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.