A mild but overcast morning awaited us at Fawkner Park for our final match of the season against South Yarra. After some confusion as to where to park the car, we all managed to converge in the right area. Initially many of us thought that we may actually be playing Gaelic Football today, given the rather strange appearance of the goal surrounds.
Today we had some pressure on us to ensure a solid scoreline as Bulleen were on the same points as us coming into this round. We had a 4 goal advantage over them but we knew that they would score easily against Doncaster. So it was important for us to score as many goals as possible so that we held on to 2nd place in the championship.
Stackie had the lads in a good mood before the start of the match and they began with good movement and enthusiasm. Certainly we were controlling the ball in the midfield and our wide players were giving us good penetration into South Yarra's defence. We created many good chances in the early stages of the match and it wasn't long before Jesse hit a well placed volley to get the scoreboard ticking over. This was followed by another 2 good goals before half time, courtesy of Matty and Aaron D who took the ball up the wing from the half way line before cutting into the 18 yard box and hitting a cracking left footed shot to beat the keeper.
Half time came along and my phone rang, it was a parent from Doncaster who updated me on the score in the game against Bulleen. They had managed to get 4 goals past Doncaster in the 1st half, so our buffer was now reduced to 3 goals. Stackie worded up the boys and made sure that they knew to keep the goals flowing in the 2nd half.
We continued to control most of the possession in the 2nd half, however South Yarra were starting to get more involved in the game and they did manage to press us on a couple of occasions. However solid defence from Ben, Aaron S, Jordan, Paul and Michael was enough to repel any threats. Billy was also doing a good job and he made sure that he cleared any balls that managed to sneak past our defence.
Meanwhile the midfield continued to work hard and challenge every 50/50 ball. Nick, Alex, Johnny and Jesse were working well together and feeding Sam and Charlie on the wings. Many chances were created in the wide corridors and Sam in particular was having a great game, continuously outmaneuvering the South Yarra defenders.
Another 2 goals were put past the South Yarra keeper, courtesy of Sam and Jesse. At about this point I got the call from Doncaster to let me know that the full time score was 6 / 0 to Bulleen. This was the news that we had been waiting for, so with no more risk to 2nd place, Stackie brought Billy out of goals for the last part of the 2nd half.
Although we didn't add to our tally of 5 goals, we had some great chances and a lot of good teamwork in the closing minutes. Kosi in particular had a great match, displaying his composure under pressure to maintain possession and create opportunities.
So the final whistle blew and our season had finished, the boys celebrated with a team song in the middle of the park...they were happy. We had played 18 matches, won 14, drawn 2 and lost 2. We had scored 74 goals and only conceded 6 all year ! We have finished 2nd on the ladder and we have qualified for U12 A league in 2009 !
There will be more time at the presentation luncheon to thank all involved, but from a personal note I would like to say thank you to Stackie for the fantastic job he has done this year with the boys and also to the parents who have made my job much easier than it should be.
Our focus now turns to preparation for the Cross Border Trophy at the end of September. I know everyone is looking forward to this event and it will be a fitting end to a very successful season !
Cheers,
The Gaffer
No comments:
Post a Comment