Pullar Builders Whakatane have beaten Tauranga City 2 - 0.
Whakatane started where they left off from last weekend by playing well constructed football around the home side.
Whakatane were again without their more experienced players due to holidays, injuries and late arrivals although once again the young players of the squad managed to rise up and dominate most of the game with their quick passing  and shear pace.
The opening goal came in the 5th minute and was easily finished by reserve striker Caleb Hyndam. The keeper mishandled the ball and dropped it in front of him just a few yards from the goal.
Caleb helped with the second goal in the 40th minute when he passed a nice through ball to the feet of young Chris Owen who controlled the ball well to get off a shot from the 18 yard box, finding the far post.
The second half began and finished with no change to the scoreline. There were many more scoring oppurtunities for both sides, however poor finishing or the lack of feet passing would allow goals to go astray.
Jamie Beharry worked tirelessly in midfield to earn himself player of the day.
Whakatane should be happy with the three points but need to be aware that goal scoring oppurtunities need to be converted if they are to continue with their winning form.


Chris Owen scores the 2nd with a well placed shot into the far post.


Reserve striker Caleb Hyndam played well to score 1 and create 1.
Here he gets hammered trying to head one in.

 
One of the Twins, Scott and Hayden Marrow have been a great find for our club, always
playing consistently good football.


A chance goes begging for Tauranga.


The very wise Mark Thompson was able to stop play and give the lads a break with his clever injury acts.


Thommo knew that the muddy pitch was sapping the lads strength.
The boys enjoy another break courtesy of Mark.


Player of the day, Jamie Beharry.

Pullar Builders Whakatane vs Ngongotaha

Pullar Builders Whakatane have beaten Ngongotaha 4-1.
This was always going to be a tough match for Whakatane and the boys were proud winners when the final whistle blew.
In recent matches, Whakatane and Ngongotaha have had some very evenly contested battles on the pitch and were neck and neck on the points table before the start of the game. Whakatane knew they would have to step up to the occasion to stay in contention for the league championship.
With the sun shining and fans arriving by the dozen it seemed the perfect time to put on a show that the home side know they are capable of....however, as the game began, this was not to be. As usual, both teams attempted to batter each other off the pitch with a number of heavy tackles being ignored by the ref.
Whakatane were trying to play a fast paced game with three strikers up front and hoped a quick passing game would help them find the goals. Had it not been for some late tackles by the Ngongotaha defence they may well have scored. Instead, the game started with a goal from Ngongotaha. At 20 minutes a free kick was awarded just outside the eighteen yard line and a wall was set up to help shut out any oppurtunities. The result was completly unexpected as the a 'miskick' saw the ball travel underneath 'a jumping wall' and then bobble over the head of Whakatanes goal keeper, Derek Woodworth. Ngongotaha were up 1 - 0.
The homeside were at times showing potential but were struggling to get into their rhythm. Finally, after 35 minutes, a penalty was awarded to the homeside when another attacking move was ended when a player was brought down in the box. Jamie Beharry stepped up to slot the goal and level the scores.
However, withen 5 minutes, Ngongotaha was awarded a penalty of their own when one of the Whakatane players handled the ball inside the box. The resulting shot bounced off the crossbar.
Halftime score 1 - 1.
It wasnt untill the next half that things began to get going for Whakatane. The players knew they had to dig deeper if they were to have any chance of taking the points and not long after the restart they had the all important second goal. Chris Owen made a run down the left flank and drew two defenders with him. Carwyn Evans was running on his inside and seeing the defence follow Chris, he immediately stopped to open up an alley for the pass. Chris passed and  the result was a first time shot off the laces from Evans to bury the ball in the back of the net.
Whakatane were on a high and this began to show in their game. Possession and Territory started to belong to the homeside and few chances were being created by Ngongotaha. The arrival of Richard Oreagen in midfield strengthed the side and they began to pour more attacks onto the opposition goal.
Ngongotaha are a good team who dont give up so it became frustrating for Whakatane when the goals did not come.
It was a welcome relief on the 75 minute mark when Whakatane scored their third. The ball was booted out from the back and Evans managed to turn on his defender to open up a running oppurtunity at the Ngongotaha goal. As he approached the eighteen yard line he was sandwhiched by two Ngongotaha defenders with the ball somehow popping out to sit at the feet of Richard Oreagen, who easily put it away.
This was the buffer we needed and although the game seemed certainly to belong to Whakatane, it still wasnt over. Players were dropping everywhere as the ruggedness of the game continued throughout. Doug Christiansen was solid in the midfield and would have went home nursing a few bumps and bruises for sure.
With only a minute on the clock left, Whakatane scored the fourth. Chris Owen slotted the ball home from a very tight angle after another great run down the flank.
As the final whistle blew the arms of all Whakatane players (and some fans) went up in the air in jubilation.
A mention must be made for those guys who constantly put themselves on the line to ensure the ball wont get through.
Matt ward was always difficult to get passed as was his fellow defenders, Mark Thompson and Hayden Marrow. Wouter Vullings combined well with Christiansen in midfield and Shem Clarke played well when he was put on. 
Player of the day went to Doug Christiansen.

Pullar Builders Whakatane vs Otumoetai

Pullar Builders Whakatane have beaten Otumoetai 2 - 1.
Not much football was played due to the extremely windy conditions that saw both keepers have to pull off saves ...from their own goal kicks!
Whakatane started well, trying to keep the ball on the deck, they created a number of oppurtunities but were unable to get a shot off that threatened the homeside goal. Suprisingly, it was quite some time before Otumoetai managed to get the ball down the other end, and when they did, they managed a shot which bounced off the upright. As the game continued the Otumoetai players began to use the wind to their advantage and kept the ball in the Whakatane half.
Against the run of play, Otumoetai went up at 10 minutes,  when a header was blown into the goal from a near post corner.
Not much else can be said about the first half as alot of the time was spent watching the ball blow away down the park.
Whakatane were actually fairly happy to go into the break with only one goal scored against them.
With a feeling of 'its our turn' Whakatane went back out expecting a one sided half. They were right in the fact that the Whakatane goal keeper only touched the ball once in the entire second half. However, the goals were not to come so easily as the term 'bend it like Beckham' made playing football almost impossible.
Carwyn Evans helped start the comeback when he equilised at 50 minutes. A cross bent in from Matt Anderson first came off the side of Evans' head but then bounced nicely for him to drive home. This was the start that Whakatane wanted and more goals were expected.....although only one more would come.
With the game almost over, Evans lobbed a ball over the defence to give Scott Marrow a one on one with the Otumoetai keeper. As he put the ball passed the keeper he was dragged down to win the penalty which was put away (just) by Jamie Beharry in the 87th minute.
Matt Ward was player of the day for his tireless defence in the difficult conditions.
They did it the hard way, but they got the three points and will continue to go after the BOP first division title.

Pullar Builders Whakatane vs Rotorua Suburbs

Pullar Builders Whakatane travelled to Rotorua Suburbs looking to reverse the result form their last visit earlier in the season. Anything less than a win for the visitors would automatically hand Taupo the Div 1 title for 2006.
Although Taupo could  seal the championship with a win over the only other team to challenge them this year, Ngongotaha.

With several players injured and given a rest, Whakatane still started the match off the same as recent weeks. Showing good speed off the ball to create havoc on the opposition defence. It was within 5mins that the visitors had their first chance. A well timed run from Javier Aylwin linked up with a well placed pass, unfortunately a miss hit shot sent the ball across the face of goal. But it wasn’t long before Whakatane took the lead when another miss hit shot found an unmarked Scott Marrow inside the box who calmly gave the visitors the lead after 15mins. Rotorua troubled the Whakatane on the odd occasion with some well taken corners on of which came off the post and needed clearing off the line by Hayden Marrow. Whakatane could have easily tripled there lead before half time when young Scotty again had 3 one on ones with the suburbs keeper. Unfortunately for him and Whakatane he was unable to convert.
Half Time 1-0
10 mins after the break Whakatane extended their lead when a Suburbs player handled the ball inside the box resulting in a penalty. Jamie Beharry stepped up, sent the keeper the wrong way for his 4th penalty of the year. Whakatane weren’t happy with only scoring 2 so far so continued to press forward in search of more. When Young Scotty was brought down inside the area the visitors were awarded a 2nd penalty. Getting the hang of it now, Beharry again sent the keeper to the wrong way to give himself a double and Whakatane a third. To Rotorua’s credit they didn’t lay down and with 20 to go through caution to the wind, putting more men up front. 
This tested the young Whakatane defence who coped well with this onslaught. An injured Derek Woodworth in goal for the visitors was unable to cut off a through ball which resulted in an open goal for Suburbs to salvage a bit of pride.
That’s the way the match ended with Pullar Builders Whakatane winning 3-1.
Player of the day went to Hayden Marrow for his work in defence.

TASMAN CUP

Pullar Builders Whakatane have lost their Tasman cup hopes after going down in a penalty shoot out to Tauranga City.
Whakatane were extremely dissappointed not to take the win after leading 1 - 0 throughout most of the match.
It seemed like a larthargic team that took to the pitch and with a number of young players on the squad it may have been the result of the previous nights ball celebrations. 
The game started well for Whakatane as the lads still managed many scoring oppurtunities.
Carwyn Evans returned to the squad after a break last week and withen 10 minutes he got onto the end of a nice pass from Chris Owen and turned towards goal. He beat his marker and bent his shot around the keeper to open the scoring.
It looked like this was going to be another high score for Whakatane as they held most of the possession and territory throughout the half. However, what could have been sure goals were not converted and at this early stage the lads were laughing it off.
As the second half began the game turned into a physical battle and a couple of good saves were needed from Derek Woodworth after the ball was given away in our own half, creating chances for the opposition.
As the game game drew on, things became desperate and the mistakes came along. Passes werent finding anyones feet, shots at goal were going wide of the target and the defence got sloppy. With only a few minutes remaining in the game, Tauranga city were awarded a penalty when one of their players was brought down in the box. The goal was scored and extra time was to be played.
Extra time was played much the same as the second half without any further goals scored and so penalties would decide the match.
Jamie Beharry and Carwyn Evans were successful with their penalties...unfortunately for Whakatane, the others were not.
Final score Tauranga 4 -2 on penalties.
Player of the match went to Chris Owen.
Next weekend, Whakatane are back at home against rivals Taupo.
Although down and out in the Tasman Cup, Whakatane have assured themselves a place in the 'Super Cup'.
With the top of the BOP first division playing the top of the Waikato league there is still a chance that Whakatane can bring home the same silverware they one only two years ago.

Unfortunately for Whakatane, Taupo were able to do the job for themselves by beating Ngongotaha 2-1, therefore capturing this years Div One title.

But the season is far from over for Whakatane who this week, takes on Tauranga City United away in the last eight of the Tasman Cup. Having already assured a top 3 finish in the league, they have also a realistic chance in winning the Bay/ Waikato Super Cup.  

Pullar Builders Whakatane vs Taupo

Pullar Builders Whakatane have drawn their top of the table clash against Taupo 1 - 1.
After last weeks dissapointing exit from the Tasman Cup, the home side was determined to make ammends with a chance to beat league winners Taupo, in front of a home crowd.
The sides have met twice already this year with a 4 - 1 win to Whakatane in round one and a 5 - 2 loss in round two.
With the sun shining and the field looking in good condition, it was promising to be a good match to play in and watch.
From the start the home side was firing, keeping possession and creating a number of scoring oppurtunities that were unfortunately knocked over the cross bar with the final touch. Throughout the first half, Whakatane dominated the attacking play and if it hadnt been for poor shooting, the home side could have been up by a number of goals. Instead, with 25 minutes gone, a defensive blunder in our own third ended up with the ball bouncing past the the defence and over the keeper to end up on the head of a Taupo player who nodded it in. 
Players dont mind so much when the opposition creates a goal for themselves, but when you create the chance for them, it can be really frustrating. 
As the game went on, the home side continued to hold most of the ball, but they were still unable to find the back of net.
The second half began and continued much the same as the first half. Taupo seemed to find another gear but the home side wasnt letting up and withen 10 minutes of the restart they equalized. The ball found the feet of Thomas Davison on the edge of the 18 yard box with room to shoot. His shot bounced kindly off the upright into the path of Richard O'reagan who did well to keep it under the cross bar.
Both sides then had chances that could have one the game when two goal mouth scrammbles were seen at each end, but resulted in nothing but entertainment for the crowd.
The final whistle blew and the result may have indicated the rivalry these two teams have had for so long now. Neither team wanted to lose and this was shown right up untill the very end of the match. With nothing on line but club pride, it was good to see two sides ....who still have plenty of it.
Player of the day for Whakatane went to Jamie Beharry.

Pullar Builders Whakatane vs Tauranga City

Pullar Builders Whakatane have won their last BOP first division game of the season 3 - 1 over Tauranga City.
After losing the Tasman Cup quarter final only two weeks ago to the same team, this was a chance for the lads to make up for the loss.
With a completely new look in defense due to injuries and bringing up players from the reserve team to fill numbers, this Whakatane side was still very capable of scoring the goals that went astray in the Tasman Cup.
The first half began and Whakatane immediately began to play the ball around amongst themselves to hold the possession and territory. Occassional flashes of brilliance were unfortunately ruined when the last pass was pushed too far forward or another missed shot attempt from 30 metres would mean the lads would have to start their attack all over again.
When they had the confidence to play the ball into the opposition penalty area, the goals came. The first was scored by Javier Alywin in the 20th minute after Scott Marrow did what he always does and used his speed down the right flank to get around the defense and lay a flat cross into the path of Aywin who struck it well to put Whakatane up 1 - 0. 
Tauranga City were then unlucky not to equalise after a free kick attempt was parried into the path of a City player who's shot was wide of the post.
The second goal came in the 35th minute after a corner was awarded to Whakatane. The resulting cross was met at the near post by Chris Owen , who flicked the ball on and into the path of Carwyn Evans. His first time volley hit the back of the net and Whakatane were up 2 -0.
The second half began after subtitutes were made to Evans and Alywin up front. This gave some of the younger reserve players a chance to show their worth.
Paul Taylor and Keith Fraser were back in the defensive line up for Whakatane and dominated most of the air and fifty/fifty balls. Unfortunately, there seemed to be panic whenever the ball made it into the Whakatane penalty area, which resulted in Tauranga scoring in the 55th minute. A goal mouth scrammble was finished from close range to bring the game closer at 2 - 1.
Tauranga then picked up their game and things looked like they may end up two weeks ago. To the credit of Whakatane, they continued to pass the ball around and managed to hold out any further attacks from the city players.
Making his debut for the Whakatane first team was Brendon Mitchell who showed confidence in his game and was unlucky not to score after a shot from just inside the box was well saved by the Tauranga keeper.
With 10 minutes remaining, reserve player, Caleb Hyndman was rewarded with Whakatane's third goal after he held the ball up on the edge of the 18 yard line and gave himself time to pick out a corner. He slotted it and gave Whakatane the 2 goal lead which they held up untill full time.
Wouter Vullings and Chris Owen played a great game in midfield while Thomas Davison was strong in defense, but it was the commitment and skill of one of the young guns that helped with the win.
Matt Anderson finally looked like he wanted too play and was given the player of the day award for both his defensive and attacking efforts.
Whakatane have come runners up in the 2006 league but still have the Super Cup to look forward to. A combination of the top Waikato and BOP teams will soon play in a league of their own. The Competition starts on August 19th.