IBUAFC - Capital Premier Match Reports

Premier v Miramar - 08/08/09 - L 3-1

2009-08-10T11:47:00.003+12:00

Saturday's game against Miramar was a game played for pride more than anything else, as our Capital One side had to win (and well) to give them any chance of remaining in the league that they had played so well last season to be promoted into.

This, coupled with players away, suspended, or simply having vanished, meant our normal first team squad was depleted, giving a great chance to some younger players to get in some Senior first team football. The weather was great, and possibly even too much of a change to what we've become used to playing in this year. The water bottles were definitely given a pounding.

This was certainly a game of two halves. The first ended 0-0, and though there were more chances than the scoreline suggests, it wasn't really even worth talking about, although Dave did have to make one really good save to keep us level.

In the second half both teams knew time was running out, and as the heat began to take it's toll, gaps were appearing for both teams to exploit. Dave wasn't able to gather in a dangerous corner from Miramar, and after 4 or 5 players smashing the ball at each other from 2 yards out, the ball ended up over the line, and gave Miramar the lead they had been hunting for.

We continued to probe for a goal, and pulled the lead back after Ian Paterson crossed a superb ball over the heads of the defense where all I had to do was head the ball on target (something which I wish I had been able to do more often this season).

A draw wasnt on the cards for either team, and as we pushed forward to get our winner, Miramar continued to pressure our defense. For the most part we dealt with them neatly enough, and turned defense into quick attacks.

We brought our super striker (Anthony Volpicelli) on for his 50th Cap with about 10 minutes to go, but unfortunately most of the action from then on was at the other end. Good support from their players outside our box finally worked for them, and an unmarked player slotted the ball home from the edge of the area to give them the lead again. We were still committed to getting something out of the game, but were simply missing the killer ball into their box to run on to.

With time running out a ball over the top was caught by one of their players who then managed to round Dave. I was sure he would put the ball in himself, but he actually passed the ball to another player (who was by now a flaming football pitch offside) to stub in from 3 yards, killing the game off and leaving us scratching our heads in frustration, and with our 6th loss of the season.

All in all, Miramar probably deserved the points, but it's always disappointing to come out of a game feeling the referees had a hand in the result.

The three College lads we had certainly never looked out of place, and I think they all should be proud of the performances they put in. It would be nice to think that they will become permanent Island Bay players once they leave college, and don't give the game away like so many do once school is out.

Island Bay's Premier season is over and pending the outcome of Stop Out's 3 catch up games (they have to win 2 of them) we'll either place 4th or 5th. If Tawa win their remaining game at home to Kapiti, they'll sew up the league with Karori probably coming 2nd (they only need 2 points from 3 games).

A special thanks to all the spectators who came to watch during 2009, and Island Bay will certainly endeavour to provide even more, (and hopefully winning) footballing spectacles next season.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Karori - 01/08/09 - L 2-0

2009-08-04T11:44:00.004+12:00

If I'd written this on Saturday evening it would have been full of references to Refereeing, Licenses found in Weetbix Boxes, Underhand Tactics, ecetera, so we can all be thankful that I took a step back and waited for the aftertaste to come through.

It took a while.....

Saturday's return leg against Karori began like it went on, with hard tackles, some fouls and some not, and numerous off the ball incidents intertwined with periods of good play from both sides.

Dave Plowright had to make one, great one handed save, but otherwise our defense cut most of their promising play out in the first half. At the other end, Lucci crossed some delightful balls, but we didn't seem to be able to meet them once they arrived, and their keeper picked up anything which came too close, including a one-on-one late in the first spell.

The score was locked at 0-0 at halftime, it was obvious that we had a fight on our hands, as both teams wanted to take away the full three points.

The beginning of the second half carried on in the same vein, with both teams hammering away at each other (both physically and mentally). Yet again, this extended to the Dug-outs with Karori's coach carrying on like he was ready to push through a set of saloon doors and start a bar fight. Classic....

A Waterside Karori corner was unable to be punched clear by Dave, possibly due to the "Wharfie Sandwich" which three of their players had him in. Instead the ball dropped 2 yards out from the middle of our goal line, where James Hill had been conveniently waiting for the smack in, breaking the deadlock.

Play carried on in much the same way, with Island Bay looking dangerous on the attack, until the final ball/shot/pass etc. Karori suddenly ran out of puff, at least whenever the ball was out they did.......... Mind you, I would have been slow if we'd been 1-0 up in this sort of game as well, so I can't blame ya fella's.

The linesman finally saw Tahl being fouled by Adam Crump, but unfortunately this time it was for a blatant elbow to Tahl's teeth, which was the final straw for Tahl and resulted in him being shown red as well.

With both teams down to ten men and with us chasing a leveller, the dynamics changed slightly, and Karori were forced to play the counter attack as we tried to pile on pressure against their defense. Fortunately for them, (and you can read their unbiased match report here) when we did get in behind their back four we didn't pressure their goalie with too much, and even a magnificent turn in their box by Musso (nose bleed Musso?) ended in a shot over the bar.

They extended their lead to 2-0 late in the piece after a corner, when Dave could only push an almost unmarked players volley inside the far post, nearly taking Paul's (standing on the post) head off in the process.

As our last home game of the season we're fairly disappointed with the loss but will look to get hold of third spot by beating Miramar this Saturday at Dave Farrington Park, and relying on Stop Out to drop a point in any of their last games.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Naenae - 18/07/09 - D 1-1

2009-07-21T13:48:00.003+12:00

Saturday's game against Naenae was as disappointing as being I.D'd in a bar at 30 years old, only to find you left your Driver's license in the car.

The game was moved from Naenae 1 (which looked like it had been subject to an archaeological dig, and then refilled with earth) to Naenae 2, which was at least green.

Naenae could have taken the lead within ten seconds (yes, seconds) of kickoff, as a hopeful punt forward from the kickoff, held up on the soggy ground for their striker to run onto to, however his final touch saw the ball sail away off target.

We settled down into a rhythm (somewhat) and played some really great football in places. Mostly though, the final touch was letting us down, and our desire to play flick and backheel stuff was almost always cut out by the determined Naenae players.

A flash move down our left flank was flicked on by a near death Ian Paterson, and missed by my marker as he tried to make contact before the ball got to me. With a nice touch (for a change) I was slightly out from the box with the ball neatly positioned in front of me and no Naenae players nearby. A hard, low drive saw the ball curl into the net and give us the lead around the 10 minute mark.

Naenae were only really dangerous when the ball made it to their Striker, who caused us problems with his great touch. We had numerous shots and corners which we couldn't put away, not to mention two great one-on-ones from Lucci and Ian, before we had stopped for half-time.

The soggy ground was making us tired, and our midfield were having to cover a lot of ground in order to close down a resilient Naenae team. I'm sure that the dismal prospect of relegated in their first Premier year was motivating them to play for every ball, and why not!

The second half was more of the same. Scores of shots at goal, mostly on target as well, were repelled by the Naenae Keeper, who was having such a great game that he was even holding onto strikes which I've seen Premier League Keepers have no chance over, so I'm glad he was their man of the match. In Particular, a volley by Jody could not have missed the top left hand corner, but the keeper didn't just reach it and parry it around the post, no, he caught it!

We never look comfortable with a one goal lead, and with good reason. In the 83rd minute, a hopeful ball and the close proximity of Attackers put Musso under pressure at the back, and as he headed the ball back to Dave in goal, he hadn't seen that Dave had initially come for the ball and then thought better of it, only to watch the ball lobbing over his head and into the net, despite getting a hand to it.

The last minutes saw us push the ball forward as fast as possible, and a great run in to the box by Jody looked like it would give us the lead back, but unfortunately he shot wide (real wide huh Jody? :P) and with it our chance of regaining the lead (albeit momentarily).

The rest of the weekends results meant that 10 points still separate the top 6 spots, but with only got two games left to close a four point gap on Tawa, who also have a game in hand, you could say it's going to be tough. Another way to look at it might be "We're up "insert appropriate expletive" creek without a paddle."

This weekend, Miramar have finally donated enough to Capital Football's coffers for them to be granted a Sunday game, on Miramar Park. Thanks must apparantly go to their first side playing Chatham Cup on Saturday at Home, and their Women's team playing at Home on Sunday as well. Oh well, we're used to sh*t pitches anyway, and Island Bay will play on, despite our teams staunch religious "No Play on the Lord's day" views.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Upper Hutt - 11/07/09 - W 3-2

2009-07-13T12:23:00.003+12:00

Saturday's game against Upper Hutt was so important to both teams with only a win being good enough for us to keep the pressure up against Tawa. We were told that as players we were under no pressure to win, only not to lose, but I believe pressure can be a good thing. It can create moments of sheer brilliance, and focus some normally unruly individuals into reaching new heights.

We entered the match in what has become typical Island Bay fashion. Players out through injury, suspension and vacation had some of the team re-introducing themselves to one another during the pre-match warm up. Fortunately, the "Oi, You over there" calls I had half expected as a result didn't occur, and we meshed as a unit almost from the first whistle.

We expected Wayne Rooker to be Upper Hutt's distributor, and for him to provide plenty of hopeful balls over the heads of our defense for the skillful and quick wingers in Andy LeProu and Troy Burling to run onto, and he didn't disappoint, but thankfully, we were positionally sound and managed to react well enough to repel most of these attacks before they got out of control. Iain MacIntyre had left Shark Park to join Upper Hutt pre-season, and was given the task of target-man for them, dropping the ball back to their midfield to run onto. This provided us with some problems in defense, but our Midfield eventually dropped slightly to slow down the mobility in front of our back line.

At the other end, we were creative and had Upper Hutt scrambling in cover defense until a fantastic through ball was chipped in behind their back line (I'm only saying that 'cos it was from me) which Kevin Mills chugged (he's the engine room don't you know?) onto before the Keeper and 2 of their players woke up, and then he managed a delicate chip into the goal from an acute angle, giving us the lead.

A few minutes later, and Luciano latched onto another through ball. He beat a player only to seemingly push the ball too far in front of him and just as it looked like the next defender would clear comfortably, the notorious Wakefield Park bobble caught the ball, and the player missed it completely, leaving Lucci an easy (for him) smash past the stranded Keeper, giving us a fantastic 2 goal cushion.

Upper Hutt continued to fight us for everything, and Dave Plowright made an outstanding point blank save to deny one of their players standing six yards out, who chested a cross down nicely before volleying a cracker toward goal. We were saved again moments later, when an Andy Le Prou run breached our defense, only to have "the Bobble" skip the ball over his foot at the last moment as he went to shoot from only a few yards out.

It was one of those games where you wish half time wasn't going to happen, as momentum can shift after a rest, a drink and a few stern words. But, as sure as a Ref can't please everyone anytime, half time arrived.

The second half was tough going. The shocking, unrolled ground had taken it's toll on both teams in the first half, and the fouls were starting to increase.

Upper Hutt made an early sub up front, bringing on their 6 foot 6 inch import to mix it up. We (at the back) didn't react to the change fast enough, and struggled for awhile as he flicked the ball on constantly to other players running through in contrast to Iain MacIntyre's style.

We were still attacking the other end though, and I'm sorry to say I mis-directed an open header off a corner skyward over the bar, when it would have been easier to take the score to a potentially game killing 3-0.

The new striker was pretty grabby, and managed to con the ref into believing Musso had pushed him just outside the box (I could believe this might have happened, had there not been 100 kilos between the 2 players). Matt Bennett stood up to take it, and as all of their tall timber lined up on the far post, he curled his shot around the outside of the wall. Dave pushed it onto the post but it rebounded back onto the line, where Steve Davey could only help it into the roof of the net. Naturally this gave Upper Hutt some new determination to get something from the game.

We were guilty of giving away far too much possession when we had the ball, and Upper Hutt were forcing us into last minute tackles and putting our bodies on the line. Yet another Upper Hutt set piece led to the ball being bounced around in our box only to watch the ball sail from out wide over Dave's head where Andy Le Prou was waiting to force it in from a yard, levelling the scores, and making us wish we had more goals in hand.

It was all over soon after though, after some clinical passing from our players saw a ball cut through into space, and Dave Rutherford made no mistake from a tough angle, tucking the ball around their keeper as 3 Upper Hutt Players tried to rein him in. You could see the despair in the Upper Hutt Players faces straight away.

With a few minutes left, they pushed 4 up front to attempt another come back, but this meant that they had virtually no distribution, and we mopped up most of their attacks with little further problems.

Another 3 points for Island Bay, and our 4th win in a row means we are now sitting alone in 2nd place. Unfortunately, Tawa haven't yet succumbed to the pressure of being on top of a league which is still so close, beating Stop Out 4-1 to remain on top, in front by 2 points, AND with a game in hand!

This weekend we are away to Naenae, and as normal, it's another must win match for both teams involved, as we look to continue pressuring Tawa for the Trophy, and Naenae look to stay in Capital Premier next year.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Kapiti Coast - 4/07/09 - W 3-1

2009-07-08T20:42:00.006+12:00

Apologies for not getting this report out sooner, but it was difficult to get the events of Saturdays game clear.

It was a beautiful day at Weka Park and the ground was also perfect. Something we definitely aren't used to enjoying.

It's fair to say that we began the game in dis-array. Our midfield was pushing up too high too often, and the bounce of the ball wasn't going our way, allowing them to pick up loose balls in the vacant gaps and pressure our defense.

We got a penalty, somehow, and as normal Richard Steel made no mistake. Minutes later a foul by us led to a freekick, which was taken in a new style, on the bounce. A perfect ball out wide gave their winger some time to line up, and beat, his man. As our defense scrambled to cover, the guy delivered a pin point pass to an unmarked attacker, calmly slotting the ball past our keeper to square the game up.

Much frivality and laughter ensued for the rest of the half, with numerous fouls, insults and curious decisions keeping both teams intrigued.

The second half carried on in much the same vein, until a superb cross was met by Steve Davey, who controlled the ball AND beat his player with his first touch, before slotting the ball into the corner of the goal, giving us the go ahead goal.

Kapiti were in no mood to lose points, and fought tooth and nail to get back into the game, while we pushed to kill the game off with a third goal.

Scott was sent off after a mistimed header hit a Kapiti player instead, so we played on with ten men. Minutes later, when their tall timber at the back elbowed Jamie Milne's nose open, we were reduced to nine.

Thankfully, before we ran out of players, David Rutherford had heroically headed the ball over their keeper and into the corner of the goal, after just getting back onto his feet from a prior horrendous challenge aimed at his head.

Eventually, time ran out and we had won, but it was not a pretty match, nor was it an example of how we want to play. Kudos to all of our players for sticking to their tasks for the whole 90 minutes, even though it wasn't panning out according to plan.

Another 3 points puts more pressure on the top teams, and hopefully we'll win this weeks home game against Upper Hutt, widening the gap between us and some other teams.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Wests - 27/06/09 - W 3-0

2009-06-29T17:18:00.005+12:00

Could the Champs Premier League be any closer? Could it get any more difficult to work out which team might be where, if only we'd all played the same amount of games?

I'm getting sick of postulating where we might be on the table. I say, if you're playing well enough to advance through the rounds of the Chatham Cup, you're good enough to play your catch up games midweek! Of course I'm being completely two faced, and would complain in a heartbeat if we were still in the Chatham Cup and being asked to play midweek league games! :)

Saturday's match against Wests was going to be a test of our commitment to each other. In recent history, I cannot remember a season where we didn't drop points against teams beneath us on the ladder. With already having lost to Wests this year (in difficult circumstances) we were either going to sink or swim this time around.

To my delight, I'm able to use some words I haven't used in my reports for awhile:

Cohesion: Island Bay Premier's individuals bonded together as a unit, and outplayed Wests as a team. This is how every team should play, win, lose or draw!

Resolve: We showed that despite having injuries, politics, bad weather and facing opponents desperate for points, that we were taking the whole 3 points - end of story

Passion: There were some great goals, some flamboyant attacking, some inspirational defending, and some desperation tackles, but for the whole 90 minutes, (and this is where we sometimes drop the ball) we were passionate about winning.

Mo Terlau kicked things off in the right way, and after a touch to control, smashed a poor goal kick past the stranded Keeper from well outside the box to give us the lead.

Wests came back, their mixture of talented youth and experienced elders were proving to be a handfull, as Rupert Ryan, and Neil MacDonald were playing good one-two's to their players, and keeping us on our toes all around the park. The final ball from Wests wasn't coming though and we never looked like conceding the soft goal we normally do, entering half-time 1-0 up.

The second half could not have started better for us. Wests kicked the ball off, and within 1 minute, a fantastic run all the way down the flank from our right back Steelo and around his defender on the right wing was coupled with an equally deft cross, and Mo made no mistake about heading it past the Keeper.

2-0 up and Wests were struggling to get past our defenses since the first half loss of Neil MacDonald. We had a moment of panic when a corner wasn't cleared and several smashs towards our goal had to be repeled with some body-on-the-line defending.

Ian Paterson finally got a deserved goal after some fine counter attacking play, killing off Wests with a 3-0 scoreline. We're not only pleased for the win, but it's also nice to keep a cleansheet for a change.

This week sees us play away to Kapiti, and we'll have to come away with the points if we have any hope of keeping pressure on the other five teams within 5 points of top of the table.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Stop Out - 20/06/09 - W 2-1

2009-06-22T10:54:00.004+12:00

Barely two weeks ago, I was hurling criticism at Island Bay's Prem's as I played through a horrible game against Tawa.

In the last week however, I've seen us jump the table to third (Stop Out and Karori still have games in hand over us), played in two memorable victories, and seen our team transform remarkably, from a bunch of guys with talent, to a team with heart.

Admittedly, the first win was against bottom placed Lower Hutt, but we always like to make a game of it don't we? Coming from a goal behind twice in the match, to muscle out 3 points took courage, character, and cool heads against a team who are desperate for every point they can get.

Stop Out, whom we hosted on Saturday, were always going to be hard to beat, especially given their great run of results, and the fact that they were going to look for revenge after we bet them in the first round.

We were asked to deliver for our home fans, as our better games have been played on the road so far this season, and we walked out on to Shark Park with a quiet determination to keep the winning momentum turning over for ourselves as well.

I thought we started the match well, keeping possession for spells, but maybe not quite as cohesive as against Lower Hutt. Stop Out were keeping us under a tighter rein, but we still had plently of ball in and around their box, with only last ditch clearances and strong challenges keeping their Keeper safe.

We drew first blood after 20 minutes when a "Tahl Theodorou Wonder Chip" (edited from original "Speculative" - Happy now Tahl?) held up just short of the box, and Mo Terlau arrived in front of two markers to chip the Stranded Keeper in supreme fashion, giving him two goals in as many starts up front. Long may it continue....

We tried to sure up at the back for the next period of play, in order to re-focus and then return to attacking, but we lost the ball coming out from midfield, and Stop Out drew our defense out of position, letting their striker linger near offside (and on goal) just long enough to receive a pin point pass to feet which he neatly dispatched past Dave Plowright, bringing us level at halftime.

Like last week, the guys showed self belief in the dressing room, and shrugged our latest soft goal off, focusing instead on the next 45 minutes and securing a vital 3 points.

I'd like to say the second half was all Island Bay but while for long periods it was, Stop Out made it hard to us to turn promise into reward, and also put us under pressure at the back by playing long, angled balls across the park. I'm glad to say that our defense covered each other very well, and it was definitely our combined efforts which reduced their promising attacks at goal into nothing more than a few corners.

Our midfield coped better with theirs than in earlier matches, I think thanks for the most part by a better understanding of our positional play by the team as a whole. We also showed we had a bit of mongrel when we needed to, forgoing some of the class in order to win and control the ball's path.

A loose ball on halfway was placed well into the stratosphere by Mo, only to be nearly palmed in by their Keeper once it reached Earth again.

A promising Island Bay Attack was halted by another foul, and the resultant free kick was directed nicely into the box but over my head, yet it was close enough to Scott Clayton for him to be fouled by both Stop Out's Left AND Centre Backs, giving Richard Steel yet another Penalty attempt around the 80th minute.

We've become so sure of him (100% record to date) that most of our team ran off to get water. Thankfully, even though his kick wasn't up to his normal high standards, it went through the keepers hands anyway, giving us the lead we'd fought hard for.

Stop Out ran out of time to come back, and went a player down after their skillful winger turned on the Ref (Silly, Silly, Silly Boy), effectively killing the game off, and giving us our second win in a row for some time.

In other games, Tawa bet Karori 2-1 (Tawa are now in the drivers seat for first place, with a game in hand) Miramar as still top of the table after beating Lower Hutt 6-2, Upper Hutt jumped up to 4th, accounting for Wests 1-0, and Kapiti Coast devoured Naenae 6-2.

This Saturday we'll be out for revenge as we host Wests in the return league. Wests eventually bet us 3-0 (0-0 HT) at Endeavour Park in the first round, as we ran out of gas after playing with 10 men from the 5th minute onward.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Lower Hutt - 13/06/09 - W 3-2

2009-06-14T11:00:00.001+12:00

Firstly, on behalf of the Premier Team and it's Management, we express our sincerest and deepest condolences to Jamie Milne and his family, as they farewell his father.

Bruce lost his battle with Cancer early on Saturday morning.

About the game:

What can I say? A week after receiving a mauling at the hands of Tawa, and we were a completely different team. Sure, we still conceded our standard early soft goal, but it didn't faze us.

Against Lower Hutt, we almost became South American's. We were simply going to score more than the other team did. It's called self-belief, and yesterday we played like a unit who believed in one another from the first whistle until the last, and it was magic!

15 minutes in, Lower Hutt's striker finished well with a lobbed header over a stranded keeper, after the Ref told us to stand still while he talked to one of our players, but then let Lower Hutt take the free kick early anyway. That was interesting.

We fought back by playing the ball out wide to both of our wingers, and were unlucky several times to be flagged back by the linesman for offside, as both wingers were destroying their markers. Mo Terlau latched onto a neat cross from Steve Davey (after Steve left the right back doing spinning dance moves) and scored from close range to level the game up.

Steve smashed one in only to be declared offside yet again, and Mo helped a ball which was running alongside him in with his hands, receiving a bright yellow card for his troubles.

At the other end, Lower Hutt scored again when a great save by Dave Plowright landed sweetly to one of their players who then slammed home through a crowded defence, seeing us into the break 2-1 down on the score sheet.

Plenty of chat in the changing rooms proved that we didn't believe the scoreline correctly reflected the game at all, and we were determined to switch the result around in our favour during the second half.

The first 20 minutes of the second half was all Island Bay. We pushed Lower Hutt as far back as possible, with them only being able to play on the counter. Steve was put through on goal by a deflection, and tucked the ball away from an acute angle to level the score up at 2-2.

Lower Hutt tried to come back, but at this point Pedro Garcia was their only real attacking option and he was having to make the plays as well, dropping deeper and deeper to pick up the ball in midfield.

Another great run by Steve gave him some space to cross the ball into the box, and Ian Paterson's magic left foot smashed the volley into the far corner, giving us the lead for the first time, with 15 minutes to go.

It was slightly disappointing to see us revert to kicking the ball away in the last spell rather than holding onto possession, and forcing Lower Hutt into more defensive mistakes, but despite their attempts to draw level, they ran out of time, and the game ended 3-2, seeing us back in winning form, and giving us a much needed 3 points!

In other important games, No. 1 Tawa played No. 2 Miramar (Miramar won 1-0, which sees them take the No.1 spot) and 4th placed Stop Out drew 2-2 with 5th placed Upper Hutt, giving Island Bay back 5th Place on the ladder, and yet only 1 win shy of 1st place.

Karori (presently in 4th) are really still in the driving seat though, with 2 games in hand, as they played Palmerston North End in the Chatham Cup, coming from behind to win 3-2 in Extra Time and getting them through to Round 4.

This weekend we play host to Stop Out, in another six point game which is sure to produce fireworks!

Shark Attack!

Premier v Tawa - 06/06/09 - L 8-1

2009-06-08T10:22:00.004+12:00

To the Spectators who were there to support our men's first team on Saturday against Tawa. - We apologise profusely for being on the receiving end of such a thrashing. We have NO excuse for being destroyed, at home, in the manner you witnessed.

To my teammates - to those who played, and those who could not - Breathe In......Now, Breathe out!

Feel the pain and anguish of what was a massive defeat. DO NOT FEEL YOU WERE UNLUCKY, OR HARD DONE BY (Even though 1, 2 or even 3 goals may have been comical) AT ANY POINT DURING THAT MATCH. We all, as a collective, did not deserve a point from the game and were undone by a team who, once they were in front, were determined to take their pound of flesh home from Wakefield Park. It's called determination, and Tawa did not let up at 2-0, or 3-0, nor did they sit back after half time.

That said - DO NOT, FOR ONE MOMENT believe we aren't better than that 1 performance, or, if you do, please don't come to training. Stay home in the warm, and watch some "Reality" TV. Eat marshmallows. Whatever. Don't waste your time, our time, or Island Bay's spectators time by putting on our sacred yellow jersey.

The difference between an average player and a great player is not blood or bone, it's brains and heart. The brains to know what needs to happen to get the task done, and the heart to see you through it when the task is a tough one!

5 points separate the top 6 teams, and we have 24 possible points left to put body, mind and soul on the line for!

SUCK IT UP, and (for those of you who read this before Tuesday) turn up to training with determination and focus. Decide to share what we felt against Tawa, with our next opponent. It starts with training EACH week, pauses with the final whistle at Bell park on Saturday, and then resumes again the week after.

Finally, well done to Tawa, winning at Wakefield park, (in style) for the first time since 1992. You deserved your win, and we'll now have to start from behind as we race you for line honours.

Still, look out for the Shark Attack!

Premier v Kapiti Coast - 01/06/09 - D 1-1

2009-06-02T23:41:00.003+12:00

On the Queens Birthday, while she was sipping high tea and giggling at a re-run of Coronation Street, we were freezing our bits off chasing a few bits of stitched together leather around a paddock.

Wakefield Number 1 looked like it had been used by the NZ Army for Tank Wars, so the match was transfered all the way over to Brooklyn's home ground, Wakefield Number 2. Ahhhhhh, much better............;p

We'd sat inside our nice cosy changing room, and convinced each other that today we weren't going to let ourselves down, do the simple things well, play decent football and then turn the confidence we'd regained from keeping hold of the ball into decent goal scoring opportunities. We had also committed to doing this as soon as the first whistle went.

I've decided upon reflection that it must have been too windy to hear the first whistle, as we actually started in panic mode, giving away far too much ball, and then inside of 20 minutes, one bad ball at the back led to another, and the nippy striker dispossessed our centre back, tootled around Plowright in goal, and toed it into an empty net. Did I say he was fast? He was so fast, the rest of their team had to run twice as fast just to keep up with him!

True to form, after conceding, we settled down nicely, and at some moments looked dangerous with ball at feet and some nice crisp passing movements. Unfortunately our shots were not on target and yours truely blazed a golden op over the bar, so the half ended with us still down 1-0.

A bit of a re-iteration in what was wanted and needed at halftime, and we were back out into the balmy weather to try and turn things around.

The first 20 minutes weren't much to write home about, with few good scoring opportunites from either side, but after Dave Plowright stopped a one on one shot and held it while right out at the edge of his box, we seemed to wake up a little.

Kapiti seemed to be content with the one goal, and let us bring the game to them. I must say I am amazingly proud of the way Island Bay can play when we want to, and in the last 25 minutes, we really turned up the pressure, forcing Kapiti to throw themselves at everything, resulting in the Ref whipping out his little yellow card like he was an Action Man "with authentic wrist action".

We hit the crossbar, sent the ball just wide, and then a handball in the box ended with a penalty (almost just like the one we should have had against Karori, except in the Ref's line of sight) and Steelo tucked it in to bring us level.

We wanted the whole 3 points, and unfortunately as someone once said, "we didn't lose, we just ran out of time." In almost the last kick of the game, Scott Clayton spun his man and curled a shot across the goal. The Keeper disturbed the air flow around the ball with his flapping glove (i.e - the absolute faintest of touches), which sent the ball onto the bar, and richocheting back into the flying David Rutherford (who knew nothing about it) before bobbling inches wide of the net, and 2 more, much needed, points.

The game ended a 1-1 draw, which annoyed the writer no end, because he alone should have "Bulged the 'ol onion bag" 3 times. Maybe next week.

The start of the second round sees us hosting Tawa, and we hope to build on our last 25 minutes of the last round, and begin winning again.

Shark Attack!

Premier v Karori - 30/05/09 - L 3-1

2009-05-31T11:18:00.001+12:00

Our Saturday trip away to Karori proved just why Wellington needs Artificial Grounds and fast. Unfortunately, this Karori Park is Wellington's latest pitch, and what a waste of money it's proving to be.

I'm sure it's great during Summer, when Mums and Dads can happily stroll their Prams across the park to the cafe and playground, but it's not much chop when you need a snorkel to kick off and it's only halfway through the season.

I digress....And I suppose I digress because we lost. And, we lost because we aren't a flipping water polo team.

Actually, we lost because while we played some good football in patches, and some great football in others, we made 3 poor choices at the back, and weren't able to penetrate at the front often enough to even get shots on target. Add to that a double line clearance (first by the keeper, and the follow up a point blank header by a defender) in the first half which would have seen us take the lead, and two awesome saves by Karori's keeper which might have seen us draw level, and what does it all equal?

It equals us, still on 15 points, still in fourth place, but letting Karori join Stop Out for first, as they drew with Wests 1-1.

Monday sees us host a resurgent Kapiti team, who, after being on the receiving end of several hidings, (7-0, 8-0 and 8-1 I believe) turned up and unleashed hell on Lower Hutt, pounding them 8-0. We will have to dig deep if we are to get anything out of this long weekend except influenza. Happy birthday Queenie......

In other games Karori play Tawa in the Cup, and Stop Out face Wellington United's top team, meaning that all the teams above us will have a game in hand. Upper Hutt will host Naenae, and Miramar's second team will mirror it's First team, playing Wests, although not in the Cup....

Shark Attack!

Premier v Miramar- 23/05/09 - L 2-0

2009-05-25T10:56:00.004+12:00

We all know how bad the weather was on the weekend. I watched a boat slip it's moorings, and mash itself against the rocks, while the owners tried futilely to hoist it out of the water, only to have to give up and let it sink.

Still, we all got to play football, and wasn't it great to play in, or watch the game you were involved with?! Yeah Right!

On Saturday, through injury I was forced to join the throngs on the sideline, and watch Island Bay play Miramar's Second Team. After losing to their top side in the Cup the week before and been taught a few footballing lessons, I'd been looking forward to passing the knowledge onto Miramar's second side via a solid pasting.

The weather did not allow a football match to be held. Instead I watched a comedic game of Force Back. There is no doubt that each team tried their absolute damnedest to play footy, and I'm sure both teams would have loved to get the ball on the ground to pass to their team mates, but it was not to be. Instead both sides spent the majority of the game smashing the ball into the air, where they watched the wind toss it around before sending it back in a completely different direction where it would ricochet off the closest players head/face/feet/body.

To their credit, Miramar played Force Back better, getting closer to our line twice more than we got to theirs and hence scoring two goals to our none. The conditions evidentally made refereeing really tough, so we thank those guys for showing up when they could have stayed inside.....R.E.S.P.E.C.T, Ah?

Tawa, Karori and Stop Out all won their matches, meaning a nice leap frog for them ALL over us, sliding us down to third equal behind Tawa, who smashed 8 in against Kapiti Coast, making Kapiti's poor keeper pick his 30th ball out of his net in 7 games.

This Queen's Birthday weekend sees more double headers for us, as Capital Football strive to have our season over before the grass has begun to grow over the cricket wickets. We play away to Waterpark Karori on Saturday the 30th, before hosting Kapiti Coast United on Monday the 1st June, in the last game of Round 1.

We wish all teams the best of luck in their respective leagues, and hope that we can dig deep, get over our various injuries and complete the round with two more, momentous wins!

Go Sharks!

Premier v Miramar- 16/05/09 - L 4-0 Cup

2009-05-18T15:46:00.001+12:00

Well, we could have drawn Eastborne in the third round of the Illustrious Chatham Cup (Western Suburbs bet the unlucky chaps 10-0) but no, we somehow drew Miramar Rangers.

As I've said before Miramar have won it all at some stage or other, and currently sit on top (now joint after a horror 3-3 draw with bottom placed Palmerston North Marist - but they had just lost their coach) of the Central League after having won it last season, and in 2006.

They've also won the Chatham Cup three times, just in case you weren't satisfied we went into the game as underdogs.

It would be an understatement to say it was windy, but when isn't it?! Oh yeah, Sunday through Friday........

The game started with both teams managing to get a couple of shots off and settling down to play some football. Miramar were in control, but we were happy to push them wide, and to our credit we managed to force them to do so. Unfortunately we hadn't counted on the wind having laid a large bet against us at the T.A.B, and a ridicuously hopeful cross from Miramar suddenly turned into a Beckham wonder goal, as the wind picked the ball out of the sky, turned it 90 degrees and then threw it into the net, much to the horror of Dave Plowright in goal who had absolutely no chance.

Less than 30 seconds later, when no one from Island Bay was looking, Miramar scored again to make the lead 2-0. This carried into halftime, with both sides having settled down again.

We came out after the half looking to make amends for the two goal deficit, and pushed Miramar into defending on many occasions. Naturally, having some players from Team Wellington to "fall back on" meant that Miramar were not going to stand aside, and unfortunately, as we were searching for a goal as a way back into the match, they managed to sneak in a couple more. I put my hand up here and apologise now for not bringing the scoreline closer, sending a golden opportunity over both the cross-bar and the actual-bar.

Dominic Rowe ended up scoring twice, as did Michael (of course I claimed the cross) Eager, so perhaps in hindsight we should have just double teamed those two players and let Peter Halstead shoot til the cows came home.

Anyway, Island Bay exited the cup after going down 4-0 to Miramar. A thoroughly deserved win from a top central league unit. Congratulations and good luck with the rest of your campaigns!

This week we seek to return to winning form, as we play our third home game in a row, against Miramar for the second time in a row (their 2nd team this time people!) and try to consolidate our position at the top of the table.

Elsewhere, Stop Out play Naenae (for the second week running), Kapiti host Tawa, Upper Hutt welcome Karori, and Lower Hutt spend Sunday at Wests.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Naenae - 09/05/09 - W 2-0

2009-05-10T11:51:00.002+12:00

A hearty welcome back to Naenae, whom we hadn't played against in top flight football for a number of years.

This of course creates the issue of not knowing how they play, who was dangerous, and how we could bet them. Coaches problems really. The weather had been horrible all week, but on Saturday Wakefield Park was bathed in sunshine, and still (Yes, you read it - Still!!)

Our guys turned up to play football, and we started the game quite well, with a strong defensive line, hard-working mids, and hungry attackers. I can't say we played great flowing football for 90 minutes though, as the game resembled more of a tennis match at times.

This is nearly always the case in games where the opposition are determined to match us physically, while trying to "run interference" and stem our attempts to play football. To their credit, Naenae gave their all for the duration, and made some good attempts at scoring, thankfully our defense was up to the task, and we kept our third clean sheet for the season.

Our goals came via Mo Terlau and Kevin Mills and both in the first half. Mo closed down a defender outside the box who tried to dribble around him unsuccessfully, leaving Mo to hammer the ball past a stranded Keeper, and Kevin reacted first to a failed clearance, expertly lobbing the ball into an open goal over a crowd of players lined up on the edge of the box.

The second half got scrappy, and neither team created golden scoring opportunities, the game ending as it did at halftime, 2-0 Island Bay. Stop Out also won their match 2-0 against Lower Hutt, which means we're still second on Goal Difference.

We look forward to this Saturday, where we welcome Miramar's first team in a Chatham Cup tie.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Upper Hutt - 02/05/09 - W 2-1

2009-05-04T15:32:00.003+12:00

On Saturday, 3rd (Us) played 4th (Upper Hutt) and 1st (Tawa) played 2nd (Stop Out) so we knew it was possibly a good chance to get our noses clear in front, providing we focused our attention of defeating an always strong Upper Hutt team.

It did not start well.

It wasn't that we were lethargic, which we weren't. It wasn't that we weren't well prepared, which we were. It just seems to be that we can't settle and get comfortable with the game until we give away a soft goal.

Unfortunately, it didn't help when in the first five minutes I was put through with a superb, defense splitting pass, only to smash it into the Keeper's legs. It felt like only seconds later when Dave Plowright couldn't contain a shot and one of Upper Hutt's players had it in the back of our net - after Dave had tried valiantly to parry his first stab at goal. As anyone who has been to Upper Hutt's home ground can appreciate, the gallery went nuts!

Luckily Upper Hutt's defense were also in goal gifting mood's and one of their centre backs attempted to "back" head the ball to his own keeper from the edge of the box, while the keeper was unfortunately still on his line. This left me to run around the defender and head the ball into the net over the Keeper's flailing arms, evening up the game.

In true Wellington v Hutt style, the game often reflected the movie "Bloodsport" with high kicks, low kicks, side kicks, back kicks, jersey pulling and all sorts keeping the Referee busy. This is however (and despite what anyone might say or think) a contact sport, and as such, will always have some physical elements to it. Neither side backed down, and this made it a good match to be involved in, and to watch as well, I believe.

At times we played some beautiful, fluent and pacey football, which was impressive enough to draw some claps from our own players. These times did not eventuate in goals though, and we entered halftime deadlocked.

More of the same followed in the second half. Upper Hutt played lots of long balls out to their hopeful front men, but it was not a performance which saw much continuity from their midfield, thankfully. Island Bay, on the other hand, looked dangerous on attack, except whenever we lost the ball during a counter attack........

We finally broke the game open when I latched onto a nice ball over their defense and squared it inside to Ian Patterson (who had made a fantastic run inside :)) who bet his marker on the six yard line and then squeezed the ball under the keeper and onto a poor defender, who could only smash the ball into the roof of the net, making it 2-1.

We all thought it was going to be a shooting fest when their Keeper had to retire injured and their subbed on Striker donned the gloves, but I don't remember any of us having a shot on target from then on, so we must have been busy defending our lead. Credit must then go to Upper Hutt, who never gave up, and are going to be a team which hopefully make life very hard for other teams.

Stop Out are our new league leaders on goal difference (over us), after coming from a goal down to Tawa in the first half to runaway with the game 4-1. Elsewhere, Miramar defeated Kapiti Coast United, just (8-0!!!), Naenae bet Lower Hutt 1-0 and Karori won 2-0 over Wests.

This weekend sees Island Bay back home for 3 weeks, after 4 weeks on the road (I thought games were supposed to be Home and Away, Home and Away????), firstly taking on Naenae, then Miramar's first team in Chatham Cup play, before having another run in with Miramar, but this time Miramar's Capital Premier Team.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Marist - 25/04/09 - W 2-1 (AET) Cup

2009-04-26T16:08:00.000+12:00

On Saturday Island Bay boarded the bus, ready for the long haul trip to Marist's Kilbirne Park, for our first Chatham Cup tie of 2009. How ironic we should draw Marist first up. A derby for sure, and it was a beautiful still day. Just perfect for kickball! :)

We knew we were in for a tough match against Marist, who would be looking to put on a good show and prove that their Premier relegation last season was more bad luck than poor performances. They started better than we did, moving the ball around quickly amongst lots of showing players meant that Island Bay's defense was forced to shift smartly if we were to plug all the holes.

An unfortunate dipping cross from a Marist player outwitted the outstretched arms of our Keeper, and we were down a goal before we could settle into our style of play.

We did settle down though and began to play some football in the dying moments of the first half, but Marist's players were on a high and determined not to let their lead slip. Both teams made chances, but neither could complete that final killer ball in the first 45. 1-0 at halftime.

We had hoped that Marist would tire in the second half, and continued to probe their defense looking for a breakthrough, which finally came in the last 15 minutes of the game, when a desperate lunge from Marist to clear the ball out of the 6 yard box was ruled handball and up stepped Richard Steel, to calmly (as always) SMASH it into the corner.

1-1 at Full time meant playing extra time, which, given a late start time, almost meant night soccer, without lights.

It seemed we were set for penalties, as neither team could turn any of their build up play into goals, when Mr Paul Muollo decided it was up to him as Captain/President to put us through to the next round, first using his fabled left foot to poke the ball goal ward from 4 yards, then using his slightly less fabled right foot to smash the ball into the roof of the net, making the score 2-1, and setting up an easy cup tie against Miramar Rangers (Winners of this, that, and everything else at some stage) on 16/17 May.

We'll be at home on Shark Park, and you can guarantee Island Bay will do their best to come out on top despite their underdog status.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Wests - 20/04/09 - L 3-0

2009-04-20T12:33:00.002+12:00

Sundays match report for the match against Western Suburbs is summed up using imagery, as most of my written text would most likely have been censored.

For those of you who did not participate at the pictionary world champs.
[Down 2, 10 Men after, 5 minutes = A POUNDING]

It was a tough ask of the ten players left on the pitch to hold a bottom placed team who were desperate for points, and at home for 85 minutes of football.

The remaining guys ALL showed a gutsy determination to keep a point at the very least, but after Wests had scored one [typically, we had just nearly scored at the other end], we had no choice but to chase the game, and this resulted in being caught out twice more as Wests extra man advantage told in the last twenty minutes of the second half.

The League is now even closer than before, with Tawa and Stop Out joining Island Bay at the top of the table.

This weekend is a Chatham Cup round, with Island Bay playing Marist away at Kilbirnie Park

Go Sharks!

Premier v Stop Out - 13/04/09 - W 2-0

2009-04-14T10:42:00.003+12:00

Easter Monday came around all too quick for my liking, considering only 48 hours prior we'd had a physical encounter against a youthful Lower Hutt side. Still, it's the same for both sides, and both Stop Out and Island Bay turned up at Hutt Park Raceway determined to put in a good showing despite the windy weather.

We started in to the wind, and tried to play Football by keeping the ball on the deck. We took some time to get into our flow, but once we had settled down, we played some great football in difficult conditions.

Ian Paterson reacted quickly to a soft clearance off a Richard Steele super throw, superbly rifling the ball in the top left hand corner (over several defenders), only to be (somehow) denied by the linesman's flag.

Stop Out began to use the wind to good effect, slotting nice balls in between our defense, and we were saved several times by last minute desperation tackles, great saves from David Plowright, and some poor finishing.

With about 10 minutes to go before half time, Ian Paterson decided to step up his game, and bet 3 players on his way down Stop Out's Goal line, before slipping the ball back for Luciano Colucci to slot in the near corner from 10 yards out.

At half time, we were convinced having the wind behind us was worth at least a goal but were still conscience that Stop Out would be all out to tie up the game, and accordingly, both teams battled end to end until Stop Out went down to 10 men after a straight red for a tripping off the ball (but in front of the Ref :S).

Even down to 10 men, Stop Out played some great football which had us stretched all over Hutt Park, and might have evened the scoreline, had it not been for the great attitudes and commitment shown by all of the Island Bay players.

Several sets of fresh legs came on from both teams, but it was a cross into the box which saw substitute Mo Terlau fouled and let Richard Steel notch up his 2nd from the spot in 3 games to give us some breathing room. The game ended at 2-0, and sees Island Bay take up a 3 point lead on the league ladder after 3 games.

Lots of the 2009 season left, and 10 hungry teams looking to win the league, so it'll be a tough ask to maintain first place for the next 15 games. I trust (And Expect!!!) Island Bay to show their character, take nothing for granted, and front up to every game with 100% commitment to walk away with 3 points, while enjoying playing good football at the same time.

This week we are playing away at Western Suburbs, and as such will play on SUNDAY out at Endeavour Park.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Lower Hutt - 11/04/09 - W 3-1

2009-04-12T10:40:00.002+12:00

Easter is upon us, and Saturday saw the start of our double header weekend, with Island bay looking to get the best start possible to what's sure to be another long season, full of tough games.

Despite half of Island Bay United's players being out with pulled Holidays, (Holidays, during Footy Season?!?) and management having to strategically pick players to cover the top three teams, we started well, matching Lower Hutt's physical approach, and scored early on, when Steve Davey whirled around in the box to deliver a neat cross which Luciano Colucci calmly slotted into the near corner.

Lower Hutt scored an equaliser before half time thanks largely to the wind, which turned a clearing header and deflection into a lob over our Keepers outstretched hand.

The second half saw Island Bay pull away from Lower Hutt, who's physicality turned into numerous yellow cards and an eventual red (it wasn't the right player, Ref) and this let us dominate the young side in most areas of the park.

David Rutherford saw his charge down inside the box converted into his first goal of the 2009 campaign, and after Steve Davey bruised the keeper with a point blank shot, substitute Mitchell Lee slammed in the final nail in Lower Hutt's coffin to end the match 3-1, and give us a good follow up from our Tawa game last weekend.

On Monday we have on Top-o-the-Table clash (I know we're only 2 games in!) playing away to Stop Out at 2pm.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Tawa - 04/04/09 - W 1-0

2009-04-05T08:25:00.004+12:00

On Saturday Island Bays Premier squad had a show down with Tawa, who were going to come out onto Redwood Park fresh off a Hilton Cup Final win, and looking to avenge their 2008 season (we won and drew with them which hampered their push for 1st place).

In blustery condition, neither team could dominate, with possession, and composure, swinging both ways constantly during both halves of play.

Numerous offsides, and slicing clearances by both teams re-iterated that it was the first game of the season. Each team tested the keepers a few times, but we entered half time locked at 0-0.

In the second half, Island Bay seemed to cope well with Tawa's re-invigorated attacking prowess, and created many chances of our own, just lacking the final killer ball in Tawa's final third. It seemed the game was destined for a draw, but then a deft cross was met well by one of the Tawa players, and it took a line clearance by Mike Jessitt to keep Island Bay's head above water.

A few substitutes later, and into the final ten minutes, a dangerous through ball to David Rutherford was met with a clumsy sliding tackle, leading to a spot kick for Richard Steel to smash into the corner in his usual calm style, finally breaking the deadlock.

Tawa's late push for a draw in the dying minutes tested the resolve of the Island Bay defensive system, but it was not to be Tawa's day, and the Referee blew full time at 96 minutes to a joyous victory cry from the Squad and Bay Faithful!

Next weekend is Easter, with Island Bay hosting Lower Hutt City on Saturday, and playing away to league newcomers Stop Out on Monday. Come and show your support as we try and win six more points!

Go Sharks!

Welcome to the 2009 Season

2009-04-01T10:48:00.003+13:00

This weekend sees the kick off for 2009. The club hopes that this season shows a vast improvement in weather, so that everyone gets to play some decent football, on grass laiden parks, and on most weekends!

We wish all of our teams playing with a Shark on their chest the very best of luck. Get out there and enjoy the beautiful game!

The Capital Premier side kicks off against the Newly crowned Hilton Cup Champs, Tawa, who also came a close second to Wairarapa in lasts years Premier league.

Sure to be a tough game and an immediate test of our pre-season build up. Game kicks off at 2:30pm out at Redwood Park.

Go Sharks!

Commiserations

2008-08-30T18:00:00.005+12:00

Our condolences to Marist, who's seesawing relationship with Capital Premier continues, and good luck to Miramar Rangers, who will play off to stay in this league.

Go Sharks!

Congratulations.....

2008-08-25T12:06:00.003+12:00

Congratulations to Wairarapa United on winning Capital Premier 2008. You proved by your results that you were the most consistent team in the league, (winning 12 games our of 18, scoring the most in the league with 48 goals, and conceding the least with only 19 against).

We wish you all the best of luck as you go into your play off games and hope you get to enter another team into the Central league from the Wellington Region. We don't want to see you back in Capital Premier next season.

To Island Bay supporters, a very big thanks from all of the Premier Squad and Management Staff. It was a season which showed great promise yet ended in under achievement, but we'll be back again next year, and look to keep the positives (we played some great football, had some great young talent, and showed amazing heart at times) and eliminate any negatives for Season 2009.

To all the teams still with games to play in their seasons, we hope the days fine up and you get as much football in as possible.

To those teams looking to win their leagues and/or gain promotion, Island Bay Premier wishes you the very best of luck. Play your hearts out, battle for everything, and aim for the proverbial stars (actually aim for the net). You've already done the hard yards, now it's time for the final push!

Go Sharks!

Premier v Upper Hutt - 16/08/08 - L 4-1

2008-08-18T11:47:00.005+12:00

Our last game of the season was against Upper Hutt at Wakefield Park, and even though the result didn't go our way, the manner in which Island Bay went about playing was a nice way to end our season.

The 2nd teams chance for promotion, coupled with the fact that we had no chance of winning our league AND the Capital Football's rules which do not allow Central or Capital Premier players to be dropped to other teams once their regular season has ended, meant that the squad had changed slightly to when we last played Upper Hutt.

Lee Westlake, Steve Davey, Paul Muollo, Ian Paterson and Dave Plowright were all playing Second team so that they could help the fight for promotion to Capital 1, Petero (back in Fiji), Lai and Hicham were A.W.O.L and Zac and Ollie were away. For those of you with Math's issues this means 10 of our regular players were not playing!

What is more important, is that we were able to call upon some experienced players and field a relatively competitive side. I'd personally like to thank Mike, JB, Steve, Peter, Bill and Darren who all put their hands up and played 'almost' like they would have 10-15 years ago. The touch and experience were all there, with the fitness only dying late in the second half.

We started the better of the two teams, pressuring the Upper Hutt defense. Within 10 minutes, a great cross was put across the box, Benn flicked it back over the defenders heads, and Lucci rifled the ball into the top right hand corner, possibly giving us a slightly false sense of security.

Upper Hutt settled into their game, and started finding their attacking players feet via a few long balls. A fast break, off one of our corners, ended in tragedy when our newly formed defense was sliced apart, leaving Steve Hughes to attempt to tackle two players. He got one, but the rebounding ball landed nicely to their other player who slotted home around Chemo's dive. We had a few more scares, but gave as good as we got. 1-1 at the half and we still felt we were in the game.

Both teams came out firing in the second half but it was Upper Hutt who scored first via a poor penalty decision for handball;

Actual handball Definition - Handling the ball involves a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm. The referee must take the following into consideration:
• the movement of the hand towards the ball (not the ball towards the hand)
• the distance between the opponent and the ball (unexpected ball)
• the position of the hand does not necessarily mean that there is an infringement

Not: "It was ball to hand inside the box, so I'm giving a penalty"

From there on we struggled to get back into the game. Upper Hutt's tactics were obviously win "at all costs", as pushing, shoving and racist remarks were being thrown around all over the place.

We thought we had a chance to level after a foul in their box, but despite all eleven sets of Island Bay's hands going up in the air, and the ref's whistle going to his mouth, he didn't have enough puff, and so the game played on.

In the last 30, our formation changed to 3-5-2 as we chased a point, but Upper Hutt's players were the fitter, and ran away with the game, scoring twice more when fast breaks down the line were passed back inside for two or three unmarked arriving players to slot home.

We currently lie third on the table (Pending Karori's results) and while I feel deflated over the season's final outcome, I enjoyed playing immensely when we had our good days, and feel proud as punch to have played football with some of the talent that Island Bay's Premier squad turned up with.

The best of luck to Petero and Nate, who are off to pursue new football lifestyles in Fiji and China respectively, to any retiring squad members, and to all of the Island Bay teams yet to finish their leagues.

Go Sharks!

Premier v Western Suburbs - 10/08/08 - L 1-0

2008-08-11T11:18:00.005+12:00

A beautiful sunny Sunday on a mostly pristine Endeavour Park invited both Island bay and Western Suburbs to play some great football, rather than the game of Kick Mud that has plagued our football for most of the '08 season.

The game was played end to end for 90 minutes, with both sides enjoying lots of possession and showing some great skills. Island Bay looked very strong for long periods, with our revamped side working hard to create space and support for one another.

West's Central Leaguers showed why they've been brought down to try and keep West's second team in our grade, with Darren Cheriton, Rupert Ryan, Jonathan Rowe, and Jon Harahap and Sam Peters controlling Wests outfield play, while Jake Gleeson in goal consistantly stopped Island Bays goal bound shots, including a spectacular reflex save to deny a certain own goal deflection in the first half.

West's played too much long ball in the first half, fell over the heads of the defenders and left Chemo to comfortably mop up, but they looked dangerous when the ball was played into the space between our Midfield and Defense as the Wests attack dropped deep to pick up the ball and turn with time.

Island Bay played out from the back through MJ, Nate and Milky, with all three combining to play several great one-twos up the field before offloading to Hicham in the middle, or out wide to Lucci and Benn who constantly bet their markers and whipped in some nice crosses.

The second half was more of the same, but eventually Rupert Ryan's work rate and finishing skills paid off after a hopeful lobbed cross wasn't dealt with effectively enough, and he whipped around his marker to slot home from 8 yards despite Chemo getting a good hand to it.

If Wests had after match speeches it would have been hard not to reward their goalie with MOM, even if Rupert did get them all 3 points in the finish, while our MOM went to Oliver Davie, who did a great job defending the speedy Jon Rowe on the right wing while also managing to support our attack for the full 90.

This weekend is the finale of Island Bay's Premier season, playing Upper Hutt at Wakefield Park with a win needed to secure them third place.

Go Sharks!