13th Sep 2025 , with a perfect Saturday afternoon weather, the Balally Hill green field looked amazing with the sun positioning nicely to get an aerial view of the beautiful game of football. The home team Stedfast United AFC entered the pitch for their pre match routine passing drills and the players were cheered by the supporters, setting up a great atmosphere for the kick off. The home team played against Team Zimbabwe in the Division 3C of United Churches Football League .
Stedfast players wearing their blue home kit started the proceedings against the visiting team who played with the yellow green jerseys. It was one way traffic for the first 10 minutes of the match. Stedfast started the game on the front foot , going all out on the attack. Mohammed Ounnoughi ensured the ball entered the 18 yards box consistently. The Stedfast forwards could have scored one goal each in that first period of play, however none of the shots found the back of the net. To the home fans surprise, it was Team Zimbabwe who scored on a counter attack. This time again , the home team should have scored and the first goal remained elusive. The ball rebounded off the crowded penalty box area and the Team Zimbabwe midfielder carried the ball up to the half line without much resistance and passed it on to their striker. The Stedfast defense looked at ease for a moment but the quick feet striker somehow managed to find a gap between the centre backs and entered the penalty box. Shreyas, home team goal keeper, covered good ground in the short time to slide and reach to the ball only for it to bounce of the pitch , miss his gloves and perfectly fall in front of the striker to send it rolling in to the goal. 0-1 the score board read.
With plenty of time still to play, Stedfast players did not look impacted by this goal. They were back on to their attacking gear in no time however this time with more caution and precision. The full backs, Sean Saunders and Alex Curtis started pushing up to create more space in the wide areas and to stop any passes coming from the wings. Sean Callis started linking up between the defense and attack. It did not take much time before the home team levelled the score. Daire won the ball in the centre of the pitch for the home team and found Mohammed Ounnoughi in space on the right wing. The little wizard of Stedfast, Mo , was quick to skip past his marker and get the ball in to the box. It looked like all the home team forwards took a shot at the goal with the rebounds coming back to one after another. Finally it was Daire who took the task into his hand and converted from another rebound. 1-1. The next 30 minutes was non stop high intense game from the players in blue. The second goal came quickly. The towering and powerful Eoin De Buitleir, EDB , did really well to hold the ball at the bottom end of the box. EDB turned and send in a great pass into the 6 yard box. Alex Watson, who was playing his debut game of this season for this team, scored his first of the afternoon. Scoresheet read 2-1.
There were 2-3 attacks from Team Zimbabwe however the centre backs Jack and Kev along with full backs nullified everything that came their way. The home team got their 3rd goal around the 30th minute. It started with couple of good interceptions in the midfield by Sean Callis and Daire. The ball went quickly to Mo who sent in a well measured pass splitting the centre backs to Daoud Boulis, D. By this time, usually with the chances D got , it would have been a hat trick for him, however he surely wanted his name also on the goal scorers list. He ran in to the 18 yards box , took two touches , had a glance at where the goal keeper was standing and placed it to the bottom corner. 3-1. Sean Saunders on the left wing was linking up and moving ahead with ease while the defenders Jack Taaffee, Kevin Farrelly and Alex Curtis kept the defense intact. There was one more goal before the HT whistle was blown. Another of the many attacks by the Stedfast trio up front combined with Mo, it was a good link up play between Mo and D on the left wing which opened up the defense. Alex Watson positioned himself well on the right side, received the pass inside the box and calmly slotted past the keeper to make 4-1 at HT.
The amateur league game players get just 5 minutes as the HT break and the teams changed sides to get the match going again. Team Zimbabwe once again surprised everyone with a super strike from a very acute angle inside the box. The ball touched the goal keepers extended hand but the power of the ball made sure it found the top part of the net. 4-2. The next 10 minutes was interesting for the neutral fans as the visiting team found their rhythm and started creating chances. The home team goal keeper, Shreyas, had to make a diving save to his left to keep the score line intact followed by another powerful strike which hit the crossbar. The home team defense unit had to negate all of this and did well to keep the visitors from scoring another one. Saunders, Alex Curtis, Kev, Jack , Daire and Sean Callis were stretched but they held their nerves together to come out of it unscratched. It was just a matter of time before the home team switched back to their usual self. The home team also started to make changes with Dave Kerr , Conor Hogan, Harry Bradshaw, Ben Mehiriz, Danny McGrath making their presence felt in the game. Ben Mehiriz took up his usual position in the centre of the pitch and ensured the supply to the attackers remained intact. Danny got into action and made sure no ball stayed near the defensive area. Conor Hogan and harry Bradshaw for a period swapped and played as the left full back and left wing. It was Dave Kerr’s powerful header which released another attack with Mo and EDB combining well , EDB got his name on the scoresheet making it 5-2 with a calm finish. The final 15 minutes of the game saw two more goals scored by the home team. The first one a counter attack through the centre , with again another great pass from Dave Kerr. EDB eased his way into the box and found the bottom corner to make to 6-2. It is never easy to keep Mo quiet inside the box and a tackle on him earned a penalty for the home team. It was great to see the team handing the ball to EDB to get his hat trick. The striker of the home team who had already scored a hat-trick in the pre season friendly, made sure he got his 3 goals for the afternoon.
The final score line read 7-2 though it could have been more on either side. Team Zimbabwe showed glimpses of what they can achieve and they are sure to win games in this season.
An incredible performance by the home team against a physically strong team. If given a chance to get the 6th sub then even Peter Keenan who was on the team sheet for Stedfast could have got a chance to be on the pitch. It was great to see the support from the other squad members Luke Byrne, Mark Lowe, Stephen Mero, Karl O’Brien, JJ, Colm, the Manley brothers – Ian, Jamie, Adam, the first team players and coaching team, parents of the home team players, the local community and the young fans cheering for the home team.
Football is all about bringing the community together and this win was indeed a treat for the supporters and well wishers. The season has just started and this team of Stedfast United have started well however still have a long way to go on this long season. It will be really exciting to see the beautiful game played by these exceptionally talented players supported by the management and coaching staff Josh, Aaron and yours truly.
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