Senior Reserves 2006 Season
Visique reserves come good!
After 4 frustrating weeks when Visique Whakatane Senior reserves have struggled to win matches and have regularly turned good performances into defeats Saturday saw them begin to fulfil their potential.
Tauranga Utd arrived in Whakatane with high hopes for the quarter final of the Tasman Cup. Their recent form had seen them rise to 4th in the league table whereas Whakatanes recent form has dropped them to 10 th in the table. On form there should have only been one result. Whakatanes recent results though has belied their form – they have been playing well but struggling to close games. Not so on this occasion!
Visique Whakatane Reserves 5 v Tauranga City 1
Whakatane scored in the first 10 minutes with a cheeky goal when Caleb Hyndman nutmegged the keeper. Soon afterwards Chris Lawson latched onto a pinpoint accurate ball from Lee Barton and comfortably broke his duck – this is Chris first goal at this level – lets hope there are many more to come. Before half time Caleb Hyndman added a third when a careless clearance by the Tauranga goalkeeper was intercepted and subsequently lobbed over the hapless retreating body. Half time 3 v 0
The second half saw Tauranga throw caution to the wind but to no avail .Whakatane defence held strong. Two more goals one to ben Mc Pherson and a second to Chris Lawson sealed the game. Tauranga gained a consolation penalty in the final minutes but Whakatane well deserved the win.
Oohhhh Danny Boy!
A drop of DB makes Otumoetai see Red
A little DB was all it took to sink Otumoetai 2nd XI at Ferguson Park as Whakatane Senior Reserves cruised through the first round with a 5-1 victory .
DB? Danny Boy aka Danny Smith scored a stunning hat trick to secure a well deserved victory for the away team.
Whakatane traveled to Otumoetai for their first game of the season without the benefit of their new crop of young players (who were obliged to attend a school sports function ). There was a concern that the team may be lacking speed and fitness but on the day experience and tenacity proved to be the order of the day.
The first half saw Whakatane dominate the possession and the scoring opportunities but it took 15 minutes before the boot of Danny Smith fine tuned its radar on the Otumoetai net and delivered the first goal. Whakatane looked very comfortable !
Although the domination continued throughout the first half by half time Otumoetai were on even par following a defencive mix-up from a corner – Otumoetais only attack of the First half!
The second half began with an aggressive first 10 minutes from the home team – Whakatane appeared to have left their composure in the changing rooms! But after settling the nerves Whakatane again began to take control. A flurry of goals came in the middle of the second half predominantly through very strong interplay between Brendon Mitchel and Danny Smith down the left hand touch line. From that point on the victory was assured.
A good start to the season !
Whakatane Senior Reserves are at home to Te Puke on the 8th April (kick off 2.00 pm).
They are hoping to carry their initial form on to their first home game.
COME ALONG AND SUPPORT THEM !
Whakatane Reserves 2 - Te Puke 0
Saturday saw Whakatane Senior Reserves team having to dig deeply into their reserves to combat the former first division side from Te Puke. The determination and concentration showed by the team as a whole saw them victorious in a game which was held balanced for a significant period. The tenacity of the squad demonstrated all the qualities required for continued success. The long road has begun!
The day began with Whakatane unsure as to the quality of the opposition. Te Puke had been a first division side last year and had achieved a creditable draw against a strong Rotorua City side in the previous round. The home team had reintroduced a number of its previously unavailable youth players and so had a very changed look about it. The scene was set for an interesting afternoon!
The match began and Whakatane dominated the first 15 minutes and could easily have scored 2 early goals – but it was not to be! Unfortunately the lack of precision in front of goal was to be the order of the day! Te Puke took heart and countered with 25 minutes of sustained pressure – thankfully the strong defensive midfield combined well with the defensive line to prevent Te Puke from causing Paul Shakes in the Whakatane goal, too much trouble. On the stroke of half time a touch of genius came to Whakatane's attacking left flank which saw a cross reach Matt Anderson at the far post where he headed home effortlessly. Whakatane were one ahead at the interval!
The second half saw complete domination by Whakatane with both wingers Bevan Jones and Brendon Mitchell carve up their opposite numbers throughout the 45 minutes, but it took a touch of luck to find a second goal. Again a move down the left flank and a piece of individual brilliance from “the Mitchell boy” saw him 1on 1 with the Te Puke goalkeeper. The ball first struck the crossbar then the far post before rebounding into the path of the ever vigilant Bevan Jones who slotted home to put the home side 2 up!
Te Puke showed no penetration in the forwards from that point onwards and the game became a success for the home side.
Whakatane need to be more effective up front but the strong midfield combination and the movement of the forwards bodes well for the rest of the season.
Easter sees a rest week so the Senior Reserves will resume their campaign against Rotorua City in 2 weeks on the 22nd April
One point gained - 2 points lost!
Whakatane Town Visique Senior Reserves squandered the chance to take three points away from their trip to Rotorua City and were lucky to come away with any points whatsoever! On an afternoon where opportunity after opportunity were wasted Whakatane found themselves one goal behind with only 5 minutes to full time . Thankfully Brendon Mitchell saved embarrassment by slotting home after a strong individual run to secure some return for the traveling side.
The game had begun so well with Whakatane dominating the first half and going ahead through a wonderfully constructed goal finished admirably by Matt Anderson. Unfortunately many other opportunities were not capitalized and the half time score of 1-0 was not a true reflection of the dominance of the away team.
The second half began as the first with complete dominance to Whakatane – an easy chance fell to a Whakatane forward 4 yards from the Rotorua goal line only to be struck directly at the keeper! This was to be the story of the second half.
An innocuous long ball through the centre of the Whakatane defence saw a misunderstanding between the oncoming defender and the goalkeeper which led to an equalizer for Rotorua against the run of play.
Unbelievably Rotorua took the lead through a thoroughly dubious refereeing call which saw a Rotorua get behind the defensive line and cross to a waiting forward line.
Whakatane continued to create good chances but seemed unable to convert! It seemed the footballing gods would not favour the away side.
Cometh the hour ,Cometh the man and so it was with Brendon Mitchell who single handedly took the ball on the left wing proceeded to beat three men as he attacked the penalty area before skillfully placing the ball in the bottom right hand corner to equalize.
Whakatane will be unhappy with this result but will be happy to have left with any points after a dismal in front of goal. More accuracy and more confidence in the penalty area is required!
Whakatane Reserves vs Opotiki
Visique Senior Reserves pay the “penalty” for poor finishing !!
Visique Senior Reserves sacrificed their position at the top of the Bay of Plenty second division after falling to defeat at the hands of a very determined Opotiki side. Whakatane had held a slender lead until deep into the second half until the referee awarded two penalties to Opotiki. The spot kicks were clinically converted to allow Opotiki to snatch victory in the dying minutes of the encounter..
The day had begun badly with a change of venue . The game which was to have been played at the Opotiki College grounds was transferred at the last minute to Magpie Park. In the pouring rain the visiting team were expected to change under the nearest available tree!!! The referee found the ground to have limited markings and had to scratch out the lines with his boots to make recognition possible.
The away team looked vulnerable in the first few minutes but soon regained their composure to dominate the first half and were justifiably rewarded with a good opening goal to Caleb Hyndman. He pounced on a quality cross provided by Matt Anderson and effortlessy guided over the stranded Opotiki keeper. Again for the consecutive week Whakatane continued to squander a myriad of opportunities. The half time score of 1-0 did not reflect the control Whakatane had over the half.
Opotiki regrouped at half time and attacked constantly on the resumption of play. The Whakatane goal was rarely threatened until 25 minutes later when Ian Linton was judged to have been pushed inside the penalty area. 1-1
Opotiki continued to attack but Whakatane held strong until with 87th minute when a second penalty was awarded again following an incident involving Ian Linton being adjudged to have been fouled inside the box. 2-1.
Whakatane pressured Opotiki for the remaining couple of minutes and had two reasonable chances to equalize but poor finishing resulted in Whakatane paying the penalty – a loss of 3 points!
To add insult to injury a dejected and heavily muddied Whakatane side were told that if they wanted a shower one was available 3kms away back at the original venue !!!
The overall performance of the visiting team was adequate but lacked the killer touch needed if they are to stay in the top echelon of the second division. They need to ask questions of themselves – do they have the intestinal fortitude!! We will see!!
Watch this space!!
Whakatane Reserves vs Kati Kati
3 goals to Mattie Anderson = 3 points to Whakatane Reserves
Visique Senior Reserves secured three valueable points from a less than perfect performance thanks to a hat trick from their young striker Matt Anderson. The lack lustre effort from the home team was brightened by the talented striker displaying a full 90minutes of determined purposeful soccer. The undoubted talent which had been much vaunted but rarely glimpsed was unleashed on an unsuspecting Kati Kati side resulting in a three goal goal fest for the teenager. Now that the titan has been released it must not return to its lair. It must be encouraged to remain at large to wreak havoc on other 2nd division defences!
The game began well with Whakatane dominating the first few skirmishes but with the need to reorganize the defence following a calf injury to the Whakatane sweeper. Kati Kati began to gain confidence and the remainder of the first half was an even affair. Thrust and parry was the order of the day with neither side gaining any dominance.
After 23 minutes a harmless Mark Peterson cross which appears to be meandering aimlessly beyond the goal line was pounced upon by the newly invigorated Matt Anderson to see him slot home from an acute angle. 15 minutes later Whakatane gained further advantage as a result of a cool finish by their experienced midfielder Doug Christensen. He latched on to a well directed pass and calmly put the home side 2 ahead.
Kati Kati managed a consolation goal before half time and began to play accurate football causing Whakatane significant problems at times.
The second half began was characterized by a lack of control by either side. Neither team seemed capable of holding possession for any period of time resulting in frustration for both the players and the many supporters watching the game.
The deadlock was broken by the man of the match Matt Anderson in the 63rd minute only to see Kati Kati return it in the 70th with a goal of their own. With the score at 3-2 and neither team exerting any dominance the game could have gone either way!
After another need for defencive reorganization following an injury to Andrew Mitchell, Mark Peterson was injected into a defencive mid field role. This resulted in an immediate goal from the lanky debutante. Taking a loose ball he dazzled the opposition defence beating three players and slotted it into the far corner.
From that point Kati Kati's fate was sealed. Chance after chance occurred with the Kati Kati keeper making numerous saves from one on one situations. In the 87th minute matt Anderson finished the scoring by completing his hat trick. A cunning run by the wily fox Danny Smith resulted in an accurate cross field ball to the young striker who care freely thumped the ball into the open net. A well deserved result for a sterling performance.
The 5-2 result was a little harsh on the away side. The game was scrappy at times but Whakatane never failed to challenge for every ball. Lee Barton and Doug Christensen in the midfield again proved to be the backbone of the team. A resolute performance from Dave Hill kept a much reorganized defencive pattern together and much credit must go to him. But the day belonged to the young striker who scored Whakatane's second hat trick of the year, Matt Anderson.
Whakatane need this to be the alpha not the omega for this young man.
Whakatane Reserves 0 - TBC 0
Drab day - Drab Performance
TBC 0 v Visique Whakatane Senior Reserves 0
Visique Whakatane Town Senior Reserves ground out a workmanlike 90 minutes to take a point from a game whose highlight was the patience of the supporters ! The game showed little skill or application on the part of either of the participants !
The postage stamp size ground in Tauranga cramped both sides and led to neither of the two teams ever feeling comfortable on the ball. Little good football was possible as both teams closed down their opposite number before opportunities could be created.
Whakatane began the day with a much reorganised side. Losing Ian Finch to injury, Caleb Hyndman and Doug Christenson to promotion to the first team and Mark Petersen to North Island trials offered opportunities to new team members. The side however looked lacking in organisation and ingenuity and found it difficult to create fluent football.
The game proved to be uneventful other than the performance of the man of the match Ben Lee in the Whakatane goal who made two impressive saves without which the away team could have embarrassed.
Visique Whakatane Town Senior Reserves have a bye next week and return to the fray on the 27th. Lets hope for better next time !
Visique Senior Reserves vs Old Blues
Close but not close enough!
Visique Senior Reserves came away with no points from their game against the league leaders on Saturday but showed that with a little luck they could have reaped the whole three.
Throughout the whole game Whakatane were competitive and the 2-1 score line does not fairly represent the balance of the match. Although 2-0 down at half time the valiant away side never looked far away from scoring. The second half was highlighted by wave after wave of Whakatane attack but unfortunately only one opportunity was successfully converted.
The game began with Whakatane producing the good chances in the first 20 minutes. Two offside calls spoiled two well worked moves which could have split the deadlock.
Old Blues settled and scored first after 25 minutes when a well weighted cross was converted to put Whakatane one down.
An unfortunate ball to hand incident led to the award of a penalty to Old Blues in the 40 minute which was duly converted.
Once again fortune did not favour the away team when a Jamie Cory goal was disallowed again for offside in the 45 minute
Half time found Visique Senior Reserves 2-0 down but still showing themselves to be capable of salvaging the points.
The second half began with the injection of Ben Mc Pherson up front. He added much needed pace and movement to the front line and immediately began to cause problems for Old Blues
Jamie Corey squandered a great opportunity only ten minutes into the new half and it wasn’t until the 75 minute that Lee Barton managed to open the scoring when he latched onto some good work from firstly Jamie Corey and latterly Ben Mc Pherson.
The last 15 minutes were a torrid affair but Whakatane could not manage to even the score.
Close but not close enough!!
Whakatane have only taken 1 point from their last 9 – it is important that they capitalise on what opportunities they create !
Lets hope they can when they play Tauranga City this coming Saturday at home.
Visique Senior Reserves vs KatiKati
The long and winding road …….
Visique Whakatane Senior Reserves began their Tasman Cup adventure on Saturday with a trip to Kati Kati. Although Whakatane had soundly beaten Kati Kati on home turf earlier in the season the away draw combined with significant selection concerns did not bode well for a team who of late have been a little off the pace.
A combination of player promotion to the first XI, injuries and unavailability found Visique Senior Reserve only able to muster a squad of twelve players. Will Rouse had his first game of the season – Will is a seasoned “professional” but he was being played out of position – he has played the majority of his career at tight head prop! The midfield had also required rejigging. Brendon Mitchell had his opportunity to shine in a central midfield role. The selection nightmare did not support the possibility of much progress in the cup this year!
The whistle blew and after 90 minutes of blood sweat and tears with the score at 2-1 Visique Senior Reserves had justly advanced to the next round of the cup. The grossly inexperienced side had played well beyond their abilities and had proved everyone wrong. The winning goal had been slotted by Ferenc Schmidt after 80 minutes. With ten minutes to go the pace of the game became frenetic but Whakatane held fast and deservedly advanced to the next round.
The game was an even handed affair with the best of opportunities falling to Whakatane. The away side registered first on the score board with a goal from Ben Mc Pherson who followed up on a shot from Matt Dalgitty which rebounded from the bar. McPherson had a second disallowed for offside shortly after. The young forward is beginning to show his keen sight for any opportunity to score!
Kati Kati managed to equalise before half time but Whakatane still were producing the better chances. They were duly rewarded when Frankie slotted home after 80 minutes to secure the victory.
Special mention must go to George Dalgitty who had an inspirational performance from his position as marker. He was deservedly man of the match.
Is this the start of the long and winding road which leads to …..Kawerau ?
Tasman Cup hopes still alive
Visique reserves come good!
After 4 frustrating weeks when Visique Whakatane Senior reserves have struggled to win matches and have regularly turned good performances into defeats Saturday saw them begin to fulfil their potential.
Tauranga Utd arrived in Whakatane with high hopes for the quarter final of the Tasman Cup. Their recent form had seen them rise to 4th in the league table whereas Whakatanes recent form has dropped them to 10 th in the table. On form there should have only been one result. Whakatanes recent results though has belied their form – they have been playing well but struggling to close games. Not so on this occasion!
Visique Whakatane Reserves 5 v Tauranga City 1
Whakatane scored in the first 10 minutes with a cheeky goal when Caleb Hyndman nutmegged the keeper. Soon afterwards Chris Lawson latched onto a pinpoint accurate ball from Lee Barton and comfortably broke his duck – this is Chris first goal at this level – lets hope there are many more to come. Before half time Caleb Hyndman added a third when a careless clearance by the Tauranga goalkeeper was intercepted and subsequently lobbed over the hapless retreating body. Half time 3 v 0
The second half saw Tauranga throw caution to the wind but to no avail .Whakatane defence held strong. Two more goals one to ben Mc Pherson and a second to Chris Lawson sealed the game. Tauranga gained a consolation penalty in the final minutes but Whakatane well deserved the win.