Recap: Gastown F.C. 4 - 0 Blarney Stone F.C.

A potentially fiery fixture against fellow Gastowners, Blarney Stone F.C. proved to be a particularly one-sided affair on Friday night. There was mixed news before kick-off, as The Iron's marksman extraordinaire, Nicolas Mottin returned from his summer holidays on the French Riviera. However, enforced changes at the back - Daniel Lee (groin) and Sam Stuart (saving lives) - meant that there was an air of uncertainty, in what still is a very new challenge for Gastown F.C.

Credit must be given to the whole team for their fantastic turnout - 17 in total made the journey. Stalwart Jack Whelan was between the sticks, with Tsukaji returning to left-back after his difficult time out up front last week. Ogasahara continued to make the cultured centre-back position his own, new recruit Shane Poulsen filled in alongside him. Amr Amin returned to the position he learned to love in 2010, dropping back from right midfield to right-back. There was great continuity in the midfield, with the tried and tested Taylor Willms, Ryan Willms, Parrott and Valk midfield four; golden-boy Mottin and fellow Francophone Ramy Benguera started the match in attack.

The match started brightly for The Iron, as they set about building on their successful yet ultimately uninspiring performance from last week. Ryan Willms continued to look to exploit the flanks at all times, with brother Taylor making countless tireless runs, and Valk giving BSFC's entire left flank a torrid time with his searing pace. With Benguera offering a calm presence on the ball as a link-man, and Mottin his usual tireless and prickly self, GFC found they had a lot more bite to their attacks than the week before. Coupled with consistent good deliveries, especially from Blonde Bombshell, Valk, it was not long before The Iron had their noses in front. Lovely interchange up the left hand side between Willms and Tsukaji released the Japanese left-back, who weaved along the goal-line before cutting a pass back for Benguera to casually stroke home 15 minutes into his début.

It was a rare fast start from GFC, who have made a habit of being slow out of the blocks, as well as failing to capitalise on the leads they establish. This however, was a different story. After several minutes of sustained pressure, and inspired goalkeeping, The Iron were 2-0 up, with a particularly Stoke-esque goal. While not a beautiful goal by any stretch of the imagination, it showed that Gastown have many weapons in their arsenal, such as the long, flat throw of Ryan Willms. With the throw-in won 18 yards from goal on the right side, Ryan threw to meet the head of brother Taylor, to head in unmarked at the back post. Such a weapon is rarely seen at this level, and it is something Gastown should use in the future to unsettle opposition defenders.

Moments after the brutish (British) simplicity of the second goal, there was some continental flair on display for the third. Mottin set off an a mazy run from just inside the opposition half, taking 3 defenders with him. The French Connection played a little one-two between themselves, with Mottin delicately side-footing the ball first time into the far corner from the edge the area. A typical return from one Frenchman, an exciting start from the other. Just before half-time, another well-worked Gastown goal saw Captain Parrot scoring after a short corner was clipped into the box by the tireless Tskaji. Parrott rose well to beat the on-rushing keeper to make it 4 in 6 games for the midfield engine, and four without reply for The Iron.

The second half saw Parrott ring the changes to his still raw team. Karu replaced Valk on the right to offer more cover, and Ryan McVeigh moved to left-back; Tsukaji advancing to fill the space left by the departing Taylor Willms. As fatigue became a factor, Parrott looked to use the phenomenal turn of speed possessed by the American, Braun, to exploit any lapses in BSFC concentration. Gastown continued to boss the tempo and territory, with BSFC being limited to one shot in the match (which came close to landing on the Dunsmuir Viaduct). While some of the fluidity was missing from their earlier play, the game was played out in comfort - a comeback simply never on the cards. Such an easy half was mostly due to the composed nature of the two centre-backs. Ogasahara and Poulsen moved the ball supremely well, whilst maintaining aerial dominance. The defence was on such form, that a scout from Premier Division high-flyers Cosmo SC declared his interest in the Japanese duo; the oft-vocal goalkeeper, Whelan, telling him where he should put his offers.

A fantastic result over local rivals, which leave the bragging rights firmly with Gastown F.C. Surely tougher matches are in store, with the visit of fierce rivals UBC Metropolitan an eagerly awaited fixture. A pleasure to see a great turn out, with Michael Hannah making a bustling cameo, which almost bore fruit. After two games played, 5 goals scored and none conceded, these are happy times at Andy Livingstone Park - although reports of late-night drinking and womanising threaten to disrupt the dressing room harmony. Only time will tell.

Man of the match: The squad (Shane Poulsen).