Division 1: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 1st XI vs Rangers AFC Division 2: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 2nd XI vs FC Nelson Chin United
Division 4: Sprig + Fern Tahuna 3rd XI vs FC Nelson 3rd XI
Women's Premiership: Sprig + Fern Tahuna Breakers vs Nelson Suburbs FC Women's Reserves
1st XI 0-5 Rangers AFC
Location: Blenheim A&P Grounds
Goals:
Match MVP:
Match report to follow.
2nd XI 1-7 FC Nelson Chin United
Location: Victory Square
Goals: Darryn Fitzgerald (1)
Match MVP: Rob Myers
In what can only be described as a truly bizarre game, Tahuna 2nd XI faced off against Chin United at Victory Square. The match got off to the worst possible start for Tahuna, as they found themselves trailing in just the second minute. An old-school defensive blunder, with a headed back pass falling short and allowing the Chin United striker to go through on goal and calmly finish.
A few minutes late, Chin United doubled their lead through a penalty. A clumsy trip on their striker, as he prepared to pull the trigger, resulting in a well-struck penalty finding the bottom corner of the net. 2-0 down within 5 minutes.
The comedy of errors continued for Tahuna as they conceded a third goal. A miss-hit cross/shot whizzed straight through the legs of Will in nets, leaving everyone in disbelief, none more so than Will. 3-0 down. Less than 10 minutes.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. The Chin United winger worked his way into the box and took a shot that was partially blocked, but unfortunately for Tahuna, the deflection makes the ball bounce up just out of reach and into the net. 4-0 down. 15 minutes maybe.
But the misery didn't end there. Will hits a long goal kick from the corner of his penalty area deep into the opponents half, the header is won by the Chin defender, and the clearance lands in the centre circle at their midfielders feet. A quick look up sees Will in no-mans-land and with a first-time strike, the ball sailed past Will, dipping just below the bar for an absolute belter of a goal. It was a moment that left everyone stunned and the Tahuna keeper even more embarrassed. Five-nil to Chin United, and all the goals were completely avoidable. Probably about 20 mins on the clock.
After that, Tahuna finally managed to settle and regain some composure. The game became more even, with Rob, Petch, and Jesse working tirelessly in midfield. The defence also stepped up their game, and Will made some good saves to prevent further damage. Up top, Daz displayed endless energy, constantly pressuring and harrassing the Chin United defence.
Just before halftime, though, it was Chin United who struck again. They worked their way down the wing, breaking into the box, and squared it to their striker, who had ghosted in unmarked to tap the ball home. Six-nil to Chin United, and Tahuna's misery continued.
The second half, however, proved to be a different story. Tahuna emerged from the break with a newfound determination and pretty much dominated the entire half. The defence was rock solid, thwarting every Chin United player, while the flanks became dangerous outlets for Tahuna's attacks. Petchy and Rob took control of the midfield, dictating the pace of the game.
Daz and Kev up top had their fair share of chances, and finally, Tahuna's pressure paid off. Daz found himself played through on goal and finished with precision, providing a glimmer of hope for his team. Moments later, he had another opportunity, but his shot shaved the outside of the post and went wide.
Despite more chances for Tahuna, they were unable to convert them into goals. With about 10 minutes remaining, Chin United managed to score against the run of play. Their player was judged to be fouled near the corner of the box, leading to a dangerous cross being whipped in. Their center-back rose to meet the cross and headed it past Will, extending Chin United's lead.
In the end, it was a truly bizarre game, defined by a comedy of errors from Tahuna in the opening quarter. The slow start proved to be the deal breaker, as you simply cannot afford to be so off the mark against teams like Chin United who will punish you mercilessly. Hopefully, Tahuna will learn their lessons from this match before they face FC Nelson 2nds next week.
Match Report by Will.
3rd XI 10-2 FC Nelson 3rd XI
Location: Tahuna
Goals: Patti (1), Diego (2), Sayha (3), Pedro (4)
Match MVP: Kyle
It took us around 15/20 mins to get going. I'm open to suggestions about how we fix that because teams like Rovers and Bogans will take advantage of that. But once we got going it was a lot of fun and hard work, but hard work can be fun. Once we got the 1st goal the flood gates opened really. I think after a little adjustment to the diamond we gained a lot of space out wide (tight and narrow when they have the ball, wide and open when we have the ball) and there was a lot of space out wide. Good to see Diego and Patti getting on the score sheet as well as Sayha and Pedro.
I'm very happy with the way this team has shaped up this season. I haven't been in a team like this since me n Sayha won every league game and then got beat in the cup final back in.......2017 I think. I think we can go one better and win our cup. We have a great team spirit and you're very responsive and familiar with our formation and tactics. We all trust each other to do a job and are supportive on the pitch when players are having a hard time. That's all a manager can ask of his players so Thanks guys.
Man of the match Kyle (He gets his head down and works hard)......the actual pint I gave to Glenn for getting a draw against Rovers and making our job a bit easier.
Match Report by Colin.
Tahuna 4th XI 2-2 FC Nelson Suburbs Rovers
Location: Ngawhatu
Goals:
Match MVP:
Match report to follow.
TFC Breakers 1-3 Nelson Suburbs FC Women's Reserves
Location: Tahuna
Goals: Marama (1)
Match MVP: Sophie
On a Sunny Saturday at the start of July, Tahuna Breakers took on Suburbs reserves and walked away proudly with a 3-1 loss. (It was 10-0 last Time, soooooo.......).
For once we had subs and they didn't, which meant that we came out hard and fast, even being the first to get the score going. Marama S, playing as center defensive mid, smashed a goal from just wide of the 18 yard box, which slipped through their goalie's fingers and into the back of the net.
Half Time Score: 1-1. Speaking of halves... Did we mention that their team was half our age? Which means I'm pretty sure none of them had had one too many Chardonnays the night before, rocking up to the pitch with sunnys on... An important detail to highlight, not making excuses or anything, but the time their forwards out ran our defense and ended up with a one-on-one with our keeper (sorry Arin)! And the last goal, 2mins before the final whistle, shot from the 18 yard box.
Not a bad game, esp compared to last Time, and a sign that we are coming together as a team, slowly but surely.
Match report by Michelle Ballinger.
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