Round 5 2008 - Stonnington

A great day for Football today at Wembley Park with near perfect conditions. The boys were focused on a big win today in the chase to close the gap on Monash's goal difference.

It was evident from fairly early in the match that we would have very little to worry about from Stonnington. This is not an arrogant statement, just a confirmation of how much difference there was between the 2 teams. Stonnington would be much happier if they were competing in the Joeys League, as would a few other teams who we have met this year.

Having said that our 1st half was fairly ordinary as sometimes happens when you play lesser teams, you can fall in to the trap of thinking that it is going to be too easy and take short cuts. Yes we were 6 goals up by half time, but the manner in which we scored those goals was less than impressive. If Stonnington had a capable Keeper we would have struggled to be 1 or 2 goals up at the most.

Stackie was not impressed and he told the boys to make sure that they worked harder in the 2nd half. He wanted to see more passing and plenty of communication. We also needed to keep our defensive shape and not rush our decisions, especially when we had time on the ball.

Our effort in the 2nd half of the game was much better than in the first half. Even though we kicked less goals than in the first half, we were playing much better Football. It was good to see our defenders switch play and our wide players using the space that was available to them.

Next week we have Doncaster at Anderson Park, which will be a stronger challenge for the boys. If we do the things that we are learning at training and work harder on our communication, we will begin to see the benefits. Having said that we did manage to kick a goal today that was the result of 17 consecutive passes...

The Gaffer

Round 4 2008 - Boroondara Eagles

A cold and drizzly morning greeted us today at Macleay Park for our Round 4 match against Boroondara Eagles. We were to play on a shared Footy oval with 4 types of grass, 2 centre circles and a very slippery synthetic cricket pitch in the middle.

We started the game well and controlled the ball in our attacking half. Boroondara were scrambling in defense and we wasted probably 3 good chances in the first 5 minutes. Eventually we managed to settle and we started to play our trade mark passing game, albeit difficult on the poor surface.

John was first to convert with a well timed shot inside the box. Next was Jesse who hit a fantastic volley past the Keeper from the edge of the 18 yard box, courtesy of a great cross from John. Alex then scored our 3rd goal when he saw the Boroondara Keeper off his line and chipped him from about 25 yards out - A sensational goal ! Aaron S then managed to make it 4 nil just before half time with a well placed shot.

The 2nd half saw us continue to dominate possession and really press the Boroondara defence. We had many chances early in the half but just couldn't quite find the back of the net. Boroondara cleared a long ball out of defensive midfield and caught our defenders napping. They managed to convert their chance, however an action replay clearly shows their Striker to be off-side by a good 2 metres.

Not to be disheartened by the unfortunate goal, Box Hill then shifted up a gear and launched wave after wave of attacks. We managed to score another 3 well deserved goals courtesy of Aaron D (2) and Jesse (1).

Today we saw a total team effort from every player on the field. Sam had a blinder on the wing and he was the catalyst for much of our forward movement. Charlie held solid in the middle of the park and was unlucky not to score late in the match. Nick as always was working tirelessly to win the 50/50 balls and he was also unlucky not to get a goal.

Our defence was well organised and Ben, Jordan Bob & Paul are all working very well together with a good understanding. Last but not least was the effort of Billy who after a quiet first half in goal was placed up front for the 2nd half.

It was great to see Bill really get involved and show his skills as an outfield player. He did some great work in the 18 yard box and helped set up a couple of the goals.

Overall it was a really good effort from all of the boys and they worked hard for the final result. We still need to work harder on our communication, especially when we can help a player who has the ball. Lets all work hard at training this week and make sure we have a great game at home on Sunday against Stonnington.

PS: Kosi and Mickey, get better soon and hurry back !

Video Highlights

Enjoy these video highlights from our Round 3 clash with Bulleen...

Round 3 2008 - Bulleen

Our first real test for the season today against Bulleen's 'A' team. A great day for Football with cool conditions and no wind. Box Hill got off to a good start and managed to control the majority of posession. Our midfielders were working well together and we managed to keep the ball in our attacking half. Strong efforts from Nick, Arron S, Charlie and Arron D, made sure that we were first to the ball and keeping Bulleen under pressure.

We had a number of chances in and around the box early in the 1st half, however our efforts were thwarted by Bulleen's very capable Keeper. A number of corners were also wasted and we failed to capitalise on our opportunities. Johnny and Jesse had a couple of good shots on goal, but once again Bulleen's Keeper proved to be too good.

Late in the half Bulleen managed to force the ball down their end and some poor defensive work allowed their striker to work his way through the 18 yard box and convert a neatly slotted goal. This was dissapointing as no one closed him down and we allowed him too much space so close to the goal. It was only Bulleen's 2nd attack for the half and they had scored, compared to our majority of posession and multiple scoring chances at the other end with no reward.

The 2nd half saw us continue to play our normal passing game, but once again we were being frustrated close to goal with missed chances and good keeping from Bulleen. We managed to secure a few free kicks around the edge of the box and we came close to equalising on a few occasions. Kosi had a couple of good chances as did Arron S who found himself in space inside the 18 yard box, only to hit his shot into the side netting.

Bulleen were looking for the quick counter, but our defense was holding up well with strong efforts from Ben, Michael, Jordan and Bob. They were able to use our wide players, Sam & Paul, to help run the ball out of defense and build up another attacking formation. Billy did not have a great deal of work to do, but when called on he was composed and effective, clearing the ball out to the wings and away from danger.

Time was running out and we needed an equaliser to bring balance back to the game that we were dominating. We continued to press hard and we almost scored from a cheeky shot that Paul hit from about 30 yards out. The ball seemed to hang in the air and the Bulleen Keeper was off his line, however the ball hit the side post and bounced back into play for Bulleen to clear.

Alex had a cracking shot from a free kick, but the ball hit the cross bar and went out of play. Then a couple of minutes before the final whistle we won a free kick on the edge of the centre circle, courtesy of a Bulleen hand ball. Jesse stepped up to take the free kick and we all thought he would just try to get it into the box. He thought otherwise and hit a cracking shot that sailed into the top right hand corner of the goal, beating the talented Bulleen Keeper and equalising the game.

That is the way the game finished, with a 1 all draw. Box Hill had controlled the majority of the ball all day but were victims of their own inability to finish chances with precision. Bulleen look much better this year than they have in previous seasons and we can expect a hard game from them when we next meet at the Veneto Club.

Round 2 2008 - Ashburton

Our first home game was against Ashburton today at Wembley Park. The ground is in fantastic condition and Stackie was looking forward to seeing how the boys played on a good surface. We got off to a good start and controlled the majority of possession in the first half. A few good chances inside the 18 yard box went begging and Ashburton survived, courtesy of their Keeper and poor finishing on our behalf.

Eventually we found the back of the net thanks to Paul, who opened the scoring with a well placed shot inside the box. Not long after it was Nick's turn to add to the scoreline and then just before halftime Jesse also decided to get into the act.

So 3 nil at halftime, but it probably should have been 5 or 6. Stackie was fairly happy with the way the boys were playing. They were pushing the ball around nicely and making the opposition run. However we needed to show more intensity around the box and finish our chances with strong shots on goal.

The 2nd half saw Ashburton lift considerably and they were more successful at maintaining possession. In comparison we looked less hungry for the ball than we did in the 1st half and as a result we spent a fair bit of time defending. Eventually we managed to wrestle the ball back off Ashburton, but once again we were lazy when finishing chances.

If we are to beat the better teams in our league we have to work with more intensity and sometimes be selfish when close to goal. Often another pass is not to our advantage and allows the opposition to defuse our attacks. Next weeks match against Bulleen will be a real test for the lads and they need to work hard for each other for the full 40 minutes.