Monkeys win Summer Football comp

Please don't feed the Monkeys, a team made up of current and ex-Salmon, led by the Orange Roughy Johnny Sneyd, won their first ever Twilight Footie cup, with an 8 match unbeaten run to final including a 5-0 win over the hapless Marist Skins (The team which failed to score against the Salmon in three times of trying in 2009!)

Well done Monkeys and thanks to Johnny

Wgtn Utd AGM 2011

Wgtn Utd AGM
Newtown Park Clubrooms
Wednesday 16 November
7-9pm

Usually ends with a cold lager or two and a pack of crisps

Be there or don't be a Diamond...

Salmon 2011 Season Wrap & Awards

Wgtn Utd Salmon 2011
League Placing= 7th/8, on goal difference, equal 6th/8 on points
Cup Placing= 6th

Player of the Season
Simon Healy- A consistently solid performer

Runner up=Jeremy Norman

Spirit of the Salmon
Warrick Jackson-Two goals and full of passion

Runners up= Craig Ireson/Richard Hallam

Fresh Fish- Best newcomer
Richard Martin- Great athleticism and organising, clever distribution

Runner up= Matthew Fulton

2011 Inductee into Order of the salmon- aka Life Membership:
Warrick Jackson

Who now joins:
Nic Preddle (2007)
Craig Ireson (2008)
Kahu Kirikiri (2009)
Adam Holloway (2010)

Golden Boot
Craig Ireson- 18 Goals

Silver Boot
Matthew Fulton-4 Goals

Lisa Simpson Award for Attendance
Craig Ireson/John Dow- 17 games each

Steve Austin Awards for commitment over and above
Warrick Jackson- Twice turning up injured or sick to play and/or ref (v.s Bears and v.s Karori)
Michael Ashby for restoring Salmon pride with a blinding, literally blinding, naked 400 metre spring and getting 2nd place.

Game of the Year

The last minute draw against Uni in the mud was very enjoyable, but not a pretty sight. The two draws against Legends, the first game of the Season and the cup draw, were also very enjoyable. But the last game of the league against the Bears, a 3-1 win was the game of the season. A scratch team playing out of position, an early goal to the Bears, a fight back, a sending off, a hattrick to the skipper and 3pts which put tipped us into double figures. What a game.

Goal of the Year

Take your pick from two of Rowan's- the first goal against the Legends,a top corner screamer, or his header against the Saints from a pin point Ireson cross, or Jeremy's top corner belter against the Saints (admittedly a very scant consolation goal). but really I'd personally find it hard to go past my own effort against the Terrace at Te Whaea. I have now scored 152 goals for the Salmon and this would be in the top three. A quick team move to set me free, then three cut backs inside to enter the box to unleash a chip into the far right corner. It was an important goal as well, taking us back into the lead after the Terrace started to gain some traction after a jammy equaliser.

Miss of the year
Runner Up-Ashby had a blinding chance to open his account against the Beavers at Nairnville- A Fulton cross having him 1 on 1 against their stand in keeper, but his first touch bounced it softly into the keepers gloves, when the whol goal beckoned.

Winner- Well, when you have scored 18 goals in a season you have to miss a few right? A lofted free kick from Simon against the Petoen Foresure at Wakefield bounced into my path 4 yards out. I missed. Petone won the game, Boo.

Orange Roughy Award for seeing red:
Ants the Cambodian Assasin with a round house swing against the Bears, which thankfully missed
Runner up: the original Orange Roughy Johnny Sneyd, with his hot temper against the Bears

Actually maybe the Bears are the link here?

Opposition of the Year
Seatoun Gulls
Very good team, and gracious with it, bet us both times we played although we gave them a run for their money

Word up! Cameo of the Year

Danny made three nice cameos, and Rowan played four games and scored four. Scott Dunkerly from the Ressies played twice and had a great game against the Bears. Craig Stewart scored in his only appearance against the Rovers.
I was going to give it to Rowan, but I think Dali was our cameo of the year. Two Games (v.s Legends and Vs. Bears) and he kept the step overs to a minimum and defended well. The best two games he has played for us.

Summary:
Not a great season, but not the worst- Great team spirit as always, some classic results, som stunnign goals, only two real capitulations, both against Upper Hutt. There is enough there to suggest that the best is yet to come from this team, so lets consolidate, keep fit, stay in touch and hit it hard next year.

Lights go out on Cup charge

Wellington United Salmon 1- Petone For Sure 3
(Half time 0-2)
Wakefield Park #1

Scorer: Craig

MOM points
Kahu Kirikiri- 3 pts
Richard Hallam - 2 pts
Simon Healy 1 pt

Match report by Mr J. Dow

LIGHTS GO OUT ON SALMON CUP CHARGE

The sometimes mighty Salmon faced the Petone For Sure team in a must win Cup match at the salubrious Wakefield Park under lights on a still crisp Monday night.

The Petone team turned up early looking keen and eager and with a large squad determined to get the win which would push them in to a coveted Cup Final appearance, whilst the Salmon looked confident and relaxed pre match.

The Salmon started the match bright and urgent and initially looked the more likely team with the good playing surface conducive to moving the ball accurately and at pace causing Petone some early problems.

However, when a Salmon goalkick landed near the half way line and no one challenged for the ball a Petone fullback hoofed the ball forward and a clever flick on from their striker was suddenly heading for the back of the net for a lucky opening goal. Petone 1-0.

Petone had got the advantage and their confidence suddenly grew, their midfield battled hard, defenders took no prisoners and a couple of awkward but committed strikers were able to hold on to the ball and cause the Salmon defence a series of problems whenever they got the ball.

The Salmon pushed forward looking for the equilizer, Squirt was getting time on the ball in the middle of the park and was able to make a few runs forward, including unleashing a few long range efforts goalwards but off target.

Captain Craig was busily putting pressure on the Petone defenders and their keeper was looking a bit shaky, he was then injured going for a through ball and substituted off.

A tantalising Simon freekick found its way into the area and Captain Craig was clean through for what looked like a certain goal, but the bounce and speed of the ball saw him nudge it over the bar with the goalie completely beaten.

Wazza and Jeremy were working hard to get some ascendancy in the middle of the park with Kahu pushing forward to add support and Simon was constantly under pressure from their large and physical strikers, but keeping them at bay.

Richard H. and James had players running at them down the wings but generally held their own and broke up play before it became a real problem.

Fulton was getting some space on the right wing and on occassions got in behind the fullback and stretched the Petone defence.

The play was often going Petone’s way, aided by some strange refereeing decisions. A dubious foul throw against John D., a freekick against Squirt as he battled to win a corner and then a serious oversight when Captain Craig broke clear and was heading for goal only to be stopped for an “offside” which it clearly wasn’t.

Danny and Dave entered the fray out on the flanks and the Salmon continued to push forward. Dave covering huge amounts of ground with real purpose and urgency. Danny showed his ball playing ability and game awareness to find plenty of quality space which he exploited superbly.

Time and again Danny took players on and made progress, delivering passes at the end of a run that asked serious questions of Petone’s defenders, however despite forcing a couple of corners and freekicks, including one when Captain Craig was chopped on the edge of the box, the Salmon were simply not creating clear scoring opportunities and Petone kept hoofing the ball away up field.

Football can be a cruel mistress and Petone were relishing things going their way when a slow and indecisive clearance from the Salmon defence gifted them their second goal. Petone 2-0.

With their confidence boosted again, Petone laid siege to the Salmon goal, forcing corners, hitting the post twice, as well as forcing Richie Hallam to clear off the line, and generally making Richard Martin work overtime pulling off saves but failing to net a decisive third goal before the half time whistle.

Down 2-0 at the break, the Salmon had some hard work ahead of them to get back into the game.

Petone had their tails up and sensed a win was on offer, when a probing run down their left flank saw their winger clear in behind and a good cut back produced a shot that gave Richard in goal no chance. Petone 3-0 and was the Salmon dream over ?

With nothing to lose the Salmon lifted their intensity and urgency.

Danny kept making dangerous marauding runs forward, Squirt after some time on the bench reasserted himself and Captain Craig with some help from Fulton was pushing the Petone defence hard and gaps were starting to show.

Ashby, fresh from his Asian sojourn, had plenty of legs in the midfield to complement the industrious Jeremy and the Salmon were looking more dangerous and still in the game.

Kahu with an eye for the attacking option knocked a long ball into the path of Captain Craig, who with an excellent turn of pace out stripped the fullback, got himself into an excellent scoring position and duly converted the goal. Salmon 3-1 down but the dream was alive.

Suddenly the game was all on and when Wazza re emerged from the sidelines his swashbuckling style put Petone’s midfield under real pressure and Salmon were winning plenty of the ball and getting forward with a new found enthusiasm.

Richard in goal was directing the traffic at the back with confidence and purpose and with Simon as solid as ever the defensive platform was set for a late surge home and the Salmon went after the game.

Captain Craig knocked a ball through for John D. and the subsequent cut back didn’t produce the shot on target it should have. Craig then went through himself and got pushed wide before his cross/shot flew across the goalmouth and away to safety. John D. clipped a ball over the defence into space in the penalty area which neither Craig or Danny could just quite reach when a goal beckoned.

Still the Salmon battled hard to score again whilst Petone looked to break quickly but to no avail as the Salmon defence held firm.

Then with 5 minutes still on the clock, the lights and the Salmon’s brave Cup run with them, were extinguished.

As darkness descended on Wakefield Park and the reality of what was happening set in, Captain Craig with heavy heart and in deep distress made the honourable decision to concede the game, result and the Salmon’s victorious march to the 2011 Cup Final was well and truly over.

As the shell shocked Salmon troops traipsed off the park, Petone celebrated their team’s greatest achievement to date.

However, all was not lost, as the Salmon players were treated to some outstandingly high quality Beer in the changing rooms, courtesy of Steve Jessup and after some Moa Ale and Emerson Pilsener, it was widely agreed that life wasn’t so bad afterall, and on another day with a kinder and more sympathetic bounce of the ball, it could easily have been the occasionally mighty Salmon who would be preparing for a Cup Final appearance next week.

Our Cup Run Runneth Over the Rovers

Division 9/10 Cup Round Two
Wellington United Salmon 5- Karori Rovers 0
(Half time 3-0)
Melrose Park

Scorers:
Craig Ireson (3)
Craig Johnston
Warrick Jackson

MOM:
James Stewart- 3 pts
Warrick Jackson- 2 pts
Adam Holloway- 1 pt

Great result Salmon; yes, more goals were on offer and at times we seemed somnambulant but we kept a clean sheet despite having some key players out and we took five of our chances which was more than enough to see the Rovers off.
We did all this despite illness, hangovers and injury plaguing our squad as well as unseasonable sunshine making Melrose a sweaty cauldron.
On to the match report- ably remembered and written by John Dow, with only a little input from myself:

SALMON SMASH FIVE PAST ROVERS IN PUSH FOR CUP FINAL APPEARANCE

On a Spring like afternoon at Melrose Park the Salmon took the field against a Rovers side known for leaking goals in pursuit of a score that would put pressure on the Legends and Petone leading into the final round next week.

With players injured and unavailable the thin squad was under instructions to take the game to the Rovers and score plenty of goals whilst keeping a clean sheet and a 4-4-2 line up saw Fulton join Captain Craig in the forward line while Kahu took on the goalkeeping with Richard away on business.

The Salmon put Rovers under immediate pressure with Jeremy and Squirt getting the midfield ascendancy and new recruit Convert Craig Johnston, showing some dash down the right flank.

Some quick balls forward had the Rovers defence under pressure and scrambling when a miscued clearance landed at John D.’s feet out on the left.

A pin point cross picked out Jeremy who expertly headed the ball well past the beaten keeper but the ball hit the post and bounced out into the path of Convert Craig who after a rush of blood to the head managed to finally get the ball across the line and the Salmon were in front 1-0.

The Salmon continued to dominate proceedings and playing some good constructive football opened up the Rovers backline who were constantly flat footed and lacking organisation, a few shots went high and wide, plus Captain Craig in 2 efforts straight from the FIFA Fair Play dossier penalised himself for foul play which the Rovers greatly appreciated as he was in dangerous positions both times.

Rovers made a few forays forward including forcing a couple of corners but it was the Salmon who looked the more likely to score.

A loose ball in the midfield was knocked back to James by John D. and his long ball forward had Captain Craig straight through on goal and with a tidy finish Salmon were now 2-0 ahead.

Still Rovers pushed forward and with their striker clean in front of goal and only Kahu to beat he thrashed his shot against the crossbar and the ball flew to safety.

Rovers had a few more corners and were showing they were determined not to lie down.

However it was the Salmon who got Simon and Wazza into the penalty area for a few attacking corners which caused some major problems for the Rovers with one botched clearance landing nicely for Squirt on the edge of the box who lashed it back towards goal but unfortunately too high to cause the keeper a problem.

Another corner saw the ball land on a very firm and forthright part of Wazza’s anatomy, bounce up gleefully into the air, then with great gusto Wazza smashed it into the roof of the net for a much deserved goal and the Salmon were now 3-0 ahead and the Cup Final dream was very much alive.

The Salmon kept searching for the elusive extra goals and just before half time another pin point cross from the left wing floated past Fulton’s head, was completely missed by Captain Craig right in front of goal unmarked and Convert Craig also failed to dispatch a golden opportunity and the Salmon went to the half time break knowing more goals than 3 could easily have been scored.

The team were looking a bit tired as the second half got underway and the Rovers were keen to keep getting forward and sensed they weren’t completely out of the game.

Jeremy and Squirt were trying to get the midfield moving forward at every opportunity and Convert Craig and John D. were getting space on the flanks ably supported by Adam dashing down the right and James very keen to get into the action down the left.

The dominance was starting to convert into corners and a stirling effort from Jeremy was scrambled out the back door for Craig Stewart to pick up. He drove to the bye-line and dinked a short cross into the 6 yard box, where Captain Craig headed home unmarked for his 150th Salmon goal. Salmon ahead 4-0 with plenty of time to play.

Simon and Wazza were controlling the centre of defence and also showing a willingness to put pressure on the Rovers by going forward particularly for corners and freekicks.

Rovers themselves got in to a few scoring situations but some poor finishing, a post and a dominant keeper in Kahu managed to keep them at bay and scoreless.

Hanse, a friend of Fulton's, brought some fresh younger legs onto the field and Convert Craig continued his runs down the right flank which the Rovers struggled with.

A pin point through ball from Adam, afetr he dispossed their winger, was cleared back to the rover's keeper by the left back. The Keeper should have handled it comfortably, but it was seriously misdealt to and Captain Craig in true predatory fashion cheekily slipped it away from him and then sent the ball goalward for a much deserved hat trick and the Salmon were now 5-0 ahead.

A clever tactical move saw Kahu become a keen and eager target man with Captain Craig who was running out of puff donning the keepers jersey determined to keep a clean sheet as the team laid down the challenge to the Legends and Petone through a very solid win.

With Fulton maintaining his high workrate and putting Rovers defenders under pressure, Kahu started causing them other problems as he made himself available for the ball, held it up and managed to set play up or create scoring chances, in contrast to the play of Salmon’s usual striker.

A cross from John D. found Kahu’s head in the six yard box but Rovers scrambled the ball clear, then in the last play of the game a well constructed move saw Jeremy clean through on goal with only the keeper to beat but he blazed the ball over the bar from 8 yards out and the game was over with Salmon 5-0 victors.

Was such a victory going to be enough to hold off the challenge of group favourites the Legends who expected to smash the Rovers next week and finish with the best goal difference ?

News came through from the Petone Stadium that in fact the Legends and Petone had drawn 3-3 throwing the group wide open with the Salmon on top leading in to the final round.

With Petone only beating Rovers 3-1 in the first round the Salmon are in the box seat with a better goal difference than both rivals and a point more than the Legends too.

A straight win against Petone will catapult the mighty Salmon into the promised land of a glorious Cup Final appearance, regardless of what the Legends might achieve against the Rovers in their last match.

A 1-1 or 2-2 Salmon draw with Petone would give the Legends a chance of finishing top by crunching the Rovers by 5-0 or better.

A 3-3 draw and a 5-0 Legends win would leave both sides exactly equal on goal difference and perhaps a toss of a coin would be required ?

Can this Salmon side who have shown plenty of endeavour, played some good football, fought hard against tough opponents, scored quality goals and defended stoutly throughout the season ( with the odd lapse in form and attitude) finish 2011 with an appearance in a glorious Cup Final and with it the chance of winning some silverware ??

Salmons Rise as Legends Falter

Div 9/10 'B' Cup- Round One
Wellington United Legends 3-Wellington United Salmon 3
(Halftime 1-3)

Te Whaea

Scorers:
Craig Ireson (2)
Richard 'Squirt' Morrison

MOM Points
Richard 'Squirt' Morrison - 3 pts
Simon Healy- 2 pts
Jeremy Norman/Warrick Jackson- 1 pt each

Match report by John Dow:

SALMON LEAP WHILE LEGENDS FALL, THEN RISE

A stunningly beautiful clear night welcomed the leaping Salmon to Te Whaea for the first round Cup clash with the Legends on Friday August 5.
The Salmon were in buoyant mood after the excellent last round victory over the Tawa Bears, the team’s first win in over 2 and 1/2 months, a result that had put the team level with the Legends on the final league table, but with an inferior goal difference.
With conditions perfect, the surface excellent, the Salmon willing and the Legends starting the match in a sluggish mode it was quickly one way traffic towards the Legends goal.
Within the first few minutes a well flighted freekick from Simon was knocked onwards by Fulton into the welcoming run of Captain Craig in the 6 yard box and it was 1-0.
The Salmon midfield were completely dominating and the team pushed forward at every opportunity with the Legends offering minimal resistance. Nic and Johny were well on top and Jeremy was getting plenty of ball going forward and often outpacing his opponents down the flank, while Fulton was proving a handful on the wide right.
Squirt was covering a huge amount of territory and looking very strong and creative on the ball in a top level all round performance.
It was his own excellent work just outside the penalty area that created space for an outstanding long range effort that left the keeper scrambling to no good effect and it was 2-0 to the Salmon.
The Salmon defence was holding firm with Richard and James blocking the flanks and Simon and Wazza despite a couple of mis communications generally having the better of the Legends attack.
Captain Craig was getting a plethora of ball in good positions and once hit the post and then saw another goal bound strike superbly pushed away by a keeper who was seeing plenty of the ball and feeling totally vulnerable and exposed by a fragile, disorganised defence.
Another goal finally came Craig’s way, and it was a good quality longer range effort from a difficult angle.
The Salmon were on fire and in complete control of the match having produced their best display this season for over 30 minutes leaving the Legends chasing shadows and at 3-0 it looked like a big score was beckoning.
However, the Legends made a few intelligent substitutions, reorganised their midfield and defence and started to push players forward and the game’s momentum started to shift.
A midfield scramble saw Squirt dispossessed in a dangerous position and the Legends player thrashed a shot from 30 metres into the top of the net and the Legends were getting back in the game.
The Salmon midfield were starting to lose their earlier control, players were tiring and balls forward slowed down and the game evened out as half time approached.
While the Legends rotated players regularly the Salmon stuck with the original eleven and intelligently battled it out till half time with the 3-1 lead preserved.
The second half saw a decidedly more motivated, aggressive and better organised Legends team take the field with winning the match firmly on their minds.
The Salmon were in for a massive battle to retain the lead and the defence ably led by Simon were under huge pressure as the Legends pushed forward at speed and in numbers.
A slick passing move saw an opportunity open up and suddenly the Legends scored and were right back in the match.
Despite the pressure and attacking determination of the Legends the Salmon also started to carve out a few opportunities of their own and the game swung from end to end.
However, it was the Legends who scored again to bring the teams level at 3-3 with 20 minutes to go and they started to look the more likely to go on and win the match.
The Salmon kept fighting hard and with some fresh legs added to the fray started to make some dangerous inroads into the Legends defence and a few genuine chances started to appear.
The Legends goalkeeper muffed a goal kick and Captain Craig nearly had a golden scoring opportunity and a corner from John D. was nearly met by Wazza who threw himself forward in the penalty area.
Johny Sneyd and Lane started to once again get some go forward in the midfield and Dave A. burst down the left like a man possessed while Squirt returned to his first half form in patches that clearly worried the Legends.
However, the Legends still fancied there chances of a come from behind win and the Salmon defence continued to be put under immense pressure which they handled very well, Adam and Dave as fullbacks tackled solidly while Simon and Wazza held firm in the middle ably supported by Richard in goal who had a solid match, while the midfield continuously tracked back and worked very hard defensively.
The Salmon constantly forced the Legends wide and quickly dispatched any loose ball forward or if required over the sideline which proved an effective approach and successfully kept the Legends at bay.
Some quick balls forward also had the Salmon looking dangerous and some late corners should have produced more scoring chances but it was not to be and the game ended as a 3-3 draw, the same score as the first match of the season between the same teams.

Can the Salmon now go on and put a bucketful of goals past the Karori Rovers and Petone teams and reach the Cup Final through a superior goal difference to the Legends who will be hoping to do the same themselves ?

Will the Rovers or Petone cause an upset and trip either the Salmon or Legends up by grabbing a result or successfully keeping the goals against down ?

Is Friday Night Football on the Artificial Pitch the primary reason for a large, keen squad or have some of the Salmon “part timers” sensed a late season Cup winning surge is now a distinct possibility and something they want to be part of ?

Will Captain Craig get another call up to Capital Division One just when the Salmon need him to maintain his goal scoring form that can take the team to a Cup Final ?

Alive in the cup

Legneds 3-Salmon 3 in the Diamonds Derby- it keeps us alive in the end of season cup.
Full report to follow

Final League Placings 2011

CAPITAL 9:


P W D L GF GA Pts

Upper Hutt Saints 14 11 1 2 65 24 34
Seatoun Gulls 14 10 1 3 38 16 31
Uni Beavers 14 8 3 3 47 19 27
Tawa Bears 14 7 3 4 32 19 24
Petone Chuggers 14 3 5 6 30 28 14
Wgtn Utd Legends 14 2 6 6 24 45 12
Wgtn Utd Salmon 14 3 3 8 23 51 12
Wgtn Utd Terrace 14 0 2 12 12 69 2

Saturday 30 July-Cancelled

sleep in, get pissed, go for a run

do whatever...we're cancelled

grrr.

If you want to grizzle, grizzle here:
Yellow Fever Cancellations Thread

Revenge is a dish best served cold

Wellington United Salmon 3 - Tawa Bears 1
(Half Time 1-1)
Onepoto #2

Scorer: Craig (3)

MOM
Craig -3pts
Jeremy - 2pts
John Dow - 1pt

Revenge is a dish best served [on a] cold [day], they say, and Salmon got the chance to avenge a 4-1 loss to our auld enemy the Bears within 4 days. This was a great result, coming as it did against so much adversity. a thin squad, a moment of madness which almost resulted in Salmon going to ten men, a typically soft early goal and the team being asked to play out of position- e.g. Richie Hallam on the right wing, Craig starting at full back, a midfield consisting of Adam Holloway, John Dow and Stevie Jessup. In fact it was Adam Holloway who suggested that playing out of position contributed to the result as it meant players had to think differently about the game and their role.

Ill leave you now to the match report, written by MOM points winner John Dow, with some missing moments added by me:

BEARS LEFT TO FLOUNDER BY SILKY SALMON

After the Tuesday night 4-1 victory at Wakefield Park the Tawa Bears were salivating at the opportunity to taste another victory over the Salmon in Saturday’s rematch at Onepoto Park in Titahi Bay. In fact they had said as much on their website:
"We now have 2 catch up games against the team second to last on the table so would hope to get 6 points out of that. This gives us a real chance to get back some goal difference". They must have short memories since Salmon have often proved spoilers, bug bears if you will, to Tawa's hopes.

With player defections due to travel and injury a depleted Salmon squad looked decidedly vulnerable to the voraciously hungry Bears in a match played in a howling gale but on a reasonably well preserved pitch deemed to be a home ground for the Newtown Park based team.

A late signing from the Reserves, Scott Dunkerly, who had debuted for the Salmon earlier in the season offered a positive sign that the team would have some good, skillful young legs going forward and Ants from Cambodia and Dali from Assyria provided some extra international flavour to a team that was going to need to battle hard for the full match with minimal rolling subs capability in the demanding physical conditions.

With regular keeper Richard unavailable, Kahu for the second time this season stepped into the Goalkeeping role and proceeded to take control of the penalty box and defensive organisation winning everything in the air and getting great distance with his kicking game that quickly turned defence into attack, putting the Bears under considerable pressure.

With Wazza the Whistler deciding to take charge of proceedings through a different role than his usual midfield position his leadership skills were soon called into action when some good old fashioned biffo broke out very early in the game after a Bear appeared to try and strangle Salmon fullback Ants. After a brief flurry of punches and rolling around on the ground our intrepid Referee had no hesitation in banishing both players to the sideline and their playing afternoon was over. (Except that whiel ants was in fact banished, their player did make a come back-CI).

Although playing with the powerful wind the Bears were struggling to create genuine scoring chances and the Salmon were holding their ground well in the midfield and pushing quickly onto attack whenever the opportunity arose. The Salmon defence were soaking up the pressure and clearing the ball well with Simon providing his usual high quality organisational ability ably supported by his fellow defenders, which included a cameo central defensive appearance from Captain Craig.

The Bears managed to grab a goal when the defence were slow to clear the ball, there playemaking #8 collecting the bal in the middle and dispatching to Kahu's right in one sweeping move. Captain Craig started his mission to move further up the park, first showing up in the midfield for a spell before moving back into his customary role as the main striker.

However, the Salmon battled hard throughout and some quick passing from John D. and Jeremy saw Adam clean through on goal and a similar move had Scott looking likely but neither effort hit the target.

Some further strong Salmon play into the difficult wind saw a series of corners won and a couple of half chances eventuated when the Bears struggled to clear the ball from the ensuing crosses.

With Dali slotting in well at right fullback and showing confidence to weave his way forward in support of Richard H. who was creating pressure down the right flank and with Scott living on the ball, and taking players on, the momentum was with the Salmon despite the wind advantage to the Bears.

With Jeremy winning a lot of ball in midfield and pushing forward at every opportunity and John D. playing an old style “Connectero” role for the first time this season the Bears were struggling to dominate and get their combinations going in the way they had done so successfully on Tuesday night.

Adam and Dave got some good moves happening down the left which was difficult into such a strong wind and when a well constructed left sided move, and a final pass from Jeremy, presented Captain Craig with time on the ball in a good position he produced a devastatingly effective shot from distance that left the keeper stranded and the Salmon had got the goal the whole team deserved.

A 1-1 halftime scoreline proved a winning platform for the Salmon cause as it soon became apparent the wind advantage was considerable and the Bears had failed miserably to make the most of it during the first half.

With Kahu in imperious form in goal and when required kicking the ball nearly the length of the field, the defence covering and smothering everything thrown at them, the midfield holding a strong line across the park and pushing the ball through into dangerous positions on a regular basis and the flank players getting down the line and threatening the Bears defence, it was clear the Tawa team were in trouble and they completely lost their grip on the game.

However, could the Salmon forwards take their chances and win the game for their side ?

A stunning through ball from Richie H. had the Bears defence split wide open ,allowing Scott D to skipn through for a 1v1 opportunity. He shot low and hard but the competent Ursine custodian got a paw to it and pushed it wide. However Captain Craig was following up like a gamekeeper turned poacher, and tapped the ball into the empty net with his left peg. Salmon 2-1.

The Bears were now growling at each other and finding life unbearably difficult as they were running out of ideas and options to score any goals despite plenty of effort and desire.

Another excellent ball through from Jeremy this time and Captain Craig dashed into the area, rounded the keeper and put the ball away to complete his hattrick. Salmon 3-1 and the Bears were left to flounder.

With 10 minutes remaining Wazza the Whistler couldn’t resist the temptation to make another big call and brought himself on for Steve J. who had played an excellent match in both midfield and defence, and Wazza set about closing the game out with some good solid tackling and hard work which was everything the Bears didn’t want to have to deal with at that stage of the game.

As the Salmon maintained their composure and structure in a frantic last few minutes the Bears couldn’t deliver anything of consequence or effect and the Salmon walked off with a very deserved and well constructed victory, with some wise and experienced campaigners claiming this was the best match and result of season 2011 to date.

Can the Salmon build on this newly discovered structure and winning form and now put together a great Cup run ?

Will the Salmon scoring chances continue to be carved out on a consistent basis and the conversion rate be maintained ?

Is there still some quality life and mileage in some of the older legs that a full 90 minutes of play would have helped reignite ?

Will Captain Craig’s goalscoring prowess continue on and lead the Salmon to the promised land of victory in the forthcoming Cup competition ?

Salmon go down fighting under lights

Tawa Bears 4- WU Salmon 1
(Halftime 2-1)
Wakefield 1

Scorer:
Warrick

MOM:
Warrick -3pts
Matthew- 2pts
Rich Martin- 1 pt

Just a quick match report today, since we have minimal time ahead of the return fixture on Saturday.

A good match last night despite the score. Great to see Lane and Johnny back, adding a new dimension on attack. The surface was fantastic to play football on, and thats what we tried to do- Johnny and Wazza pulling the strings in the middle and feeding the wings.
They got a goal from an uncleared corner but we struck back soon after. The Bears set a very (very) poor wall at a free kick 25 yards out- Craig drove it at the keeper who parried it- Wazza ran in and scooped it into the net.
it remained 2-1 for an age, Richard Martin keeping us in the game with 3-4 tidy saves. Craig hit the post, so did Fulton. We all pushed forward in expectation of the equalisier and they hit us on the counter twice.
We were unlucky really- they certainly weren't 3 goals better than us. If the striker had done what he is paid to do then it would have been a different game! Everyone played well, and even though he didn't end up in the points i thought James Stewart played very well on the left wing/defence.

A win over the Bears

A great win in fact. 3-1, dominating the 2nd half.

A hat trick to the skipper no less

More to come

Precious Point Prised from Petone

Petone Chuggers 3- Wellington United Salmon 3
Halftime 3-3)
Petone Memorial #2

Scorers:
Matthew Fulton
Craig Ireson
Richard Morrison

MOM:
Richard Morrison- 3pts
Simon Healy- 2pts
Matthew Fulton- 1pt

Match report from John Dow, with help from Craig


PRECIOUS POINT PRISED OUT OF PETONE

The sometimes Mighty Salmon faced a motivated and focused Petone Chuggers team on a windswept park in Petone and came away with a meritorious draw on Saturday July 9.

After 2 weeks of cancelled games the team was keen to get its 2011 campaign back on track and to get some much needed points on the board as the end of the season is rapidly approaching and with it the very real threat of relegation to Division 10 for 2012 alongside the hapless Terrace who have yet to win a match.

The selectors went for a 4-5-1 formation with Squirt playing the attacking midfield role which seems suited to his style of play, providing a very useful and effective outlet for the rest of the team to play to in the elusive quest for creating goals.

The central defensive pairing of Kahu and Simon looked strong and the team settled well and was soon on attack.

However, the howling wind blowing straight across the park in inconsistent gusts and a slightly boggy pitch was making control of the ball difficult and a Chugger player on the edge of the area lashed a hopeful shot on target that moved sharply and the keeper was beaten. 1-0 Chuggers.

The Salmon were undaunted and went straight back on the attack, pushing players forward and stretching the Chuggers defence and when Wozza made a strong run into the penalty area and knocked the ball across the goal Fulton reacted quickest and guided the ball onto the inside of the post and the team’s were 1-1.

Adam who had been having a strong game at right back was switched for Danny who came into the midfield while Wozza moved into the defence.

Danny who has been like a fish out of water playing in a different side this season discovered his natural home in the Salmon midfield and his running game and close ball control put the Chuggers under pressure and the Salmon started to get on top. Squirt who had been working hard and looking dangerous put a great ball through to Craig which split the defence and created a one on one chance which was well taken and the Salmon were in front and dominating in many aspects of the game.

The Chuggers then rallied and pushed forward with real purpose and a speculative effort from out wide was picked up by the wind and flew into the back of the net and the team’s were again level.

Sensing they were getting some momentum the Chuggers pushed hard and another well taken shot from distance found the net and it was 3-2 to the home side.

As the first half was coming to an end the Salmon got forward in numbers and Ashby, with typical doggedness and speed, forced a freekick just outside the box and out wide. Craig spotting the Chuggers defence was disorganised knocked the ball in towards the near post for Squirt to dash in front of a fullback and slip the ball home for a well deserved goal and half time score of 3-3.

A half time call to arms put the team in the right head space for a second half battle that so very nearly produced a great away victory as a number of chances fell the Salmon’s way as the players all rose to the occasion determined to at least hold on to the draw and potentially snatch a winner.

Craig hit a couple of shots wide of the mark from good positions and the midfield worked tirelessly right across the park with Squirt, Danny and Jeremy constantly in the action, successfully supported by Kahu and Wozza getting forward on occassions, all trying to push the team goalwards and winning possession from a Chuggers team who were also keen to get 3 points themselves.

Fulton was full of his usual running and was rewarded for getting into an excellent goalscoring position with his first half goal and Ashby also showed some real pace out wide and also got into a great position to score the winning goal late in the game but an awkward pass stopped him producing the required killer finish. James showed some ability on the ball out wide in the second half and Dave’s strong defensive play on the left also included dangerous runs down the wing on attack. Adam also burst back onto the field in the second half and quickly rekindled his dominating play from early in the match. John Dow chipped in with his own goal saving scramble, showing the hunger and determination which personified the fighting fish.

The defence ably organised by Simon, despite being subject to regular changes of personnel through the intelligent use of rolling substitutes, never allowed the intensity or focus to drop, successfully forcing the Chuggers to shoot from long range, and keeping them scoreless in the second half.

However, not for the first time this season the team watched in awe as Keeper Richard pushed a top class long range strike over the bar. With about 10 minutes to go this great effort kept the side on track for a well deserved draw and in larger stadiums around the world would have produced a standing ovation from the visiting fans.

The Salmon adopted their tactics to suit the wind and were smart in never pushing up too much nor sitting too deep to invite attacks- tactically it was the most astute we have played this season. If the bounxe of the ball had gone our way and had Danny, Craig and Ashby all finished their half chances, or had their laissez-fair Ref pointed to the spot after a deliberate trip on Craig in the box late in the 2nd half then the full 3 points would have swum back across the harbour.

Overall though a well deserved hard fought away point that keeps the Salmon alive and within striking distance of the Legends who scraped a rare win against the bottom placed Terrace.

With 2 regular season matches against the Tawa Bears set to determine the Salmon’s fate for 2011 the team is starting to show the combinations, commitment, goal creating and scoring attributes of a side very capable of competing with any team in this division and getting results.

Can the Salmon build on this performance and prove they can play at another level and beat the Bears ??

Will the goalscoring chances keep being created and converted ( 5 goals scored in the last 2 games) ??

Can the defence continue to put attacks under severe pressure and deny them goal opportunities ??

Will the return of Lane "The White Kenyan' Nichols from his New York sojourn herald a Dom Post media frenzy in the plight of the Salmon?

& will Danny realise that he looks better in Orange than Green and White stripes and come back to his old school??

A result at last!

Petone Chuggers 3- WU Salmon 3

A really good game, a draw was a fair result- more to follow

cancelled again- Sat 2 July

Sorry, was under the impression it was a winter sport.
Get along to the Chatham Cup game anyway- 2pm KO at Newtown Park

cancelled

Boo ya suxes

Fight left in the fish

Wellington United Salmon 2- Seatoun Gulls 4
(Halftime 1-3)
MacAllister Park

Scorers:
Craig Ireson
Matthew Fulton

MOM Points
Richard Martin - 3 pts
Michael Ashby - 2pts
Simon Healy/Kahu Kirikiri - 1 pt each

Match report from John Dow:


GULLS PICK OFF SALMON IN THRILLER

Wellington United’s top team scored an emphatic 5-2 Chatham Cup win on Saturday afternoon that has propelled the club into the round for the last 16 nationwide as the only Wellington side still in this prestigious competition. Led by skillful Argentinian striker Emiliano Tade, it was his compatriot Alva Pumpido who crashed home a 30 metre freekick that set the team on the road to victory. On Sunday Netherlands professional import Mariska Kogelman scored a late equaliser for the Diamonds Women’s Central League team and twice came close to scoring a winner.

However, it was another of the WU club’s international players, all the way from Newcastle in England, via Bristol, Geordie goalkeeper Richard Martin who turned on an outstanding display of courage and acrobatics to keep the Salmon alive and still thrashing around till late in the match against championship chasers Seatoun Gulls.

Like most Newcastle goalkeepers, Martin saw plenty of action throughout the game as the Gulls pushed forward relentlessly in the first half and with a bit of luck going their way, including a first minute penalty for hand ball which they converted, they moved out to a 3-0 lead and things looked a bit ominous for the Salmon.

However, inspired by Martin’s goalkeeping heroics the Salmon came back into the game, Simon tightened up the backline and started winning the ball ahead of the marauding Gulls, and his fellow defenders started closing down the attackers and setting a more solid foundation to attack from.

Playing Squirt up front alongside Craig worked well as his running off the ball put pressure on their defence and when in possession he was able to hold the ball up in difficult conditions.

Ashby in the midfield, who was using the match as a warm up for running a marathon the next day, showed some real pace and purpose pushing forward and twice got the ball into excellent positions out wide on the left as well as getting Fulton into attacking positions wide on the right.

After playing one great pass out left, Squirt made a fantastic run dragging 3 defenders out of the middle and John D. played a long diagonal ball that cut through the defenders and Ashby who had made an incisive 40 metre sprint nearly found himself clean through on goal.

Another pass was knocked in behind the defence but Craig wasn’t able to check back inside and get clear from his marker with only the keeper to beat.

However, the Salmon were battling hard with Jeremy dominating some of the midfield clashes and winning lots of ball, and the ball broke for Craig to go face to face with the keeper, from what appeared to be an offside position, however after 2 valiant attempts the ball was scrambled for a corner.

John D. clipped the corner to the edge of the 6 yard box and Simon won the ball only to push his header wide of the post.

The Salmon kept pressing, and another WU player with international pedigree, Richie Hallam played a delightful ball through to Craig who put the chance away and the Salmon were back in the game at 3-1 down going in at halftime.

The second half started at a tremendous pace as the Salmon sensed they could get something out of the match and a series of moves forward put the Gulls under serious pressure.

A couple of balls in behind the Gulls defence nearly resulted in clear cut chances but some desperate defence kept them out.

However, when a Gulls player was caught in possession Jeremy’s excellent aggressive challenge won him the ball close to the penalty area and a chance to go for goal beckoned which he keenly took, then unselfishly he played Fulton into an excellent goalscoring position which he calmly converted and the game was 3-2 and anything was now possible.

Some good and thoughtful player rotation kept the Salmon legs reasonably fresh and the team fought hard for the elusive equiliser whilst defending hard as the Gulls pushed forward to try and seal the win.

Kahu who had defended and battled well all afternoon twisted an ankle and was helped from the field.

Steve J. ran and tackled well in the midfield, while Dave A. defended strongly and still managed a few rampaging runs forward in trying conditions.

The team was down to 11 fit players and the pressure was building when the Gulls captain and midfield general steered the ball into the top corner of the net giving the Salmon’s Man of the Match keeper, Richard Martin no chance to save the ball and the Gulls had won 4-2.

A buoyant and mud covered Salmon left the pitch for a hot shower and expertly chilled Corona beer and with thoughts of a match that could have produced a well earned draw against a side chasing the League title.

With the Saints hammering the Legends the Salmon can still salvage their season and push on out of the relegation zone but these close matches will need to start delivering points with only 3 regular season matches left to play.

Who will WU draw in the Chatham Cup as the next round goes fully national ??

Can Mariska score a bundle of goals and keep the Diamonds in the Women’s Central League ??

Will Richard Martin be recalled to St James Park when Alan Pardew watches the Salmon versus Gull’s match on You Tube ??

Will Wycombe Wanderers finally admit they should never have let Richie Hallams go on a free transfer ??

Salmon vs Gulls

Craig
Dave
Rich H
Jeremy
Kahu
Simon
Ashby
Fulton
Richard Martin
Squirt
John Dow
Steve Jessup

Beavers vs. Salmon- A belated match report

University Beavers 4- Wellington United Salmon 0
Halftime 2-0
Nairnville Park

MOM:
Adam Holloway-3pts
Warrick Jackson - 2pts
Michael Ashby- 1 pt

On the face of it it looks like another week, another pasting for the salmon- the reality of the encounter however was far from it. Salmon were vastly improved, battling hard againsta fitter, more skilful team. If we had been a bit calmer and luckier in front of goal then the match culd have swung our way-it has to also be said that the Beaver's keeper is one of the best to be seen in Div 9 and is clearly slumming it and that the refereeing was some of the poorest we have seen in a long time- i.e. standing on halfway checking text messages bad- their 2nd and 4th goals were offside and the third had gone out of play- so 1-0 would have been a fairer reflection. The game showed that the Salmon can, at times, foot it with the best in the league but we need to do so for a full 90 to get something out of the season.

How did John Dow see it?

BEAVERS DINE OUT ON SALMON STEW

The Salmon emerged at Nairnville Park on saturday quietly determined to place the debacle from the week before firmly behind them and to show the Beavers team that the hard fought first round draw at Mc Allister Park was a fair and reasonable reflection of the merits and abilities of both teams.

The previous match against the Upper Hutt Saints had threatened to undermine the team’s growing credibility within the WU club and the selectors were under serious pressure to demonstrate they could stop the team from sinking any further onto the footballing scrapheap.

The long weekend had reduced the squad size and with the bare 11 players supported by a raw recruit from Africa, the spectre of facing one of the youngest, fittest and quickest teams in Wellington played heavily on the selectors minds as skillful and timely rotations requiring careful attention and judicious application would be vital.

The pre match team talk set the scene. A 4-5-1 formation with a clear directive to “flood the midfield” was the tactic of the day with the urge to translate last week’s public humiliation into a deeply felt sense of drive and motivation sounded a well articulated plea to the troops.

Would it work ??

The Beavers looked fit, keen and hungry with revenge and 3 points clearly on their minds ,plus with the contribution of a tame referee, they seriously fancied their chances of a comprehensive victory.

The match started at a frenetic pace as the Beavers stormed forward.

However, with Simon reinstated in the middle of defence the Salmon held firm as his reading of the game and timely interventions gave confidence to the other defenders and set the platform for the midfield to engage with and battle the marauding Beaver players.

The first ten minutes were fast and furious with the Beavers mostly on top but unable to create genuine chances for goals to be scored.

However, the Salmon midfield started to dominate, with some tight marking, solid hard running and a determination to win the ball and to push forward and attack the Salmon were looking likely to score and take the ascendancy in the match.

A series of goal scoring chances were created and Craig was unlucky not to put one or two away, a couple of corners were won, Wazza got some long throws happening deep into Beavers territory and Fulton and Ashby were covering enormous amounts of ground both in defence and attack with both players getting into the penalty area and having half chances to score.

Wazza and Jeremy were closing the Beavers down in the middle of the park as well as advancing forward into good attacking positions while the defence held firm with Adam consistently dominating his opponents and Richard and Simon ably supported by Dave A. regularly blocking and tackling the quick and agile Beavers forwards.

The game could have swung either way, when the sheer pace and determination of the Beaver’s attackers opened up a couple of opportunities which they managed to slot away, the second from what looked very much like an offside position.

The half time whistle went and the Salmon were down 2-0.

The second half was played out in a similar manner, if in a somewhat less tighter style as both teams started to tire.

The Beavers were determined to get the 3 points and were aware of the Salmon opportunities being created, and if one had gone in the game could easily have changed.

A series of Beaver corners put some huge pressure on the defence and a few desperate clearances were the order of the day.

The pressure eventually told and a couple of goals pushed the score out to 4-0.

However, the Salmon kept battling till the end and with new recruit Hamsa providing another attacking outlet and an ability to hold the ball up till support could get forward more opportunities emerged but were squandered.

Dave A. continued his consistent form with some strong defence and good runs down the flank which proved effective.

Fulton played an excellent pass into the path of a great run by Ashby who should have blazed home a glorious goal with only minutes left on the clock.

Craig had more chances in the one game than he has got in 3 or 4 outings put together this season with his great running off the ball and workrate and if his finishing had been more accurate and decisive he could have scored a hat trick.

Richard in goal couldn’t be blamed for any of the goals and he pulled off some good saves too.

The team’s formation, tactics and attitude were exemplary as was the after match beer and a credit to all concerned.

Adam emerged as the deserved Player of the Day after a very solid and effective defensive match against some quick and skillful Beaver attackers.

Have the Salmon finally turned the corner with 4 regular season matches to play ??

Can the team get a victory or two as a just reward for the commitment, effort and goal scoring chances being created ??

Will Dave Armstrong’s play at Downstage, which opens this week, get rave reviews, standing ovations and a Sold Out sign plastered across the Theatre’s billboard ??

Spirit

Game called off; 9 people make it to training, 8 people make it back to the clubrooms for a beer and to watch the first team. That's club spirit, that's team spirit.

Good on ya lads.

Game is off today, training is on

State of Origin Styles- Wgtn born vs the rest
12.30 ko!

Directions:

Boyd Wilson Arena is in the building just in front of the Boyd Wilson Field, which can be found here:

http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=boyd+wilson+field&sll=-41.244772,172.617188&sspn=48.801473,78.837891&ie=UTF8&hq=boyd+wilson+field&hnear=&ll=-41.29019,174.769156&spn=0.012011,0.019248&z=16

Head up towards the Kelburn Campus of the University, taking the first left (Waiteata Rd) after you turn off the Terrace onto Salamanca Road. Follow Waiteata Rd as far as it will go, past the Student flats on your left, and down the hill. Access is through the double doors on the right

Bring your own kit.

Oh dear- a walloping

WU Salmon 1 UH Saints 12
(Half time 0-9)
Melrose

Scorer: Jeremy
MOMPts
Jeremy 3
Terry 2
James Stewart 1

Incredibly hard to put this into words, so thank f*#k i don't have to- John Dow has opted for humour. As much as we were poor, and we were, we also did not have an ounce of luck go our way. The test of character wasn't last weekend it will be next weekend when we have to dust ourselves off and let who ever is unlucky enough to play us next know that we are pissed off.

i think a training is in order _thursday or Wednesday at the Chinese cultural centre- passing and defending will be the main focus.
Lastly, it was a rubbish time to be the club team and have to do bar duty so thanks to those who helped out- especially James and Matthew who stayed til the end- it shows character to hang around after a thumping and sink some beers at the clubby!

Was it our worst ever loss? probably but like i said it will be worse if we let us get to us-

Over to Mr Dow:


BABOONS SILENCED BY SALMON CAPITULATION

Wellington Zookeeper Rupert Ramshaw reported that for the first time in living memory his beloved Baboons were in stunned silence after witnessing the first half capitulation of the once Mighty Salmon against Upper Hutt Saints on Saturday May 30. The 9-0 half time score had left his playful and usually supportive animals in a state of complete shock leading to threats to cancel the popular and usually well attended “ Afternoon Tea Party” for which they are famous.

When word of such a reaction filtered through to Newtown Park, Wellington United historians were searching their books for comparisons of other dark days in the club’s long history.

Established in 1893, WU has nearly 120 years of events, matches, campaigns, victories and humiliations from which to consider this first half annihilation against.

Could this rout be seen alongside the desperately sad occasion when 3 of the club’s finest ever players went down with the Titanic at the end of a long season in 1912 ??

Or the embarrassment the club endured when on that same fateful night, Cyril Vile the second team Coach survived, wearing a dress and wig, by leaping onto a lifeboat using the dubious name of Cybil. For many years after the “Cyril Vile Trophy” was handed out to the season’s individual who had brought the most shame and ridicule to the club each season.

How bad was this first half ?, the only sign of Salmon defensive resistance came when a stray dog parked himself in the 6 yard box for 2 minutes and the Saints momentarily lost confidence and started shooting high and wide.

Perhaps the sound of the half time whistle which was clear, confident and resolute can be noted as not only the best contribution from a Salmon player to this tale of first half woe but also a much awaited relief from the pain and suffering the whole team was experiencing.

First to articulate a remedy and change of approach was Adam who captured the mood and urgency of the situation and exalted the team to tackle the second half as a completely new and fresh challenge.

A move back to a more traditional 4-4-2 formation saw the defence start to become tighter, more committed and in pursuit of a second half clean sheet ably encouraged by the talking of Richard and Dave. Saints suddenly found scoring much more difficult and the team’s started to even up.

Terry started to get on the ball and pushed passes around and keeping possession was suddenly back in vogue despite a few lapses and Salmon gift giving.

However, the real revelation was the hard running and committed play from Jeremy and Wozza who repeatedly won the ball in the middle of the park and kept pushing the team forward at every opportunity.

Jeremy’s all action play saw him match the best the Saints could offer, his defensive work held them at bay, while he also proved a real handful for their defence as he constantly burst forward and proved impossible to contain. His stunning last minute strike a totally deserved outcome for a very impressive half of football, coming from a great set up from Craig.

Wozza also imposed himself on the Saints, winning lots of ball, getting passes forward and in one glorious movement battled through 4 consecutive 50/50 situations before emerging with the ball at his feet near the edge of the area, then impressed with his awareness to see the great run of Fulton who he then played into a clear goalscoring situation and a very real opportunity to score was narrowly missed. Another excellent performance.

A battling second half, although lost 3-1, showed once again that the sometimes Mighty Salmon can actually compete with any team in this division.

However, Upper Hutt demonstrated the importance of combinations, off the ball running, and a positive attacking attitude with lots of talk amongst their players.

While the first half of this match will forever be known in WU history and Zoo folklore as the day the “ Baboons were Silenced” the second half clearly showed what this side is capable of.

How will the Salmon selectors respond to such a comprehensive capitulation ?? They have shown great skill and understanding in turning around other poor performances already this season.
Will the WU club consider reintroducing the “Cyril Vile Trophy” should such a half of football ever be served up again this season.

Will aspects of this first half be included in one of Dave Armstrong’s next plays, appropriately titled “The Descent of Man” ??

Should every individual take a big long hard look at themselves in the mirror the morning of the next match and make a personal commitment to never allowing a repeat of such a footballing travesty ever to happen again ??

Match report from the far left wing

This week we have a guest writer- Mr John Dow. I have merely added the game facts at the start- Thanks JD!

WU Terrace 0- WU Salmon 3
(Half time 0-2)

Newtown Park
Referee: 074 Grieve Frank

Scorers:
Craig Ireson (2, 1pen)
Mathew Fulton

MOM:
3pts Richard Hallam- A full 90 in centre back and a clean sheet
2 pts Simon Healy- A master class in defensive headers against a team which only knows one route to goal
1pt Michael Ashby- far and away his best perfromance yet, dedicated, direct and confident
1 pt Craig Ireson- two well taken goals and won the ball back like a midfielder



MIGHTY SALMON TRIUMPH ON HALLOWED TURF

On a weekend when 5 teams were fighting for their survival in the English Premier League the Mighty Salmon were marching onto the hallowed turf of Newtown Park for the first time this season, albeit as an away team looking like a bunch of escapees from a St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Despite near perfect playing conditions, a pitch in good shape and the allocation of a real referee our exotic opposition threatened to ruin the day with their shambolic time keeping and lack of organisation resulting in a delayed kick off and the start of the match seeing only 9 Orange clad footballers on the field. This quickly became 11.

The Salmon selectors determined to learn from the painful loss to the Legends the week before, set out the team’s objectives of a clean sheet, 2-3 goals to be scored, some expansive football on the large pitch and plenty of running and effort whilst keeping one step ahead of The Terrace’s reputation for niggly, disruptive play.

In the opening period the ball was played out confidently from the back and with the midfield dominating the ball went forward quickly and efficiently to the lone ranging striker Craig who was ably supported by some mobile play from Squirt, Fulton and Ashby.

While Nick and Kahu were scrapping it out in the middle of the park to good effect they also still managed to get forward and create a few chances and Nick put 2 outstanding raking long balls to Craig which generated genuine chances that didn’t produce goals which on another day they could have.

The breakthrough finally came when John D. clipped a corner to the edge of the 6 yard box and Simon headed a dangerous ball into the goalmouth and a Terrace player handled and the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped top goalscorer Ireson and the keeper had no chance, 1-0.

The Salmon were dominating the match and after a useful cross from (Wozza or Squirt ??) the ball bounced loose in the 6 yard box and quick as a flash Fulton got there first and steered the ball into the net for a well deserved goal, 2-0.

A quick half time turnaround and immediately The Terrace were on attack refusing to give in and pushing forward at every opportunity only to be thwarted by the strong central defenders Richard and Simon, and the tenacious defending of Dave and Adam.

Backed up by keeper Richard the defence were committed to achieving the elusive clean sheet the selectors had pleaded for pre match while the midfield worked hard to dominate and keep the Salmon flowing forward.

However goals were proving hard to come by and a slim 2-0 lead gave The Terrace some hope and belief they could still get something out of the game.

However, with 15 minutes to go the ball broke to John D. who played a first time 40 metre pass that cut through and in behind the defence and left striker Craig on a clean break with only the keeper to beat and a clinical finish ended any hopes and dreams The Terrace were clinging to and the game was effectively won, 3-0.

There was still some more action though as another John D. corner was flicked on by Simon and Wozza was nearly in for the 4 th goal, while at the other end The Terrace striker blazed over the bar from 6 yards out with the goal at his mercy.

Overall, the pre match objectives were achieved, Simon’s return at the back greatly assisted the defence keep a clean sheet, 3 good goals were scored and a few other good chances were created, Fulton and Ashby got through a huge amount of running and their pace and enthusiasm caused The Terrace big problems all over the park, Dave got some good moves happening down the left flank while showing he could also get back quickly and his photo on the front cover of Monday’s paper was fully deserved, Adam tidied up the right back spot and also showed some pace getting forward, James managed to cover lots of ground and is still in search of his ideal position ( something the selectors are aware of and contemplating), Squirt seemed to have got over his hammy problem and made some good passes and movements as did Kahu whose fitness should benefit from his first game back after a few weeks away. Wozza showed after a disrupted start that his recent Man of the Match performance is likely to be repeated and his keenness in the penalty area will soon produce a few goals. Nick’s tackling was strong and a couple of sublime passes hinted at what could be when a little extra match fitness takes full effect. Richard H. was solid and reliable as ever and Richard the Goalie celebrated the Salmon’s first clean sheet of this season, which as a keeper you can’t do any better than that. Craig’s 2 goals were well taken and his running into space his best this season stretching The Terrace all afternoon, his goalscorer’s ego and natural sense of superiority should be well satisfied for at least a week. John D.’s fitness is improving and a few passes showed small glimpses of his form from his best ever season which was 32 years ago.

Have the Mighty Salmon turned the corner and set themselves for a majestic run of great results and with it a charge up the league ladder ??
Or was this a simple victory over a winless team who are rooted to the bottom of the table ??

What brilliant strategy and set of objectives will the selectors produce for the next match ??
Will Fulton mount a challenge to Craig to become the team’s top goalscorer ??

Are hard fought clean sheets going to become a regular occurrence ??
Will Dave Armstrong continue to keep Rachel Hunter off the front page of The Dom Post ??

Belated match report vs Legends

WU Salmon 0- WU Legends 4
(Half time 0-1)
Melrose Park

MOM Pts
Wazza -3pts
Matthew F-2pts
John Dow/Jeremy- 1pt each

What happens when you have ten the night before a game and have to scramble for players? You end up with 16 and three more on the waitlist!

Three reserves were called in, two of whom ironically played against us for the Legends on opening day, plus we got Danny back although he ended up only reffing and we saw the debut of a Somali chap called Hamsa who is keen to play a bit more for nus.

It ended up being the classic game of two halves thanks to the strong norwester wind- we took the win first half but unfortunatley could not convert- Wazza came closest with a header to the cross bar from a corner- in fact our corners looked good- Legends scored a fine breakaway after we gave away possesion at the back. The young reserves looked good out on the wing- but alas luck and time was not on our side- even the ref was far too neutral, blowing for half time after we won yet another corner! grrr!

Second half and we failed to threaten their goal, rarely ventruing into their defensive third. Legends were too slick and passed their way through us, lobbing Sami twice in goal. Sami actually had a cracker -showing good strength in the air. But, despite all our efforts the challenge petered out once the score got to 3. In fact i think we did well to avoid a 2010 style score blow out to be honest. Wazza gets the MOM for runnign hard and being aggressive in the middle, followed closely by Matthew Fulton. John Dow played well out wide, to be fair to him he spent more time on the bench than his form on the day deserved- and Jeremy put in another good shift at centre back.

So what is it lads? If i could summarise what we need to take the team forward from this slump;

Better tactics suited to our strengths- Richie and I need to think out a better way to play with what we have
Better individual application and discipline regarding the team tactics- once we figure out what we are doing we need you to stick to the plan
Better individual responsibility for the game-take control of your own experience on the day- be ready to play and ready to win, be ready to chase the ball back if you lose it etc.

A Clean Sheet

3 nil over the Terrace-more to come

well done lads

Game V Legends Transfered to Melrose

http://sportsmaps.co.nz/wellington/melrose-park-wellingthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifon

AKA The Baboon's playground; one of the spiritual homes of WU Salmon

a belated match report v. Seatoun Gulls

Seatoun Gulls 3- WU Salmon 1
(HT 1-0)

Scorer: Craig

MOM Pts
M. Ashby-3
Terry- 2pts
Simon, James Stewart, Richard Martin- 1 pt each

This was a tough game to go into on the back of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Chuggers- as an aside Dave and I went and saw the Chuggers draw with the Terrace and Dave recognised only a handful of the team that beat us- confirming the theory that Chuggers stacked their team for Easter- don't worry lads we'll get 'em in the return.

We were up against a Seatoun side that had won 5 from 5 and had dispatched all other teams with aplomb. The call was to play with the same aggression, focus and determination which earnt us a draw against Varsity.

The first half was even and once the new centre back pairing of Adam and Simon got the communication sorted we looked pretty good- Seatoun snuck a messy one, but the Salmon held their resolve. Richard Martin was clearly on form in goal, pullign off a number of blinding saves. Within due course the Salmon managed to start creating chances with Craig, Squirt, Dave and Fulton all managing to fire off shots, and Ashby causing no small amount of havoc on the left wing. Wazza was dominating in the air and paring well wth Fulton and Terry in the middle

It was a strong finish to the half but ominously we failed to convert with the wind at our backs.

We came out in the second half with the same purpose with which we finished the half and got the break through we had worked for- a quick, intelligent though ball from Terry saw a botched clearance from their left back, Craig snuck in and sombrero-flicked the ball over his head, drew the keeper and rounded him and slotted into the empty net- 1-1 after 55 minutes.

we hada few more chances, not least froma good corner delivered by Squirt- but the same delivery crocked his hamstring and so the attrition rate stepped up- James Stewart was already carrying an injury but battled on, and soon Simon joined the bench after coming to grief in a goal mouth scramble. Salmon were running out of puff and with the sea breeze at their backs the Gulls were coming home strong. However their strikers gave an incredible master class in inept finishing- there were at least 4 clear cut chances that they managed to botch. Couple this with some fantastic rear guard defence from Hallam et al, and more yogic brilliance from Rich Martin and it really seemed like the Salmon were going to hold on for an heroic draw. But then the inevitable happened, with 5 minutes to play Seatoun's wizened midfield general danced throught he defence and slotted home a superb solo goal- Salmon threw caution to the wind and pushed for the equalisier again.
This pulled us out of shape and Seatoun were able to finish another one.

On a positive note we battled hard and were in the game until the 7oth minute when our inuries started to take their toll- yes, we had a lot of luck, or rather Seatoun had very little in front of goal, but in football you have to ride your luck and take your chances. It wasn't our day but if we play like this against the lesser teams then we'll clean up- Apart from Seatoun the division is very close with only 8 pts seperating 2nd place from last. We have the team to finish in the top 3.

On an even more positive note Adam's beer selection was top notch, having dispatched his live-in sommelier to Regional wines and spirits to hand pick some local craft brews- this more than made up for the fact that his cleaner folded the socks without realising they were still wet.

Game is cancelled!

Breaking news- The Discovery Channel Derby Vs. The BEars is off tomorrow, so rack up some brownie points with the missus, go for a jog and we'll see you next weekend

Will tray and jack up some kind of midweek training to make up for it.

WU Salmon 0 - Petone 5-Match Report

Wellington United Salmon 0 - 5 Petone Chuggers

Man of the match points:
(first mention and a 'virtual 3' goes to Ants, who had played both Saturday and Sunday and was hoping to spend some time on the bench, but ended up playing the full 90 and giving 110% for every minute of it)
3 - Jeremy Norman
2 - Richie Hallam
1 - Richard Martin

Hard to sum this match up, the scoreline certainly doesn't reflect the work and effort put in by the team, but on the other hand we can't feel too hard done by either.

An unexpected no show from the star international ring-in unfortunately put the Salmon on the back foot from the start, with a team very heavily weighted towards defence and only one sub. However we started well, the first forty minutes unfolded with some really solid play from the Salmon, and although Petone had the run of the attacking play, tight marking and constant pressure meant that their shots were miles off the mark.

All was looking good for a clean score sheet heading into half time, but then a glancing header - perfectly weighted to drop into the top right corner - left Richard M with no chance. This was the turning point in the game, and triggered the Petone onslaught. The Salmon didn't seem to lose their hunger, but did start leaving their opponents just a fraction more space to play the ball, and before the whistle had blown the Chuggers had taken another chance well, and again slotted the ball into the top right corner (this time with a cracking left foot drive).

Not long after half time came a third (this time slotted across the goal into the left), then a fourth from a goal-mouth scramble. With all credit to the Salmon, we dug in and managed to shut them out for the next half an hour, but they were running hard down the flanks, getting all their first touches spot on, and piling the pressure on in our side of the pitch. We just couldn't seem to get any of the play up in their half, and couldn't keep it there for more than a few seconds when we did, so almost inevitably they scored the final goal with just minutes on the clock.

In summary, our passing was dreadful, theirs was pinpoint, and that was the main difference between the teams. We just couldn't string anything together or hold any kind of possession in their side of the park (on the rare occasions we got there), which is what eventually killed us. But it wasn't a cricket score, was played in good spirits, and could have been a very different game if we'd had a few more attacking minded players available.

Salmon 1- Beavers 1

The wet track specialists bounce back with a 1-1 draw against the Uni Beavers-Choice!

Round Three 2011

CAPITAL 9:
Upper Hutt Saints 6 Wgtn Utd Salmon 1
Uni Beavers 0 Petone Chuggers 0
Wgtn Utd Legends 1 Tawa Bears 4
Wgtn Utd Terrace 0 Seatoun Gulls 5

P W D L GF GA Pts
Seatoun Gulls 3 3 0 0 10 3 9
Uni Beavers 3 2 1 0 12 1 7
Upper Hutt Saints 3 2 0 1 11 4 6
Wgtn Utd Salmon 3 1 1 1 8 10 4
Petone Chuggers 3 1 1 1 1 4 4
Tawa Bears 3 1 0 2 5 4 3
Wgtn Utd Legends 3 0 1 2 6 10 1
Wgtn Utd Terrace 3 0 0 3 1 18 0

Thump!

thats the sound of the Salmon falling back to Earth- A 6-1 lesson at the hands on Upper Hutt after a competitive first half which ended 2-1.

Back to the drawing board lads

Team for today

WU Salmon Vs. Upper Hutt Saints
GK- Richard Martin
LB-Rich Hallam
CB-Kahu Kirikiri
CB- Nathan Rattray
LB- John Dow
RW- Jeremy Norman
CM-Warrick Jackson
Cm-Matthew Fulton
LW-Michael Ashby
CF-Rowan Hall
CF- Rowan Hall

Subs:
Steve Jessup
Simon Healy
Richar Morrison
Kieren Love (on debut)

6 point weekend

The Salmon picked up 4 from a possible 6 pts on offer in the opening weekend to be nestled in a comfortable third on the table:

CAPITAL 9:

Tuesday 5 April:
Seatoun Gulls 3 Wgtn Utd Legends 2
Petone Chuggers 1 Tawa Bears 0

Monday 4 April:
Uni Beavers 3 Upper Hutt Saints 1
Wgtn Utd Salmon 4 Wgtn Utd Terrace 1

P W D L GF GA Pts
Uni Beavers 2 2 0 0 12 1 6
Seatoun Gulls 2 2 0 0 5 3 6
Wgtn Utd Salmon 2 1 1 0 7 4 4
Upper Hutt Saints 2 1 0 1 5 3 3
Petone Chuggers 2 1 0 1 1 4 3
Wgtn Utd Legends 2 0 1 1 5 6 1
Tawa Bears 2 0 0 2 1 3 0
Wgtn Utd Terrace 2 0 0 2 1 13 0

WU Salmon 4- WU Terrace1

WU Salmon 4- WU Terrace1
Half time 2-1

3 goals from Craig and a fourth from newbie Squirt sealed the deal in squalid conditions. Well done to Jerms and Simon who battled hard in the middle and a big thank you to Kahu who took the gloves after a no-show from Sami. Now if only Richie Hallam would start putting away a few of his chances from those corners....

Kia kaha boys, a few more gritty wins like this and we'll be sitting pretty

MOM Standings from the weekend

Kahu- 3pts
Craig- 3 pts
Rowan - 2 pts
Jeremy- 2 pts
Matthew Fulton- 1 pt
Simon- 1pt


Golden boot standings
Craig -3
Rowan-2
Fulton-1
Squirt-1

Legends V Salmon- quick update

Salmon drew 3-3 with the Legends in a fast paced entertaining match

Great to get a result first up, well done lads

a little bit of history

For all the newbies, and for the oldies who wish to reminisce;
Salmon were formed in 1999 and were originally nicknamed "The Steve Austins'! The Salmon moniker came after one of the lads washed the kit poorly making it a Salmony orange- and one of the WAGS said it was less orange and more of a Salmon, since 2000 it has been the Salmon.

We won our division three times in a row in our first three years (Div 10, Div 9 and Div 8). We have had no silverware since EXCEPT for winning the inuaugural Div 9 cup two seasons ago.

COuld 2011 be the year the glory returns to the Salmon?

Salmon Vs Legends- Squad

The season begins anew!

Salmon team for Saturday 2 April

Craig Ireson
Dave Armstrong
Richard Hallam
Jeremy Norman
Kahu Kirikiri
Adam Holloway
Michael Ashby
Matthew Fulton
Nathan Rattray
Sami Yusif
Rowan Hall
John Dow

As it has been said: " Age and Guile beat youth, innocence and a bad haircut"

2011 Season Squad

The call went out & the Salmon responded-
Out this year is the youth triumvirate of Chris, Cam and Jonathon. Plus Ben the Bobby retires to better pace the beat. Danny is also off, potentially to join Marist FC, although he'll turn out of us in the preseason. Returning from Quake damaged Chch is Terry "The British Bulldog" Henry. We also have a couple of newbies (ahem) trialling for the Salmon in 2011.

Our first friendly is today against the Arms at Vicotria University's new artificial field- here is the team we have assembled:

Terry Henry
Craig Ireson
Sami Yusif
Dave Armstrong
Richard Hallam
Jeremy Norman
Nigel Kum
Adam Holloway
Nathan Rattray
Danny Culling
Wayne
Steve Weston