Scorers / Koczkowski & McKernan

With Chaps only needing a point to secure 3^rd place they duly got it with a fortuitous win in the first game but Triumph never took there chances.

Triumph got to grips in the 2^nd game & deservedly won it 2 – 1 to cement 4^th place which after the bad luck they have had with players over the last 8 games was the least they deserved.

A good attacking performance in the 1^st game with no reward & tough resolute defending in the 2^nd gave us the 3pts to get there.

Good season from the lads again.

Well done.  

Sun 9th May   Gurdwara GNP 4 - 2 Triumph Athletic

Sun 16th May   Chaps Crusaders 3 – 3 Triumph Athletic

Sun 16th May    riumph Athletic 2 – 3 Chaps Crusaders

Triumphs Déjà vu end of season collapse continued at GNP with a very poor performance after we had took the lead & looked in total control. But 2 costly errors at the back let the home side back into the game & the lead & although we equalised the 2^nd half performance was dreadful.

Chaps Crusaders away at Coundon Park never gets the pulse racing & so it turned out as a competitive game ran out into a draw with both sides making errors at the back. This was the 1^st game we had been able to have a sub since late march. Not the best performance we have produced but certainly an improvement on the GNP farce.

The same opponents at home should have been a formality but we were again let down by not having enough players as we had to start the game with 10 players. Danny James being the exception as he was playing a trial game elsewhere.

This was soon turned into 9 when Deniz unfortunately landed on his own arm & had to leave for hospital with a broken wrist. We all wish Deniz a speedy recovery & hope he gets well soon.

With only 10 players we were coping quite well & having some chances at the opposite end but when Deniz left we started to struggle & they scored 2 quick goals to lead 2 – 0 at halftime. We had a good chat & asked the lads what they wanted to do as we knew we had to go for it. We played with 3 at the back as their front two were not hurting us & it changed the game.

We had chance after chance but could not get the goal back. They scored again to really kill us off but we eventually got the goal we deserved from a pen & scored again with 15 minutes remaining. We piled on the pressure as Crusaders had gone & were all over the place.

Both Jordan & Olly had one on ones to get us level but fluffed them & Sean the keeper went up for a corner with 2 minutes to go & smashed his header against the bar.

The final whistle eventually went & the relief from the Crusaders camp was there to see, as they knew had we had all 11 players I think it would have been our day by a country mile.

This has been our story of both ends to last season & this season as we have now only won 1 game from our last 6 which now means we have to take a minimum of 4 points of Chaps A next week to secure 3^rd place. A big ask with a team short on confidence & short of players.

Well done to all 10 players who gave there all.    

 Sunday 25th Apr     Triumph    0 - 3  Coventrians
Scorer / James

This was a lot better than the Friday as Triumph started very well & I don’t like sounding like a broken records but how we have missed a striker to put the simple tap ins away, as we missed chance after chance again. To be honest Coventrians had one shot in the first 30 minutes of play and never looked like troubling a sturdy defence. On the 20 minute mark Triumph finally beat Hayden with a good finish from 8 yards from James who looked more likely to score than anyone else.

Then from a corner with 10 minutes to go Coventrians took advantage of sloppy marking again and headed in from 3 yards which I couldn’t believe as the lad who scored was the shortest kid on the pitch. We talked about this before the game as they had scored 3 like this Friday night to be gifted the 3pts. 5 minutes later more sloppy marking gave Coventrians their 2^nd goal as the striker hit a low shot on the angle across the keeper to take an undeserved 2-1 lead into the break.

The team talk was a waste of time as we played exactly the same as Friday’s second half & Coventrians had an easy game & scored two more. This was made worse by Triumph losing a player & having to play the last 25 minutes with 10 players. We only had 11 to start with. We have 4 games now that we must win to finish 3^rd at worst.

Coventry Cup Semi-Final
Sunday 18th Apr     Triumph    0 - 3  Warwick Jrs

This became a bridge too far for the stags as they succumbed to a well organised Warwick outfit. We again failed to start well and fell behind after 10 minutes to a corner with the scorer having a free header in which he made no mistake from 6 yards.

Triumph then scored from a corner with Derry pouncing to scramble the ball over the line but the defender pushed the ball out with his hand & the ref amazingly waved play on….unbelievable….not one offence but two missed chances to give Triumph a deserved goal. Even the Warwick players admitted it was over & handball.

The stags then got their act together & gradually got into the game but against the run of play conceded again. A quick free kick was poorly taken & the resulting pass left the Warwick striker free on goal & he made no mistake from 12 yards.

This was a poor passing performance from Triumph as we knew what we had to do against this team but were too gung ho in going forward & our passing was not good enough against the A league side.

Triumph time after time got in behind the Warwick back four but when Brad crossed in front of a shaky goalkeeper no one got to the ball with any purpose & they were able to clear.

Morris went close with a 25 yard shot which just cleared the bar with the keeper well beaten & some more heroics from the Warwick keeper meant it wasn’t to be although how much he knew about the scrambles beggars’ belief as his handling should have been punished!!

Again against the run of play Warwick finished the game off with a weak shot going under the keeper to just about sum the game up.

The lads deserve every credit for there run which on another day might have led to the final but the luck was with the Warwick boys this time.

We have nothing to fear from anybody as far as I'm concerned if we go up next season as this game proved it. If we can add a couple of quality players in the summer we will be a very good side & wont lose games like this.

Good luck to Richard & his team in the final as they deserve to be where they are.

Well done boys.

Sunday 28th Mar     Triumph    1 - 0    Balsall Hornets

Coventry Cup U15s Quarter Final.

Scorers / Derry McKernan

The 15s won again in the cup with a hard fought victory over there near neighbours from Balsall. The Hornets started very brightly with some good passing leading to their forward turning sharply in the area & a Triumph mistake bought the penalty.

With everyone expecting a goal the penalty taker hit the ball wide of the target to let the Stags of the hook.

This proved to be the turning point as Triumph slowly began to take control of the game. They were celebrating 5 minutes later as Derry headed home from a corner.

The excellent Olly Koczkowski nearly doubled the lead as he hit the bar from 25 yards with the keeper well beaten.

Both teams enjoyed patches of possession but nothing really opened up in the remainder of the 1^st half.

The 2^nd half saw the Stags enjoy more of the ball & all through the 2^nd half they opened up a tired Balsall defence who seem to lose their markers at will. Danny James twice could have scored but rushed his efforts

The Stags hit the bar again later on in the game but the flag was up for offside.

To Balsalls credit they gave it a go but in truth the Stags were never in any trouble with no shots coming from the opposition in the 2^nd half & with McKernan & Whitcroft again dominating the back four it always looked likely that Triumph would add to their lead.

Triumph are a mean side at the moment only conceding in 7 of their games this season & with Aiden Morris back to his best in the heart of the midfield they look a danger every time they go forward.

No doubt Warwick Juniors are the overwhelming favourites to win the Semi-final at Tanners lane but they won’t have an easy game.

The boys deserve to be where they are but we believe we can still win the league which is far more important.

Well done lads. Brilliant.   

Sunday 21st Mar     Brinklow Juniors    1 - 2    Triumph

Sunday 7th Feb     Triumph  (0)  2 - 2  (2)   Brinklow Juniors

The U15s hosted top of the tree Brinklow Juniors & the game did not disappoint with both teams giving everything to ensure their own personal records stayed intact. Brinklow came to the Lane having won all their league games (11) & Triumph wanted to remain unbeaten at home since April 2009.

Brinklow started the better & after 7 minutes led through a long ball over the top to Stothard who rounded the keeper to slot home. It wasn’t long before Brinklow hit the net again after 15 minutes with a well taken shot which Harvey saw fly past him before he could react. The rest of the half saw both teams struggle for any decent possession & at the break it was 2 – 0 to the leaders.

Sunday 18th Oct     Coventrians  2 – 2  Triumph

Scorers / Villette, James.

The 15s came to Coventrians on the back of 2 poor performances looking for another 3pts to keep them at the summit of the B division. We started off ok & had a lot of the ball with the home side not really threatening. Once again we were undone at a set piece as failed to clear a corner & the home side tapped in a loose ball to go 1 up.

The equalizer came 10 minutes later with Jack Villette pouncing on a loose ball in the area to make it 1-1. This turned the game into a one on one show, Triumph v Ridley (Coventrians keeper) but the 3 chances we had we missed as everyone failed to hit the target & the teams went into halftime level when realistically the Stags should have wrapped up the game.

The game opened up in the 2^nd half as both teams enjoyed time on the ball with Magarrity having a lot of possession in the middle of the park but it was Triumph who were creating the chances & once again 4 times saw them bare down on Ridleys goal only to miss the target when it seemed easier to score. The frustration was eased as Triumph were awarded a penalty which Danny slotted home to give the Stags a deserved lead.

With Coventrians having some possession in the last 10 minutes but not really threatening it looked as though we would hold on to take the points but we don’t seem to listen to instructions as magarrity who should have been marked tightly picked up yet another poor clearance from another corner & smashed home from a tight angle to make it 2-2.

The game then fizzled out with Harvey making a brilliant one handed save to keep it from being a defeat that would have been hard to take. Triumphs performance was excellent but we must take our chances if we are to progress.

Well done boys.

Steve

Scorers / T.Morris (2), James.  

Triumph took all 3pts against a hard working & very physical G.N.P outfit who I have to say kept going for the full 80 minutes & we couldn’t have complained if we hadn’t got anything out of the game.

Literally cruising at 2 – 0 Triumph took there eye of the ball & let them back into the game. Triumph scored twice in the opening half through Tom Morris who netted both goals from corners. G.N.P scored twice in the 2^nd half with the 2^nd being an absolute belter from 30 yards.

Triumph kept pushing & in the dying moments with only a minute left Danny James turned on his own chest down to send an unstoppable winner in over the keepers head from 25 yards to send the Triumph people into ecstasy.

It was a little more than we deserved & you had to feel sorry for the visitors as they had battled back brilliantly after the break. It was a welcome 3pts after the shocking display against Crusaders the week before.

 Scorers / James, Hobson(2)