Saul Notes - Feb 5th 2006

Saul GAC Club Notes for week of Apr 9th 2006

Paddy's Barn and Sloan Construction join the sponsor team

Chairman Peter Craig , Club president Eddie McGrady and club official Frank Holland welcome Oliver Sloan on board as scoreboard sponsor (Paddys Barn) and Business Sponsor (Sloan Construction) - the picture was taken after the minor draw with Kilclief

On Sunday last, Saul continued the drive to build up the sponsorship team with Paddy's Barn and Sloan Construction coming on board. Saul's local Bar and Restaurant, Paddy's Barn, are sponsoring the brand new scoreboard at St Patricks park (see photo) which saw its first action over the weekend and Sloan Construction Ltd (The Eco Builders) of Ardglass Road, Strangford become the latest to take up the partnership with the Saul club for a brighter future. The club thanks Oliver Sloan and the Sloan family for joining the team and hope for mutual benefit from the partnership. For further details, check out the club website at www.saul-gac.com

Minors draw with Kilclief
- Saul 1-9, Kilclief 1-9. Saul minors took on local rivals Kilclief in what turned out to be a cracker of a game at St Patricks Park on Sunday.
  
  The home side had the upper hand in the first half but only after Aidan McCann punished slack marking in the first minute to give Kilclief the lead. Saul then grabbed the initiative at midfield through strong work from Brian Gaffney and Conall McGill and after Chris Mullen levelled the scores, further scores from Christopher Fitzsimons and Callum Laverty saw the blue & gold pull away in the opening 10 mins. An efficient Kilclief attack though levelled the scores again with points from Murray and Curran but Saul captain Conor Shields then took over proceedings and in a blistering 5 minute spell he claimed 3 minor scores and set up Callum Laverty for a further point to put Saul ahead at 0-7 to 0-3 at the break and seemingly in control of the league points.
  
  Kilclief came out fired up and reduced the arrears with a point virtually on the restart as the visitors took control of the midfield sector. Despite good work from an increasingly busy Saul defence (Pearse McDaid, Paddy Hamill and Jacob McCauley in particular), the score was reduced to the minimum with further points in the 5th and 10th minutes. Saul were restricted to sporadic attacks but on one of these they were ruthless finishers as a long clearance forward from Brian Gaffney was collected by Shields and on spotting a clever run inside the Kilclief backline by Chris Laverty, he laid a pinpoint pass on for Laverty who finished to the top left corner of the net (1-7 to 0-6). A minute later Saul almost repeated the act but Shields' netted finished was called back for overcarrying and that was the trigger for Kilclief to hit back when they were able to cut through the home defence and ripple the Saul net with keeper Jude McLaughlin having no chance. With 10 minutes to go a grandstand finish was on the cards. Callum Laverty took a pass from Conall McGill to slam over what turned out to be Saul's penultimate score and with 5 minutes to go, the atmosphere was crackling as every ball was competed at championship fervour. With Saul's defence now struggling to find telling clearances, Kilclief poured forward and levelled the scores with 2 long range efforts from play. With time running out the unthinkable appeared to be about to happen as the visitors punished Saul's further ability to clear to a blue & gold colleague with the lead score. With the referee checking his watch, Chris Mullen took a superb catch from the kickout, burst forward and picked out Conor Shields free inside the 50. Shields collected, turned and soloed right at the heart of the Kilclief backline. With the defence closing in on the 21 yd line, he let fly and the ball dipped just over the crossbar rather than under it. With the kickout being greeted by the referees final whistle, this hotly contested league game had finished with the local rivals deservedly sharing the spoils at 1-9 each.
  
  Jude McLaughlin had a good hour in goals for Saul with McDaid, Hamill, Laverty, Mullan and McCauley best in defence. Gaffney and McGill tired at midfield after a good start and upfront, Laverty, Fitzsimons, Shields and subsitute Matthew Carson tormented the opposition defence. Next up are league leaders Bright in Killough on Wednesday night (meet at Saul - 6pm) and Saul will approach the game unbeaten in 3 and hopeful of making some sort of a dent in unbeaten Bright's record.

Scaling the heights
- Well done to club member Colleen Laverty who overcame her lack of affection for heights by abseiling down the Europa Hotel in Belfast on Saturday last, wearing her Saul jersey no less. Colleen took on the challenge to raise money for the orphanages in Romania and we ask club members to support that venture.
Senior and Reserve round-up
- On Friday last, an understrength Saul side missing players in key positions lost out to a strong Annaclone side who had turned up early in Saul and after a slow start gave a excellent display of team supported attacking play throughout. Despite the defeat, Saul had a number of positives with some players doing their chances no harm when given the opportunity - Damian Hamill, Callum Laverty, Conor Shields and Darryl Casement (before injury) showed up well.
- The reserves played their first challenge game of the year on Sunday against Ballykinlar away and an understrength Saul squad slipped to defeat. After a hectic weekend of senior and minor fixtures, a lightweight Saul side had to be pulled together for the challenge game with Ballykinlar with more than a few notable absentees. The management team of Marty Molloy, Frank Holland and Columb Johnston can take some positives from the game in the performances of some of the younger members of the squad with Conor Shields and Christopher Fitzsimons showing up well alongside more experienced David Higgins, Gareth Casement and Conor O'Neill. Saul found scores hard to come by against a tight marking Kinlar defence and only had points from O'Kane, Fitzsimons, O'Neill, Ferris, Craig and Shields to reward their endeavours. Ballykinlar managed greater success in front of goal and netted once in the first half and three times on breakaways in the second period. Following a final challenge game against Carryduff on Tuesday night this week, the management team have some work to do before the reserve league throw-in at home to Liatroim on Sunday week.

Training Times for the week ahead
- Training for the various club teams continues this week as follows:
  - Weds night: U10/U12 training (6.15pm)
  - Thursday: Senior training (7pm), U14 Boys training (6.30pm) and U12/U14 Girls training (6pm)
  - Sunday: No training; Seniors start league campaign
  - Monday: Senior training at 6.30pm
  - Tuesday: Minors & U16's Training at 6.45pm; Ladies training at 7pm
- Keep an eye on the website (www.saul-gac.com) for changes and updates to the training schedule
Upcoming matches
- Minors away to Bright this Weds (Apr 12th) - meeting at Saul for 6pm
- The Seniors start their Div 2 campaign this Sunday, April 16th at 1pm away to Attical
- Next Tuesday (April 18th), the U16's start their league campaign away to Bredagh
- The Reserves (under the guidance of Marty Molloy and Frank Holland) start begin their league games on Sunday week (23rd April) at home to Liatroim.
- U14's league throw-in on the Thursday after that (April 27th) with a game in Drumaness
- In Ladies football, the U14's get their league campaign underway on Sunday, April 30th with a trip to play Teconnaught and the U12's have to wait a few weeks to get their competitive season going at home to Loughinisland on the week of May 8th.

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