Passmore ‘delighted’ as Ireland claim draw

IF IT might reasonably have been expected that the Irish men’s and women’s teams would deliver thin gruel in their European Championship openers against Spain and England respectively, it transpired that the men at least delivered some haute cuisine here in Belle Vue yesterday.

Their 1-1 draw with reigning champions Spain was a performance well above expectations and it might have been even better had it not been for a series of controversial umpiring decisions which robbed the Irish of a potential shock victory.

Similarly on Saturday, when the Irish women were seriously aggrieved by the standard of umpiring in their game against England which ultimately saw them fall to a 3-0 defeat to the hosts.

But, if there was a feeling that the better side won that match then the feeling yesterday was that Dave Passmore’s men’s side could easily have produced the shock of the tournament yesterday when they came close to beating the much-vaunted Spanish.

A Mark Gleghorne goal just a minute and a half into the match set the tone for the Irish men and while the Spanish would ultimately equalise eight minutes into the second half through a disputed short corner finished emphatically by Xavier Ribas, the feeling at the end of the game was that this was a game the Irish could have sneaked.

That Ireland were not awarded a single short corner during the match as against the seven given to Spain was frustrating, but even more annoying was the fact that they were denied anything from what even neutral observers felt was a nailed-on Spanish foul in the dying moments.

Coach Dave Passmore played this down afterwards, obviously delighted by the performance against the champions and even more thrilled that a makeshift Irish defence held firm against top opposition and under extreme pressure.

“We’re delighted to have got a point from that because we had a torrid run-in with injuries. But we stuck to our game plan, never lost our composure and took the early chance which came to us. The players knew the job they had to do and they went out and did it,” he commented later.

Starting with a relatively makeshift back four which initially saw John Jermyn and Ronan Gormley playing out of position in the right and left back slots alongside captain Paddy Brown and Iain Lewers in the central defensive positions, the Irish got the start they needed when Jermyn initiated a move up the right which resulted in an Irish free just outside the Spanish circle.

Stephen Butler fired the ball in and Mark Black’s shot was only just stopped, but Gleghorne was on hand to slot the ball into an empty net.

The Spanish seemed not be firing on all cylinders and the early goal obviously upset their early rhythm. However, when they found their stride the Irish defended stoutly and with a composure which has not always been their trademark.

All told, it was an excellent result as the Irish men now face the might Dutch tomorrow in their second pool game. The Irish women also face Holland and their game this afternoon will give them a chance of atoning for the disappointment of the loss to England, even if they are not expected to provide a shock.

Coach Gene Muller and captain Linda Caulfield both admitted that the better side won on Saturday, but they felt they did not deserve to go down 3-0 and Muller’s assertion that the decisions which led to the first two English goals “might have been interpreted differently by other umpires,” underlined his frustration.