The Marist Skins slid and splashed their way to a 4-2 win over Petone JJs on Saturday. Details of the opening goal was sketchy from the forlorn spot of goal keeper down the other end, but was an ugly, but important goal through a combination of the dangerous Scott Crookston and a helpful defender. This goal gave the Skins confidence and despite one major scare where the dangerous spectacled JJs striker could've provided the equaliser, the Skins had the better of proceedings, yet were kept honest.
The second half provided a smorgasbord of great goals. The Skins increased their lead to 3-0 with two breath taking goals. The first (I think) was a brilliant free kick from Scott Crookston which went into the bottom right hand corner of the goal. The third was from a stray shot from the unlucky Jim Boutcher which collected a conveniently well placed heel from Stephen Toplis to fall into the goal. The Skins then eased off with a three goal lead.
Petone JJs didn't give up and their spectacled striker was in the thick of it. Firstly a lobbed ball looked to be heading dead for all money about five metres wide of the goal. Keeper Donaldson was actually preparing to stop the ball from ending up miles away from the field, when suddenly someone appeared and headed the ball in from an incredibly obscure angle on the dead ball line. It was such a surprising goal for several reasons including that picking the ball up from his own net was the first time the Skins keeper had touched the ball all half, but worse was that the Skins keeper had no idea anyone was there. There was no one around it seemed, no one was telling him that this guy was there and no defenders followed him back. Some mysteries of science exist as to how he was onside and how the ball made it in from that angle and you have to assume that the ball managed to get into the goal even though it seemed to be out or at least very close to it. It was a science defying piece of brilliance by the Number 15.
The JJs weren't finished when the same guy managed to evade three Skins defenders who actually got in each others way and couldn't get decent footing to clear the ball and he slotted it. This guy then hurt his hamstring, unluckily for JJs and luckily for the Skins.
The game could've slipped away, but former goal scoring supremo Jim Boutcher turned provider for the second time when he fed midfield maestro Marshall Benson, who calmly slotted a low left foot shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. It was a well taken goal and gave the Skins a deserved 4-2 win.
Petone JJs were dangerous with their spectacled striker, but were generally kept in check, with some great play, especially from Dan Popham. The Skins mids dictated play well and Scott Crookston was especially dangerous. I must say that the Marist team could've scored more, but the way they put four away, you can't complain!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A "Lucky" Win: Skins 5 - 1 North Wellington
This is how the North Wellington captain described this match. An interesting term, "lucky". To paraphrase Gary Player, the better we played the luckier we got.
To be fair, the first half was hard work. The Skins didn't retain possession, rarely attacked with commitment (the only real chances fell to Symon and Darren) but defended tigerishly. The wind meant that clearing the ball was harder work, but options were not given and there was a negative mindset, possibly because the opposition came out with passion (possibly from their extensive pre-match callisthenics) and got an early goal. Other chances came to North Wellington, but they seemed keen to play it into the net rather than shooting with the wind. The 9 man Skins defence did well to limit their opportunities.
And then the second half. There was no hint of panic despite being a goal down. And pressure was applied quickly to keep the ball in the North Wellington half. An early corner was cleared to the edge of the box where Symon utilised his impressive technique to hit the ball from over waist-height and keep it under the bar. The immobile keeper was presumably unsighted, but it was a difficult chance well taken. To be honest, from that point on, the match was really only going one way. The goal brought confidence and the wind was now taking the pressure off the Skins defence. Goals were inevitable and I may well mess up the order in which they flowed.
A sweet move down the left through Aaron to Scotty C to Marsh and then back to Scotty gave him the space to place a shot in the far corner. With humility, the top scorer suggested the keeper should have got to it, but it looked a fine finish. The next goal came from another dangerous corner from Ben (whose delivery was consistently high quality) and Scotty took a good effort which looked to be covered by the defender at the far post, but he took a swing at it and put it into the back of his own net. That was a lucky goal, I guess.
The fourth was another set play: a low corner from Ben, flicked on at the near post by Jimmy for Willy to double his tally for the season, rising gently above the defenders to nod home. That's a total distance of 2 foot for his goals.
But more was to come. Some strong play down the left and middle gave Jimmy the chance to put a lobbed ball over the defence into the area, the keeper dithered and Scotty C accepted the invitation to score.
There were others chances which came and went, but the second half dominance was a welcome change from recent games where the Skins have been out-muscled, or just not wanted it as much as the opposition.
If that's luck, then I guess we'll ride it.
To be fair, the first half was hard work. The Skins didn't retain possession, rarely attacked with commitment (the only real chances fell to Symon and Darren) but defended tigerishly. The wind meant that clearing the ball was harder work, but options were not given and there was a negative mindset, possibly because the opposition came out with passion (possibly from their extensive pre-match callisthenics) and got an early goal. Other chances came to North Wellington, but they seemed keen to play it into the net rather than shooting with the wind. The 9 man Skins defence did well to limit their opportunities.
And then the second half. There was no hint of panic despite being a goal down. And pressure was applied quickly to keep the ball in the North Wellington half. An early corner was cleared to the edge of the box where Symon utilised his impressive technique to hit the ball from over waist-height and keep it under the bar. The immobile keeper was presumably unsighted, but it was a difficult chance well taken. To be honest, from that point on, the match was really only going one way. The goal brought confidence and the wind was now taking the pressure off the Skins defence. Goals were inevitable and I may well mess up the order in which they flowed.
A sweet move down the left through Aaron to Scotty C to Marsh and then back to Scotty gave him the space to place a shot in the far corner. With humility, the top scorer suggested the keeper should have got to it, but it looked a fine finish. The next goal came from another dangerous corner from Ben (whose delivery was consistently high quality) and Scotty took a good effort which looked to be covered by the defender at the far post, but he took a swing at it and put it into the back of his own net. That was a lucky goal, I guess.
The fourth was another set play: a low corner from Ben, flicked on at the near post by Jimmy for Willy to double his tally for the season, rising gently above the defenders to nod home. That's a total distance of 2 foot for his goals.
But more was to come. Some strong play down the left and middle gave Jimmy the chance to put a lobbed ball over the defence into the area, the keeper dithered and Scotty C accepted the invitation to score.
There were others chances which came and went, but the second half dominance was a welcome change from recent games where the Skins have been out-muscled, or just not wanted it as much as the opposition.
If that's luck, then I guess we'll ride it.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
So Close, Yet So Far!
The Marist Skins sunk to 6th place with a demoralising 2-1 away defeat to the Stokes Valley Killer Bees on Saturday. The Killer Bees struck a late winner in the last five minutes to move to the top of the table in Capital Div 8 action.
The Killer Bees started strongly and scored after 10 minutes. A nice right sided attack opened up the Skins defence before Number 22 nutmegged Donaldson to feed the nemesis Cookie who slotted the goal past a diving Chamberlain in goals.
The goal sparked the Skins into action as they finished the first half with some great plays down the left, with the Crookston brothers and Fernando creating havoc for the Bees defence. The Skins continually got the ball into the box, but just lacked the killer finish. The away team were rewarded for the pressure they created with a penalty as the dangerous Mark Crookston was taken down in the box. His brother Scott, looking to preserve his Golden Boot aspirations, slotted the penalty to bring the scores level. At half time the game honours were pretty even, with the Bees starting stronger, but the Skins finishing stronger.
The Killer Bees changed their strategy, by pushing more players forward. They moved their tall midfielder into a more attacking role, creating further pressure for the Skins who were left drawing back their troops to compensate. Sportsmanship was the winner when Skins forward created some havoc for the Killer Bees defence and was awarded a penalty for being taken down in the box. The Skins attacker refused to accept the penalty as in actual fact he had fallen over himself. The act of sportsmanship is rarely seen these days, especially in tournaments like Euro 2008, but it was a commendable action. Both teams played some nice passing football, with the Bees more aggressive eye finally showed when their left back laced a shot into the top left corner to give them the winner with five minutes left.
The Skins played well, but were forced into defending more than they should've been. They passed the ball well using their wings and got the ball into the opposition red zone, but just lacked the finishing prowess required. The Killer Bees were always threatening, with their aggressive play. They showed why they haven't lost a game, yet only just avoided sharing the points. It is typical of this league, that the 5th place team can get so close to an unbeaten team.
The Killer Bees started strongly and scored after 10 minutes. A nice right sided attack opened up the Skins defence before Number 22 nutmegged Donaldson to feed the nemesis Cookie who slotted the goal past a diving Chamberlain in goals.
The goal sparked the Skins into action as they finished the first half with some great plays down the left, with the Crookston brothers and Fernando creating havoc for the Bees defence. The Skins continually got the ball into the box, but just lacked the killer finish. The away team were rewarded for the pressure they created with a penalty as the dangerous Mark Crookston was taken down in the box. His brother Scott, looking to preserve his Golden Boot aspirations, slotted the penalty to bring the scores level. At half time the game honours were pretty even, with the Bees starting stronger, but the Skins finishing stronger.
The Killer Bees changed their strategy, by pushing more players forward. They moved their tall midfielder into a more attacking role, creating further pressure for the Skins who were left drawing back their troops to compensate. Sportsmanship was the winner when Skins forward created some havoc for the Killer Bees defence and was awarded a penalty for being taken down in the box. The Skins attacker refused to accept the penalty as in actual fact he had fallen over himself. The act of sportsmanship is rarely seen these days, especially in tournaments like Euro 2008, but it was a commendable action. Both teams played some nice passing football, with the Bees more aggressive eye finally showed when their left back laced a shot into the top left corner to give them the winner with five minutes left.
The Skins played well, but were forced into defending more than they should've been. They passed the ball well using their wings and got the ball into the opposition red zone, but just lacked the finishing prowess required. The Killer Bees were always threatening, with their aggressive play. They showed why they haven't lost a game, yet only just avoided sharing the points. It is typical of this league, that the 5th place team can get so close to an unbeaten team.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Northerly Chaos!
The Marist Skins went down to Tawa Saintz in the gale force northerlies at Cobham Park 2-1 on Saturday. The visitors won the toss and played into the two goal wind first half. The first quarter was relatively even and the speedy young Tawa Saintz took the lead after about fifteen minutes with an attacking raid which saw them find space up the field with the ball. They suddenly were left with an overlap in the middle and a nice pass and shot scored a clinical go ahead goal. This gave the Skins the kick in the pants they needed and some great keeping by the Tawa Saintz goalie kept the home team honest. Finally from a cross, Mark Crooston's flick on got high with the wind and Ray Hardy headered the ball into the net. The home fans were cheering at this stage. There were plenty of opportunities for the Skins who had a great finish to the first half, but finding the target without being stopped by the fists of the Saintz goalie proved difficult.
The second half was dominated by the increasing wind and uneven pitch conditions which combined to make passing difficult. Tawa grabbed a second goal ten minutes into the second half when the ball boggled around the Skins defence before falling into the path of a Saintz striker who made the home side pay. The Saintz had more chances with the wind, but again some stoic goal keeping by Ray Hardy kept the Skins in it. The long range shots were the order of the day. The re-jigged Skins created half chances, but the game was ruined as a spectacle by the conditions.
The Saintz took their chances better and played better into the wind. The Skins really needed to be up at halftime, but battled well with the tough wind. It was almost a case of the wind being too strong to exploit effectively. Player of the game went to Dan Popham who was often the thorn in the side of the Tawa attacks. Aaron Watson worked industriously in midfield, while Ray Hardy was going well at both ends of the field. Capital 8 is a tough competition, so the Skins shouldn't lose heart.
Things don't get any easier next week as we play Stokes Valley the top team away. The positive is that we play better away from home, usually!
The second half was dominated by the increasing wind and uneven pitch conditions which combined to make passing difficult. Tawa grabbed a second goal ten minutes into the second half when the ball boggled around the Skins defence before falling into the path of a Saintz striker who made the home side pay. The Saintz had more chances with the wind, but again some stoic goal keeping by Ray Hardy kept the Skins in it. The long range shots were the order of the day. The re-jigged Skins created half chances, but the game was ruined as a spectacle by the conditions.
The Saintz took their chances better and played better into the wind. The Skins really needed to be up at halftime, but battled well with the tough wind. It was almost a case of the wind being too strong to exploit effectively. Player of the game went to Dan Popham who was often the thorn in the side of the Tawa attacks. Aaron Watson worked industriously in midfield, while Ray Hardy was going well at both ends of the field. Capital 8 is a tough competition, so the Skins shouldn't lose heart.
Things don't get any easier next week as we play Stokes Valley the top team away. The positive is that we play better away from home, usually!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Shooting Fish in a Barrel: Wellington United Salmon 3 Marist Skins 4
Scotty is the detail man, but damn! that was a close-run thing. 1-0 down to a good finish from the excellent Salmon striker, the Skins were not playing especially well, but then there was a wake-up. Thomas had done some promising work down the right flank, but Ben's arrival (and the confidence boost the defence received with Thomas back in goal instead of this year's sicknote, Jimmy) triggered some excellent football and a fightback leading to 3 goals before the half ended.
Ray put the Skins back on track with 2 goals, a clean finish from a fumbled save after a Scotty C looping shot and a powerful header. Scotty C also hit the net, putting himself in the way of a hard challenge from the keeper, and just getting a touch on the ball.
The change of ends meant the rising wind and lowering sun counted against the Skins and the Salmon looked to be taking full advantage. A handball from a grounded player put the ball back to a Salmon forward who knocked the ball superbly over Thomas from outside the area. And then the first goalscorer outpaced the defence to put another quality finish away.
This was not to be the Salmon's day however. One of the more agricultural challenges from the powerful Salmon defence was penalised, and the freekick was floated to the back post where Mark put in a decent header that the keeper could only palm across the box for Willie to strike powerfully home. Or for Willie to walk into, scuffing it over the line. Depends who you talk to.
The Salmon continued to pressure, but the Skins held on for a good win. This is a tight division, and no mistake. The Skins strikeforce showed quality finishing and there was superb industry in the midfield to limit the opposition and create chances. While the defence conceded 3 today, it still performed solidly, with Dion and Dan still managing to support their wingers while shacking the opposition wingers
Goooooal
Aerial warfare
Committed challenges
Post-impact
Ray put the Skins back on track with 2 goals, a clean finish from a fumbled save after a Scotty C looping shot and a powerful header. Scotty C also hit the net, putting himself in the way of a hard challenge from the keeper, and just getting a touch on the ball.
The change of ends meant the rising wind and lowering sun counted against the Skins and the Salmon looked to be taking full advantage. A handball from a grounded player put the ball back to a Salmon forward who knocked the ball superbly over Thomas from outside the area. And then the first goalscorer outpaced the defence to put another quality finish away.
This was not to be the Salmon's day however. One of the more agricultural challenges from the powerful Salmon defence was penalised, and the freekick was floated to the back post where Mark put in a decent header that the keeper could only palm across the box for Willie to strike powerfully home. Or for Willie to walk into, scuffing it over the line. Depends who you talk to.
The Salmon continued to pressure, but the Skins held on for a good win. This is a tight division, and no mistake. The Skins strikeforce showed quality finishing and there was superb industry in the midfield to limit the opposition and create chances. While the defence conceded 3 today, it still performed solidly, with Dion and Dan still managing to support their wingers while shacking the opposition wingers
Goooooal
Aerial warfare
Committed challenges
Post-impact
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