Sunday 27th June 2021
GDSFC Friendly Trophy Group C
Glasgow Irish FC faced off against Saracen Red Star at The Donald Dewar Glasgow Club at the weekend looking to recover from a defeat in the opening fixture versus Barrhead.
The Irish have lost a large amount of previous seasons squad while adding some new faces so it was an opportunity for these players to show what they can bring to the team going forward.
Daniel Singh and Jacko Gordon were also missing through illness and injury to make Sunday’s task even more difficult.
The game was a stuffy affair in the opening stages with both teams struggling to get any real fluency in their play.
Tony Garth and Jay Mathieson did have a couple of half chances up top but couldn’t find the finishing touch.
The front two would be involved as The Irish took the lead however and when Mathieson was fouled as he shaped up to shoot inside the area the referee awarded a penalty which Tony Garth stepped up to fire home a superb finish from the spot. 1-0
This goal should have shook GIFC into life but it ended up doing the opposite and Saracen started to get a foothold on the game.
The away side equalised when they themselves were awarded a penalty after some lax defending from the GIFC back line. 1-1
GIFC recovered well from this setback however and started to dominate possession albeit with no end product.
HT:1-1
The Irish returned after the interval with a renewed focus and the defence held strong on several occasions dealing with any Sarry attacks very well.
GIFC took the lead when Tony Garth sent Jay McCann wide with a great pass and the midfielder found the onrushing Paul Ruby inside the box and after he had timed his run to perfection he slotted the ball beyond the Saracen keeper. A fantastic team goal from the Irish and a much deserved goal for Paul Ruby. 2-1.
This seen GIFC raise the bar and Ruby nearly got his second only to see his shot come back off the post.
Tony Deveney was causing problems for Saracen out wide left and received some close attention throughout.
Chris Gillespie replaced Jay Mathieson and the latter can be very pleased with his contribution on the day.
Gillespie was causing problems as soon as he arrived on the pitch and came close to scoring on a number of occasions.
Mark Paterson came on for Tony Deveney and could have scored with a header from a Jay McCann cross.
Paterson atoned for his missed opportunity when he set up the impressive Darren Young who cracked home a superb shot into the bottom left hand corner to put the game out of Sarrys reach. 3-1.
The Irish seen the game out to take the points in what was a very entertaining game.
FT:3-1
Man of the Match- Paul Ruby
All in a very good result for a squad that’s been decimated recently and credit to the players who have stepped up and continually worked hard.
Celtic Hammer 