So near and yet so far
9th June, 2002 - San Francisco Football Championship 1st round
St Josephs 1:13 Ulster 2:12

After Eamonn Kerley made a spectacular save in the first ten seconds, for the first fifteen minutes of this championship opener, Ulster seemed to have been asleep as Josephs were more or less enjoying the freedom of the field. San Jose led the whole way through the first half, impressive for a team fielding so many dual players who had lifted the St Patrick's hurling cup only an hour before. Dual players on this occasion were Derry Murphy, Fergal Finnan, Paul Morrissey and most notable of all Noel Dempsey who was playing with a broken finger!

Going into the second half the score line was 1:6 to 1:5 and Ulster had no intention of letting St Josephs maintain their lead for much longer. They built up their momentum with an early goal and their ability to win almost every breaking ball saw them inch ahead. Halfway through the second half there was a glimmer of hope when Darragh McCabe looked like he was about to reclaim the lead for San Jose as he fired a powerful shot at the net which the Ulster keeper had no hope of stopping, only to hit the lower upright and rebound.

However Colm Brazil soon managed to close the gap to two points by scoring from a 45 yard free. Tough defending from San Jose prevented Ulster from having an easy ride, and when Eamonn Curley once again blocked what looked like a certain goal near the end it looked like Josephs were in with a chance of re-taking the lead. However luck and certain decisions taken by officials were not on their side, and Ulster were able to finish with a winning margin of two points.

Whether or not San Jose deserved to lose is open to question, but they certainly didn't make it easy for Ulster and it won't be easy for any other teams as the championship progresses. It is hoped that local players and newly-arrived white cards will be able to put in the hard work in training in the coming weeks and show the dedication that is required to put San Jose on the map and establish the club as a force to be reckoned with in California.