Island Bay United AFC

Kia ora folks and welcome back to Shark Park. A great start to the season field surface wise. Some may offer that the fields have been a tad too hard, as several grass burns and impact injuries would attest to. - AWFUG included!

In newsflash of the week, there is a new award up for grabs this year, the Golden Fin. This award will be bestowed upon the IBUAFC club member who scores the most goals this season. Under 19 and summer league seasons will however not count, maybe in years to come!

The current leader is Paul Hodder from the Capital 11 JJ's. Paul is banging them into the ol' onion bag and has 8 goals in 4 games for the team, reportedly including a mazy run from halfway!

We welcome all visiting teams to the south coast today in the senior grades, Naenae for the first time in many years to play the Champs Premier co league leaders.

Last column the wishes were for a reasonable start to the season weather wise, this has been granted, and indeed the action across the top 4 leagues in the city has been exciting, with several changes in the early league lead across these grades.

Attribute the good pitches across the city to this, although Karori Park #1 was already turning into Karori Swamp, part #2, last week! Haha.

With no Central League for Wellington women in 2009, player transfers, injuries and retirements have seen the established status quo of clubs at the top of the league change somewhat in the women's Premier League. Having seen 3 games already there is more quality than in the men's competition at times, composure on the ball, playing it out from the back, cracker goals and good interplay from both teams in each game. Good to see!

In Division one the IBUAFC women's 1st team have had a great start to the year, conceding just two goals in 5 games for 3 wins and 2 draws, the ladies sit 1st equal with Tawa. Whilst further down in Division 4 the IBUAFC ladies 2nd team has had 3 draws and 2 losses and currently sit in 6th place. Kate and Co in the women's second team may have had a mixed start to the season result wise, but it is great to see good numbers at their trainings and the team having fun.

Well done all Sharkette's!

On the local front, the 1st team has had a pretty good start to the season again,
and currently lie in 1st equal place with Tawa’s loss to Stop Out resulting in the
latter team leading the Capital Premier standings heading into game week 6 on goal differential.

Tawa now has two losses, and with Stop Out losing to the Sharks and subsequently the Sharks being netted out in the Whitby suburbs by Wilson Suburbs, the Capital Premier League is shaping up as a doozy. It goes to show all teams need to turn up with their game faces on, because all it takes is a few moments of brilliance (or red haired brain explosions!) and a team can be right back in the game, or out of the game!!

In Capital One, Merrick's motley mob will play in mid table action versus table
topping Marist down here at Wakefield Park, with Mezzos' men (lads, and in Dave Wiggins' case, granddad!) hoping to put the wind up the green and whites of Kilbirnie Park and get the 3 points. Good luck lads.

Rusty's rabble also kit up at Shark Park this weekend versus Lower Hutt City. The Academy/3rd team has had a mixed start to the season, but the lads train hard, Rusty rants and raves, and somewhere, a little girl waits. Good to see many youth players in this team, time for them to really step up now and deliver consistently on the field. Challenge is there, go deliver guys.

A quick wrap around of the grades see's Island Bay United in Division 5 in 2nd place, Island Bay Massey in 6th in this ten team league. Island Bay JJ's sit 3rd in
Capital 11 (thanks to Paul!) and in what is a world first, the Vauxhalls are struggling for breath (that's not the world 1st!) as vertigo kicks in, they sit 1st equal in Capital 15, well done. For those who may not know, it is illegal to train, or warm up for the Vauxhalls, if one does not score during the season 10 jugs @ the club prize giving is the fine, as is the fine for penalty misses! More pressure than 1st team!!

Finally, of what is of most interest however it's what's happening overseas, England overseas to be precise.

As Champions of the League Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers will enter the Barclays Premiership next season as the first automatic promotion. Alongside Wolves in automatic promotion will be the blue shirts of Birmingham City. To those astute readers, they may recall last seasons' 1st team coach Dean “I'm City til I die” Holmes was an ardent Birmingham City supporter. Straight back down…..

So, who are these two teams, plus the winner of the play-off race going to replace? AWFUG feels it may be Reading (the club!). You heard it here first admirable readers, but the current bottom three of West Bromwich Albion, Middlesborough and yes, Newcastle United will go down. The Geordies play 'borough this weekend in a do or die clash for both teams, sadly, not even Alan Shearer can save what is a disaster season for the black and whites.

However, miracles can, do and often occur at this level in sport. Being frank (not Paul) Newcastle hasn't earned the right to stay up this season. Both on and off the field Mickey Mouse behaviour has ensued, and their owner resembles Jabba the Hutt. The removal of both S Allardyce and K Keegan will be the death knell for this mighty footballing city. Shame really. Middlesborough just haven't scored enough goals. End of story. Doubters need just cast a glance at the Premier League table with For and Against stats to see 25 to the good and 51 to the bad means relegation. Seeya Southey!!

West Bromwich Albion are a well respected and as recently seen on TV, a financially well run club, just without the big bikkie money backing of many of the clubs who sit above them in the table. They have just been woeful defensively, and some of the goals conceded this season have been as awful as the bad looks of Ray Parlour, Martin Keown, Ed de Gooey and Craig Gardner (current @ Asstonne Villa) combined.

That’s bad. Still, AWFUG liked the West Bromwich spirit.

That's not to say some clubs haven’t succeeded without the largesse's afforded by Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City & United.

Go Everton & Wigan! By and large these clubs are financially prudent, have good managers and players and enjoy great support from the terraces, people turn up week in week out. And that’s where we end this week folks, good luck to all IBUAFC teams this weekend, we will be back either online www.ibuafc.org.nz (order your merchandise!) or in print for next week’s epic clash versus the rangers of Miramar, likely minus AWFUG on the field! We will see you in the clubrooms after the games.

Shark Attack!

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