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 ??