On another soggy, blustery afternoon the Whites Reserves took on Lansdowne Bhoys in a home match at the Met Oval.

Always playing with heart, the Irishmen were right up for it with a physical battle in the midfield. Truth be told, however, other than a determination in the face of the bad weather conditions Lansdowne didn't demonstrate anything special. The first half saw the Bhoys make some honest attempts to attack, but nothing that was too dangerous. Unfortunately, the CPR Reserves lacked the killer instinct and didn't take charge either. The first half ended 0-0 with CPR manager Joe Sullivan calling for more concentration in possession and simple play.

The second half kicked off without much change, the Rangers reserves struggling to impose themselves on the game. In about the 65th minute a Rangers loss of possession resulted in an advanced Lansdowne threat on the edge of the box. The Bhoys striker held off challenges before he released at low, hard left-footed drive. CPR's Ben Roberts got down well to stop the shot, but unfortunately the slippery conditions caused the ball to squirt past the keepers grasp. 1-0 Lansdowne. A response was needed but CPR failed to make one. Within a few minutes, Lansdowne made another advance down the right flank. Their central midfielder cut inside onto his "cultured" left foot, which he used to good effect releasing a curler towards the far post. Again Ben Roberts made a valiant attempt to tip the ball over but the shot dipped over the keepers finger tips to make it 2-0. CPR attempted to freshen the team up by making a line change and going with three in the back. Just as the subs stepped on to the pitch Lansdowne drove yet again down the right hand side, this time the Irishman dribbled all the way to the 6, eluding tackles, before finally dinking the ball into the back of the net. 3-0 Lansdowne. The last 20 minutes of the game saw no more goals conceded, but CPR were unable to pull any back either.

At the final whistle, the game served as a wake up call. Although the conditions were bad, CPR defeated themselves by giving away possession and failing to press the Irishmen when they were within striking distance. Much more will be needed in order to regain momentum and finish the season on top.

Starting line up: Ben R (K), Dan P (LB), Joe (CB), Rob O (CB), Dan C (RB), Jules (LM), Brettski (CDM), Tony (AM), Shane (RM), Dan Riso (F), Jacopo (F)
Subs: all used Amos(F), Joakim (RB), Toph (CDM)