement turned sour when the opposing Délégué informed them that only Hazards can play on the “Hazard family pitch.” Instead, the lads would be tenderizing the soil for the local farmer on the potato patch just next door. The “pitch” had one good side – about a 5m wide stretch of harder mud with a few blades of grass poking through. The middle of the pitch was a black hole where balls played through would stop dead on their first bounce. And the far side of the pitch was nothing short of brown swimming pool, where each step came with the risk of losing your boot (and anything else below the knee) to the muddy abyss. What followed was 70 minutes of not quite football, not quite farming, but something in between. Running was a challenge, passing was a challenge, planting your foot to kick was a challenge. In the chaos of the first half, Braine Terminus took a skeevy dive in the box, drawing a booking for Sims and a penalty kick they would convert for 1-0. The Thirds kept their energy up going into halftime, creating a few chances but none that would truly test the keeper. In a truly bizarre sequence of events, the ref gave no call on a ball played back by a defender and picked up by the Brainy keeper, despite Irlande’s protests. The second half found the Thirds going downhill, with great pressing and energy from Colm and Alex down the “good” side. Unfortunately, the home side found the back of the net a second time on a counter crossed in. Antoine made his in-field debut, but it sadly wasn’t enough to bring the Thirds back into the match. FT 2-0. MOTM Colm & Christian, both with very impressive performances despite the circumstances.
On the most damp and dreary day in history, or as the Belgians call it, “Saturday”, Fc Irelande took on their most feared opponents of the season so far- top of the league Braine Terminus.
Man of the match – Jimmy. Solid defensively and created many chances to go forward.