Blues News - 09

 THE NEWSLETTER OF WAIUKU AFC
MAY 25, 2007

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of New World Waiuku AFC

It’s all starting to come together….…

The last couple of weeks have seen the New World Waiuku AFC teams begin to gain some momentum in the charge for the titles in this year’s Soccer2 competitions.

In this issue we have a look at the weekend ahead and make some predictions about what it could mean for the club, but first, a look back at last weekend for the Blues.

The best first half of the season to date set up New World Waiuku AFC’s Kentish Premiers for a solid 3-1 win over University-Mount Wellington on Saturday to go clear fourth on the Super Division table.

Waiuku played well in all positions, creating a number of scoring opportunities, and outpacing their Auckland opposition in all areas.

Their opposition scored from a soft penalty after Dion Potter was adjudged to have brought down an attacker who appeared to fall over.
Goal-hungry Cody Ralph was set to start at midfield but was switched to striker just minutes before the kick-off, and responded with a first-half hat-trick to extend his goal tally to nine in seven matches, and was awarded man of the match.
Captain Robert Thornton in the centre of defence had his best match of the season, and was ably supported by Grant Muckle, Dale Oliver and Dion Potter as they closed down any Uni-Mount attack.

Team management was especially pleased with the performance of Grant Mills in midfield, who showed against Bay Olympic he has the game for this level of play, but has perhaps lacked the confidence needed for Premier play. Saturday’s effort may prove a benchmark day for the young player, who is competing with Davy Johnson and Ken Nicoll for a regular midfield start. That competition is likely to get tougher with the anticipated return of paceman Matty Whittaker from injury.

Team management say the competition for places is healthy, and just what the side needs in what is becoming the tightest Super Division championship season in its history.
In other matches the Waiuku Reserves continued their excellent recent form with a 1-0 win over Bay Olympic while the Third team lost to Onehunga Mangere 3-0.

Perfect weather, a good pitch and a truck-load of supporters are always signs of a promising game for the Waiuku Women’s premier football team. In a hard-fought match against one of the joint table leaders, Three Kings, the ladies certainly delivered plenty of classy passing sequences through the centre and strong attacks up the wings. After five minutes, the score might have been 2-0 in Waiuku’s favour, were it not for the team’s tendency to yield to Murphy’s Law and aim perfect shots at the goalpost, when placed in the opposition’s 18-yard box. Half an hour in, the women could have pitched a tent in Three Kings’ half, as wingers Laura and Theresa Johnstone put cross after cross with precision through to lone striker Gemma Gouwland, whose pace put the pressure on the Three Kings’ defence.

By half time, only a handful of deliveries had penetrated Waiuku’s otherwise solid backline and though the score was 0-0, a goal or two from Waiuku in the second half looked to be on the cards.

The wind increased significantly in the second half and playing into it was a greater than anticipated hindrance to the Blues. Valiant attempts to restore structured play produced mixed results. Occasional tidy plays between the centre mids looked promising, but the team seemed unable to capitalise on these opportunities. Gradually Three Kings became more and more settled on attack and a few careful saves from keeper, Vicky Watson, proved necessary to keep Waiuku in the game. By the full-time whistle, neither team had succeeded in scoring.

Player of the Day went to Tania Drain, for consistent efforts centre-field, while mention was also made of the Waiuku keeper. Heartened by what the team considered a deserved result, the ladies add another point to their total in what is shaping up to be an exciting season.

The Women’s reserves came through with a solid 3 – 0 victory over Three kings. The team’s leading goal scorer, Shirley Patterson, put away all three with clinical precision although some lighthearted debate reigned over whether the last was assisted by a Three Kings defender. Goal keeper, Alex Meyer, was released from her home between the posts for a stint as striker. The whole team celebrated her efforts putting a fourth into the back of the net, only to have it disallowed because of a bizarre offside decision. The team catches the ferry across to Waiheke Island on Sunday for the top of the table clash.

Points at a glance:

Team Position Points Top three and points
M Prem 4th 13 Mt Albert Pons. 18 Waiheke 16 Three Kings 14.
M Res 5th 8 MAP 12 Fencible 11 B Olympic 10
M Third 7th 4 M/rewa 18 TKU 10 B Olympic 10
W Prem 5th 9 W Springs 13 Uni Mt 12 TKU 11
W Res 1st 15 Waiuku 15 Waiheke 15 P/toe 13

This weekend – will it continue?

There’s some intriguing match-ups this weekend in all divisions but if Waiuku are to continue their march up the championship ladders, they have to do it on foreign soil, with every team playing away this weekend. Along with the preview our match specialist Kika de Balle picks the results – let’s check his performance from his last picks two weeks ago:

Team Opposition Kika’s Prediction Actual Result
Mens Prem Bay Olympic Waiuku by 2 Waiuku by 1
Mens Reserve HSOB HSOB by 1 Waiuku by 2
Mens Third Suburbs Waiuku by 2 Suburbs by 5
Womens Prem Bay Olympic Waiuku by 4 Bay Olympic by 2
Womens Reserves Bay Olympic Waiuku by 1 Waiuku by 1

Okay, it wasn’t his best work.

Let’s look ahead to the weekend and see if he does any better:

Kentish Hotel Premiers v Lynn Avon

This match could see Waiuku go second depending on other results, and there’s some great matches around Auckland in this division on Saturday.

Simply, Waiuku should win this, but Lynn Avon have been a thorn in our side for years, and lift their game. The match up there won’t be easy at all but the lads are travelling well and looking like they are ready to put a full-game performance in. Last week against Uni Mount the team was simply unstoppable in the first half, but lost a little shape and concentration in the second half. Lynn Avon will pounce on any errors, so we need the defence to continue their improvement over the last two weeks. MAP beat these guys 5-0 last week, so if we expect to win this division, we need to beat Lynn Avon, and beat them well.

The rest of the division is fascinating, with MAP facing a tricky away game against a Mangere side which beat Suburbs last week and could easily spring an upset. Pukekohe have also got a tough match away to Bay Olympic, and BO could snatch that one as well. Suburbs play Three Kings – expect a low scoring match or even a 0-0 draw there, while Fencibles have a match against a Uni-Mount side which is better than their results suggest. The easiest match-up should be Waiheke’s game against Metro, and I’d expect them to win by six or more if they are on their game.
When the dust settles, you might see Waiheke on top of the table, with Waiuku solidly in the top three, and seven teams within six points. What a season!

Kiki says: Waiuku by two.

Waiuku Reserves v Three Kings Thunder

If you thought the Premier division was tight – have a look at the Reserves! There’s four points between second and sixth, with one more point to first. The Reserves should go top-three on Saturday, playing the bottom team. BUT, Three Kings put four goals past Metro last weekend, who are just a point behind Waiuku in fifth, so anything could happen. Waiuku has showed in the last two weeks that their defence can win them close matches, so as long as the striking combination gets it together, expect to see the lads back at the social on Saturday night with a smile.
Kiki says: Waiuku by two

Mens Thirds v Clendon

It hasn’t been a great season for the lads so far, with one win from six matches, but Mandy has been building a side as the season has progressed and the team bounced back well from the shocker against Suburbs a couple of weeks ago. They face a Clendon side that’s above them on the table, but that has conceded as many as they have scored. Waiuku’s problems are simple – defence is leaking more than two goals a game, and strikers aren’t scoring. It will only take a slight improvement by both to be competitive on Saturday.

Kiki says: The guys are almost there, but this will be tough. Clendon by two.

Womens Premier:

The luckiest team in the club – they get a bye the day after the bingo and karaoke night!

Kiki says: Expect them to party the hardest at the social.

Womens Reserves v Waiheke:

The unluckiest team in the club. A boat trip across a choppy harbour straight after breakfast the morning after the club social!

And it’s not just any match – it could be the one that decides the championship. Whoever wins this goes clear at the top of the table, and will just need a draw in the return match (as long as both sides keep winning) to take the medals.

By any standard it’s got the makings of a close one – both team have won five of their six, goal difference is nine for Waiuku and eight to Waiheke and of course, both have the same points. If there’s any edge it’s the Waiuku defence, which has only conceded two goals all season, while the Islanders have let in eight. On the other hand though, Waiheke have banged in sixteen goals, against the 11 our girls have got.

Neither side have yet played third-placed Papatoetoe, so there’s no clues there, but Pukekohe have beaten Waiheke by four and we have beaten Pukekohe. Of course Waiheke beat Western Springs, who beat us.

Overall, it will come down to who wants it the most. Waiheke at Waiheke are a much harder task than away, but Waiuku will know how much this match means, and the disadvantages of an early start and a boat trip might be just enough to bond the girls together for a do-or-die effort on Sunday.

Kiki says: Crunch match, the girls will give their all. Waiuku by two.

Final words

Keep supporting those wonderful sponsors of ours and don’t forget to tell them you are choosing to buy there because they sponsor us – it all helps for next year.

Those of you lucky enough to have tickets for the bingo and karaoke night – bring plenty of gold coins for the fun and games, ensure you have a safe way to get home afterwards, and get those Reserves girls home and in bed at a reasonable hour.

Ummm….don’t take that the wrong way – remember they have an early start in the morning….for the match….oh, never mind!

Seeya at the club and good luck to anyone playing this weekend!