Avoiding relegation looks like more of a challenge after todays 3-0 home defeat against Cloughduv. Cloughduv started the better of the two, camped in Albions half for the first 20mins though having no clear cut opportunities, never looked much of a threat. Albion upped their game from here in the first half and took control for the last 15 with 4 great chances which they should have capitalised on, Ronnie O’Driscoll with 3 (one hitting the bar) and Tim with a free kick. 0-0 half time. Cloughduv came out the hungrier of the two in the second and scored when Albion lost possession with a sloppy pass which allowed a shot from the right. Deccy parried it and the unmarked striker was there to tap home. They were 2-0 up when once again a clearance fell to the opposition and when the ball floated in the Cloughduv midfielder slotted home.It was 3-0 when Albion conceded a penalty. Tim and Duggy both came close but Albion look to be in serious trouble after yet another terrible 2nd half performance probably has them favourites for the drop with Ballinhassig.

Team. Dec, Darren, James, Jamie, Colm, Japs (Dave ’70), Ben O, Martin R (Mike ’79), Rob, Ronnie (Duggy ’65), Tim. Unused Subs. Dan C, Dan W.

Avoiding relegation looks like more of a challenge after todays 3-0 home defeat against Cloughduv. Cloughduv started the better of the two, camped in Albions half for the first 20mins though having no clear cut opportunities, never looked much of a threat. Albion upped their game from here in the first half and took control for the last 15 with 4 great chances which they should have capitalised on, Ronnie O’Driscoll with 3 (one hitting the bar) and Tim with a free kick. 0-0 half time. Cloughduv came out the hungrier of the two in the second and scored when Albion lost possession with a sloppy pass which allowed a shot from the right. Deccy parried it and the unmarked striker was there to tap home. They were 2-0 up when once again a clearance fell to the opposition and when the ball floated in the Cloughduv midfielder slotted home.It was 3-0 when Albion conceded a penalty. Tim and Duggy both came close but Albion look to be in serious trouble after yet another terrible 2nd half performance probably has them favourites for the drop with Ballinhassig.

Team. Dec, Darren, James, Jamie, Colm, Japs (Dave ’70), Ben O, Martin R (Mike ’79), Rob, Ronnie (Duggy ’65), Tim. Unused Subs. Dan C, Dan W.

Albion made a decent come back today being 5-0 down with 20 minutes to go to finish 6-3 away to league leaders Crescent. Crescent went 1-0 up after Dan Coleman have away a soft penalty with 15 minutes gone. They then scored two similar tap ins just before half time to make it 3-0. Albion did have the ball in the net through Ronnie when Tim challenged the keeper in a 50/50 but the ref deemed it a foul. 3-0 half time.

Albion started the second half well but went 4-0 down after Dan gave away a second penalty. It was 5-0 soon after when the Crescent winger caught deccy off guard for a superb finish from some distance out. Japs had the crescent defence scrambling soon after with an effort that hit the bar and fell to Ronnie who scored his first albion goal in 5 seasons. Crescent went 6-1 up when a mix up at the back left them through to finish. Tim Harrington then scored one of the goals of the season when the Albion team broke down a crescent attack, Harrington collected the ball inside his own half and let loose with a stunning top corner strike from 30 yards to make it 6-2. A minute later Dave O’Hare picked up Timmys assist to finish low under the keeper to make it 6-3. Both teams hit the bar after this and it made a nervy finish to the game from Crescent. Not the worst performance from Albion but they will need to step it up another gear if they are looking to take points from the next fixture against Leeview.

Team. Murray, Twomey, Coleman (O’Hare ’55), D Daly, O’Donovan, O’Donnell, O’Driscoll, Ryan (O’Connell ’60), Hayes, R O’Driscoll, Harrington.

Albion are looming all too close to the relegation zone after a home 3-1 defeat to Ballincollig yesterday. On a losing streak of 4 in a row, Albion went in to the game as underdogs as Ballincollig have started to make a promotion push of late. Though in the opening 45 minutes you would think it was the other way around. Ballincollig did take the lead after a shocking decision from the referee to leave a blatant offside goal stand when the player collected a pass while standing on the end line with no defender near him. You couldn’t be any more offside, but the ref decided the let the goal stand to the frustration of the Albion lads. They did almost square the game when JP Hayes was put through and finished over the top. Tim Harrington was unlucky with a shot on also which forced a corner. Ronan O’Driscoll worked well with Martin El-Sahen & Tim on an attack which left Ronnie with a shot headed for the top corner when the keeper got a late hand to it. James O’Driscoll had Albion back at 1-1 with a lovely left footed half volley just before half time.

Albion worked a lovely move from kick off with Tim nearly through on goal which forced another corner. Against the run of play Ballincollig scored when their winger sent a shot through which unfortunately squeezed under stand in keeper Deccy Murray. 2 minutes later their midfielder, all too easily, ran through 4-5 Albion players to make it 3-1 completely wrong footing Deccy in the goal. Ballincollig took more of a hold on the game as some heads dropped with the home team. Albion created a few more chances but nothing to trouble Ballincollig.

Another bad day at the office that has De Courcey Albion on a losing streak with all the signs of a squad lacking confidence.

Team: Murray, D Daly, D Coleman (N Twomey ’70), O’Donovan, J Daly, El-Sahen (O’Donnell ’65), Hayes, Ryan, J O’Driscoll, R O’Driscoll, Harrington. Subs. M O’Connell, D O’Hare.

Albions hopes of reaching the last 8 of the County Cup were dashed yesterday after a dissapointing 4-0 home dfeat against Division 1 side Buttevant. Albion shared the spoil of possession in the first half with some nice passing play and good solid defending. Either side were showing little in the last third, Albions best chance falling to Tim who was muscled off the ball when through on goal, Buttevants best chance was their attempt at shots from 30 yards out that never hit the target. An unfortunate mistake from Dan Coleman left Buttevant through to make it 1-0 with 10 to play in the first half. Albion didnt lie down and still took the game game to them.

The second half was a different story. Buttevant seemed to camp in Albions half with corner after corner which eventually broke Albion down for goal number two when the left winger went by 3 Albion players all too easily before unleashing a shot which wrong footed keeper Declan Murray. It was 3 & 4 nil both in quick succession in the last 5 mins from set plays. First a free kick and then a corner.

A disappointing result though some positives from the first half.

Team: Murray, D Daly, Coleman, O’Donovan, J Daly, Hayes, O’Driscoll (O’Hare ’83), Ryan, O’Connell (R Daly ’75), Dillon, Harrington.

Albion put in a woeful performance against an average Rathcoole side yesterday to continue their miserable form this season. A decent opening 30 minutes was put to rest when Rathcoole took initiative in finishing a decent worked goal just before the break. The home side had dominated from the start and the goal certainly was deserved but Albion defended well and broke quickly on a couple of occasions but never used the ball wisely. 1-0 half time.

Things got worse in the second half as the home side doubled their advantage. With 3 unmarked players at a corner, their defenders rose highest to head home. 2 minutes later it was 3-0 when a sloppy clearance allowed their winger in to feed their number 10. They were 4-0 up when Martin Ryan conceded a penalty with 20 to go. Albion were given a lifeline when Rob Daly broke and was taken down by the keeper for an Albion peno which Tim neatly converted. Things soon got even worse as a mix up between Jody and James allowed the number 10 to gladly take the ball and finish past Steve in goal for his hat trick.

A shocking display from Albion which has been hampered by poor commitment, dedication and lack of squad numbers. Things cant get much worse than this display which is about the only positive we can take from it.

Team. Steve, Darren, Jody, Colm, Jamie, Japs, James, Martin (Dave ’75), Martin El, Rob, Timmy.

Premier division table toppers Kilreen march on to the 3rd round of the AOH Cup, where they will play Park UTD A or Strand UTD, after defeating Albion 4-0 at Murphys Farm in Bishopstown last Saturday. Albion went into the game as huge underdogs against a much stronger side 3 divisions their superior. Albion started the game well though, realising they would spend 90% of the game defending, they sat back with 2 holding midfielders and allowed Kilreen to pass the ball freely as they closed them in the final third and trying to catch Celtic on the counter attack. Colm O’Donovan & Jamie Daly played their 3rd game as centre half partnership and in the first half looked as though they had been playing together with years. Darren Daly and Jody Mac were playing well at full back and to be fair had to work hard as Kilreen, with little success breaking the ball through centre had to use the wingers as their outlet for any danger in front of goal. Rob Daly was unlucky in the 30th minute when Albion broke down a Kilreen attack, Noel Twomey played the ball to James O’Driscoll who sent a fizzing pass towards Ben O’Donnell. O’Donnell then played through Daly who turned the centre half and left just with the keeper to beat. He hit the shot off his weaker left side which went a good half an inch wide of the corner flag. Unlucky, but a great break in play from the underdogs. Kilreen were starting to show why they were the team to beat in the AUL this year as a headed effort hit the top of the bar and over and minutes later, seeing a rare burst forward from the Albion defence, they broke forward at speed and hit the post. Steve had to make one decent save in the first half with about 5 to play. 0-0 half time.

Kilreen looked like they were playing with more purpose in the second half. Signs started to show that a goal was on the way, though Albion did hold strong for the opening 20 minutes. A messy clearance left Kilreens striker with a break on his own and cooly finished low and right past Steve in goal. Steve was called into action minutes later with a fantastic save to his left which kept the score at 1-0. Rob Daly once again almost made it 1-1, Ryan broke play in centre mid and played to O’Driscoll who launched the ball forward. Daly chased the ball running to a 50/50 with the keeper. He managed to get their just ahead of the keeper toe-poking it through his legs. Luckily for the keeper the ball rubbed his elbow and went inches wide for a corner. Kilreen killed the game with 15 to go with a headed goal from a corner. Albion switched to 4-4-2 with the introduction of Japs & Aaron at this stage. Kilreen soon made it 3-0 and 4-0 in quick succession.

Some positives from the first half for Albion as they showed how well they can work as a unit and how quickly they can break forward from play. On the day though, Kilreen proved to be a step or two above them and were clinical in the second half with their passing & finishing. Best of luck to Kilreen going forward – on this note, not a single card was issued in the 90 minutes. A sign that both teams just wanted to play some ball!

Team: Steve Nyhan, Darren Daly, Jody McNamara (Dan Coleman ’80), Jamie Daly, Colm O’Donovan, Ben O’Donnell, James O’Driscoll, Martin Ryan (Aaron O’Sullivan ’75), Noel Twomey, Martin El-Sahen (JP Hayes ’70), Rob Daly.

A convincing 4-0 away victory sees Albion through to the 3rd Round of the County Cup. Though never hitting top gear, Albion did manage to control the game for large spells with JP Hayes & Martin Ryan using Rob Daly as an outlet in the first half. Daly was bringing the wingers and full backs in to play aswell as feeding Tim Harrington up front. Numerous offside calls had Albion slightly frustrated in the opening periods though some may have been harsh. Albion did go 1-0 up through Rob Daly on 16 mins after a mix up between keeper & defender saw Daly slot home for his 3rd of the season. He was on hand to round 2-3 players soon after and cross the ball when the Glanworth defender slid in to prevent Harrington from getting to it, but ended up putting the ball in the back of his own net. Japs handed Harrington a chance two minutes later but was unable to convert. He did make it 3-0 when Daly used the ball well and left Tim with a rasper of a shot that the keeper could do nothing about. 3-0 half time.

The opening 10 minutes of the second half was Glanworths best spell. Albion were starting to panic at the back slightly and failing to clear their lines quick enough. Glanworth had a 1 on 1 with Steve in goal but could only fire wide after the Albion keeper gave little space for the striker. A blow for Albion on 49 mins when Harrington was through on goal and taken out of it (clear penalty), but had to go off with a recurring injury. The ref gave possession back to Glanworth. Glanworth tried pressing but couldn’t find a killer moment to put the ball away. Albion went 4-0 up on ’70 when Rob Daly was played on by Japs, he took the full back and centre half on on his own with Martin El screaming for the ball on the 6 yard line, Daly decided to go it alone and blasted the ball into the top left. 5 minutes later Ben O’Donnell went on a solo run and made the keeper pull off a save with a great effort from just outside the box.

A great win for Albion who will feel it should have been more, a mention too for the back 4 who kept it solid for most of the game with Colm & Jamie forming a solid foundation at centre half.

Team. Steve, Darren, James, Colm, Jamie, Ben (Dan W ’75), Noel, Martin R, Japs, Rob, Tim (Martin El ’49).

Albion came home from the long trip to Banteer with a well earned point after a dogged display saw them wear down the Saxone Cup finalists. Albion looked the better of the two in the first half creating more chances with Banteer trying shots from long range as their only outlet as a threat on goal. Rob Daly will feel he should have had Albion 1-0 when a 1 on 1 shot saw the ball go wide, Tim Harrington with something similar moments later. Ben O’Donnell showed the full back his pace and trickery a few times and caused some hairy moments for the Banteer defence. As the game wore on Banteer were getting frustrated as their centre mid started lashing out off the ball and away from the ref. 0-0 half time.

Banteer looked to have upped their game at the start of the second half but Deccy Murray & Jamie Daly were having none of it in their first pairing at centre half. Albion went 1-0 up after a scrappy clearance attempt from a James O’Driscoll corner saw the ball bounce up, it went behind Dalys head when he flicked his head backwards for a back of the head-headed goal – lovely finish! Not even 2 minutes later Martin Ryan broke up an attacked from Banteer and played the ball through to Rob Daly who then hit a superb through ball breakings Tim Harrington away from the back 4 to toe poke past the on coming keeper. 2-0 Albion with 52 minutes gone. Albion were not slowing down either as JP Hayes was instrumental in most breaks for Albion, playing in a central role using Aaron O’Sullivan on the left and switching play to Ben O’Donnell who was still causing problems for Banteers left full. Harrington had another chance when he tried to lob the keeper and another when his shot went whiskers wide. Banteer did find the net when Timmy “knees” (as they call him) broke down the right, James O’Driscoll clipped the ball away from him, then “knees” threw himself down and caught O’Driscoll with his elbow to the face. Result – free kick to Banteer. David Pallas was on hand to head home to make it 2-1 with 15 minutes to go. 10 minutes later it was all square when Timmy “knees” found himself unmarked and finished to the bottom left. Albion defended well for the remaining minutes to see the game out at 2-2.

Performance of the season so far from a much better looking Albion side who used ball well and defended excellently throughout, bar 2 occasions. Heavy legs and the lack of squad members (only 1 sub available) proved the difference in the end. But they will take confidence from this going into the 2nd Round of the County Cup next Sunday vs Glanworth.

Team. Mike Walsh GK, Darren Daly RB, James O’Driscoll LB, Jamie Daly CB, Declan Murray (Capt) CB, Ben O Donnell RW, Aaron O’Sullivan LW, Martin Ryan CM, JP Hayes CM (David O’Hare ’82), Rob Daly AMF, Tim Harrington FW.

Albion crashed out of the Corinthian cup against an average Shandon side to compound further misery on a disappointing season to date. Albion were the brighter of the teams in the opening 15 minutes, though unfortunately stand in keeper Deccy Murrays first touch was picking the ball out of the net after a switch off at the back allowed their striker to poke home. Albion were back in it 5 minutes later when Martin Ryan’s free kick caught the keeper off guard and could only get a light hand on it to see it into the net. JP Hayes forced a good save from the keeper after a lovely solo run lead to a lob shot. A free head from an extremely harsh free kick saw Shandon go 2-1 up just before the break.

Albion started well again in the second half. Though Shandon went 3-1 up when both their strikers looked well offside but fired past Murray. Albion weren’t out of it when a throw in went over the heads of 3 defenders and bounced nicely for Noel Twomey who pulled on a half volley with his back to goal to score Albions 2nd. Shandon hit the woodwork in the closing stages and Albion will feel they should have had 1 of two penalty claims. A dodgy day from the ref added to Albions woe, but they will take some positives from the game.

Team. Deccy, Jamie (Dan W ’70), Jody, Darren, Colm, Ben, Japs, Martin R, James, Noel, Rob. Sub. D Coleman.