A catalogue of missed chances meant that Rooftop missed the opportunity to move into the top three by drawing against Wesley at Mallusk.

There’s something about the council pitches in the mountains that brings out the worst in Rooftop as it was here that they suffered their most embarrassing defeat of the year in the cup against the 22^nd. Their start here at the weekend was no better as they were 1-0 within a matter of minutes from the kick-off. An innocuous corner was whipped into the box, a Wesley player found himself unmarked and gleefully header the ball past the helpless turtle.

To be fair, Rooftop got back into the game quickly and Ricky’s movement was causing the Wesley defence real problems. This resulted in a series of good chances to put the game to bed with both Ricky & Marky finding themselves unable to take advantage of numerous one on one’s with the Wesley keeper. If Rooftop want to break any delph in this league then these are the sort of chances that must be converted.

It was Ricky that won and subsequently converted the penalty that brought the game level. Rooftop was well on top and should have gone into the half time break with a healthy lead but instead it was all square at the mid-point.

The start of the second half was much like the end of the first with Rooftop creating the better chances and dominating possession. However this soon fizzled out and the game meandered to a draw that the visitors were happy with. Fitness started to take its toll on a few of the home players. The poor turn outs at training are having an impact as the heavy pitches are draining the players and preventing them from competing for the entire 90 mins.

So an opportunity spurned to get the Shore road men into contention for promotion. It seemed on Saturday that some of the players had a touch of vertigo being so close to the summit of the league table. They were asked the question do you have the swingers? On Saturday’s evidence the answer is a resounding no, not yet. 

Rooftop lost 5-2 against the holders in the C&C Cup but two goals in the dying minutes put a bit of a dampener on what was an improved performance from the Shore Road men. Goals from the two big lads – Alan & James - gave the Mac lads a bit of a fright but on the balance of play the visitors deserved their victory.

Initially the ‘Mighty Mac’ found Loughside’s sub standard conditions below their usual elevated standards. Unfortunately, not all areas of Belfast have the quality of facilities that our neighbours from the west take for granted & having to lower themselves to such an insult obviously played a massive role in their losing the first goal.

We’d be the first to admit that our pitch is challenging, but it’s extracting the urine when the best team in the league request a match be abandoned because they go a goal down claiming the pitch is unworthy of their status.

Despite their win it must be said that the attitude of the Mac lads [& management staff] was belligerent in victory and their eagerness to express an unsubstantiated charge of sectarianism after the match highlights a lack of magnanimity and hints at a massive chip on the shoulder.

I’ve deliberately left this report for a week so I could quiz the Rooftop follower who allegedly made the reported remark to one of the opposition players. Now I can only take their word that they didn’t make any comment that could be misconstrued as sectarian in nature; but as hearsay was the only evidence used in making the libellous allegation against us, I feel that a response based on this, admittedly flimsy evidence, is validated.

It’s disgraceful that this was reported on the Amateur League discussion forums without conducting any meaningful investigations. No one can doubt that there have been massive strides in eradicating sectarianism at all levels of football & society, and no-one pretends that we’ve totally solved the problem in its entirety. However, creating mistrust through unsubstantiated allegation is counterproductive when looking at the bigger issue that affects us as a community.

It’s disappointing that our side have been slandered in such a fashion. This despite the fact that, in our own wee way through football, we’re trying to promote a more accepting  attitude amongst our players’ to ensure that they’re more tolerant of those who may be different  [and yes, this includes referees’!]

We try to promote an inclusive agenda and have had members from the Catholic community who have played for the side. In fact, I’m unaware what the religion is of most of our team and we may still have Catholics on the playing staff. I give you my word that I haven’t heard any remarks that could be considered sectarian in my time at the club.

The real shame, however, is that a competitive game, played in a good spirit between two teams from areas who would never be able to mix so freely twenty years ago, should be tarnished by smear based on hearsay. Instead it should have been evidence of further strides made in trying to create a shared society through community activities and grass roots activism rather than relying on the misleading rhetoric of our political representatives who have led us down so many blind alleys in the past.

Dempsey’s Beer Mat Ratings

Graham                                7

Dinger                  7

Kyle                       8

Alan                       7

Jimmy                   7

Glen                      7

Shep                      7

James                   8

Craig                      7

Greener               7

Curtis                    7

Dee-Dee              9

Ricky                     7

Geoff                    7

MoM (Man of Maternity ward)

Dee-Dee –congrats on the birth the wee-uns!

It was a Halloween horror show for Rooftop as the fortress formerly known as Loughside was the venue for our latest capitulation in the Amateur League Division 2b.

Before we get to the match we should mention young Christopher – who unfortunately broke his leg on Saturday. The result pales into insignificance when considered next to this dreadful news as the young full back had just resumed training after a knee injury. This break is obviously more serious than his previous injury and the whole team wish young Christov a speedy recovery.

After the recent cup disappointments, it should have been a welcome return to league action for the Toppers. However, another bad start meant that the home team were on the back foot from the start of the game and were never really close to the sea-siders. 

Although the home side played some good football it was Bangor who showed the greater threat and composure in front of goal; although, in truth, the 4-1 score-line flattered the visitors.

Greener scored a consolation goal late in the second half, but again the increasingly common habit of the now traditional poor start had Rooftop chasing for a bulk game.

The weather played had a disturbing affect for those watching from the line as the monsoon that engulfed the match meant more nipples were standing at attention than a Sunday Sport Jordan special. Not mentioning any names (... James) but some of the boobs on display were as big as those of the voluptuous Ms Price!

Questions are being asked if ‘The Matrix’ style warm-up is having an adverse affect on the Team’s confidence. The ‘Basil Fawlty’ funny walk is not having the intended effect of getting the boys’ as angry as the notorious Torquay hotelier. Not pressuring the opponents is a contributory factor to Rooftop’s recent run of bad form. We’re nearly as bad as Liverpool (sorry fellow Reds!)!

Despite the recent form, there are signs that the passing of the team is beginning to improve. For periods of the second half, Rooftop knocked the ball about well creating good passing combinations which resulted in a few chances being created.

The wee topper’s now face a massive test for their next game when Immaculata pay a visit to Loughside for the next round of the latest cup adventure. We must get ourselves up for this one and show that we will be able to compete in this league as Saturday’s visitors are the standard to which we should be aspiring to in the division.

Dempsey’s Beer Mat Ratings

Graham              7

Kyle                  5

Alan                  5

Glen                  5

Jimmy                6

Craig                 5

Shep                 5

Greener             8

David                6

James                6

Dee-dee             5

Ricky                 6

Geoff                 5

*Stoup*             3

*The schizophrenic guff that was served up at The Mount instead of the Stew last week – a weird concoction that couldn’t make its mind up if it was stew or soup.*

Mallusk provided the windy backdrop [stop sniggering at the back] to Rooftop’s latest exit from another cup as they were blown away [stop it!] by Old Boys’ league opposition in the Junior Shield.

Simply put the 22^nd wanted the result more. They were more committed, played the better football and didn’t allow Rooftop to settle into any pattern whatsoever.

The distinction in mentality between the two teams was, as ‘Pundit of the Year’ Jamie Redknapp eloquently put it on this week’s Super Sunday, ‘the difference between sunshine and… er! … ah! … cloud.’

Rooftop played like they were wearing concrete boots. There was neither energy nor purposefulness to their play and it was no surprise that the home side got an early lead.

Again it was due to a set piece. Time & time again this season, the Shore Road men have been punished by giving away needless free kicks around the penalty area.

The resulting free kick was whipped low into the box. The conditions were a keeper’s worst nightmare as the rain had left the ground slippery and the ball greasy, but Big Jim should have done better in dealing with the shot. Instead he fumbled it onto the feet of the oncoming forward who followed up unhindered for an easy tap in to make it one nil.

The big keeper redeemed himself shortly after when he made a flying save to his right to prevent the 22^nd doubling their lead as the visitors struggled to come to terms with the energy and commitment of the home side.

Shortly this would lead to a second, again from a set piece – can you see a pattern developing here? To be fair, the decision was a dubious one that led to Darren ‘Andre’ getting booked (‘That’s Insania’, he cried forlornly!), but defending set plays is an area that requires immediate attention. This time the greasy pig of a ball squirmed underneath the keeper’s body after a wicked deflection and struggled over the line with the lack of conviction that summarised Rooftop’s day to date.

At half time the embarrassment of the first half performance was all too evident in the faces of the Amateur League outfit, who – to be frank – were totally outthought, outfought and outplayed in a very poor first half.

There were only two or three occasions that Rooftop got the ball down and played using the three touch system that they use in training. When they did this they created good chances but too many players were taking too many touches on the ball and holding onto it rather than moving it quickly to try and drag their opponents out of position.

The second half showed an immediate improvement as it sunk in that we were two-nil down in a cup competition to supposedly inferior opposition. Janty came on for the cautioned Darren and played some lovely balls down the line to try and get Craig into the game. Rooftop started to play the ball along the back four and this started to put the 22^nd under a bit of pressure as they got stretched. The passing was a bit better but still a long way from were the coaching staff wish it to be as too many long balls were simply blasted hopefully up the line.

Then young Dee, making his first start for the first eleven, insisted upon taking a free kick on the edge of the area. Some of the more senior players were shunted away as the young forward showed great confidence and ability in curling one round the wall and into the back of the onion bag.

That should have been a rallying call for the team to up their efforts to try and get the equaliser, but the 22^nd defended well restricting Rooftop from creating any real chances and in truth could have got another couple themselves on the counter attack.

So after a bad day at the office it’s a welcome return to league action next week. Hat’s off to the 22^nd who gave us a lesson it what sort of attitude is required if you want to compete in the game at any level. It was a good natured, though competitive, game played in a good spirit. Good luck to them in the next round.

Meanwhile it’s back to the drawing board for Dempsey & his troops, who must step up a level or two if they wish to consolidate their reasonable start to the league. Although he hasn’t received the dreaded vote of confidence from the board – yet! – there must be a dramatic improvement in form prior to the real test in a fortnight, when the Wee Toppers have to visit the mighty Immaculata.

Dempsey’s Beer Mat Ratings

Jim            5

Kyle          5

Alan          5

Glenn          6

Darren       4

Craig         6

Greener     5

Marky        5

Dee           6

Gordy        4

James        5

Subs

Alan          6

Janty         7

MoM          Janty

Ten minutes of madness was how the afternoon was quite rightly described by the gaffer as Rooftop crashed out of the Junior Shield in South Armagh.

Another bus trip beckoned for Rooftop as they continued with their quest for cup glory with another away game, this time to Bessbrook United. However, despite a hat-trick from young Craig, it was the United lads that progress into the next round of the Junior Shield.

A glorious day greeted the players as the made the 20 minute camel ride from the changing rooms to the pitch and a decent crowd greeted the two sets of players as they got ready for the encounter in the autumn sunshine.

There wasn’t much between the two teams in the opening exchanges, but it was Rooftop that opening the scoring through young Craig after some good work by Jimmy & Lawrence on the left.

The lead didn’t last though as the home side had pace up front and a goalkeeper who could kick like a mule. The Bessbrook team were well drilled by ex-Linfield star Dessy Gorman and the punt from the keeper to their pacy wingers and forwards was getting the Rooftop defence turned on the back foot.

Incidentally, what do you think Sir (hard to believe such a cantankerous, bad tempered, nasty & vindictive specimen is a Knight of the Realm) Alex Ferguson would have to say about the fitness levels of the ref we had on Saturday?!

Goals were swapped in quick succession as both teams got into their stride and it was a good natured competitive game that saw both teams with two goals apiece at the break.

Then the madness!

In a period of ten minutes, Rooftops participation in this year’s cup was over as Bessbrook got four in quick succession. Inevitably, some of the Shore Road lads head’s dropped and the game fell into a bit of a lull until Young Craig popped up with his third.

The youngster has really taken to playing with the firsts and the sign of improvement in his play is becoming increasingly apparent as he gets more confident by the week. This has manifested itself further in the amount of cheek he’s starting to give the coaching staff – get to your training on time me lad!

Rooftop are left to ponder upon what may have been, as late on in the game a series of good – nay great - chances fell their way. Shep swung at one in the six yard box, Marky was one-on-one with the keeper & Hartley came close with a header which normally he would stick away with aplomb. But it was not to be.

Lessons should be learned from this defeat that should stand Rooftop in good stead throughout the year. A game lasts 90 minutes and despite giving goals away we’ve got to play for the full 90. If we had have continued to put the opponents under pressure during the lull, God (or Fergie – who thinks he’s God) knows what the result may have finished and we may even have had another bus run.

Dempsey’s Beer Mat Ratings

Jim          7

Lawrence 6

Hartley   7

Alan        7

Kyle        7

Curtis     5

Shep      5

Greener  9

Jimmy    6

James    7

Craig      9

Subs

Gordy        5

Marky        6

Ricky         6

Buckfast   11

MoM  Craig

To Ahoghill then for the cup! Well fed (but still no tea or wine gums – Howard; sort it out!) the Wee Topper’s headed to the beautiful Co. Antrim countryside for the next instalment of our adventure in the cup.

The team arrived early for a change and were welcomed by a pitch in excellent condition. This didn’t prevent ‘The Roofers’ from a start that could only be described as nightmarish.

Hartley must have thought that ‘The Turtle’ had the first touch of Lionel Messi - rather than Lionel Blair - and gave the poor keeper no chance with an overhead kick that bounced over the keeper’s 6 foot 5 inch frame leaving Big Jim with no choice but to hold on to the back pass to prevent an own goal.

Despite defending the resulting free kick well, the home side were able to get a strong shot on target which the already overworked keeper failed to deal with and Ahoghill found themselves one-nil up within the first five minutes.

Rooftop settled well with Big James hitting the bar from a magnificent free-kick. The visitors started to use the flanks to get their wingers into the game and this paid handsome dividends when, after good work on the right, Captain Kyle floated a lovely cross for Jeff to get on the end of and equalise.

Parity didn’t last for long. The Ahoghill left winger played a lovely defence splitting pass to his centre forward who rounded Big Jim (no mean feat in itself) gleefully to make it 2 – 1 to the home side.

It was left to Alan to ensure that the scores were level at half time after he scored his first of the season.

To be honest, it felt that Rooftop were too strong for their opponents and it was only a matter of time before they would take control of the game.

The referee’s general demeanour was that off a short tempered school master. Maybe he should have carried a cane to accompany his cards & whistle. He spent most of the first half chastising his unruly pupils as he insisted upon the subs staying within the confines of the non-existent technical area. Despite this overbearing attitude, which was a tad unwarranted as the match was played in an excellent spirit, it must be admitted that the Ref had a good game.

Rooftop made a few changes to freshen up the attack and this immediately paid dividends with two goals in quick succession. Curtis – making his come-back after international duty - scored after Shep broke through and couldn’t manage to go round the keeper. Hardly surprising as the Ahoghill keeper made our own colossus between the sticks look like a mere slip of a lad – what on earth do they feed them down there – their young!

Jeff completed the scoring and was immediately brought off to let him milk the applause off the crowd before collapsing in a wheezing heap.

That completed the scoring and the match and the Ahoghill lads took us back for a pint and some soup, which was excellent - big chunks of chicken and the barley had a creamy texture that really brought the whole dish to life. This was served with fresh crusty bread with butter spread heavily on top. No wonder their keeper was the size of a brick outhouse if that’s the quality of repast put in front of you after a match – I had four bowls – great!

Dempsey’s Beer Mat Ratings

Big Jim      5

Lawrenso   7

Hartley      7

Alan          7

Kyle          8

Craig         7

Shep         6

Greener     7

Marky        6

James         6

Jeff             8

Subs

Dee-dee      6

Curtis          6

Ricky           6

Vegetable soup 11

Man of the Match

Jeff (with a special mention for the soup!)

The area surrounding the pitch at Wallace Park is undergoing a massive reconstruction project, much like the building work that is currently going on at Rooftop FC.

Again the gaffer was unable to put out a settled squad for two weeks running and Rooftop failed to capitalise on last week’s great result and performance at PSNI.

The stop-start nature of their season so far has meant that ‘the wee topper’s’ have stayed in fourth place, but with most of their rivals having played at least a game less, this was an opportunity to put an average Wesley side to the sword and start moving in the right direction up the table.

Instead, Wesley defended well in numbers, was aggressive in the tackle and could have won the game if their centre-forward had held his concentration and put away an easy chance created by poor defending from Rooftop.

In truth, there were few chances at either end. Instead it was a catalogue of misdirected passes, little creativity in the build up phase, no combination play and a sense of resignation that the game had 0-0 written all over it.

One thing I have noticed, after a break away from the Amateur League, is that it has become more like the professional game - & that’s not a compliment. I don’t mean in a technical way as every team we’ve played against to date is a long ball team. Rather, the teams we have faced so far seem to be using the ‘dark arts’ employed by many professionals in today’s game; diving, putting the ref under undue pressure by claiming for decisions that patently aren’t theirs, pulling and tugging each other (oh-er missus – that sounds a bit rude!!) to name just a few of the annoying things that have developed over the last few years. Ridiculous!

Drogba, Ronaldo, Equardo, Rooney & Gerrard – all throwing themselves around like big Jinny-Annes trying to gain an unfair advantage, screaming at the ref if they don’t get their way and generally trying to cheat their way to victory. Unfortunately these big name players have a lot to answer for regarding the behaviour of lesser mortals at the grass roots level of the game!

This isn’t to get at Wesley in particular as it equally applies to everyone we’ve played so far. No wonder there’s a shortage of referee’s in Irish football. As if the job of ref wasn’t hard enough, teams make it much, much harder for the man in the middle by trying to con him into making bad decisions.

Rant over! I just had to get that off my chest as there was little of interest to report on about the actual game. Both teams struggled to get any momentum or control of the game & although I may be accused of being biased, it was Rooftop that tried to get the ball down and created the better chances, albeit marginally, with Jeff hitting the bar halfway through the first half the pick of a scarce bunch.

Big Shout has to go out to the stand-in full backs, Doncaster Jim & Glenn, who played very well despite playing out of position. Apart from that – in the words of South Park’s Officer Barbrady – ‘nothing to see here folks; move along – move along!’

So let the message ring out – if you want to get a mention in the match reports, and you want to challenge in this league, we’re going have to start doing the basics (passing, tackling, communicating, condensing the play) with a bit more aptitude, effectiveness & gusto! The character of the team is good, as we’ve shown already, and each of the players can easily make an impact on this league – time to step up to the plate!

Dempsey’s Beer Mat Ratings

Big Jim              7

Glenn                7      

Alan                  7

Hartley              7

Jimmy               8

Dee-Dee            6

Shep                 7

Ricky                 6

Greener             8

Craig                 7

Jeff                   7

James                6

Marky                6

Demps               10    

Man of the Match: Doncaster Jim

Match Report vs PSNI [away 26/09/09]

The Toopers enjoyed their first away win of the season at Newforge to make it two out of three in the league for season 2009/10.

Goals for Ricky ‘I’m not’ Dunne & new boy Gareth Green ensured that Rooftop enjoyed a well deserved win against a decent PSNI outfit by the score-line of 2-1; however, in truth, the score should have been much more convincing for the visitors.

Fantastic facilities were laid on for this league clash and Rooftop looked the most comfortable at getting the ball on the deck on the pristine surface in the early exchanges.

The home side displayed a few signs of nervousness in defence and gave Ricky a few good chances to open the scoring after an excellent start by the visitors, who had obviously learnt a valuable lesson after their disastrous start last week in the cup.

The centre forward – who is at last showing signs of getting over his longstanding injury and has played excellently over the last couple of games – made one count when he slipped the ball past the keeper into the corner of the onion bag to open the scoring with his second in two games: PSNI 0 – Rooftop 1.

Then, when Rooftop were looking comfortable and creating further opportunities, the referee gave a dubious penalty for the peelers’. ‘That bastard must have a few overdue parking tickets’, quipped one of the travelling Rooftop Ultras, and to say that the decision was generous to the home side is to be charitable in the extreme.

To be fair, those paragons of virtue that are the Police Service of Northern Ireland, didn’t do too much to assist the ref with his enquiries as they were throwing themselves to the ground screaming like someone who has just got 12 points on their license.

The PSNI number 10 – who was a consistent threat in the air throughout the game – slotted the ball away comfortably to score the equaliser: PSNI 1 – Rooftop 1.

This feeling of overt generosity to the home team was expounded further when the ref waved play on after Ricky had his legs took from underneath him in the box just after the controversial penalty decision.

The penalty decision & equaliser stunned the travelling Ultras and, more significantly, the players as Rooftop struggled to regain the initiative. In truth, it was they who welcomed the half time whistle. 

‘Who let the dogs out?’  could have been the chant from the expectant crowd as two police dogs [that’s not WPC’s by the way] made their intimidating presence felt, changing the atmosphere at Newforge to that of a South American derby. The intensity levels matched the incessant howls of the straining Alsatians as each team struggled to gain a foothold in the second half, but young Craig was starting to relish the physical aspect of the game and began to exert his considerable influence down the right.

The match was crying out for change and it was the away manager who showed his hand first by making two changes on the hour mark. Big James (who had run himself into the ground harassing their ball playing defenders), Ricky Dunne & Dee-Dee were sacrificed [not literally] to allow the team to revert to the more traditional 4-4-2 formation.

The results were almost immediate as Marky [playing in his preferred wide right position] was starting to use his pace to turn the home defence. He was starting to ask a few questions of their left back, but still the question we all want answered from the young glamour puss is, ‘what the fuck is that on your napper?’

Big Jeff, who is still in the recuperation phase of his rehabilitation, started to hold the ball up, thereby allowing the midfield to advance further into enemy [they are peelers after all] territory and the wee topper’s started to create chances again.

Craig knocked one just wide and Jeff missed a header at the back post, but Rooftop were starting to gain a foothold in the match and the formation change was starting to pay dividends.

Then, at last, Rooftop started to get the ball down again and playing through, rather than over, the midfield resulted in a well deserved goal for the Shore Road men. A few quick passes in the midfield released Marky. He breezed past the challenge of the defender, raced to the bye-line and lifted his head to pick out the impressive debutant, Greener, to put Rooftop back into a deserved lead: PSNI 1 – Rooftop 2.

However, after regaining the lead, Rooftop showed signs of naivety by attempting the fancy flicks in dangerous areas – the fact remains that better teams will exploit this throughout the course of the season and it’s a habit that should be knocked in the bud immediately if success in the Amateur League is even to be considered.

Credit were it is due though, the back four were excellent in the closing stages of the game, as the superior fitness levels of the PSNI started to make a difference as they strained to chase the game. The central defensive pairing of Hartley & Alan dealt admirably with the long ball strategy that the PSNI employed throughout the game, Big Jim pulled off another match-saving save, the midfield continued to chase and close and the forwards created enough chances to make it five, but the game finished with Rooftop running out deserved winners: PSNI 1 – Rooftop 2.

Dempsey’s beer mat ratings

Jim  7                  
kyle  9

alan 8

hartley 8

darren 7
craig 7

dee-dee 7

greener 8 

shep 7
ricky 7

james 7           

Match report [Kesh 19^th September 2009]

Ah! The magic of the cup. The sun was shining, the birds were singing & the wee roofer’s are into the next round of the Junior Cup!

It took a tense penalty shootout to determine the winners of this competitive match at Fortress Loughside, yet Rooftop persevered to achieve a first round victory in the preliminary stages of this prestigious competition.

Goals from Hartley & ‘The Prodigy’ Craig help get the Red & Black Army into the match after losing two soft goals, yet Rooftop FC limp into the next round after heroics from The Turtle in the lottery of the penalty shootout.

The game started badly for the home side who seem to think that the team warm-up is an opportunity to audition for Mount Vernon’s Got Talent – without the talent - & as a consequence of this slack attitude, Rooftop found themselves two down by the midpoint of the first half.

The character of the team became evident when they were under pressure after a nightmare start, however the attitude of the team, if not the aptitude, ensured a deserved victory.

The passing combinations in evidence during training still cannot be replicated in the match environment due to the fact that training seems an unnecessary luxury to some!

Sheer force of will got Dempsey’s men back into the game by the halftime break and, in truth, Kesh didn’t put up much resistance to wave after wave of Rooftop attack throughout the remainder of the game.

Extra time beckoned and Dempsey turned to experience as Big James was replaced with Jeff, who was making a welcome return to first team action. He almost had a dream start to his comeback by getting a chance almost as soon as he entered the fray but unfortunately he dragged the shot narrowly wide.

A similar pattern of play continued through the extra time period with Rooftop dominating and repelling the occasional aerial bombardment from the Kesh boys’.

However, normal time wasn’t enough to decide a winner & it would be the lottery of a penalty shootout that would determine who would proceed into the next round.

Big Jim’s frame takes up most of the goal and his sheer presence put the proverbial willies up the boy’s from the country who missed two of their allotted five from the spot. Hartley was the only Rooftop player to do a Berbatov, but the turtle saved the big centre half’s neck.

Talking of necks, Kyle tried his best to break his when taking his penalty as he attempted a somersault before taking the spot kick, however the skipper blasted the ball comfortably home to put the Roofer’s safely through to the next round.

If a week is a long time in politics seven days is an eternity in Rooftop’s quest to consolidate their position in the Amateur League Division 2B.

After their magnificent result a week previous, the wee topper’s crashed to a crushing 4-2 defeat at Whitehead Eagles.

The Eagles had a point to prove after their 12-2 hammering at the hands of league favourites Immaculata and the physical approach adopted by the home team suggested that the opening day defeat hurt the Eagles players’ badly.

Rooftop, meanwhile, had enjoyed an opening day win over league runners up Suffolk and entered this match with confidence, although several key players were missing. Big James Little continued to try and win the ‘uncle of the year’ award by dragging his nephews to Anfield for the first time and Roofer’s Man of the Match from the opening week – Chris Shephard - was missing due to nappy rash.

The Eagles started brightly and used the long ball to turn the Rooftop defence and utilise the speed & skill of their number 9, who caused the Shore Road men problems from the off.

Rooftop tried to get the ball down and play a bit, but the clever passing combinations, the passion and the commitment to harass & tackle that were crucial to the previous weeks win were sadly lacking.

It was a silly free kick given away needlessly at the edge of the penalty area that led to the opening goal. It was taken short and driven low through the wall leaving Big Jim McCalmont with no chance – Whitehead Eagles 1 Rooftop 0.

The goal galvanised the Eagles who were tackling and hounding their guests with a ruthless and competitive ferocity, which kept the early pressure on Rooftop for the remainder of the half. The wee toppers were struggling to get a foothold in the game and the numerous personnel changes did nothing to help them.

Injuries played a key role in disrupting Rooftop’s rhythm and key changes were made before half time. Glen McIlhenny suffered a strain of his recurring injury and was replaced by Kirk Ritchie and Gordon Nutt was replaced Ricky Dunne after getting a dead leg.

Kyle played the captain’s role by accepting to play in every position along the back four, but the steadiness that exemplified last weeks defensive performance was never able to replicate itself amongst any of the defensive unit.

Straight from Rooftop’s kick-off to start the second half the Eagles had another in the onion bag. Big Hartley, making his full Rooftop debut, misplaced a pass into the path of the opponent’s wide man. In a flash the Eagles counter-attack caught the Rooftop defence & midfield napping and it was 2.

At last the toppers realised they were in a game and started to pressurise the home team, which ultimately led to a goal which got them back into the game. The ref was consistent in his decision making and gave a handball decision in the box – penalty! Up stepped substitute Ricky Dunne to slot home his first of the season: 2-1.

In truth both teams started to feel the pressure and it was the ref who suffered most, getting stick from both touchlines and certain players. This was lifted however when the eagles put daylight between themselves again by getting another on the break. Their big number nine caused havoc in the defence holding on to the ball well before causing utter mayhem in the goal area to leave Dee-Dee red faced after putting it in his own goal: 3-1.

Soon after it was 4-1 as the visitor’s heads dropped as the reality of life in the Amateur League kicked in.  Can’t write anymore now as it depresses me to think about it.

Dempsey’s beer mat ratings

Jim            6

Kyle          6

Alan          6

Glen          5

Chris         6

Marky        4     

Hartley      5

David        5

Curtis         5

Gordy        4

Jimmy        5

Subs:

Craig         7

Kirk           6

Ricky         6

This will probably be remembered as the game of the season for us for many different reasons. Missed penalty, four goals conceded, chance after chance missed and that was just the first half. The game started even enough with Rooftop having three main players who seemed to control most of there play, there baldy captain the big fella up front and the small number 8 in the middle. Some bad defending from long throws and set pieces saw us two down in ten minutes. Having most of the chances we eventually brought it back to 2-1 through a Jamie Thompson effort. Bang bad defending from crosses again at the Duns end led to another soft goal Duns somehow 3-1 down. At the other end having already denying two penalty claims the ever biased and increasingly frustrating Rooftop referee finally gave us a penalty for a blatant bad hack in the box. Up stepped Jamie Thompson but unfortunately for him he put it high and wide to keep the score 3-1 Rooftop. Right before the break the reluctance to mark the dangerous no. 11 from a corner resulted in a free header to make the score at half time 4-1Rooftop.

The ever resilient Dundonald came flying out the traps second half playing some great determined football. A fantastic overhead kick by Glen Irvine brought the score to 4-2. Attack after attack was continuously pulled back by the disgrace of a referee. Up popped Jamie Thompson with a great solo effort to redeem himself to bring the score to 4-3. On the hour brace scorer Thompson pulls up with a groin injury which is a blow to both him and the Duns with Jamie looking a cert for the hat trick. On comes veteran and joint Manager Brian Lawso Law to slot into defense to tighten up the new 4-4-2 system which was changed at half time. As the Ref got worse Dundonald got better and with only one team in it they levelled 4-4 with another great goal from the hard working Irvine and nothing more than he and the Duns deserved. With 5 minutes left a through ball out on the right slipped young Ross in to calmly slot home a deserved winner sending the line and players into a frenzy. Fantastic Heart and play ended with the deserved score of Dundonald 5-4 Rooftop

Man of the Match - Glen Irvine, worked hard and terrorized the Rooftop defense with some clinical finishing.

Courtesy of Dundonald fc website