Salmon make it two from two against the Nighthawks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Onwards Salmon, ever onwards!

Wellington United take down Unicorns

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

End of Year Awards and Wrap up 2012

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

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

Here are the Salmon season awards for 2012

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

Tie-

Richard Martin (10 pts)

Michael Ashby (10 pts)

Goal Scorers

Golden Boot

Craig Ireson-23 goals

Silver Boot

Matthew Fulton- 6 goals

Steve Westcott – 4 goals

Sam Mills – 3 goals

Danny Culling – 1 goal

Max Rashbrooke- 1 goal

John Hudson – 1 goal

‘Steve Austin Bionic Man’ award

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

Lisa Simpson award for Attendance

Tie: Matt Fulton and Craig Ireson- 17 appearances each

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

Supporter of the Year

Kahu Kirikiri

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

Best Opposition

Island Bay JJs

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

Worst opposition

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

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

Game of the year

Winner

6-5 versus Meke

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

Runners up:

5-1 vs Naenae

Probably the most consistent performance all year.

3-3 vs Island Bay

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

Assist of the Year

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

Goal of the year

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

Runners Up

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

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

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

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

& now for the big awards

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

Runner's up
Callum Crane

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

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

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

Craig Ireson

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

Fresh Fish-Best newcomer

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

Callum Crane

Runner's Up

Ashby

Steve Westcott

Sam Mills

Fulton

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

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

Steve Jessup

2012 Awards-Brief recap

Another great night on Saturday (and another Father's Day spent nursing a sore head).

Special Mention must be made of the Tasmanian Tiger Callum Crane who went one better that Ashby's Silver in the Nudey 400 last year and won.
Thats right we have the fastest naked runner in the club- well done Callum

A full run down of team awards will be posted soon, but to recap the major awards:

Player of the Season
Richard Martin

Runners up
Callum Crane
Michael Ashby
Craig Ireson
 

Fresh Fish
Callum Crane

Runners Up

Ashby

Steve Westcott

Sam Mills

Fulton

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

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

Steve Jessup

Match Report- Cup Play off 2012

Capital Division Ten- Play off for 7/8 Places

Naenae Unify 3- Wellington United Salmon 3

(Half time 1-3)

Naenae Park

Scorer:
Craig Ireson (3)

MOM Points

Craig Ireson- 3 pts

Michael Ashby- 2 pts

Richard Martin – 1pt

SALMON SHARE THE SPOILS, AS RUBBISH PITCH RUINS THE LAST HURRAH

This was such a bizarre game it is worth writing up in full.

With the 22 man squad at full stretch salmon only just managed to field a fit 11 at game time, relying on ex-keeper Sami to take the gloves (freeing Rich Martin to mid field) and Sunday Blazer Mataio. With Dave Armstrong having to leave at half time to catch a plane to Auckland and James Stewart on injury watch, we knew from the outset 11 players wasn’t going to be enough.

Naenae Park had clearly seen better days, with three or four huge mud puddles in the centre, although the wings seemed in good nick. We got underway and made immediate headway down the left, with Ashby running smartly onto through balls from Sam, Mataio and Rich in the middle. It didn’t take long for the breakthrough, as the sticky pitch made it hard for Naenae to clear and Craig pounced on a loose ball just inside the box and chipped home over the keeper for 1-0.

The home referee soon evened things up when Naenae pushed down the right and into the box for the first time, the striker seemed to be clipped by Callum’s tackle and the penalty was awarded-although he himself admitted it was no such thing. The podgy striker made no mistake for 1-1.

But Salmon were on form- a Mataio through ball drew the keeper out wide and left, and Craig ran through to guide the ball into the empty net from 18 yards for 2-1.

Salmon were dominant now, especially down the left as Dave and Ashby kept working hard to create chances- Ashby had a great shot after a long run forward and earned a corner, and then soon after he scuffed a pass to Craig, and as the defence held off in expectation of the second attempt he chipped a great shot against the cross bar, surprising everyone.

Naenae must have sensed Ashby was the danger man because the next time he ran forward he was clattered from behind and, as he fell, he tripped his assailant. The red mist descended and what was an innocuous 50-50 became a serious assault- the guy jumped up and punched Ashby in the jaw; then stood over him like a maniac. All hell broke loose, but to the Salmon’s credit we kept it tight, and to Naenae’s credit they realised the severity and he was given his marching orders.

We made them pay immediately as the free kick was whipped in to the 6 yard box by Craig, and the keeper totally misjudged the speed, palming it into the net for 3-1.

With Dave due to fly to Auckland at half time we proceeded to try and make them pay but could not manage a fourth.

In the second half we started brightly again- Callum got goal side down the right and put some good balls across, Sam was played in a few times and Ashby kept up the running-Naenae pulled one back after about 20 minutes, it was well finished but was against the run of play.

When James pulled up lame after  25 minutes salmon lost all shape, on a normal pitch its hard to play with nine- on a quagmire its nigh on impossible. To our immense credit we managed to keep them out for about ten minutes but with ten to go they equalised and then we were just holding on-Their finishing was dire though-they had plenty of chances to win it. At the whistle it was 3-3 – if we had 11 men we would have trounced them, with 9 we only just managed to hold on.

Salmon finish 7th equal in the cup

Or last equal if your'e a pessimist.  A tough end to the year, we were scraping for players in the Cup and it showed, being held scoreless in the three round robin games and being beaten 1-0 by the fairly dire BNU Plague- The play off game was a mess- we staggered to a 3-3 draw with only nine players against ten man Naenae (They had a player sent off for assault- very Naenae). The way they played made you scratch your head at the fact that they drilled us 5-0 earlier in the season- how on earth we managed to let them do that ill never fathom.

Overall  a fun season- a reasonable finish in the League but a dismal cup-but the league was competetive and mostly close and, as always, the Salmon have potential if not the polish.

Salmon finish 6th in League

Salmon finish 6/8 in Capital Division Ten. A bit dissapointing as we were only about 4 points of finishing 4th, but a measly 6 points earned from the last 15 on offer meant the League run petered out.

Still having finished in the botton two in the previous two seasons, so at least there has been an improvement- and 17 points in total from 14 games is a lot better than the 11 we earnt last year.