Rivercity Braves 6 vs 3 MARIST CASUALS

Casuals took on long time rivals Braves on Ground Two on Saturday. The Braves franchise has moved home base once more – this time to new outfit Rivercity Football Club. The name may be different but the faces are the same.

And so was Casuals start to the game. Outplaying Braves early on a defensive mistake saw Rivercity’s Mondi score a hugely lucky deflected goal on 12 minutes. Then to rub salt into the wound an agile save from stand in keeper Paul Maguire saw him stretchered from the field with a suspected broken wrist.

In a very unbravelike way, striker Big Colin tapped with ball in while the keeper lay in agony on the ground. Paolo di Canio would not have approved.

Steve Maguire took over in goal but couldn’t cease the first half onslaught from Braves as they scored lucky goal after lucky goal while Russ Eades buried a header from a corner to take the Casuals into a 1-6 half time scoreline. A saved penalty from Andy Gilberd only helped to keep Braves in the ascendency.

The second half saw the Casuals regroup in a superb fashion and take the game to Braves. A howitzer from Andy Gilberd and a fine strike from Ivan Gomez saw a second half turn-around as the Casuals deservedly pulled the score back to 3-6.

A Braves player was sent off for swearing at the ref as tempers frayed late on, but the Casuals couldn’t make any more inroads. And at full time word came through that Paul Maguire was in a cast with a suspected broken arm – and if so could be out for some time.

The loss will be hard to take as the Casuals were not the worst team on the field. A matchup against a resurgent Athletic Weekenders next Saturday will test the Orange and Blacks with both Maguires and Brendan Haughian absent.

However, a wounded Casual is a dangerous animal. Extremely dangerous.