All over for another year

I bumped into Steven Quirke at the shopping centre over the weekend and after he confirmed to me that last season was to be his last having notched up 200 appearances in the green and black of Wainuiomata, he will be missed.  Then it occured to me that I haven't updated here for a while and here's whats been happening since the league season finished for the teams involved in the club.

Where have the goalpost gone??

The Undertakers put aside their disappointing end to the season and took off for Napier to win the annual masters tournament held in the city each year.  With local hero Ralph Chenery between the sticks The Undertakers conceded only one goal along the way, big cheer for Ralphie there, to claim the title for the third year in a row.

Unfortunately for the under 19 team that headed to Napier for the Umbro Under 19 Youth Championship they couldn't quite match The Undertakers achievements but still put up some spirited performances in their group if the results were anything to go by.

And so the season is over now for the club, cricket becomes the main focus at Richard Prouse Park as the goalposts are removed (as is the case in NZ for most football grounds) and we can all head off and enjoy the summer months, more running for myself will be the order of the day.  I hope to see the team at The Hilton-Petone preseason cup next February but for the time being we will just have to wait and see on that one.

Player of the year

Neil Barclay taking on Olympic

With the season done and dusted and safety assured for next season it was time for the teams to turn out at the clubrooms for the end of year prizegiving. 

The main prize of player of the year was awarded to Neil Barclay, pictured here giving three Olympic defenders the slip, for a solid season with some outstaning performances helping the team avoid relegation.

Well done and congratulations to Neil and heres to another season at the top table next year.

Winning streak comes to an end but promotion secured

It certainly has been a season to remember for Wainuiomatas Womens first team known as Ziggyz.  Coached this year by Adam Smith with Josh Wilkie by his side they helped maintain the fine run of form for the team.  Midway through the season they had been promoted to Division 2 and were on an unbeaten streak of 23 games.  Unfortunately the run was brought to an end with a 1 - 0 loss to Lower Hutt but the team bounced back to win promotion again to Division 1 leaving them just one step away from promotion to Wellingtons Premier Division next season.

It didn't end there for the team either, they battled their way into the division 2 cup final and after an epic tussle with Petone Pins ended in a 2 - 2 draw after extra time the match went to a penalty shootout.  Petone however held their nerve to win the shootout 4 - 3 and deny Ziggyz a second consecutive league and cup double.  Best of luck to the girls next season in their quest for promotion.

Taking on The 'Ancient Ones'

I made my last trip of the season to watch Wainuiomatas reserve team play their final game of the season at a sun kissed Richard Prouse Park.  It was a local derby of sorts with the Lower Hutt Ancient Ones coming from over the hill with some former players in their midst, most notably Jeff McKenzie and Trevor Evans.

'Oi ref, you can't do that'

Their was the odd bit of banter going on between the two teams during the match but the game itself suddenly sprang to life when the Ancient Ones were awarded a penalty.  Our local hero Ralphie was making an appearance in goal made a superb diving save to keep the scores level then instigated a quick break out from defence.  Wainui broke down field at pace and all of a sudden the ball was in the back of the net, 1-0 to Wainui and cue scenes of celebration on the sidelines.

Wainui failed to add to the scoring and eventually Lower Hutt wore down a resolute home team defence to level the game and take away a share of the spoils.  And with that draw the season for the reserves is over and they just missed out on promotion finishing in fourth place, a great effort for the boys but their is always next year!!

Safe for another year

Wellingtons Football Central Premier League season is over and the boys from Wainui have avoided relegation after results in Division 1 went their way last Saturday, great news and something that has been well deserved for the boys after showing such commitment all season long.  Wainui almost caused a huge upset as they pushed a classy Wellington United team all the way in an enthralling final game of the season at Richard Prouse Park.

Rowen beats his man

Having already beaten Wainui 8-1 earlier in the season Wellington were looking for another big winning margin to improve their chances of snatching the league title away from Upper Hutt.  Wainui started brightly putting Wellington under some early pressure and forced the visitors keeper to make a great save to keep the scores level.  Wainui conceded a goal soon after however after Wellington caught them with a breakaway goal kind of against the run of play.  They threatened to rack up a big score again but two wonderful point blank saves from Simon Rippon kept Wainui in the contest.

Just before half time Steven Quirke brought the home crowd to their feet as he rose highest at the back post to level the game with a fine headed goal.  Coming out after the break Wainui were palying some great football and the band of travelling supporters were by now beginning to get a bit frustrated at their teams lack of goals.  Wellington to their credit turned on the style and produced a goal midway through the second half which brought Wainui to life again.  Callum Patterson was inches away with a curling effort which floated just passed the post but it was substitute Andrew Oliver who raced onto a through ball and sent the ball into the back of the net with a neat finish which drew a huge roar from the crowd gathered outside the clubrooms and sparked some wild celebrations. 



Josh putting the pressure on

 Wellington showed their true class again after concedeing another equaliser and calmly broke forward minutes later to put themselves into the lead for a third time with the clock ticking down towards full time.  Their was time for a bit of rough stuff and a red card for young Joel Evans before the final act of the game though.  Wainui sent in a free kick and with goalkeeper Simon Rippon up front to try and salvage a draw the ball broke amid the panic at the back for Wellington and appeared to strike a defender on the arm, surely a penalty but the referee waved play on and full time was called moments later.

And so another season in Wellingtons Premier League has been secured who knows what next year will bring.  Their are still some games left to play with The Undertakers still racing to avoid relegation and the womens first team playing for their end of season cup competiton. 

Performance of the season??

Wainui made the relatively short trip over the Wainui Hill to face Stop Out at a blustery Hutt Park Raceway this afternoon.  Stop Out played with the wind at their backs and took an early lead with a ball that drifted over Simon Rippons head and held up just enough for Stop Outs' striker to nod into an empty net.  After beating Wainui well earlier in the season Stop Out could have been forgiven for thinking that todays game would be no different but Wainui had other ideas.

After conceding so early in the game Wainui played the game along the ground not wanting to put the ball into the air too often, the wind was so strong the ball would just blow back to where it was kicked from.  John MacKay was excellent again down the right again and created some good chances with the use of his trickery and at the back some composed defending from Neil Barclay and a couple of great saves from Simon Rippon kept Wainui in the game.

Witht the wind at their backs Wainui came out for the second half and pushed forward from the off, they did have a couple of scares in their own goalmouth but the defence was always in control.  The equaliser duly came with 25 minutes left to play when Paul Wood beat a couple of players down the left, squared the ball for Callum Patterson whos shot was saved well by the keeper, the rebound fell for Stephen Quirke who blasted home from close range to the delight of the travelling fans.

The boys did create some more chances but the wind interefered with the flight of the ball and Stop Out to their credit also defended well when they had to.  The game drew to a close and with that brought Wainui another point in their race to avoid the drop.  This was in my opinion Wainuis best performance of the sesason,  and the win would well and truly been deserved against a very good, well organised Stop Out side.  So one more game to go for the season next weekend against Wellington United, if they can play like they did today who knows what might happen at Richard Prouse Park next Saturday!!

Weekend round up

It was a busy weekend of football here in Wellington and quite a few of Wainuiomatas teams were in action.  It's always good to see an almost complete weekend of fixtures that haven't been cancelled due to the weather although at this time of year the grounds generally aren't in the best of shape......

Div 4 :  Wainui 8 0 Island Bay Massey *What a win for the seconds, our local hero Ralphie got a start but the goals didn't begin to flow until Phil Hawtin made an appearance from the bench, this puts the lads 3rd on the table.

Div 6:  North Wellington Villa 2 3 The Undertakers *Great result for The Undertakers which takes them off the bottom of the table

Div 15 : Uni Cycles 1 7 Wainui Half Baked *Another big win for Curt and the boys leaving them in second place pushing for promotion.

Div 17 : Wainuiomata 6 0 North Wellington Bombers *It looks like the 3rd team have won promotion but I may need confirmation on that.

Womens Div 4 : Wainuiomata 2 0 Petone Pumas *This win ensures that the womens 2nd team don't finish bottom of the league, good job.

So a great weekend of results for the club, zero defeats can't be a bad thing.  This weekend in Wellingtons Football Central Premier League is a big derby for Wainui over the hill in Seaview against Stop Out.  It wasn't the greatest of results the last time the teams met from a Wainui perspective so it's a case of redemption for the boys this time around.

Rain fails to keep the home crowd away

On a cold and wet Saturday afternoon Waterside Karori were the latest team to make the trip over the Wainui Hill to take on the lads in Wellingtons Football Central Premier League.  Having made Karori work hard for their 2-1 win earlier in the season I was wondering just how this game would pan out.  I came equipped with my trusty rain jacket, little help it turned out to be as the rain persisted for the entire game.

Joel waiting for the long ball to drop

Karori dominated for most of the first half but Wainui defended well and kept them scoreless.  Although there was just one moment of panic when a cross wasn't cleared and a great shot from the Karori attacker came back off the post and into the path of another Karori attacker who somehow missed the shot with the goal at his mercy.

Rowen gets a shot away

The second half was a much better performance from Wainui who managed to create some chances while still putting up a fair old defensive display of their own.  Joel Evans had the best of these chances when one on one with the keeper he looked destined to score until, somehow, the centre back tracked back and did enough to force Joel to shoot just inches wide.  A much improved second half unfortunately brought no goals from Wainui but they did salvage at least a point.

Back in the clubrooms after the match the referees were applauded for a job well done and Josh Wilkie won man of the match for a great display at the back for Wainui.  News also came through that Western Suburbs lost again keeping them rooted to the bottom of the table in the race to avoid relegation.  Next weeks game is agaianst Stop Out, I just hope the weather improves before then.

Just one of those days

Wainui travelled to David Farrington Park to take on Miramar Rangers yesterday afternoon for what was a must win game.  Playing Miramar on their own turf is a challenge, I've played against them a few times out there and the closest I got to a result was a 3-1 loss in a very entertaining game of football.



Joel Evans about to score

 The team yesterday played with a high intenstiy that put Miramar off their game in the first half and with around 25 minutes of the game gone Callum Patterson cut down the left wing and delivered an inch perfect cross into the box which was headed home by young Joel Evans.  They dealt with everything Miramar threw at them for the remainder of the half with some ease but there was a case for a penalty to Miramar which the referee waved away.  A lucky escape I thought which also saw the Miramar coach vent his anger at the referee and linesmen as both teams trudged to the dressing rooms at half time.



Simon Rippon keeps Miramar out

 Miramar came out a more determined side and put Wainui under some pressure and finally won themselves a penalty with about 20 minutes to go.  The spot kick was duly dispatched into the back of the onion bag (Tommy Smyth with a Y refernce there) but this kicked Wainui into gear for the remainder of the match.  A lot of pressure was applied, Joel Evans hit a thunderous freekick from all of 25 yards that the Miramar keeper did well to keep out, Callum Patterson jinked his way into a scoring shot but hit the side netting.  Miramar themselves came close at the death but neither team could find the winning goal, a draw was the fairest result on the day for both teams.

A point for Wainui could have been an ok result for the days work but with Marist beating league leaders Upper Hutt (a shock result if ever there was one) the boys now face a tough challenge to break out of the bottom two and avoid the drop.  But with two of the three remaining games to be played at their home pitch anything is still possible.
 

200 games and counting



Mark Manzone sizes up a free kick

 Mark Manzone marked his 200th appearance for Wainuis' first team in last Saturdays loss to Upper Hutt.  200 first team appearances is a huge achievement for anybody and according to the match programe from Satyrdays game it's a club career that began back in 1990 with a 9-0 victory against Newlands to help the team win the old Super League 2 in an undefeated season.

The club congratulated him with a new blazer with the clubs crest on the pocket, presented to him by our local hero Ralph Chenery who has over 350 first team appearances to his name.  I bagged my own momento of the occasion with an autographed matchday programme from the man himself, thanks Mark!!

The collectors edition programme

Wind, rain and thunder, just another day in the valley

Coming up against the league leaders of Upper Hutt in this afternoons game at Richard Prouse Park was never going to be easy and the visitors really showed their class and why they are top of the pile in some atrocious conditions today.

Our local hero Ralph Chenery made an appearance in goal alongside striker Mark Manzone, who was making his 200th appearance for the club today, but was helpless to deny the visitors taking an early lead with a well taken goal from their striker.  It almost got a lot worse soon after when Upper Hutt were awarded a penalty but with some distraction from the home support and some fancy footwork from Ralph in the goal the penalty was missed.

The second duly arrived for Upper Hutt but this sparked Wainui into gear and they managed to hit the crossbar twice just before halftime.  The visitors then managed to soak up some early second half pressure from Wainui before catching them twice on the counter to kill off the game as a contest.  A fifth and sixth goal followed but Wainui never gave up the chase and finally just before full time Callum Patterson nicked one past the keeper.  This brought a huge cheer from the home support who had gathered against the clubroom wall for some shelter from the driving rain that showed up from time to time.

Back in the clubroom the 'apres' match speeches from both coaches as always were good value and Joel Evans landed the bottle of champagne for player of the day.  It was a well earned reward for a hard days work from Joel even though he ended up on the losing side.  More great scenes in the clubroom followed as Mark Manzone was presented with his club blazer to commemorate his 200 first team appearances and the 100 appearance club guys received their newly designed club ties.  All that was missing from today really was the result against Upper Hutt.

Better late than never

After last Saturdays Undertakers game Craig Preston made a presentation to players Ricky Sweetman and Grant Van Der Westhuizen. 



Grant shows his trophy with some
support from the legendary Dean Cutter

 Grant recieved his trophy for The Undertakers most consistent player of 2010 and Ricky was receiving his trophies for The Undertakers players player of the year for 2010 and the second teams most consistent player from 2009.  Congratulations guys and as they say, 'better late thatn never'. I think the awards won that I mentioned were correct, might need some clarification from Mr Preston on that one!!



Ricky (middle) with Adrian and
Bruno offering their congratulations

 It's a huge game this Saturday at Richard Prouse Park in the Football Central Premier League against league leaders (who also happen to be the defending champions) Upper Hutt.  It would be great to see the lads get a result against one of the best teams in the league, best of luck to them is all I can say!!

The bigger they come, the harder they fall

Wainui earned a two all draw against Marist in The Football Central Premier League having lead by two goals that came from Paul Wood and Ewan Barclay.  Not the result that was needed but the race to avoid relegation is still on.  I couldn't make it out to the match as I answered the call from The Undertakers who were struggling for numbers.

It was good to get a chance to put the Wainui strip on again but I was glad to be on the bench as we were coming up against the league leaders Petone Chicago.  From what I saw in Petones warm up I was glad that I would be last sub aswell, these guys look pretty onto it I thought. 

Clayton Messenger had other ideas though as he slotted the ball home at the second attempt, Scott Auty had a great chance cleared off the line and The Undertakers, lead from Midfield by Marcel Brunner, totally outplayed the league leaders. 

I managed to get on for the last 20 minutes and miss a couple of great chances, if only I had a left foot, but everybody dug deep and defended well to keep Petone out.  There was a lot of Irish lads playing for Petone and for me personally it was good to get one over them because they did have some good players in their midst.  Although after one of the Irish lads took me out of the game with a 'blatant' foul I don't think I'll be heading to his pub in town for a pint any time soon!!

Another weekend of results

So a great win for the first team on Sunday against Wellington Olympic with a goal a piece from Joel Evans and Josh Wilkie.  Here's how the other teams results went, most games were rained off and cancelled so not everybody got to play........

Division 15 :  Half Baked 3 2 North Wellington Sinners *Half Baked Oval (Richard Prouse Park pitch #4) was cancelled again so Curts team were out in Upper Hutt and picked up a good win to put them second on the table.

Division 18 :  Naenae All Stars 3 0 Wainuiomata *Oh dear, another loss for the div 18 lads, there's always next week though!!

Womens Division 2 :  Upper Hutt 3 5 Wainuiomata *Incredible stuff from the Womens first team, unbeaten so far this season!!

Not many games played at the weekend but with the way the weather has been there are no surprises there but this coming Saturday is a huge game for the lads in the Premier Division away to Marist at Kilbirnie Park.  I shall be there hoping for another great result for the team.

First win of the season : Wainui 2 Wellington Olympic 0

Wainui finally got their first win in Wellingtons Premier Division today in a game they controlled from start to finish at a very windy and bitterly cold (well I was cold anyway) Endeavour Park.  The boys started off strongly, playing with the wind behind their backs and had a great chance when a shot from distance by Euan Barclay almost dipped in under the crossbar.

Joel Evans powers past his marker

Olympic threatened for a brief spell before young Joel Evans slipped a goal past the Olympic keeper midway through the first half which was followed up minutes later with a powerful header from Josh Wilkie to double the lead.  A cross come shot from the edge of the box very nearly tripled Wainuis lead but they were denied by a post with the keeper well beaten.  I then spent most of half time hoping for the wind to change direction but that only brought a heavy shower along with it.



A superb team performance today


Wainui continued to dominate the second half and when Olympic finally managed to create a half decent chance Simon Rippon was on hand to beat the ball away for a good save.  Playing into the wind Wainui kept the pressure on and created plenty of goalscoring opportunities which unfortunately they couldn't take, the crossbar prevented them from adding to the score late in the game but the result was never in doubt really.

On the pitch opposite Western Suburbs had a 2 -0 loss against Miramar Rangers which drops them to last place on the table only one point behind Wainui so it's still all to play for as the race to avoid relegation begins to heat up.

Back to the future

Pom working hard

I made it to the second teams home game on Saturday (just about)  as they squared up to Island Bay HHH and with no game for the firsts our local Hero Ralph Chenery made a start at centre back for the team.  It was great to watch Russel and Ralphie reunited as the centreback pairing for Wainui.  I'm sure I even heard a few shouts of 'give the ball to Ralphie' during the game.  The two boys with the assistance of Phil and 'Pom' kept the HHH attack quiet all afternoon in cold, wet and muddy conditions on Richard Prouse Park no.3 pitch.

The defensive display was overshadowed by a master class performance from young Joel Evans who banged in a second half hat-trick as the seconds romped home to a three nil victory to keep their hopes of promotion from Division 4 alive.

Still searching for the win

Wainui are still searching for their first league win of the season after last weekends draw with Western Suburbs at Endeavour Park.

Mark Manzone (according to newspaper reports) got the all important equaliser after they had trailed for most of the game.  A good result and a draw is better than a loss!!

No game for the Premiers this weekend as Wellington United have a Chatham Cup game so I might just potter on down and take a look at the second team this weekend as they push for promotion from Division 4.

The weekend that was

The Wainui Faithful

With this weekends games looming for each of the clubs teams and a HUGE game away to Western Suburbs on Sunday in the Premier Division here is a quick rundown of how everybody fared last weekend......

Division 4 :  Wainuiomata 0 1 Wairarapa * Not the result I wanted to see here, the boys are now 6 points behind Wairarapa in fourth place.

Division 6 :  Undertakers 4 3 Brooklyn Northern * What a way to get your second win of the season, 3-1 down  late in the second half then comes a hat trick of substantial class from Marcel Brunner, super stuff that!!

Division 15 :  Half Baked 0 1 Porirua City *Another loss for Curts Half Baked team, heard there was even a bit of fisticuffs at the end.

Division 17 :  Wainuiomata 5 3 Stokes Valley *Great win for the 3rd team, top of the league after this win.

Division 18 :  Wainuiomata 1 5 Tawa Kingz

Masters Division 3 :  Wainui Pacifica 2 3 Lower Hutt Longballs

Womens Division 2 :  Wainuiomata 8 1 Petone Pins*And still the run continues, unbeaten this season so far.  Think I might have to take a trip down to Richard Prouse Park some Sunday afternoon!!

Womens Division 4 :  Wainuiomata 0 1 Petone Pulse

Long weekend double header

It was the Queens Birthday weekend in New Zealand and it brought with it a double header of games for Wainui against Island Bay on Saturday and Marist FC on the Monday afternoon.  Two wins were what the team was targeting to get them back on track in the league but unfortunately Wainui had to settle for just a point from their game against Marist at Richard Prouse on the Monday.

 

The view versus Island Bay from the sidelines

The first game of the weekend saw Wainui make the short trip over the hill to play Island Bay at Petones home ground  Memorial Park.  After being well beaten in the previous game by Stop Out the boys put in a gutsy display against the league leaders with some solid defending limiting their goalscoring opportunities.  The game ebbed and flowed throughout the 90 minutes and it was settled by a well taken goal just after half time from Island Bay, one of the few chances they managed to create.  Wainui fought right up to the final whistle and again deserved a lot more from the game.

Wainui forced Island Bay to dig deep

So to Monday and back to Richard Prouse Park to face Marist, Wainui were again looking for the win and with the way they have played at home this season you felt that today could be the day they would grab that first elusive win in Wellingtons Premier Division.  Both sides went at it for the entire game again with chances falling to both teams.  A sickening head clash involving Josh Wilkie held up play in the first half for a while, there was a lot of blood from Josh and Marists' player and an ambulance was called, I hope both of them are OK. 

The second half was much the same as the first with chances again coming for both teams but both goalkeepers were up for the task today and yet again a player from each team saw a red card after a clash midway through the half.  A goalless draw was probably the fairest outcome for both teams given the pitch conditions but it was an enjoyable goalless draw all the same.

Rowen almost gave Wainui the lead late on against Marist

So another draw, and red card dished out, at home for Wainui and although a draw wasn't the best result the point was a welcome one.  Special mention was made of Paul Wood in the speeches after the game who came on as a replacement having just finished collecting the days rubbish and put in another solid display for the team, awesome stuff.  Again another good day at Richard Prouse Park and plenty of vocal support from the crowd, still a long way to go in the season yet.

Stop Out take out Wainui

It was another case of being outnumbered by the opposition for Wainui yesterday at Richard Prouse park.  With the scores locked at 0 - 0 Rowen McCullough suddenly found himself being given his marching orders by the referee and Wainui had to play the majority of the game a player down.

Ralphie warming up at half time

Stop Out took complete control from that moment on, in fairness Wainui were hardly helped by some odd refereeing decisions going against them either.  Three well worked goals put the visitors in command at the break with the third goal coming at the stroke of half time.  Early in the second half Stop Out ended the game as a contest with a thunderbolt of a strike that gave Simon Rippon little chance in the Wainui goal.  Wainui battled on though and never really gave up, Steven Quirke deserving of his man of the match award.  The fifth Stop Out goal came right at the death but really at that point the game was done and dusted.



Wainui were outnumbered for most of the game

 So another case of what might have been for Wainui, they are a good side and really don't deserve to be in the position they are in the league but there is still a long way to go in the season yet. As always it was great to get into the clubrooms and hear the coaches speeches and down a well deserved beer on my part as Richard Prouse Park tends to get a bit chilly once the sun goes down behind the hills. 

In some RCSC (Ralph Chenery Supporters Club) news our local hero has returned from his trip away and made an appearance on the subs bench.  The biggest round of applause during the speeches was reserved for the news that our hero asked his partner to marry him to which she agreed!!  Congratulations Ralphie, you're still my hero. 

Game on this Saturday, if it's not cancelled

I was disappointed not to have made it to last weekends game against Karori but sometimes when your sick you have to make some sacrifices.  I was also disappointed to hear that the boys from Wainui had another close loss, losing by 2 goals to 1, leaving them stuck to the bottom of the table.  However this coming weekend they have a chance to turn things around against Stop Out, if the weather doesn't force the game to be cancelled of course as it's been raining quite a bit this week. 

It's kind of a local derby match with the Stop Out club situated just over the hill from Wainuiomata.  The game is at Richard Prouse Park and as always Wainui will give it everything playing at home.  From memory the last time these two teams met all of seven years ago Wainuiomata came away with a 2 -0 win. 

In other news from the club it was reported in the local paper that the womens first team won promotion to division 2 after winning all of their games.  I believe they are currently on a 17 game unbeaten run stretching back to last season which is just awesome stuff!!

Weekend update

Some games last weekend were postponed so here are the results of the games that were played.....

Division 4 : Wainuiomata 4 0 Island Bay United * The second team are on a bit of a run at the moment and this win sends them into second place behind Wairarapa on goal difference.
Division 15 : Western Suburbs 5 1 Half Baked * Curts team lose badly and slip to 3rd place but there is still a chance they can win promotion!!
Division 17 : Wellington Indian Sports 1 7 Wainuiomata A
Division 18 : Wainuiomata 1 13 Massey University FC * I really hope that score isn't correct
Masters Division 3 : Wainui Pacifica 0 2 North Wellington Onslows

Another weekend of mixed results for the teams dotted around the various leagues and one very odd result there.  I don't think the women played on Sunday, the firsts have a chance for promotion again.
This weekend the Premier League action takes Wainui to Karori Park for a bottom of the table clash against Waterside Karori (Wharfies).  It should be an interesting tussle out there and I hope I can make it to catch some of the action.

Chatham Cup agony for Wainui

It was supposed to be men against boys today, Wairarapa were supposed to stroll into town and take care of Wainui with relative ease.  The final scoreline of 6 - 1 might suggest that but Wainui put up one hell of a fight and pushed Wairarapa close before running out of steam in the final 10 minutes of the game.


Josh Wilkie puts his body on the line


Wainui almost took the lead from a long range shot that deceived the keeper and rebounded off the crossbar and somehow three minutes later they found themselves two goals down.  They came out fighting in the second half and got a goal back from the head of Josh Wilkie (need confirmation on that!!) and it was game on.  Wairarapa then proceeded to show why they are Central League leaders as they stepped up another gear and as Wainui tired late on they really made them pay with four well taken goals of their own to add some gloss to the scoreline. 

Had a really good day there today, apart from the result of course, the lads from Wainuis reserve team put on a bit of a barbecue during the game, I bumped into Goober who has made a tremendous recovery from his recent illness and as always the speeches back in the clubrooms from both teams coaches are always worth hanging around for.  Our local hero Ralph Chenery was nowhere to be seen today, rumor is he is on holiday somewhere in Asia with his other half.  Sorry ladies but yes he is taken just in case you were wondering!!

Home crowd roars Wainui on

I made it down to Richard Prouse Park again today for the second half of Wainuis game against Miramar Rangers and it turned out to be a highly entertaining game of football.  Paul Wood scored only the second league goal of the season for Wainui to help the boys to go in at half time level at one goal a piece.

The game ebbed and flowed from the kick off and both teams were passing well but just failing to find that killer pass that would lead to a goal.    Miramar broke the deadlock from a corner when their player headed well into the ground and the bounce beating both keeper and defender on the line.  Roared on by a raucous home crowd the boys went in search of the equaliser and almost got one but for the crossbar being too low however they were almost caught on the break until goalkeeper Simon Rippon, in for our local hero Ralph Chenery, pulled off a superb one handed save.


Wainui Celebrate Steven Quirkes equalizer

 
In the final ten minutes Wainui got their just rewards from their own set piece move when the ball was forced home by Steven Quirke in a crowded penalty area.  Not settling for a point Wainui won a free kick with time nearly up and almost grabbed all three points with a curling free kick  destined for the top corner of the net.  That was until the Miramar keeper intervened and clawed it away for the corner kick.  The set piece didn't work from the corner this time and both teams shared the points in the end.



It's on its' way in....isn't it??

So a break next week from league action but a big game at home again in the Chatham Cup against Central League leaders Wairarapa United.  They don't come much bigger than this and with the support that's being shown at all the home games I am expecting one hell of a game of football next weekend.

Weekends results

Here are the results from the rest of Wainuiomatas teams in Capital Soccer from last weekend.....

Division 4 : Brooklyn Northern 0 2 Wainuiomata * This win sends the 2nd team into 3rd place in the league.
Division 6 : Undertakers 3 0 Miramar Rangers * First win of the season for The Undertakers and a first clean sheet for  Mark Jones.
Division 15 : Naenae 1 1 Half Baked * Curts half baked team are flying high in second place at the moment five points behind the division leaders.
Division 17 : Miramar 5 2 Wainuiomata A * I believe this is Wainuis 3rd team, I could be wrong though!!

I couldn't find and haven't heard how the Div 18 or Wainui Pacifica (the over 35s) got on but I presume they did play on Saturday.  On Sunday I passed through Richard Prouse and both womens teams games were drawing to a close, the results went as follows

Womens Div 3 : Wainui Ziggyz 4 0 North Wellington * After winning promotion last year Ziggyz are undefeated this year having won all four games so far.

Womens Div 4 : Wainuiomta 0 6 Tawa

So a mixed bag of results last weekend but on the whole everything going well.  I'm hoping to make it down on Saturday to watch the first teams' Premier Division match against Miramar if I post a good time in this weekends Crazyman event in the Hutt Valleys eastern hills.

Away day blues

Wainui were away today at Upper Hutt against a team who are pushing for promotion to Central League after narrowly missing out last year.  I was made welcome in the home teams club house and enjoyed the game from the balcony which I have to admit gives you a great view of all the action. 

I arrived just before half time with the lads already two goals behind but the general consensus on the balcony was all Wainui needed was to nick a goal and it would be game on.



Wainuiomatas half time team talk


The second half was a tight affair but Wainui shaded most of it in fairness.  They did have a couple of great chances that were agonisingly close, just the wrong side of the post both times unfortunately.  Then on a rare breakout for Upper Hutt, who I felt struggled to impose themselves on the game, they scored the all important third goal.  Heartbreak for Wainui but their heads never dropped, some of the home crowd were suggesting at this point that maybe the floodgates would open.  That wasn't the case as Wainui didn't give up the ghost and pushed on looking for some sort of a breakthrough.  A goal did arrive before the final whistle but it was at the wrong end as Upper Hutt sneaked in a fourth.

A view of the game from the clubroom balcony

And so it's back to Richard Prouse Park next weekend for a game against Miramar Rangers and with the Wainui crowd roaring them on next Saturday who konws maybe the first win of the season will be within their grasp, here's hoping!!

Marching on in the cup

Cup runs add an extra dimension to a football season and for Wainui it has been a long time coming.  Their last run in The Chatham Cup was 21 years ago when they reached the quarter finals only to be knocked out by Christchurch United.

This afternoon at Richard Prouse Park Wainuiomata advanced to the second round of The Chatham Cup with an impressive 3 - 0 victory over Seatoun from Wellingtons Capital 2 Division.  It's always nice to get a cup run going and maybe the boys can bring some of that form into Saturdays away game at Upper Hutt. 

First point of the season

Wainui finally earned their first point of the season with a well earned 0 - 0 draw with Wellington Olympic at Richard Prouse Park this afternoon.  Wainui soaked up the pressure from Olympic and with some great support from the clubrooms they managed to put some pressure on the ways team defence themselves.  And Wainui could have taken all three points if not for a disallowed goal with time running out and a missed opportunity from Joel Evans.



Some silky skills were on display today


They take a break from league action on Easter Monday when Seatoun come to Wainui in The Chatham Cup.  However next weekends trip to Upper Hutt in the league looks like a daunting task but again with the spirit they showed this afternoon against Olympic who knows what could happen!

On another positive bit of news from todays game everybodys hero Ralphie got his first clean sheet of the season, here's hoping for a few more from Ralph.

Meet The Undertakers

Todays game at Richard Prouse Park was an entertaining game between the Undertakers, Wainuis Division 6 team, and North Wellington.  Yours truly even kitted out and had a great chance to score after making a cameo appearance midway through the second half.


The Undertakers pushed for an early goal

A tightly contested first half saw the teams come in at half time with the scores level at nil all with The Undertakers coming closest to a goal with a flurry of chances just before the break.  All the hard work was undone shortly after the restart when a mix up between defender and goalkeeper saw the Undertakers score an own goal to gift North Wellington the lead.  Soon after I made my cameo appearance but the game was put out of our reach after the visitors scored a cracking second to kill the game as a contest.  We battled on and I came close with a shot that just wouldn't curve a fraction to the left but it just wasn't to be our day. 

Marcel Brunner lead The Undertakers from midfield

There was a  heavy loss today for Wainuiomatas premier team, going down 7 - 0 away to Wellington United.  Heavy losses are pretty hard to take but I'm sure the team as a whole will bounce back at Richard Prouse Park next weekend against Wellington Olympic. 

 It looks like it will be a tough game with Olympic flying high at the top of the table with three wins from three games but as they have proven so far this season it is not easy to take points off Wainui while they are playing at home.

10 men deserved much more than they got!!



Wainuis home game against Western Suburbs this afternoon was well and truly a classic encounter.  A cracking goal from a free kick in the first minute from Mark Manzone gave them an early lead and then a straight red card soon after could have dented their chances of a win but they pushed on looking for the killer second goal.  For most parts of the game it looked like Wainui had the extra man as the Western Suburbs team rarely threatened.

Wainui put the pressure on

Wests goalkeeper made three top drawer saves to keep his team in it and ultimately in the end the extra man counted for them as they caught Wainui on the break twice in the final twenty minutes of the match to earn themselves a hard fought victory.  Even with Wests being reduced to 10 men for the last five minutes wasn't enough for Wainui to push on for that well deserved second goal.

I shall be wearing my Ralph Chenery Supporters Club (RCSC) watch to all home games from now on in support of everyones local hero after being the lucky recipient of Ralphies autograph on my match programe for today.  Ralph had a solid game in goal this afternoon and was unlucky to have ended up on the losing side.  Here's hoping for some better luck for the boys next weekend.

A season of Saturdays

Wainuiomata AFC have recently returned to Capital Footballs Premier Division in Wellington for the 2011 season. Having played for the team until I decided enough was enough to pursue other interests I have decided to come back down to every Saturday game at their home park and record the highs and lows of every game on offer to me.  Teams range from the Premier team all the way to the Half Baked team of Capital Footballs division 15.

There has also been talk of the Res-Erection of the Ralph Chenery Supporters club for this season as he bears down on his 400th first team appearance and I'll try and bring some updtaes from inside the club if I can.  I was a member from a few years ago and even have the watch to prove it, I did have the T-shirt but it was such a wanted piece of clothing I had to let go of it on my travels to a fan from afar.

Unfortunately today the boys got off to a bad start going down 1-0 to a 10 man Island Bay team.  It was an unlucky loss however with Wainui having a goal disallowed for offside and spurning a great goal scoring opportunity right at the death.  A solid performance to start the season, just unfortunate about the result but there is always next week.