Ireland kept on course for a possible place in the playoff match for the sole Olympic place at the qualification tournament in Auckland, New Zealand with a 7-2 win over Trinidad and Tobago.Three Rock’s Phelie Maguire opened the scoring in just the eighth minute as he reacted first to a rebound off the keeper’s pads.
A penalty corner goal from Mark Gleghorne and a stylish finish from Eugene Magee put the Irish three clear against the tournament minnows.
But two defensive lapses a minute before and a minute after half-time saw the boys in green in danger of an embarrassing upset before Gleghorne settled the side’s nerves with his second goal.
The prolific John Jermyn banged in another corner before David Hobbs and Ronan Gormley scored rare goals to wrap up the win as their Caribbean opponents flagged late in the game.
The result got Ireland back on track after Sunday’s defeat to New Zealand against a side rocked by the loss of their coaches.
Rob Haantjes and Eric Verboom decided not to travel to the tournament in a row over a lack of arrangements and the support for the team by the Trinidad and Tobago authorities. Next up is the USA before the potentially crucial encounter with Argentina.
2 comments:
Well done boys, keep up the good work! Any reason why Graham Shaw didn't play? injured or tactical rest?
i'm sure he is tryin to give guys a rest who might need it in these two games against the minows. Also, Graham is usually played in centre mid against sides as good as ireland, almost in an anchoring role so will need to stay fresh
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