Salmon taking part in Culture Kicks Ethnic Football Festival

The Salmon are taking part in the eighth annual Culture Kicks Football Festival this weekend

Good luck lads!

Full draw and results here

Salmon Swim Upstream

Loyal Salmon...Here are the words to the Salmon team song (or one of them at least). Just in time for the sailing adventure on Pirate Steve's boat this weekend.

Salmon Swim Upstream
(to the tune of Islands in the Stream by the Bee Gees, pref. sung whilst 3 sheets to the wind)

Salmon swim upstream
That is what we do
No one in-between
How can we be wrong
Salmon swim upstream
That is what we do
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one brother to another, ah-ah

Wellington United Salmon 2013-Team Photo

Here is the mighty Salmon (missing a few) before our end of season friendly vs. The Sunday Blazers.
(Back Row, L to R: Richie Hallam, James Stewart, Dan Jonkers, Richie Martin, Mike Upchurch, Matt O'Driscoll, Craig Ireson, Matt Fulton)
(Front Row, L to R: Adam Ray, Callum Crane, Simone "Supporter of the Year" Harris, Steve Ensslen)

2013 Season wrap and awards

Wellington United Salmon

Awards 2013

Season in summary:

Plenty of new faces this year meant that we had one of the lowest rates of ring-ins ever, often having to turn players away even in mid-winter due to high numbers. The season started poorly with the losses against Phat Boys and Chuggers putting us on the back foot right away, when both games were winnable. But then came one of the most bizarre games in Salmon history- the 9-2 trouncing of a dismal Uni Unicorns- Dismal because they moaned and whinged their way through the 90 as we schooled them in the ways of the Salmon. This was followed up by the very good win over the Nighthawks in Newtown 1. Unfortunately the momentum stuttered as we slumped to multiple losses, admittedly against some very good teams. However we managed to battle back, picking up 4 points out of 6 over Petone Dreamers, including our first clean sheet in over 2 years. Unfortunately we also racked up some pretty hefty defeats including embarrassing score lines against the JJs and Aces. A highlight however was going down 5-0 after 20 minutes in the return against Uni- normally this would have signalled a mega collapse, possibly even 15 nil- but we battled back to score 2 unanswered goal and keep the score respectable, even picking up an aggregate win over them over 2 legs.

We went into the final three games needing at least a win to stave off relegation. It was well against the odds to pick this win up against the Aces, but that’s what we did- beating the League leaders 4-1 away. In typical Salmon style we turned up next week against the rather dreadful Phat Boys and got played off the park by them. However the season ended on a high with a confident second win over Naenae.

So we ended up third from bottom, safe from relegation and with the worst defence and the fourth best offence. However when you see how teams like Aces and Uni fell apart when we beat them you’d say we won the League on spirit. No-one (well almost no-one) spat the dummy and we all marched back to the pub like troopers win, lose or draw.

This was evidenced in the great turn out last Saturday for the end of season-we had a great time and once again (thanks to Dan) picked up first place in the Nudie 400 Run. Next year I propose a fully nude away kit!

So to the awards:

Minor awards

Fresh Fish- Best New comer- as judged by Craig, with help from MOM votes

Winner

Mike Upchurch

Supporter of the Year

Simone Harris

Supporters Player of the Year

Winner

Callum Crane

Runners Up

Steve Westcott

Richard Martin

Craig Ireson

Best in Game (Most MOM Points)

Tie- Callum and Richard M (12 points each)

Game of the Year

4-1 Win vs. Aces

Runners up

7-0 win vs Petone

9-2 win over Uni

3-2 win over Naenae

Opposition of the year

Naenae Nighthawks

Goal of the Year

Steve Westcott vs Naenae

Craig tackles right back, passes to Banksy -dribbles, passes to Steve who blasts it for 2-1

Runners up

James-lob vs. Chuggers

Fulton-Header vs. Uni

Craig-Lob vs. Naenae

Craig, header off Callum cross vs. Petone dreamers

Captain’s Choice Award for commitment on the field

Steve Westcott

Steve Austin Award for Stupidity and/or Bravery

Mike Upchurch for getting knocked out then scoring vs. Aces

Dan Jonkers for putting his nuts on the line (twice) vs. Naenae

Best DJ Award

Matt O’Driscoll

Worst DJ Award

Matt O’Driscoll

Best goal celebration

Craig blowing kisses to the pretty girls vs. Aces

Worst goal celebration

Craig blowing kisses to ugly Nighthawks

Official Awards

Golden Boot

Craig Ireson- 21 Goals

Silver Boot

Matt Fulton- 4 goals

Bronze Boot

Mike Upchurch - 3 goals

Other scorers

2 goals

Adam Ray

Matt O'Driscoll

Callum Crane

Steve Westcott

Sam Mills

1 Goal

James Stewart

Steve Ensslen

Dave Armstrong

Michael Ashby

Brad

Trent

Own Goal (Uni)

Spirit of the Salmon

Finalists

Craig Ireson

Matt O'Driscoll

Adam Holloway

Richard Martin

Winner

Matt O'Driscoll

Player of the Year

Finalists

Matt O'Driscoll

Steve Westcott

Richard Martin

Callum Crane

Winner

Callum Crane

Club Award
Craig Ireson was joint Golden Boot for club with 22 goals (21 for salmon, 1 for Masters One)

Order of the Salmon-Life Membership

2013 inductee-Richard Hallam

Joining:

Nic Preddle (2007)

Craig Ireson (2008)

Kahu Kirikiri (2009)

Adam Holloway (2010)

Warrick Jackson (2011)

Stephen Jessup (2012)

Salmon make it two from two against the Nighthawks

Wellington United Salmon 5- Naenae Nighthawks 2
(Halftime 2-2)
Newtown Park

Scorers:
Craig Ireson- 3
Steve Westcott-1
Matt O'Driscoll-1

MOM Points:
Steve Westcott-3pts
Matt O'Driscoll - 2pts
Rhsy Jones - 1pt

The sun shone on a glorious performance last Saturday as a secodn consecutive win cements the Salmon in the top half of the ladder.

It was hot, and the grass was longer than usual on the hallowed ground of Newtown 1- Naenae are one of those teams which can upset you at any time so it was with caution that the Salmon took the field.
It soon became evident that, although they could play a bit, this Naenae team was alot bigger and slower than us and if we just excercised patience (our motto this year!) and persistence then points should come our way. Unfortunately our left edge, to nick a tired Rugby League phrase, was exposed by a through ball- richie Martin came to collect and the ball held up in the grass, leaving the keeper stranded- a neat lob into the empty net saw Naenae go 1-0 up- fair tio say against the early run of play. Undeterred Salmon found the equaliser- a perfectly weighted pass from Sam Mills put Craig through one on one- the attempt to go around the keeper almost came unstuck in the thick grass but a toe poke finish under the keeper did the trick.
Salmon now hit their straps and the non-scoring play of the game saw Steve E with a piratically precise cross to the centre and Matt 'Air' Fulton  rise like the proverbial to head just over the bar- impressive football lads.

Soon after Salmon deservedly took the lead when their right back tried to dribble out of trouble- Craig smelt the fear and dispossed him, squaring to Chris Banks who passed it onto a charging Steve Westcott- we've seen steve in this mood before, but Naenae were getting their first glimpse. a well timed thunderstrike that blasted the cobwebs from the corner of the goal. 2-1.

Salmon looked safe now, but it wasn't to be- With minutes to go before the break a well placed chip laned in the 6 yard box; Richie came to collect, but not quick enough-Their big striker poked it between his legs to equalise- 2-2 at the break.

Salmon didn't have to wait long to regain the lead- perhaps 10 minutes intot he second half a corner was taken by Craig- their keeper flapped and it seemed to have crossed the line, but in flapping he knocked it to the knee of Matt O'Driscoll who scored his second from a corner in two weeks for 3-2.
Now Salmon started to play- Jessup and Callum were stand outs at full back and it shows how much we dominated there to see them gallavanting forward. A contensious decision from Mike with the whistle semed to rile them and they fought back, but to no avail.  Ashby, returning from injury was runnign like a madman, and centre combos of Westcott, Fulton, Sam and then Mike Upchurch were dominating possesion. Rhys was now on also and feeding Craig with relish- Sadly Craig could not convert for his second- that is until Rhys unselfishly rolled a ball across the top of the box to the skipper who took the invitation- blasting high and handsome from 18 yards for 4-2.

15 minutes to go now, and all over bar the shouting and a few dangerous long balls from Naenae. Then Westcott found space on the right and delivered a mightily dangerous ball into the box from out wide- Craig snuck in to turn past the helpless keeper for 5-2, with 8 minutes remaining.

Enough time now for some late drama- a harmless sort of ball was met by the arm of Matt O'Driscoll as he turned in the box- Jessup had no choice but to blow for the penalty-Sad for Matt because he and Dan had both been so good at the back, especially in the second half. If Naenae scores with 5 inutes to go it could be all on-But their big striker was thwarted by Rich- once with the initial shot being stopped and then again as rich divwed at his feet when he followed up-It was quie some double save from the Geordie.

So it ended 5-2. A great result. fair play to Naenae- despite a mid match moan they were top notch blokes and came for a beer afterwards

Onwards Salmon, ever onwards!

Wellington United take down Unicorns

University Unicorns 2- WU Salmon 9
(Halftime 1-5)
Anderson

Scorers:
Craig Ireson (4, incl. 1 pen)
Sam Mills
Matt O'Driscoll
Mike Upchurch
Matt Fulton
Own Goal 

MOM Points
Craig Ireson- 3 pts
Callum Crane - 2 pts
Matt Fulton - 1 pt


This would have to be one of the more bizarre games in Salmon history, and the first time since our 7-0 cup win in 2009 that we have really dismantled a quality opposition with a relentless desire to dominate.

It seemed as though the old adage of the best time to play a University team is during term break was going to be true. They only had 9 players with ten minutes to go and their captain was in the sheds on the cell phone rather than warming up- believe me I have been there too!

We discussed offering them a player but, seeing as they had beaten us soundly in both encounters last year, we decided to wait 15 minutes before actioning any charity.

The first five minutes were all Salmon and even though we had a man advantage Uni made it seem like two as they made error after error in defence. Steve Westcott, Sam Mills and Matt O’Driscoll started bossing the middle early and it was Sam’s well timed through ball which found the skipper in space in the box. Craig finished off the left hand post for 1-0.

The next five minutes continued the theme as the extra space on the wide, wet Anderson allowed Callum and Fulton to get behind their markers and link up with the middle. The second was contentious; Steve Westcott whipped in a chipped pass into the box after Uni once again failed to clear. A Uni player rose to head it away but only nudged it into the path of Craig. The Uni captain and centre back appealed for offside as Craig rounded him to face the keeper, aggrieved, the Uni player hacked at Craig’s leg, bringing him down.

Rhys the referee had every right to point to the spot despite the protest from the Uni captain. Craig stepped up and though the penalty was close to the keeper it powered through his hands for 2-0.

Some Uni players now decided to concentrate on moaning rather than playing and it showed. A through ball from Callum found Craig again who crossed for Fulton and Sam but the Uni defender got there first to send it into the net for 3-0.

Salmon felt sorry for Uni and now, after 20 minutes and 3 goals decided enough was enough and offered up one of our subs to them- Uni’s reply? “we don’t have any shirts, they have to play skins”- - Ah no thanks, 11 v. 10 it is then.

Craig’s hat trick came soon after when Callum ran into the box from the right wing and hit the far post from his shot. Craig followed up and took an age to tap the ball into the net past the diving keeper. 4-0

Uni rallied a bit, but there goal was fortuitous, albeit expertly dispatched. Their danger man striker who took us apart last year took possession outside the box and drilled a low shot past Richie who seemed to have lost track of where the goal was for a fatal second. 1-4.

The next passage of play saw a bizarre twist yet again.  Matt was in the box facing away from goal- The Uni skipper slid in and tackled him from behind; cleanly but dangerously in the eyes of Rhys. A penalty was awarded. Cue University players raging as the spittle from last night’s Export Golds at the end of term party flecked their lips. Craig decided the aggro wasn’t worth it and gently rolled the ball to the keeper in an act of appeasement. The keeper then booted it downfield to try and catch us on the break- thankfully they didn’t. The Uni skipper spent the next five minutes whinging to me about the penalty, to which the reply was “I’d love to see you give up a penalty like that mate.”

The bottom line was, although the penalty was justified, we were playing too well to take charity.

Sam had a chance to make it 5-1 soon after when he was put through on goal and side footed wide. He’d soon make up for it.

The fifth came from Fulton cutting inside and into the box, he did enough to set up a one on one, but was off balance- Sam pounced on the chance instead and buried it. It was the right decision by Sam because a chance is just a chance until it’s finished. 1-5.

To half time and a jubilant mood in the shed- However Salmon had lost from such positions before so the watchword was caution and to keep playing the way we had been.

And that’s what we did. The first 15 minutes were scoreless, but then a corner was won on the right. Matt O’Driscoll found the loose ball with his header to score from close range for 1-6

Matt Fulton made a run down the right and back heeled to Craig who shot/crossed to the far post- the keeper spilled and Mike Upchurch followed up to open his Salmon account. 1-7.

Craig had a shot from the edge of the box which ricocheted off to Fulton following up- A deftly placed header looped over the keeper for 1-8.

Salmon were on fire now, with Dan and Steve J making runs and Richie Hallam even getting in on the act marauding down the right wing. It was classy stuff.

The final goal was the tidiest finish, but the most direct lead up- A punt from Richard met the wind and sailed through to find Mike, who passed onto Matt- Matt lofted a ball over the top to find the run of Craig-Once again Uni thought the best defence was a good moan and appealed for the offside while Craig chipped the keeper from the left  edge of the box.

There was enough time for Salmon to concede a soft gaol- their tall striker finally hitting the target after some second half misses.  The final act was James falling and hurting his keen while crossing from the left- a sad end, but as Matt said it showed our desire to finish the game off.

But it wasn’t Uni’s day- it was ours. It was aday when we played fluid, composed football and battled like troopers- a day when even the sprig marks left on our legs were as the imprints of triumphant tattoos.

End of Year Awards and Wrap up 2012

The 2012 Season was a strange one- no cancellations, a raft of new players and the return of some older ones, a huge squad and yet we were scratching around for players in the end. We had our best finish in the league for 3 years, but still only just staved off relegation. It was our worst finish in the cup ever; still enough highlights  in the season to make it all seem worthwhile with the game against Meke which will go down in Salmon folklore as one of the great escapes. (If i ever get time ill recount the other great games in our folkore!)

The defining moments were the two night defeats against Naenae (5-0) and Petone (5-1). They were two lacklustre efforts immediatley after we had secured good victories- had we won them, and both games were winnable, we could have challenged for a top four finish. I say this every year but if we can reatin the same team, put in soem training and take personal responsibiltiy for fitness over the break - we could make a good fist of getting back into the top four, if not the top two and challenging for silverware next year.

Here are the Salmon season awards for 2012

Best ‘in game’ – Highest Scorers in MOM point system

Tie-

Richard Martin (10 pts)

Michael Ashby (10 pts)

Goal Scorers

Golden Boot

Craig Ireson-23 goals

Silver Boot

Matthew Fulton- 6 goals

Steve Westcott – 4 goals

Sam Mills – 3 goals

Danny Culling – 1 goal

Max Rashbrooke- 1 goal

John Hudson – 1 goal

‘Steve Austin Bionic Man’ award

To Callum; consistently the shortest man on the field and out jumping everyone & bonus points for his Naked 400 winnning exploits

Lisa Simpson award for Attendance

Tie: Matt Fulton and Craig Ireson- 17 appearances each

The Who is Max Rashbrooke award for rarest Salmon:
Max Rashbrooke (2 appearances, and these still netted a goal and some MOM points!)

Supporter of the Year

Kahu Kirikiri

Injured in the preseason Kahu came to two games, seeing us whip BNU and then reffed for us against North Wellington.

Best Opposition

Island Bay JJs

Hard and fair, two draws was a good result against them

Worst opposition

Really? Naenae were shocking-no nets, a ref who couldn't run, an assault, a sh*t ground, a dubious penalty in the last game- a horrible club. To be fair however they did react appropriatley against their guy who punched Ashby and that is to their credit, but last time we were on that ground Kahu had his ribs broken, so there must be something about them.

The young guys from Meke and North Wgtn were lippy and arrogant- what is about the youuth of today? Sam and Callum weren't like that however!

Game of the year

Winner

6-5 versus Meke

It had it all really, mutliple come backs- a 40 metre chipped goal, hissy fits, a penatly denied, poor goalkeeping and a cracking free kick- plus a Salmon victory!

Runners up:

5-1 vs Naenae

Probably the most consistent performance all year.

3-3 vs Island Bay

Many felt like this was a loss; in fact it was a very hard fought and well earnt 1 point.

Assist of the Year

Ashby's slalom run against Naenae which ended him tangling with the tackler, only to be punched in the jaw. The free kick was converted and Ashby played on. The assailant didn't.

Goal of the year

Craig's Free kick against Meke- OK the wall was poorly placed but it was a bullet drive from 25 yards which sealed a classic victory.

Runners Up

Fultons tap in header after a lung busting run vs Island Bay- great build up work from Callum, led to a great run and pinpoint cross from Steve W.

Craig's first of the season and the 2nd against Uni  at Melrose- Danny and Steve did all the work but the finish, a top of the box screamer was nice- it was only a consolation goal however

Steve W's aforementioned 40 metre chip from a throw in against Meke- great vision and it set us rolling on the 2nd half fight back

Steve W's scything run and shot vs Brooklyn- Craig set him off and he collected and lashed the finish just inside the box

& now for the big awards

Player of the Season
Richard Martin
Consistently one of the best players on the park from either team- his athleticism and attitude kept us in many games much longer than we should have been, and in many cases his heroics brought us home the points.

Runner's up
Callum Crane

The Tasmanian Devil was a standout at right back, showing great technique in tackling, heading and passing.

Michael Ashby
No goals but lots of hard running and positive attitude- plenty to suggest his best is still yet to come and that the elusive net will be found!

We used to have a most improved award, but some felt it was a kind of backhaned compliment, if we still awarded it i think it would go to Ashby.

Craig Ireson

23 goals from 17 games? A pretty good return. He set a few up too, only a few though.

Fresh Fish-Best newcomer

It was close and there were plenty of good newcomers this year; Steve W must also be mentioned for some great skill and power in midfield but over the course of the season it came down to:

Callum Crane

Runner's Up

Ashby

Steve Westcott

Sam Mills

Fulton

Spirit of the Salmon (tie)
Dave Armstrong/Adam Holloway
Runner's up
Richard Martin
Craig Ireson

Inaugaurated into the Order of the Salmon 2012- (Lifetime Membership)

Steve Jessup