Avon United Soccer Club

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Match Reports

August 6, Game 18 v Burnside at Burnside, Result 4-0 loss

This was interesting as it gave our third team a crack at Burnside before our first team most likely have to play them in the playoffs. Due to some players moving up to the first squad, sickness and work commitments we started without 7 of our regular squad. Unfortunately we lost the toss and played into a strong northerly in the first half. This produced 3 Burnside goals, all coming off set plays, one poor goal kick and two headed corners by Mike Boomer. It could have been closer as Cameron put over two superb left footed crosses at the end of the half which Dave Hight couldn’t quite finish.
Second half on instructions from their coach the boys got a bit harder and competed well. For near half an hour we had the balance of play with Cameron staking another claim for a first team call up when he muscled and sped past their defence, unfortunately their keeper saved the one on one.
Late in the game Burnside got their fourth after some poor judgment at the back when we decided to play the ball out instead of making a long clearance. However apart from that our defence was firm and Gareth had no trouble outpacing their attack (Gareth is very quick).
So we ended our season on a loss. However the positives were Dave, Mike E and Marc K all made full debuts for the Canterbury League team and went well. Let’s hope the gulf between Burnside and the Mainland Premier League remains.
Sadly this is it for our season as there is no knockout. However I have to say it was a most enjoyable season. Playing and coaching guys who are on their way up has been very exciting and the progress they have made has been immense. Matt and Jun are now playing in the first team and Grant has also forced his way into the squad. Gareth and Cameron are also close and may yet get some reserve/first team time.
Nick Williams

July 30, Game 17 v Mid Canterbury at Riccarton, Result 3-2 win

A Grant Weston Hat-trick to sink Mid Canterbuy.
This week was a bit of a challenge with a number of players away and Matt Francis elevated to the first team. However we started well enought and by half time we had done well to be 2-0 up.
The half time Jaybees took rather a while to kick in and after 10 minutes of the second half our hard earnt lead had evapourated. At this point we went back on the offensive again and created more chances. Just as the coach was about to lose the rest of his hair Grant blasted a superb shot in to make it 3-2.
There we some good performances on the park, Ben had an impressive start to his right back career. Glenn and Jun combined well to secure the centre of the park and create some good angled ball to Grant and Cam. Ko looked really good at right half as well. Gareth was as solid as ever. However player of the day had to go to Grant with the only 3 goal bag scored by us this year.

July 23, Game 16 v Burnside at Riccarton, Result 3-0 loss

A game where we made a few mistakes and got punished and where the goals didn't go in. Also I filled in the card before the game.
Saturday morning came and by this time we had lost Chris and Grant, bad start. The team we put on the park looked good and we played OK. However after 9 minutes Jerry gave away a soft freekick on the edge of the box and a couple of deflections later from the kick the ball was in the net. Glenn had our best shot of the first half, with some quick work to latch onto a loose ball in the Burnside box, but it went wide. Ko had the best opportunity with a clear break to goal but he uncharacteristically tripped over the ball. ne nil at half time.
Second half and withing 5 minutes a rare slip by James saw the ball go under his fingers and into the net. Again we made chances with Glenn having a great low shot to the far post kept out by the Burnside keeper at full stretch. With 5 to go Burnside got their third when we failed to clear properly and the shot raced past James into the top left corner. Again we had a chance to make it respectable when Cam had a one on one with the keeper and had his shot stopped.
So there it was 3-0. Good work by TK in the centre with Jun was encouraging and Matt did more than enough to impress those from the first squad who were there. The real disappointment was no show from the first team coach or manager (for the third or fourth time this season).

July 16, Game 15 v Halswell at Riccarton, Result 4-2 win

The new theory for winning games is Jellybeans at half time, it's worked two weeks in a row.
The game started off at a fair pace with Halswell attacking aerially and us on the ground. After our forwards had run round the Halswell backs 3 or 4 times and been chopped down that many times the cards flew and a Halswell defender was gone. Things looked good with them down to 10 men and we just relaxed and Halswell scored. We got down to work and 10 mins later Ko crossed a ball to Cameron and he finished well. By half time Danny W had put us in front.
The half time speech included the old who scores first will win this, Halswell duly scored shortly after half time! However we are starting to get some belief and we attacked some more. A ball came out to the edge of the box and I (Nick) chipped it back to the goal. Most days they sail over the top, but this one dropped just at the right time, 3-2 to us. Ben finished off a good cross for a fourth. Danny W had a chance to finish it off after rounding the keeper but put it wide.
We missed Jun, with the first team and Grant away but made good anyway. A pleasing days work, we could almost get used to this!

July 9, Game 14 v Cashmere at Sommerfield, Result 3-2 win

The key to this game was not writing out the team card before I got to the park. Also we were at full strength with Danny W coming back from China. However I still had to change the team card as 13 is apparently unlucky even for the Chinese!
We ended up 1-0 down at half time after conceding a goal when Morgan tried to turn a player in the box. Second half we conceded another to a break which looked well offside. At this stage it wasn't looking so good. However Chris got moved up the park from right back to left midfield and rewarded us with a goal midway through the period.
With 22 to go I (Nick) brought myself on and got an opportunity to run at the defence, Kosuke positioned himself nicely and took the pass well and scored. Later Cameron was unlucky not to score when the ball was threaded through to him and he was away, a challenge from behind stopped him. However Ko took another chance up front and 3-2 to us. A bit later Ko had the chance to finish it with another break but his chip went just over.
All in all a damn good team performance, a crucial result as the teams were on level points at the start of the day. Individual player of the day goes to Ko, however it was a real team performance from the full 15 man squad. About time we had things go our way, now we just need to repeat this next week.

July 2, Game 13 v University at Uni Oval, Result 3-0 loss

As usual I wrote the card out before arriving and had to change it. Chris phoned at the last minute, hence I got a start as right back. We had the edge in the first half with Jun and Grant having the best chances. Nil all at half time.
Just like most second halves we faded with Cameron, and the midfielders running out of steam. The game swung University's way but we held and kept things tidy until the 60th minute. At that stage they got a free kick on the edge of the box and an average kick went in. Ten minutes later the scene was repeated (Matt gave the free kick away again too - big bully). This time they didn't score directly, but it got scrambled in. Five minutes later they got a third from a defensive error.
Pretty disappointing as we were in it and could have got points. University to their credit have enough pace at the back to cope with our mobile forwards and midfield. Best player on the day was Grant, with Gareth and Matt also playing well.

June 25, Game 12 v Brighton at Avonhead S3, Result 2-2 draw

Our game v the Western Masters whinging team. On a cold and damp day they scored first from a cross that found one of their players unmarked at the back post. To our credit we came back and Cameron had levelled it by half time
Second half we had Jerry sent off for his second bookable offence, rather harsh considering Grant had been chopped down in the first half with only the keeper to beat and their player got nothing. We took the lead anyway when our cross was met by their keeper who backheaded the ball into his own net! We kept the lead until 15 to go when they got a goal similar to the first one and that's how it ended. Another game which we could have won.
Player of the day Matt Francis for some superb defensive work.

June 18, Game 11 v Nomads at Tulett Park, Result 3-0 win

What a difference it makes to be there, changed and warmed up on time. Even so Jai tried to make it exciting by getting lost on the way there with the strip. However Jai made up for it with an early goal to get us going. The remainder of the half was made up of us missing chances. Leo went close but still managed to get it over from 3 yards. Towards the end of the half Grant sent a lovely ball for Cameron to run on and he hit a strong shot to put us two up.
Second half we were under early pressure and some good work from our centre backs Matt and Gareth plus a fine save from James prevented Nomads from being back in it. Our midfiled pairing of Jun and Ko then created more chances before Cameron put the finishing touch on a good performance.
It's hard to measure if we were that much better than last week as Nomads are the bottom team and didn't apply the same pressure as some teams. Player of the day was Grant, who while not scoring, showed a new talent for laying off some good ball to Cameron and showed also genuine pace up front.

June 11, Game 10 v North Canterbury at Riccarton, Result 6-0 loss

Our worst performance by far this season. Things didn't start well when the Jun and Jai show failed to show together. They arrived 5 minutes after kick off, so for the nth time this season the planned starting lineup didn't take the field.
We almost managed to get through the first 10 minutes minus warm up etc, but then James came out to a forward that had slipped by our backs, 1-0 to the opposition. The second was almost a carbon copy shortly after. We then settled and Ko had a super drive blocked by the keeper. Grant and Cam also got through but couldn't finish under pressure. 2-0 at half time.
We brought on Jun at half time, unfortunately another carbon copy defence miss break, forward rounds James goal. James was heard to groan "oh no not again". We brought Jai on to replace Ben and although we made some impression we couldn't score.
My brain has tried to block out the other goals, a penalty when Chris lost the ball in the box, a cross which we failed to block. Of all the goals scored only one could be classed as good and not an error on our part. Glenn came on with 15 to go and this helped give some more pace and control in the midfield (if the reserves hadn't gone to extra time he would have started in place of the old guy).
There were some positives, Michael Ellis made his debut and proved strong in the air and on the ground. Michael Down ran all day in the midfield and looked good and Ko added a touch of control and class going forward.
We will be looking to shore up the defence next week. The important things are to get everyone to practice and get to the game on time!

June 4, Game 9 v Woolston at Garrick Park, Result 3-0 loss

We competed well in the first half and went in 0-0 at half time. This was not such a good omen as we have great difficulty winning second halves and seem to lose momentum at half time.
The second half started well until Robert put over a good cross and was cynically late tackled by a Woolston player. Robert had played well and effectively restrained the Woolston midfield. From this point on Woolston took control and shortly after scored. Robert went off injured just after. We conceded two more in short order.
It has to be said that we had chances to score first and couldn't take those chances. Late on in the game Leo was chopped down just outside the box, again no card but at least we got a free kick. We finished strongly but it was too late. Robert, Chris and James had very good games and Matt also played well. Ben also played well in patches and just needs to work on his fitness and he will be a real star. The rest of us need to be fitter and Gareth needs to work on using his left foot.

May 28, Game 8 v Mid Canterbury at Ashburton Domain, Result 3-2 loss

A bit of a heartbreaker this one. We started well but had an early goal disallowed for a questionable offside when Jai was sent past the defence and beat the keeper. Never mind we kept going and shortly after Leo made a solo run down the left and did the same thing - no offside this time. Jun had a chance to increase the lead after his spring like legs helped him rise to a cross, I swear the net must have had a hole as fron further back it was in. Mid Canterbury got a corner froma poor clearance and they scored from a good header. No matter Grant provided us with a second and it was 2-1 at half time.
Second half we lost the lead only 5 minutes in. From then on we dominated totally and had Mid Canterbury reeling from wave after wave of attack. We hit the crossbar, Jun produced a spectacular save from the keeper with a low volley, we had one that rolled to the line and was cleared.
As often happens in these cases we got caught out later on and lost it 3-2 in the last 5 minutes. Very shortly after, less than 5 mins, the referee blew for full time. Mid Canterbury were jubilant and we were gutted. Our player of the day, Ben Skinner, another consistent performance.
Sometimes it's just not fair.

May 14, Game 7 v Halswell at Halswell, Result 0-0 draw

Another messy start when Jun and Jai failed to show, if anyone finds a Japanese man and Chinaman in a car driving round Halswell, tell them they have missed the game. The combinations looked good after we had practiced our 442 defending on Wednesday. However they did fall apart as the game went on. Both sides had limited chances to get a goal and neither took them.
This continued into the second half. The pick of the players would be Matt, Gareth, Danny W, Chris and James. Thanks to the reserve guys for showing up after we got caught short of subs.

May 7, Game 6 v Cashmere at Avonhead 3, Result 4-1 to Cashmere

Definitely the one that got away. We got off to a flying start and were 1-0 up thanks to a good strike from Cameron after about 10 minutes. By mid-way through the half Cashmere had caught up. Cameron had a chance to get a second, thanks to some good work from Jun but somehow from close range the shot went over and that turned out to be one of those turning points, so one all at half time.
The second half was pretty even, but from a short corner Cashmere blasted a shot that caught James by surprise and they were leading. Jai created a chance with some clever footwork from the left but Grant couldn't finish from a difficult angle. Like the first half and previous games we continued to give away cheap corners and like previous games we got punished. Cashmere put two identical balls on the far post and the same guy headed them away by climbing on my shoulder twice.
So in summary we had our chances, we are a good team but we need to get ahead early on, especially when we don't have the numbers to make changes later on. The pick of the players were Jun, Jai, Matt and Ben. Morgan did well considering he had already played a game. We missed Chris and Leo who played for the reserves, we also missed the in-form Danny W who is still injured, though thanks to Matthew from the reserves for turning up and subbing for us.
Scorer Cameron.

April 30, Game 5 v University at Riccarton Domain, Result 3-2 to University

A fast furious pace from the start saw us 1-0 down before the first minute had been played. However the team did well and by the 2 minute mark we were level when Grant headed in from Matt's cross. Varsity pulled ahead again by half time.
At the break we had to replace Danny W as his hamstring strain still wasn't right. We came back well in the second period and some sustained pressure from Cameron after a Grant corner saw the ball come back to Ben who finished well.
Both teams then had some chances and went for the win. Just when it looked like a draw was in sight varsity caught us too far up and broke quickly, finishing well from a cross. This was a punishing blow and we were all but out of time to catch up again.
The team can be pleased with how they played, though we need to look at our pattern at the back as we were caught flat by varsity a couple of times before the telling goal. We look forward to Chris and Leo boosting our squad after returning from international duty in China.
Goals, Grant 1, Ben 1

April 23, Game 4 v Western at Walter Park, Result 2-0 to Western

Our good run came to an end. We started really flat and never got going. It was great to have Jun back and maybe the rest of us relaxed that little bit thinking Jun could do it all. Well Jun had been away for 3 weeks, Ben out for a week and our form midfielder Danny W was out injured. The supply of ball to our wingers dried up and what they did get was blasted high and wide.
We went down 1-0 after about 15 minutes in the first half. Western are a physical, tall and whinging side who never let up. This showed as by the end of the game the ref had booked at least 4 and sent one off. However this did nothing for the flow of the game. Cameron had our best chance from a break, but this was saved by their keeper. Towards the end another high ball came over from a free kick and we let in our second.
We need to work on defensive corners and free kicks and also on our offensive free kicks. All in all not our best day but we will learn and get better.

April 16, Game 3 v Nomads at Avonhead Park, Result 4-2 to Avon

We were almost organised this week apart from Jerry who turned up at kick off! We fixed this by playing our reserve/youth centre forward Simon at right back. The first half went quite well and we were two up by half time thanks to Grant and Cameron.
Second half saw us extend the lead out to 3-0 with another goal from Grant and with 20 to go we were cruising. That turned out to be a dumb thing to do and two goals from Nomads within a minute saw us struggling at 3-2. However our attacking mode continued and Cameron scored a great goal to finish Nomads off.
The last ten saw us defending a lot but thanks to some good defending and a few desparate headers from Nick we made it OK. We used all our subs with Danny W pulling a hamstring from a corner and Ryan running out of energy. All in all a great team performance.
Goals, Grant 2, Cameron 2

April 9, Game 2 v North Canterbury at Kendall Park, Result 1-0 to Avon

A really tough game that had most of us exhaused by the end. In the first half the match was pretty even, with both sides having chances to score. We managed to get some break away chances but still haven't got a goal for our work. Most of the North Canterbury chances were created by us as we got over elaborate on our short passing. Half time 0-0.
Second half we created some space for Grant to whip over a cross and one of the North Canterbury defenders duly finished it with a great header! For the next 20 minutes we counter-attacked to get another as North Canterbury pressed forward in search of the equaliser. We swapped Danny for Leo which gave us a fresh pair of legs and Leo duly took his chances and created some good opportunities. Cameron cramped up and Leon came on.
As the game went on we started to tire and the last 12 minutes our goalmouth was bombarded by predictable high balls which our defenders and keeper James abley dealt with. This last period was a great test of character and it would have been easy to get rolled but we worked hard to hang on for an enjoyable win.
Scorer OG

April 2, Game 1 v Woolston at Avonhead Park, Result 3-0 to Woolston

We started well and created a number of breakaway chances and if our finishing had been up to our normal standard we could well have been 1 or 2 up by the half hour mark. Grant, Cameron and Leo all had chances but couldn't finish. As it was Woolston put over a good cross which we failed to clear and that was their first goal. Again we pushed forward, but the Woolston team fought back and were left a bit much room in the midfield and they took their chance, via a deflected shot.
Second half and the Woolston team used their size and power to good advantage and a superb save from James kept us in it. However a gap appeared and Woolston put their third away. Late on we had a final opportunity when Nick put Grant away but the shot went over.
In summary a good performance against a vastly more experienced team and we know that with a bit more composure we could take points off teams like this. We stuck to our gameplan and played football for most of the day. For most guys this was their first senior game and players such as Matt, James and Gareth can be pleased with their debuts.
PS - We miss you Jun, come back from Japan soon.

March 20, Friendly v Burnside Selection at Avonhead Park, Result 4-1 to Avon

Our squad just had time to arrive before we took the field. This was part of our tactics to wear Burnside down as they had been warming up for the previous 30 minutes. The team reacted well to the increased pace and pressure of the Burnside team. The first goal came after 20 minutes when Grant lobbed the keeper and then headed home the rebound. By half time the lead was doubled.
The Second half was a good performance even though by this time we had rolled over 7 subs which meant we had new players in new positions. Cameron continued to use his speed and physical presence up front to create real issues for Burnside. They pegged one back against the run of play but the lads just settled and put two more away in quick succession.
The performances from the new players, Grant, Cameron and Ben were great along with many other good games. Jun lasted 15 mins of the first team game plus the whole match with us and put in another clssy dispaly. James was unlucky not to have a clean sheet. As usual I have lost track of the scorers Grant (2), Danny 1 and ?

March 13, Friendly v University Div 1 at Avonhead Park, Result 6-3 to Avon

Our new team barely had time to exchange names before we got underway. Our football was good though and with some unbelievable combinations we carved the defence numerous times in the first 15 minutes. Despite this we ended up 2-0 down towards the end of the first half. With a minute to go we pulled it back to 2-1 at half time.
Second half was one way traffic and we quickly raced to 4-2 up with 2 absolutely amazing goals from Jun - one a turning volley from a cross and the other from 20 yards out that dipped and swerved leaving the keeper flailing. University got an equally good goal before we finished the job 6-3.
It was good to see the new lads Chris, Danny C, Leo, Leon and Jerry team up with Jun. Also Gareth and Michael played well at the back. Other scorers were Nick, Morgan, Danny C and ?

Copyright Avon United 2005.