Boys U13 (2012) Premier White - Dalkeith Thistle

The curtain raiser at Football Cup Barcelona pitched Naas against unknown Scottish outfit Dalkeith Thistle. The weather forecasters got it right as the predicted rain started to fall just as the game kicked off. Naas, as they are prone to do started the game very sluggishly and Dalkeith took full advantage. A terrible decision allowed the Dalkeith forwards to finish from an offside position. The Naas coaches remonstrated withe the referee and the linesman but they weren't for changing. 1-0. Sickening.

The second goal was as controversial as the first. The through ball once again found an offside Dalkeith forward. This time the referee blew his whistle. Naas stopped playing but Dalkeith did not. The striker unleashed a shot hitting the underside of the post and they followed in to tap into an empty net. Naas once again remonstrated with the referee, he consulted with the linesman. No offside, goal awarded .... What the actual?!? The sunburn did a good job of hiding the rage on the faces of the Naas coaches. Was the referee a Dundee Utd fan? The calls he was making certainly made it feel so.

Naas never got comfortable on the ball and were second to every breaking ball. Dalkeith to their credit acquited themselves well and were a very physical side. They didn't let the Naas players settle on the ball. The pressure paid off and they scored a third goal before the half time whistle. In the whole first half Naas only managed one shot on goal with Naas striking the top of a crossbar from a Kaspian Zielenski free kick.

The Naas coaches tried to rally the troops at half time and Naas did acquit themselves better in the second half. Dalkeith still managed to squeeze another goal into the Naas net. 4-0 and job done.

Dalkeith Thistle were deserving of their victory. They bullied Naas off the ball and controlled the game better. The Naas lads were down but not out. Next up ... Trafford Steelers.