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.

Salmon avoid losing like the Plague

Wellington United Salmon 2- Brooklyn Northern United 1
Halftime 1-1
Newtown Park

Scorer:
Craig Ireson (2)

MOM Points
Adam Ray -3
Dave Armstrong 2
Callum 1

We won! Nuff Said? oh, alright- The Plague put up a pretty good fight, but were fairly toothless up front. We dominated and played nice football but couldn't put them away until about 12 minutes to go. it got pretty niggly becuase it was so close byt Dave did a damn fine job with the whistle, as well as putting a good shift in as left back in the first half. Both goals came from Craig- first was after their right back coughed up possesion (needlessly) after Ashby put him under some pressure- Craig pounced and driled the ball home. Second was via a long ball from Nic, which bisected the last man and Keeper- Craig took it off them and despite being fouled by the keeper managed to stay upright to prod home into an emptty net from 6 yards.

Overall a fun game BNU are good guys and came back for a beer in the club, but really we did it tough when we mostly outpassed and outplayed them.

Petone For Sure 3- Wellington United Salmon 4

Petone For Sure 3- Wellington United Salmon 4

(Halftime 2-2)

Te Whiti Park

Scorers:
Craig Ireson (3)
Jonathon Hudson

MOM Points:

Jonathon Hudson -3pts

Michael Ashby – 2pts

Craig Ireson-1pt

Salmon were looking very short on Friday with only 9 players available- a call to the club was met with some reinforcements from the Elite and former Salmon Jonathon Hudson, who now plays for the Third team.

To add to the sense of disorganisation Capital Football had double booked us on Petone #2 so moved us to 12.30, then decided to move us again to the lush League pastures of Te Whiti Park.

So it was almost a result in itself that at 12.00 we had a full squad of 14 turn up, with Wazza making his 2012 debut.

Within 2 minutes Salmon had opened the scoring, something we were not used to doing so soon. Jessup sent a carefully weighted through ball over the defence for Jonathon to run onto, and run he did. He drove towards the near post, drawing out the keeper before rolling it across the box to Craig who slotted a simple left footed tap in.

Salmon then took the ascendancy, winning plenty of ball in the middle and releasing the wings for romps. Despite the organised manner it was a disorganised Petone defence which contributed to the second. Steve Westcott put a ball through for Craig, which was intercepted by the Centre Back on half way. Confused and under pressure he turned and played it into the path of Craig who took it in his stride and pushed past the cover defence to score a 1v1 against a now very irate Petone keeper. Craig was played in for a third after Jonathon picked him out with a pin point chip into the box, but the keeper smothered the rushed shot.

To their credit Petone scrambled, and with the strong wind at their backs picked up a first against the run of play with a long, looping cross –shot from the left.

With ten to go until the break Petone got a comic equaliser, as Richard M. and the defence got the wires cross and their head-banded striker, a ring in from Miramar no less, got between them to head into the goal. The comedy came from Tom H. and Adam H. falling over themselves to usher the ball into the goal, fighting a losing battle as the wind pushed the ball onward.

Petone pushed for a third but Salmon held out; it was probably a fair reflection of the half that it was a deadlock but the wind was worth at least one goal in the second half.

And so it transpired. The next 35 minutes were all Orange- The Elite lads really played their part, as did Ashby, running hard and pressuring the middle of the park. The third came from a wind assisted long ball which Craig took around the keeper for another tap in.

The goals could have kept coming but for a few smart saves from the agile For Sure keeper. Matt Fulton could have had his seconds for the season when he narrowly missed from a corner. The fourth goal came from Wazza marauding down the left wing; a cross was pushed onto the post by Fulton and the rebound fell kindly to Jonathon at the far post for a tap in. 4-2 with 15 to go and the salmon were in cruise control.

But it wasn’t to be a cruisy end after another mix up at the back allowed their bandanna’d predator a second goal with 9 to play. Salmon now went backs to the wall as Petone pushed for the equaliser. It would have been a travesty had they found it as Salmon were the better team throughout the day save for a few key moments. Just like against the Meke Salmon managed to hold out and took all three points, climbing back up the table to fourth.

Well done lads, the challenge is now to back it up with an even better performance this coming Saturday at Melrose against the youthful North Wellington.

WU Salmon 6- Waterside Karori Meke 5- Match Report

Wellington United Salmon 6- Karori Waterside Meke 5 (Halftime 2-4) Wgtn College Turf Scorers: Sam Mills (2) Craig Ireson (2) Steve Westcott Matthew Fulton MOM Sam Mills (3pts) Adam Ray (2pts) James Stewart (1pt) If any ‘football tragics’ out there cared to bother, they would do worse than follow the fortunes of the Salmon; with a combined total of 29 goals in the last three games they would certainly get bang for their buck. The Meke turned up on Saturday sitting on 7 points, while we were midtable with 4. They also turned up with a young, fit looking squad of 16- and despite our youthful recruits (Sam and Callum) we certainly were a shade greyer than them. We had also lost the services of Richard Martin in goal, but hirsute defender Mataio from our friends the Sunday Blazers FC bravely donned the gloves. As soon as the whistle blew it was clear this was going to be tight, as both teams seemed closely matched in midfield, although the Salmon slightly edged the first 15 minutes in regards to possessions and chances. Despite this Meke made the break through, and once again Salmon were reeling from conceding a soft goal. But the response from the salmon was immediate-from the kick off Craig released Callum down the right, who abetted by a kind deflection, gained possession on the right hand edge of the box and crossed to his wing partner sam, who coolly slotted home. It was a defining moment of the match because it sent a message that the salmon would not lie down without a fight today. A settled back four, once again ably led by Adam Holloway, was disrupted after Richie Hallam tore his calf muscle. He has subsequently learnt that he will need to sit out for 6 weeks, effectively ending his season as he is off overseas soon. Adam Ray came on for his 2012 debut, and Callum shifted to right back. Meke scored another soft goal; Mataio showed his inexperience in goal by being caught out of position. But once again Salmon responded to level the score, this time Craig nutmegged the right back for Steve to run on to, and Steve drew the ball back to Sam who once again calmly slotted for his second. Meke now pressed and were rewarded with a goal from a corner and a quick through ball. Had they scored again to make it 5-2 then the game would have been over, but the defence rallied, a defiance defined by an Adam Holloway tackle, early contender for tackle of the season, lunging at a runaway attacker to foil a one on one attempt. So to the break at 4-2 down but well in the game, as long as the Salmon were first to score. And we were first to score, albeit after a long period of stalemate. When the breakthrough came it was once again an outrageous piece of skill and vision from Steve; receiving a throw in from Sam deep on the right Steve floated a looping shot high into the box, the keeper was well out of position and could only flap as it nestled in the net. 4-3 Soon after it was level again, as Adam Ray released Craig on half way, the keeper was not having a good day, once again caught way out of position to allow the skipper an open net. 4-4 Meke responded with their own outrageous goal, the left winger was allowed to run unimpeded past two Salmon, before firing past a stranded Mataio; all that hard work undone to give the lead back to Meke with 20 to go. Salmon pushed on for the equaliser, and it came from 2011’s Silver Boot Matthew Fulton. Pushed into the right back slot due to an ankle injury from a scything foul, Fulton came up for a corner and when the ball landed at his feet he declined, opting instead for a knee into the netting- no matter, they all count! 5-5 With 15 to go Salmon would be content with a draw, and sat nice and deep. We got one last chance to snatch it though, when a quick ball from midfield bounced through the legs of the last man to allow Craig a clear run on goal- the defender recovered to get alongside Craig and clipped him just outside the box- James Stewart, now with whistle, blew for the free kick as Meke moaned about a phantom dive. The wall was set centre goal and the keeper decided to hide behind it, allowing a free look at the corner-Craig obliged with a driving shot for 6-5. The last ten minutes was backs to the wall- Dave, Callum, Nic, Lane, Steve and Ray all crammed the box, as Mataio now stepped up big time to command the air. With only Sam up front Salmon allowed Meke opportunities to attack at will. But the Salmon were stubborn and resolute, and tenaciously asked James to blow the whistle every ten seconds for the final two minutes before he obliged. What does this say about the Salmon? It says we still have the fighting spirit we were once renowned for, it says we like to ship soft goals, but conversely can score just as easily, and it says that we are now in third spot and have every right to challenge for the title.

Salmon win in the wind & rain

Salmon won 3-0 against Petone Stewsmum, to put clear air (5 pts) between oursleves and them at the foot of the table.
Craig scored twice and Danny once in the first hallf and then ground out a second half stalemate to pick a well-deserved 3 pts.
MOM Wazza for an inspired game in central midfield.

More to follow....

Petone Stewsmum v. WU Salmon -Match report

Petone Stewsmum 0- Wellington United Salmon 1
(HT- 0-1)

Petone Memorial Park
1/5/2010

Team:
............Kahu..........
Richard....Simon...Warrick....Dave
Adam....Danny...Lane...Ben...Nigel
..........Craig.....

Subs:
Enrico
Cameron
Daniel Mitchener

Scorers:
Craig

MOM points:
Adam-3
Craig- 2
Ben- 1

At long last WU Salmon managed to put together two consecutive halves of football to grind out a very well deserved 1 nil win over old rivals Petone Stewsmum.

After conceding 15 goals in the previous two weeks (12 of those in the second half) it was fantastic to get a clean sheet, and even better to pick up three points.

An amped up Wgtn Utd Salmon took to a pristine Petone Memorial #1 in beautifully still conditions. The game plan revolved around tight defence and patient counterattack, with a five man midfield given a defensive brief, allowing a lone striker to patrol the line.

The plan was enacted perfectly- Salmon started much the stronger, as we have in all our previous games. This time however we did not let this lull us into a false sense of entitlement to the points, if we went into the 80th minute at 0-0, well that would be fine.

However there was a sense that a Salmon goal would come, after Craig asked early questions of their keeper, driving low shots into the corners from distance. Danny also had a great early chance, deciding to try and round the keeper, but being snaffled by a two footed lunge from their quite agile custodian, and Lane was making good runs into the box from deep.

Craig won a free kick after being taken out with a shoulder barge while through on goal- 3 metres closer and it would have been a spot kick- the cynical foul riled up the skipper.

The break came after 30 minutes or so. Ben played Craig in on the edge of the box, and Craig skipped across the top of the box, took one look up and curled a shot around the defence and into the right hand corner- After testing the keeper at the near post, the knockout blow came at the far.

1-0 and Salmon had a deserved lead from all their pressing. In fact Kahu was underemployed in goal with the Petone long ball game plan failing to trouble Wazza and Simon, and the Stewsmum wingers haven’t difficulty getting past a double team of Adam/Richard and Nigel/Dave on the flanks.

At the half time break it was all about maintaining intensity and staying focused- one half does not make a game.

The second half was as expansive as the first, but this time Petone started to find some groove with their game plan. However Ben dropped deeper to sweep in front of the back four, and the use of our fresh legs, in particular Dan and Cam, meant that the quick counter attack was not catching us short. The best chance of the half began from deep as aforty yard through ball from Ben deep inside our half was met by Craig, steering it past the last man and bearing down on the keeper. The skipper chose the wrong option, shooting wide when Danny was free in the middle. Ben had the next best chance, popping a shot from the edge of the area which looked certain to go min, their keeper pulling off a fine save to claw it out for a corner.

As the clock ticked down it seemed as though the early misses might come back to haunt us, as Petone now started to throw more bodies, and longer balls, forward. Desperate defence from Adam, including a cynical shoulder on the touchline (still not as cynical as Petone denying a goal scoring chance in the first half) meant that it seemed likely that Salmon would finish with all three points. The few corners they got were ably defended, including a fine take from Kahu in the crowded box.

With three minutes to go Petone had one last chance, getting into the box, but Simon swept in to clear for a corner. Every Orange shirt crowded the box, and as the ball feel tantalizingly at the feet of the Petone forwards a rugby style ruck and maul ensued, Wazza managed to clear but only as far as the edge of the area – the resulting cross was met with a powerful diving header to safety by Danny- such commitment encapsulating the Samon’s determination.

The ball fell at last to Craig’s feet outside the box, and having watched one too many Inter Milan games he set off for the corner flag, despite the fact that Lane was calling for a simple pass in the centre circle. A throw in was won and Adam and Craig ran down the clock well away from the Salmon goal.

It wasn’t always pretty, and it could have been a bigger margin but a 1 nil win is a real football score, and it was great to be on the right side of it-Well done Salmon, everyone deserves to take heart from this- especially the defence who held firm- three points to Adam Holloway who had his best ever game in an unfamiliar position, providing great attacking ball and supporting Rich in defence. 2 points for Craig for tactical nous and a winning goal, and one point to Ben for directing traffic in the middle, and sweeping up the rubbish.

C’mon Salmon- the first battle has been won, but the war goes on!