Albion advanced to the quarter finals of The Saxone Cup after a 2-1 away win to Wilton United B. The game started well when Albion found themselves 1 up after 5 minutes when Tim Harrington pounced on a JP Hayes ball and with a low driven shot found the net. 3 minutes later it was 1-1 when the Wilton full back broke forward on the wing and shot past Walsh. In a very eventful 10 minutes, Tim Harrington went into double figures for the season with his 2nd of the game and 10th of the season with a low drilled shot from distance after being passed through by Rob O’Donovan. Albions back 4 were having a solid game defending & blocking everything, while John Hipwell was involved in a great midfield battle along with Conan Dillon. Martin El-sahen came close to scoring before half time as did Tim Harrington who was now in search of his 2nd hat-trick in 3 games. 2-1 half time. Wilton put pressure on throughout the 2nd half though didnt create any clear cut chances until 5 minutes to go where they will be kicking themselves for not levelling the game. Overall a solid, strong performace from an Albion team growing in confidence and will now meet Ballinhassig at the Quarter Final stages of the Saxone Cup.

Team: M Walsh, G O’Connell, J O’Driscoll, D Murray, C O’Donovan(c), R O’Donovan(D Daly ’75), JP Hayes, C Dillon, J Hipwell, Tim Harrington, M El-sahen(J MacNamara ’55). 

De Courcey Albion today cruised into the 2nd round of the AOH Cup after a convincing win at home to Division 1 team Shandon Celtic. Though the home side were slow off the mark and went down 1-0 after 20 minutes when Shandon broke through midfield, playing out to the wing and crossing for a low finish into the net. Albion responded well with a Tim Harrington goal from a throw in, Harrington was quick to respond to turn and beat the defender with a low left footed goal. Half Time 1-1. Albion put on a show in the 2nd half with some great passing moves and found themselves 2-1 up within 5 minutes of second half play. Harrington finished with a left footed shot once again with the ball creeping over the line. 5 minutes later Rob O’Donovan scored a great drilled shot within the box after the ball scuppered towards him to make it 3-1. Harrington put Albion out of sight within 10 minutes when Conan Dillon fed him a great through ball, his pace destroyed the Shandon defence as he completed his hat trick but he wasn’t finished yet as 5 minutes later he got his fourth from once again a Dillon through ball he beat the keeper to the ball, nudged the ball past leaving him with an open goal to put Albion 5-1 up. Mike Walsh was beaten to the ball a few minutes later when Shandon got one back and injuring himself in the process, Jody MacNamara was on hand to take the gloves. At 5-2 Shandon rarely threatened and Albions back 4 stayed strong keeping them at bay. Deccy Murray & Colm O’Donovan first to everything in the air with James & Ger using the wingers to their advantage. JP Hayes made his mark with 10 minutes to go with a screamer. The ball had looked to have gone past Hayes though he got a touch lobbing the ball over the defenders head, used another touch to tee himself up and let fly with a cracking volley from outside the box to make it 6-2. A great result for Albion who will go into next weekends league game with Macroom with some confidence after a great week in the cups for the club. Team: M Walsh, G O’Connell, J O’Driscoll, C O’Donovan, D Murray, JP Hayes, R O’Donovan, J Hipwell, C Dillon, T Harrington, M El-sahen. Subs: J MacNamara (’70), D Daly (’75), K O’Neill.

De Courcey Albion pulled a fantastic fightback out of their bag of tricks today in Water Rock Park away from home to St. John Boscos first team. Albion looked quite organised in the opening minutes until a through ball split the back 4 where their player rounded Michael Walsh sending them 1-0 to the good. 2 minutes later they grabbed another in the exact same fashion though this time Walsh stayed on his line and managed a slight touch but the ball rolled in to make it 2-0 to Boscos after just 7 minutes. The following 10 minutes Albion looked in all sorts of trouble spilling balls and not making the most of any passing opportunities. Out of nothing came a fantastic headed goal for Albion. Rob O’Donovan recieved the ball on the right side of midfield, fed it through to John Hipwell who used 2 touches to lay it to Noel Twomey on the left who was standing on the half way line and with the first touch switched wings where he found Conan Dillon who crossed the ball with again a first touch, Martin El-sahen rose to meet the ball to bring the travelling team back into the game. Boscos closed out the 2nd half as the more dangerous  of the 2 after creating a few chances and striking the inside left post. John Hipwell was also unlcuky not to score from a free when it struck the crossbar. Half Time 2-1 to Boscos.

The opening 15 minutes of the 2nd half was largely dominated by Boscos though Albions back 4 and defencive midfielder John Hipwell were pulling out all the stops to keep them at bay. Albion started to use the width and started switching wings and all of a sudden found themselves well on top and pushing for an equaliser. Conan & Ben Dillon were starting to run midfield while John Hipwell was controlling the game at this point. Colm O’Donovan was putting in another storming performance winning 100% in the air and Colum Walsh wasn’t far behind in a great 2nd half performance from the young man. They were creating waves of attacks as the full backs joined in on the act but nothing to trouble the keeper. With less than 5 left on the clock Albion got a croner, it was swung in and headed scrappily by Boscos defence and fell to the feet of Jody Mac who swung and fired and ball goalwards, the ball just about crossed the line before Boscos tried bloacking in and the ball spun back over the line once more to make sure, Boscos cleared it but the ref was in a great position to give the goal. 2-2 Full time.

Albion picked up where they left off in extra time, well on top. 5 mins into the first half John Hipwell looked to have scuffed a ball to the left but Noel Twomey pressed and forced the defender into a mistake, Twomey latched onto it and rounded the keeper to make it 3-2. Albion held firm for the rest of extra time to come away with a great 3-2 much needed win to advance to the next round of the cup….. James O’Driscoll.

Team: M Walsh, J MacNamara, J O’Driscoll, C Walsh, C O’Donovan, R O’Donovan, N Twomey, C Dillon, J Hipwell, B Dillon, M El-sahen

Subs: JP Hayes(’55 – for R O’Donovan), D Daly(’65 for M El-sahen), M Ryan(‘119 for N Twomey).

Albion picked up a point last night in the last evening game of the year at home to Waterloo. The game started well for Albion after some good interplay between wing & midfield found the ball with Tim Harrington who smashed the ball home to put Albion 1 up after 5 minutes. Though the lead was short lived after a bizarre goal for Waterloo when Albion keeper Michael Walsh kicked the ball out of his hands which then rebounded of the back of the Waterloo player and went in. Albion looked asleep for spells with sluggish passing not reaching the intended players and sloppy play all round. Though they did find themselves 2-1 up when the Waterloo keeper dropped a high ball where Conan Dillon was on hand to tap the ball into the net. Once again Waterloo responded this time from a lack of closing down from Albion who let the ball coast on the wing and then crossed for a headed goal. Half time 2-2.

The second half didnt get much better though Albion were 3-2 down from a cracking half volley from Waterloos left back well outside the area. Waterloo stayed on top for long spells of the second half until the last 10 where Albion pressed for a goal, which they got from a Tim Harrington header after John Hipwell swung in a free kick. 2 minutes later Harrington missed the chance to score his first hattrick from another free where his glancing header went just wide of the net. Declan Murray thought he had the winner as a free header from a corner was just missed also.

Albion found themselves with small pockets of decent play very rarely in the game, though will rue some missed opportunities in the first half where they had balls cleared off the line. They did show they can score goals when needed which is a huge positive. The back had a solid game and could do little about all 3 goals.

Team: Michael Walsh, Ger O’Connell, James O’Driscoll, Colm O’Donovan, Declan Murray, JP Hayes, Noel Twomey, Conan Dillon, John Hipwell, Ben Dillon, Tim Harrington.

Subs: Rob O’Donovan (’65), Colum Walsh (’65), Darren Daly, Jason O’Riordan, Jody MacNamara, Martin El-sahen.

Albion fell to their 2nd league defeat in 2 days as they went down 1-0 to Killowen. Albion had 5 of the starting 11 from Thursday away for this one and fielded an untried team who showed their worth and fought hard throughout the game. Killowen started brightly and looked dangerous on the attack, though Conan Dillon & Ger O’Connell were fighting off their attacks at centre half, they started using their wingers more and created a few openings. Albion didnt look like conceding as John Hipwell was quick to clean anything up in his holding mid position. Half Time 0-0.

Albion had most of the posession for the 2nd half and thought they had 1 up on Killowen as Ben Dillon raced through on goal only to be taken out of it by the keeper who was fortunate not to see red for his challenge. John Hipwell was unlucky not to score the penalty as the shot hit the bar and went wide. 5 minutes later Killowen recieved a very dubious free outside the box from which they converted with a cracking shot. Albion went on top from here on creating attack after attack but at the same time rarely troubling the Killowen keeper. Ben Dillon hit the bar with a rifling left footed shot from well outside the box and John Hipwells dipping header close to the end went just over. 1-0 it finished, a disappointing end to a disappointing week for Albion after a bright start against Banteer in the league. Though some great performances throughout.

Team: Michael Walsh GK, Colum Walsh RB, Jody MacNamara LB, Ger O’Connell CB, Conan Dillon CB, JP Hayes RW, Noel Twomey LW, John Hipwell CDM, Rob O’Donovan CM, Ben Dillon CM, Darren Daly FW.

Subs: Jason O’Riordan (’55), Martin Ryan (’60), Kevin O’Neill.

De Courcey Albion today began life as a division 2 outfit with a 1-0 win away to Banteer. Though the first half was quite flat with both teams playing it safe, Albion looked to have the share of posession and used their space quite well. Noel Twomey was creating chances from the left while the back 4 of Jody Mac, Dec Murray, Colm O’Donovan & James O’Driscoll did their part to keep keeper Martin Ryan relatively quiet for the first half. Japs Hayes came closest with a swinging volley that shaved the post. Half Time 0-0.

Albion looked alot sharper in the 2nd half when chances came to Japs Hayes, Tim Harrington & Martin Elsahen who created space for himself and turned his shot shy of the crossbar. Albions defence were also busier in the 2nd half but rarely put a foot wrong as Murray & O’Donovan continued to clear ball after ball. Fresh faces were introduced with 16 to play as Rob O’Donovan replaced Japs Hayes & Ben Dillon replaced El-sahen. Dillon looked lively linking up well with brother Conan & John Hipwell who dominated midfield for most of the 2nd half. Tim Harrington took the bal on a run with 10 to go and as he used his speed & strength found himself left of the keeper and finished to put Albion in the lead. Banteer started to come forward and their defensive line came almost to the half way line as they searched for an equaliser. They almost had it until Ryan reached and saved, definately the best save of the season from an Albion keeper so far, fair play to him. Albions defence saw out the last few minutes as Albion recorded a good away victory.

Team: Martin Ryan(GK), Jody MacNamara(RB), Colm O’Donovan(CB)(Capt.), Declan Murray(CB), James O’Driscoll(LB), Japs Hayes(RW), Noel Twomey(LW), Conan Dillon (CM), John Hipwell(CM), Tim Harrington(AMF), Martin El-sahen(S).

Subs: Rob O’Donovan(’74), Ben Dillon(’74), Jason O’Riordan, Darren Daly.

Scorer: Tim Harrington.

Team: Martin Ryan(GK), Ger O’Connel(RB), Jody MacNamara(LB), Colum Walsh(CB), Colm O’Donovan(CB), JP Hayes(RW), James O’Driscoll(LW), Conan Dillon(CM), John Hipwell(CM), Martin El-sahen(CF), Tim Harrington(CF).

Subs: Rob O’Donovan(’45), Ben Dillon(’45), Noel Twomey(’45), Kevin O’Neill(’70).

Scorers: Tim Harrington (’75), Colm O’Donovan (’85).

Half Time: 0-0

Scorers: Darren Daly ’55, Martin El-sahen ’65.

Half Time: 3-0 to Kinsale.

Team: Michael Walsh, Ger O’Connell, Jody MacNamara, Declan Murray, Colm O’Donovan, Jamie Daly, Colum Walsh, Rob O’Donovan, James O’Driscoll, John Hipwell, Martin El-sahen.

Subs: Conan Dillon(on ’25), Darren Daly(on ’45), Jason O’Riordan(on ’50), Kevin O’Neill(on ’80), Martin Ryan(on ’85).

Teams:

Albion XI – Michael Walsh GK, Ger O’Connell RB, Jody Mac LB, Declan Murray CB, Tim Driscoll CB, Shane McCarthy LW, JP Hayes RW, Ben Dillon CM, James O’Driscoll CM, Jamie Daly FW, Ronnie O’Driscoll FW

DC Albion – Tony Hipwell GK, Jason O’Riordan RB, Kevin O’Neill LB, Colum Walsh CB, Colm O’Donovan CB, Rob O’Donovan RW, Noel Twomey LW, Martin Ryan CM, John Hipwell CM, Darren Daly FW, Tim Harrington FW

More to follow….

Albion slumped to their 2nd pre season defeat in 2 days after a lack lustre first half performance saw them 2-0 down at half time. They started quite lively moving the ball around and using space quite well. Though slight push in the back led to them going 1-0 down after Declan Murray was given a nudge to make him miss a clearance. Murray soon got a chance to revive Albion as Martin El-sahen was taken down in the area after some great link up play with Conan Dillon & Noel Twomey. Murray struck the ball down the middle but was unlucky to hit the underside of the cross bar and the ball was cleared. Leeview went on top after this and found huge areas of space to play the ball with ease. This led to their 2nd goal after a scuppered clearance attempt left their winger with nothing to do but head to the corner. Albion had a few chances to score with Noel Twomey & Martin El-sahen coming very close.

The second half was a much better attempt by Albion and they soon found themselves back in the game when Conan Dillon made a solo effort count and finished well to bring the score back to 2-1. Timmy Harrington was looking lively up front and was unfortunate not to find the net on more than one occasion. Though Leeview broke from a counter to make it 3-1 and all but kill the game. Albion were close again when El-sahen backhealed to Martin Ryan whos shot was deflected rolled to the keepers hands. But a clear offside by yards was ruled onside by the ref and Albion found themselves 4-1 down. 2 minutes later Darren Daly scored to make it 4-2, though with only one boot on!

A good second half performace, some tired legs from the game vs Mayfield just 48 hours earlier and a rusty first half cost Albion. Good performances from Martin El-sahen, Conan Dillon, Noel Twomey, Tim Harrington & John Hipwell were all points to be positive about.

Next friendly is Friday 29th July at Lilly when an Albion XI play another Albion XI.

Team: Michael Walsh GK, Ger O’Connell RB (Jody Mac ’55), Colum Walsh LB, Colm O’Donovan CD, Declan Murray CD, Timmy Harrington RW, Noel Twomey LW (Martin Ryan ’75), Jason O’Riordan CM (Darren Daly ’60), Conan Dillon CM, John Hipwell CAM, Martin El-Sahen CF.