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Senior News - Division 1 Section Back to Seniors 2006 Homepage

Golden Boot Div 1 - 2006
Kosuke Hori 16
Jun Madono 11
Cameron Long 9
Matt Whittle 4
Oliver Brett 3
Erfan Nourozi 3
Glenn Williams 3
Sean Liddle 2
Hamish Murcott 2
Ben Skinner 2
Adam VanOpzeeleand 1
Grant Weston 1

Match Reports

Game 18 v Halswell, Avonhead S4, August 19, Result 6-3 win

The final league game of the season againts Halswell. I admit to being nervous about this all week as Halswell had proven to be a strong team over the last few games. The only thing in our favour was that they were now 4 points back and couldn't win the league. As usual I was still struggling to put a team together with Matt being a late withdrawl and Adam VO also being unavailable. However Grant Weston, our player of the year from last season turned up and Jono Weusten from the reserves also came along and that settled the nerves.
The game started well with Ko getting in an early shot, and then another and another. From the sideline it was looking like we weren't going to score and Halswell were making chances at the other end. However our luck held, Craig worked hard in goal and things remained even. Mid way through the half Ko finally broke the drought with a close range effort that somehow looped in the net. Shortly after Jun got his first. Then before half time Ko got a second. This settled the nerves a bit.
The second half didn't start that well and we failed to clear and it was back to 3-1. The end to end football continued and Ko got his third. At this point mid way through the half we brought Grant on in place of Ko. Jun got our 5th and it was starting to look good. However the wheels got a bit wobbly after this and Halswell got 2 back, another mistake and it would get really interesting. However Jono who had come on when Ryan ran out of steam at the hour mark was steady at the back with Ben, Sean and Gareth. A bit of luck with 10 to go saw Grant pressure a ball in the box and the resulting clearance cannoned off his chest and it was 6-3.
It's not often we get a crowd of supporters but we did and that lifted the team. We were also stunned that half the Div 1 Christchurch United team came along and cheered us and generally made a lot of noise on the sidelines. Thanks for that guys it really made a unique difference.
Not our best days play, but we did create a lot of chances and the players stood up well the the pressure on the day. Knowing only a win would do the guys did a great job and stuck to their tasks. Hard to give a player of the day as all the guys worked well. Our young midfield has been the engine room all season and stood up to all sorts of challenges from vastly more experienced sides. Craig's time in goal has seen us go unbeaten in the last 5 games and given the defence a new found confidence. Ko has hit a rich vein of goal scoring form. However now that I can sit back and consider I think Jun's late season form (and the fact he has been turning up again) has been fantastic. His ability to create spaces with perfectly timed passes has been outstanding.
So in summary we played 18, won 13, drew 2, scored 58 and let in 32, this was good enough to pip Western and finish first in the league. Well done to everyone for the part you all played in this great team performance.

Scorers: Ko (3), Jun (2), Grant (1).

Post Script - I didn't get a goal this year, but it's the first team I have played in that's won its senior grade since I played for Western when I was as young as the guys playing in this team. For the record we finished just in front of Shamrock in 1980. Nick Williams (player/coach)

Game 17 v Nomads Blue, Spreydon S3, August 12, Result 6-1 win

The pre match was back to our past chaos with our subs all getting injured in early games, Caleb was hurt in the Premier Youth game and Matt got hurt playing for the reserves. No one from the reserves turned up to help, despite our pleas, which was disappointing. I texted Grant, but when he didn't reply by kick off I crossed him off the card. Grant duly turned up shortly after kick off but as the ref was a former teacher of Grant's we couldn't use him.
To the game...Not the ideal pitch for us as Spreydon 3 is short, narrow and bumpy. However after about 15 minutes of attacking we were rewarded with a goal from Ko. The lead didn't last too long and a long range shot somehow dipped over Craig, 1-1 and game on. We steadied and Ko scored again before the break.
Second half and Ko missed a couple of good chances after going solo to goal. Just as Ross and I were thinking it wouldn't be our day Jun finished well for our third. Ko then put in another for his hat-trick Good work by Gelnn and Jun lead to Ko's fourth. About mid way through the half Ryan went off and Nick came on. We got one more goal later in the half, Ko again.
Overall we played quite well on a difficult pitch. The Nomads team were unlucky that our chances went in and theirs didn't. Gareth had a great game at left back and Ben combined well with Sean at centre back. The midfield four also went well and won lots of ball and provided the supply for our forwards. Up front while Ko was scoring them, Jun was creating them. Hard to go past Ko as player of the day though, not often someone gets 5 in a Div 1 game.

Scorers: Ko (5), Jun (1).

Game 16 v Western B, Walter Park, August 5, Result 3-1 win

We knew it would be tough after seeing Western B had only just lost to their A side by 2-1 last week. It proved tough too and we defended for much of the opening 10 minutes. However as the half wore on we got into our stride and Ollie opened the scoring at the 15 minute mark. We then dominated for a long period and Jun, Ko and Glenn had a number of close (and not so close) chances. Ryan was playing well at the back but we broke him again and Caleb was on late in the half. Around the 40 minute mark after a number of corners we put the ball deep and their keeper only got close enough to tip the ball to the back post where Erfan headed home. We gladly took the two goal lead in at half time.
Second half we started slowly as well and Western took their chance and it was all on at 2-1. While we had the better of the half with Ko getting away a number of times we couldn't score. Sean was working hard at the back keeping things tidy but the midfield was getting overrun. We replaced Ernie with Nick and started to close them down a bit more. Later on Ollie went down the wing and put in a beatiful cross which Jun and Hamish couldn't quite get onto. With 10 to go Glenn took the ball outside the box and dribbled past 3 or 4 defenders and slotted the ball low and right of the keeper for our third.
It's hard to pick a player of the day as everyone had their moments but no one had a really great game. Certainly Craig kept us in it by removing all the danger from the high balls, Ollie had some great runs and Glenn worked hard in the mids. Overall though Sean probably had the best performance. There's still some work to do and we will need to be at the top of our form for the remaining two games.

Scorers: Ollie (1), Erfan (1), Glenn (1)

Game 15 v Christchurch United, Spreydon Domain, July 29, Result 3-1 win

Another pressure game against a solid and hard running team. We started well enough with a goal after about 9 minutes when Ko broke through. At the 20 minute mark a combination between Jun and Ko resulted in Jun breaking the offside trap and racing through a gap onto a lovely ball from Ko. There were angry calls for offside from many United players who couldn't believe a player could come through that fast. Having see these two work their magic for the last few months none of us were surprised or thought it offside. However what this did do was give the United players a cause and they pressured us for the next 10 minutes. Craig dealt easily with most of it but they got a break down our right and managed the finest of shots which snuck in at the far post. After a bit more pressure we dominated the final part of the half.
Second half we came out and pretty much dominated. Ko missed an almost point blank chance, he then had a fine half volley saved. We had a shot cleared off the line by a header. At this stage it was looking like one of those days where you can't score and the opposition might sneak one. But while I was yelling at the ref to bring Matt on Jun popped up and scored the third.
The introduction of Matt caused some additional problems for their defence, but despite creating more chances we couldn't improve on the 3 we had. Overall a pretty good performance. We created chances up front, Glenn and Ernie worked really hard in centre midfield. Hamish battled real hard on his side against ex Avon Youth player Chris Weir. At the back we looked pretty tidy and Craig didn't have much to do. Hard to pick a player of the day with everyone doing a good job. Possibly shared between Ko up front and Hamish and Erfan in the mids, but really very little between everyone.

Scorers: Jun (2), Ko (1)

Game 14 v University, Avonhead S5, July 22, Result 6-1 win

A slow start not helped by Erfan going walkabout and not turning up. We knew it would be difficult against University and the opening 15 minutes proved to be a real struggle. Things were helped along when the ref gave us a penalty and regular Sean raced up and scored. Only a minute or so later Jun headed in a cross from the left to make it 2. Hamish got a bit of luck when his shot hit the post and rebounded off the keeper to make it 3 by half time.
Second half saw us create lots of chances with Matt getting close on a number of occasions but their keeper was doing really well. Ko went on a fine run and made it 4. Shortly after Ko's replacement Adam VO came on and scored. Shortly after Nick had a good chance when Jun put a nice ball down the left and Nick shot at the near post (if I had looked up I would have seen Glenn in support/space and passed instead). Craig Bradley in goal was doing really well and it was great to see all the high balls collected safely. However we multiply failed to tackle one of their forwards as he dribbled ponderously in the box and scored. Darn 5-1. However the team were on a roll and Ollie came right back and put in a 6th. A close call for a penalty could have seen it 6-2 but we escaped and it was full time. Players of the day were Craig in goal (please sign for us the masters don't need 2 keepers) and Hamish on the left. However it was a real team effort so well done everyone.

Scorers: Sean (1), Jun (1), Hamish (1), Ko (1), Adam VO (1), Ollie (1)

Game 13 v Nomads Blue, Avonhead S3, July 15, Result 4-2 win

Not a bad day by our standards. We had a team before kick off and it looked good with Adam VO coming along to strengthen us as well. Ko started the scoring with a well taken shot - it was uncanny to watch how Jun and Ko could find each other. An interception by Glenn led to a brilliant drive from distance by Ollie to make it 2. Jun and Ko continued to make inroads but were getting knocked off the ball regularly. The mids strengthened by Hamish were getting a lot of ball to our forwards. The only disappointment was Ben picking up an injury, but we had Caleb ready to replace him. So 2-0 at half time.
We made a switch for the second half, bringing on Matt for Ko. Matt's size a presence proved a real handful for Nomads and he was rewarded with a goal early in the second half. Adam came on for an injured Ollie. It was at this stage that 1.5 wheels fell off (no fault of Adam). First Nick Brown and Hayden both failed to clear an easy ball in the 6 yard box which Nomads happily converted. Then a shot from further out went in. With 10 to go we brought on Nick for the tiring Erfan and almost immediately Glenn scored from a loose clearance from a corner. At 4-2 Nomads came back at us, but some scrambling defence saw us keep the margin. A number of players stood out, Hayden at centre back who looked solid (apart from the clearance), Gareth charging up and down the line (although one of his up charges lead to the Hayden incident), Matt also made a great impact. Player of the day went to Nick B for his debut in goal for our side. So overall a good result but we still have lots of room to improve.

Scorers: Ko (1), Ollie (1), Matt (1), Glenn (1)

Game 12 v Technical, Ray Blank S2, July 8, Result 2-2 draw

A game we could have won which left us feeling bittery disappointed with a draw.

We started well enough and scored early on with a fine taken goal from Ko. We had a number of chances throughout the half to increase the margin but couldn't convert. Their keeper did well to keep them in it. Predictably we only had to make a single mistake and they were back level. 1-1 at half time.

The sesond half started brightly with Glenn earning a penalty when he moved the ball across the box and one of their players stuck out a hand to stop it. Sean raced up and duly slotted the penalty much to our relief. As the game wore on we tired and they started to become more agressive and scrappy, also they brought on a truckload of reserve player subs (as usual). The combined effects of these was to disrupt our game. However we battled on and were holding them out. With 10 minutes to go we panicked and put a ball out for an unnecessary corner. Our set play defending is never great and we duly let in a goal, so back level. The final 10 minutes were pretty even and neither side had a clear cut chance to win.

In summary then we should have won but a poor team performance both in the finishing area and defending saw us get a miserable draw. On the bright side if we can play that bad and get a draw we must be pretty good. Matt turned up, but as he was carrying a knee injury we didn't bring him on (much to his disgust). Jonno Weusten was brought on late when Adam tired. We missed Ernie (sick) and Hayden (holiday). Glenn and Ollie played well and Sean was tidy at the back (apart from the corner). The player of the day went to Andrew Hawthorne making his senior debut. If we had all played as calmly and tidily as Andrew we would have had a better day.

Scorers: Ko (1), Sean (1 pen)

Game 11 v Nomads Red, Tulett S2, July 1, Result 2-1 win

Back to a winning formula, not knowing who would turn up and a quick disorganised warm up!
We had a few issues not knowing who was turning up today, we didn't hear from Adam VO, Matt also didn't tell us he was injured and Jai has gone walkabout (or driveabout) again. However by the start we had 11 including Hamish and Ryan from Div 3. A revised line up saw Nick and Gerard as centre backs with Ernie pushed into the centre with Glenn and twin Japanese strikers Jun and Ko up front. Gareth drew the left back straw (actually Ryan refused it) and Ollie got the captaincy and a start at his prefered right half position (but lost the toss).
We played pretty solidly at the start and managed to repel the early attacks from Nomads. As the half wore on we started to creat chances. Eventually Hamish went down the left flank and into the box and scored a very good solo goal. Not too long after their keeper spilled a shot and Jun followed up with our second goal. Shortly before half time Ryan got injured, which was unfortunate as he was giving us good pace and attacking power from right back. By this time Sean had finally turned up and came on. Still 2-0 at half time. Unfortunately Hamish had also aggravated an injury and couldn't continue, no more subs saw us face the second half with 10 men. Embarassingly no one was able to ref (two injured players and Barb declining), so Nomads had to do the second half too (thanks guys).
We played pretty well through most of the half. Sean and Ollie proved a good combination and Ollie got some crosses into the box. Despite some good attacks we were a bit over elaborate and couldn't finish. A lapse in concentration saw Nomads get a corner. The ball bent in to the top of our goal and all Ross could do was push it into the top corner. Heads dropped a bit, but credit to the guys they kept working and we created more chances towards the end.
Overall good performances from everyone and a much higher concentration level than last week. The standout performances were by Glenn and Ernie in central midfield and they provided drive and creativity going forward and solid tackling on defence. The big question is can we play well next week?
Scorers: Hamish (1) and Jun (1).

Game 10 v Burnside, Avonhead S2, June 24, Result 1-5 loss

Too much preparation. A full strength squad (bar Cameron who is now in the lofty heights of the first team). At the park on time, nets up by 2pm and a full warm up of the 16 man squad. It didn't help, we were rusty as and found ourselves 3-0 down after 30 minutes with goals leaking in everywhere. Ko pulled one back in the 43rd minute when he followed up a shot which hit the post. It was looking better, however almost immediately we let one back in and it was 4-1 at half time.
For the start of the second half we made 2 changes, bringing on Caleb for Gareth and Ernie for Ko. We played OK and Matt was getting closer to scoring, but ran out of puff at the hour mark. We brought on Daniel Costello (making his first of what should be many senior appearances) and Adam Green for Ollie. We pressed forward more and created chances, but still couldn't get another goal. Jun and Glenn went well in the centre of the park, but the combinations weren't there. Nick came on for the last 20 as we pushed to a 3 man backline. We did create more chances going forward and had twice as many shots as Burnside. However we gave the ball away in our half and paid the price as Burnside scored again, they hardly missed the target all day.
The biggest disappointment today was we had Adam VanOpzeeland and Daniel Costello in the squad and I had built up what a good young squad we have and how well we play and today they probably left wondering what I was thinking of when I told them. Still that's been our season, we do best with our backs against the wall. If we play a team above us we lift our game, if we play teams below we tend to start too slow. This was also a hollow way to say goodbye to Jonno Watson having his last game of the season with us. Jonno was solid in defence today and ran hard for the full 90, Player of the day goes to Jonno - Good luck in Hamilton.
Scorer: Ko (1).

Game 9 v Western A, Walter S2, June 17, Result 2-1 win

We're getting used to messy starts now, this week it was Jun who no showed, leaving us with the bare 11 from our normal squad and Gerard on the sideline. However the ref also no showed which meant a slightly late start against top of the table Western A.
We started well pressing Western back with balls to our wide players. This eventually paid off with Cameron running down the left flank and belting one past the keeper from the narrowest of angles. We held the lead for about 10 minutes and then Sean got disposessed on the right, from the cross we were caught short and a Western player tapped it in at the back post. We should have been back in front when Glenn blasted a ball to the top left from a corner, however somehow the Western post man got high and headed it clear. A short while later their keeper failed to clear a ball and it landed at Cameron's feet. Cameron duly beat the keeper and finished it off. 2-1 at half time.
The second half was a tight and rugged affair with some solid challenges. Sean really asserted himself at the back and was key to keeping most attacks at bay. Our scrambling defence and quick pressure of the ball carrier started to pay off as the opposition tired. However they had lots of spares to bring on. With somewhere around 20 mins to go we brought on Gerard for Ernie as our 5th defender and this tightened us up heaps. We spent most of the last 20 clearing the ball away and defending corners. Ross had some work to do and coped well.
All in all a solid team performance with Jonno, Gareth and Hayden also going well at the back. Ollie played really well on the left with some big tackles and good running, Adam went forward well on the right. Ernie played well as the second attacker. Glenn provided the running and enterprise in the centre again with Nick working hard but suffering a bit after his marathon last weekend. Also a huge thanks to Gerard as we couldn't have made it without his help, coming on as a defender in a tight game and keeping it tidy is a big ask and he did it fantastically. Player of the day was Sean, a top effort from the Captain.
Scorer: Cameron (2)

Game 8 v Western B, Avonhead S4, June 3, Result 4-3 win

Another messy warm up as Matt didn't show again and Jun texted in sick at the last moment. This gave Ben Skinner the opportunity to go up front. We started well enough with Cameron getting two first half goals after getting away from the defenders and running at goal in both cases. The first shot barely dribbled in but the second was rocket like.
Second half Ben got on the score sheet, the first was a keeping error that allowed Ben to stand on the goal line and tap the ball in. The second was a lovely through ball from Glenn which Ben finished nicely. Up four nil with 25 to go what could go wrong...?
At this stage I subbed our man of the match, Hayden, who had been in great form at left back. This shouldn't have affected anything but we had a blonde spell. First Western broke through and hit the post, in a rush to clear the ball (contested by Jonno and Gareth) Jonno won the race and tapped the ball into his own net. Next Gareth as last man tried to beat their centre forward, and failed, to leave an open goal for Western (4-2). Finally another hole loomed in the defence and their attacker chipped the ball over Ross (4-3). An exciting spell followed where Western almost snatched a point. Finally in the 54th minute the referee blew the whistle.
Players to stand out were Glenn (again) for some great distribution and hard running in centre mid, Sean also moved into centre mid and went very well (apart from finishing like a defender). Cam was always a threat and Caleb was solid at the back. The top performance was from Hayden who was fast and accurate in his cover at the back.
Scorers: Cameron (2), Ben (2).

Game 7 v Christchurch United, Avonhead S3, May 27, Result 3-0 win

A better performance this week saw us in control for most of the game. Our start was a bit messy when Matt failed to show up, so a quick re-organisation saw Nick anchor the centre midfield with Jun and Glenn in front and Cameron a lone striker. After about 15 minutes Nick received a throw in and turned and crossed to find Jun's head. Jun duly looped the ball over the keeper into the top left corner for the first goal. We gave away a few more corners than we wanted but held on to our lead at half time.
Second half we worked hard and were rewarded when Cameron put a ball through to Glenn on the left had side. Glenn took the ball into the box and put the ball past the stretched keeper into the back right of the net, a nice finish for Glenn's first of the season. About this stage Ernie cramped up and Caleb came on. Sean and Hayden were both pushing forward from the back and eventually this paid off with Hayden getting close to goal. The keeper failed to hold the ball and Cameron had a tap in. It was good to have Jun back and really good to have a ref for some protection from some rugged challenges. However Ross was lucky to get away with a high boot when coming for a ball in the box. A good overall team performance. Thanks to Ben and Adam for filling in for Div 3 at really late notice. Player of the day went to Glenn for the second week in a row, hopefully the team can carry on and improve on their good individual form.
Scorers: Jun (1), Glenn (1), Cameron (1)

Game 6 v University, Ilam S1, May 20, Result 2-1 loss

Top team v Bottom team, it doesn't seem to matter what a coach says about a side when his players still take a team for granted. Having played University for a number of seasons and knowing some of their regulars this was never going to be a rollover. However the internet results tables convinced some of our lads otherwise. Two nil down after 20 minutes changed their minds.
By half time it was back to 2-1 after Cameron found some space. However despite a fair bit of attacking in the second half we couldn't make any impression on a solid defence.
To be honest we didn't deserve anymore than a draw. A lack of players at training showed up with many of the guys just not match fit and players dropping off or knocking the ball aimlessly forward. We looked real rusty at times. Hopefully we can learn our lesson and get back to playing decent football next week.
Best performances were by Jonno at the back who was solid and covered well most of the day. Glenn stepped up a notch in central midfield in Jun's abscence and worked hard and created a fair amount of our play. Hayden also went well in the left back position. Finally Caleb also played well when he came on and didn't look like he had already played a game.
Scorer: Cameron (1)

Game 5 v Technical, Hillsborough S1, May 6, Result 3-1 win

We knew we just had to win this game and the motivation was provided in the form of Aaron Taylor (ex 1st team coach) who turned up to play for Tech. We made our usual hiss and a roar start and repeatedly attacked the Tech goal. Glenn had a couple of shots off target as did Matt, Cam and Jun. However as has been the pattern most weeks we haven't been able to break down the defenses that easily. A defensive lapse and some pure skill saw Jun rob one of their defenders and finish with a cool placement past the keeper stuck on his line. One nil was how it stayed till half time.
Just 42 seconds into the second half and it was back level. We managed to mess the kick off and Jonno ended up giving away a penalty. We attacked some more and Ollie had a close thing with a header. With 10 minutes to go Cameron put over a nice cross which Ernie finished off. Tech had chances to equalise with repeated attacks which included missing a simple header and hitting the post. We replied with another goal to Ernie and a solid shot off the post from Cam.
I have to say the whole squad put in a big effort and to pick a single player of the day would be difficult. The central midfield pairing of Jun and Glenn ran hard all day. Jonno and Sean looked solid at the back. It was good to have Hayden back and Caleb and then Gareth went well in the backs. The outside midfielders fist Adam and Ollie and later Ben and Ernie had a harder time getting past the pacier Tech midfield and we need to continue to work on this. However as a team performance it was great.
Scorers: Jun (1), Ernie (2).

Game 4 v Nomads Red, Avonhead S1, April 29, Result 2-3 loss

Our first loss. It was looking good at the 59 second mark when we took the lead through a defensive mix up by Nomads (OG). However as per our usual record this year we are not very good at keeping the lead and at the 4 minute mark we failed to clear the danger in our box and it was 1-1. Another error shortly after allowed Nomads to get the ball and shoot with no pressure into an open net. Also in keeping with previous weeks we had a number of good chances that we failed to convert.
Second half we equalised through a dream cross from Caleb and Cameron finished well. At 2-2 the game could have gone either way, but again we didn't hold on to the goal we had scored and Nomads were back ahead. We subbed Ben (to leave Sean on his own at centre back) and put on Nick to give a 5 man midfield and pushed Jun and Glenn further forward. We played some good football but we couldn't put enough pressure on their backline to get the equaliser we wanted.
In all a below average effort with most players playing well below the level they are capable of. We missed Ko and Gareth (injury and holday respectively) and apart from a top game by Sean no one really stood out. Most guys were late turning up to the game and practice has been patchy lately due to the gym being unavailable and the weather poor.
We will need to train hard this week and with the luxury of Ernie and Hayden coming back from holiday there will be real pressure for positions.
Scorers: Cam (1), OG (1).

Game 3 v Burnside, Burnside S2, April 22, Result 5-1 win

A good first half with Glenn and Jun running hard and dominating the midfield. This saw us having some room to release Cameron down the left and get some good angled ball into the box. However our early chances weren't converted. A touch of class saw Jun jink past a couple of defenders and finish well for the first goal. Shortly after Ko latched onto a bobbling ball in the box and scored, however the ref disallowed it.
Sean was judged to have pushed a player in our box and Burnside converted the penalty past Ross. However we came back well and Ko scored a beautiful angled shot past the keeper and 2-1 was how it stayed.
Second half saw Nick come on in place of Glenn (who had to go to work) and Nick released Jun and Cam with a good run from the box, however we didn't get a shot on. After that we had to defend for a fair period. Simon came on to replace Ko and he put in one or two good crosses. Cameron latched on to a bobbling ball and powered it at the goal, his shot took a big deflection but still had enough on it to score. We later got an equally soft penalty (their ref was consistent and we can't ask for more). Matt stepped up and the keeper got it on the first attempt. With 4 of us running in Matt won the race to the rebound and scored. Shortly after Matt got his second with a trademark goal from a well taken half volley in the box.
On the gasp of full time Ben ran onto a ball from just in their half and ran well and finished equally well, however Cam was judged to be offside (not that he was anywhere near play).
All in all we played pretty well and the backs did a good job of keeping us in it. Ross also did well, stopping another point blank shot. Caleb was narrowly the pick of the backs and player of the day.
Scorers: Jun (1), Ko (1), Cam (1), Matt (2)

Game 2 v Halswell, Halswell 2, April 8, Result 1-1 draw

We took the lead early through a nice buildup between Glenn and Jonno that Cam finished off. After this we had numerous chances to finish them off. Matt, Ko, Jun, Cam and Ollie all had good chances to put the game beyond reach. In fact Ko scored and the ball was ready to be kicked off before the ref was talked out of it by Halswell! However no one looked close to scoring.
Ross in goal ended up player of the day with a fine string of close up saves. With 10 to go Halswell levelled (from well offside) and we only just hung on for a draw. A good debut from Ernie on the right after Ko pulled a hamstring, not too many other highlights.
Scorers: Cam (1)

Game 1 v Western A, Avonhead 3, April 1, Result 4-3 win

A big match first up for Div 1 as Western are one of the favourites to win the league. We had a good start with Ko scoring in the first minute. We kept the lead until the middle of the first half, lost the lead and then got it back again when Jun went round the defence. Western made it even again in the 45th minute, then it was half time!
Second half our English import, Matt, put us in front. Five minutes later it was 3-3. All credit to the lads they didn’t give up and Cameron had an opportunity to seal it with a one on one, but the keeper saved it. Shortly after Ko finished another good move to put us ahead 4-3. The last 10 minutes were tense but we made it. Thanks to Ross for a great job on his debut as keeper (applications for the full time position still being taken). All players performed well, it was a good performance first up.
Scorers: Ko (2), Jun (1), Matt (1)

March 26, Friendly v Division 2, Result 2-1 win

A good game against some solid opposition.
The lads played some very good football but didn't get too many goals to show for it. The midfield combination or Ollie, Jun, Glenn and KO was exceptional and created plenty of opportunites with some sweeping and clever moves. The first goal was finished well by Ko after Glenn put a ball around the back of the defence. Matt got the second.
Div 2 proved solid with Richard Vernimmen playing a great game and the full back/sweeper combinations of Dave and Mike mopping up a lot of our moves.
All in all a good workout for both sides.

March 16, Friendly v University Qualifying League, Result 2-1 win

It's hard to read too much into the result as both sides were slightly down on players. However it was encouraging for us as this was our first game together and we looked pretty good.
Our English import Matt put us ahead and our other import Allen scored the winner. The standout feature for the coach was the pace we played the game at, the quality of some of our play and the hustle and commitment of the players.

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