The Amsterdam Men's Football season got underway on Saturday March 2nd as it always does with the annual Den Haag Invitational Tournament. There were 3 teams taking part on the day; Den Haag, Amsterdam and Raheen from County Kildare.
In the opening game Amsterdam ground out a hard fought win over local rivals Den Haag. The game also featured the score of the day, Amsterdam corner back Brian Murphy finishing off a fine passing move involving several players with an expertly taken point from an acute angle.
Amsterdam faced Raheen in the second group game. Having lost to Den Haag in their first game the Raheen boys were getting into their rhythm. In a competitive match, Amsterdam were fortunate to take a narrow victory and book their place in the final against home team Den Haag.
Matches between Amsterdam and Den Haag are always keenly contested, with neither team holding back when it comes to the physical side of the game and this one was no different. However, Amsterdam held their composure and took the honors with an impressive 2-5 to 1-2 victory.
Everyone performed well on the day. Aidan Hartigan in goal was calm and composed under the high ball and his distribution from the kicking tee was first class. New comer Kevin O'Connor defended tigerishly and Rob Ducie put in an all action display in the half back line. New Captain, Martin McClean was imperious as always in midfield, adding to his collection of Player Of The Tournament gongs(One wonders how much this has to do with his referee banter sometimes !!!). As always, Simon Palmer and Fergal Walsh kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Now our focus shifts to our 10 year anniversary celebration on St. Patricks weekend and our own invitational tournament featuring UK teams; Eire Og, Oisin CLG and Holloway Gaels.
