Stallions 4 - 2 Naenae

Think Carrick's might make this video?

Another must win game against mid-table opposition, though the game was hardly conducive to the usual high standard of Stallions football with key personnel missing and Kelburn Park a slippery mess. Kicking off with only 10 men (Tim making a typically late start to the game and the season), we took a while to get going. In a flat first half (several of us playing out of position), Heath continued his rich vein of scoring form by flicking a header over the top of the oncoming keeper to make it 1-0. Paul was also having a blinder in goal, making a number of top notch saves.

On to the second half, and 15mins in Rauru makes it 2-0 with a great flick over the keeper (from a speculative 50m through-ball from Aaron…or did you pick him out? Eds note: I was calling for the ball to be put through. Whether Aaron meant it or not...). On to the 20 min mark and Rauru gets chopped in the box - Naenae down to 10 men and the game is effectively over. Ra is hurting (and Paddy’s away), so I (Carrick) pick up the ball and place it on the spot. Not even a squeak from Tim or Bakky. Aiming bottom right (having missed bottom left with my last two penalty attempts in the past decade), the ball is slotted between the keepers legs. 3-0, and pony award safely secured. A few minutes later and its 4-0…great build up down the left (Eds note: Rauru to Tharron to Heath in a move Barca circa 2011 would have been proud of) , Heath’s shot is parried across the goal and I (Carrick) slide it in to score another gimme. Game over. Though we did manage to leak two late goals (it’s the Stallions way). The penalty was dubious to say the least, though Paul did well to get a hand to it (and duly dislocated his finger (before putting it back in himself) before playing upfront – well worthy of Stallion. Eds note: Not to mention when he was keeper taking on and skinning an advancing striker). 4-1. Some poor defending from the make-shift backline saw Naenae score another late goal. 4-2

All up, a crap day for football, but a good effort from the bare 11. Another 3 points in the bag and the Stallies are up to second on the table (though we’ll probably need to beat BNU, Accies, UH, Olympic and Petone to finish in the top two).

Uni Stallions 1 - 4 Uni 'Accies'

Will the real Uni Accies please stand up?

A hard fought game that will go down in the record books as a loss, but it was a tough pill to swallow.  Stunning goal by Tharron to pop his Stallions cherry and ensure that he doesn't have to skull his beer and sour cream drink at the end of the year.  While Tharron's finish was Stallion worthy, Stallion for me has to go to Tangihaere for being penalised for calling out his own name too aggressively and intimidating the opposition.  That's the ultimate Stallion for me, being scary cause you yell too loud.  To be fair, the ref probably isn't the first person to be scared by a Maori fulla yelling at him one a cold dark night coming from out of the shadows ;).  Be too harsh to give anyone a Pony as I felt we all did some bloody hard yards out there for little result in the end.  Bring on Upper Hutt

Goals (assist):  Tharron (no one.  I crossed to Tharron, he took a shot which got blocked but came back to him which he finished).

What - no Accies in the team club of the week? But they had a big win.

Uni Stallions 4 - 1 Eastbourne

Match report from Bakky: The game was played on a very small pitch, which I though we played well on. There was a lot of niggles to the ref (Bakky) and a lot of niggling towards the opposition. Little shits need a spanking :-) and the stallions were the team to give them one. The game started slow and it took a scrappy shot from 40 yards to sneak into the near post, early goal to Eastbourne! (Eds note: 40 yards?! I thought people only exagerate when it's their own goal they're talking about. It was more like 20 yards, 25 tops)  I would say on this pitch it was actually from around 25yrds. (Not very well hit but effective). (Eds note: Oh, I should have kept reading I guess.  But just cause the pitch is smaller doesn't make...never mind).  We needed to shut down the runners from the mid field. The referee was being assessed but made a few errors both ways but from what I saw I thought he had a reasonable game, even if I gave him a bollocking constantly throughout the first half, The Assessor came to me and said if he was refereeing he would have sent me off, I said to him that I wouldn't have said what I said as he would have given the penalty….Once we calmed ourselves down we started adding on the pressure and finally our first goal came from some great play down the right, it ended up with Heath putting in a long throw from the by line, in which I (Bakky) flicked it on and Lloyd who comfortably controlled it and danced around one defender to slip it through the keepers legs, great finish Lloyd 1 - 1. Our second goal came again from the right once again with a good cross coming from Heath the ball had a few attackers on it but was headed out from the Eastbourne centre back, the ball dropped to me (Bakky) where I was sitting around 16yrds on the angle I hit it on the half volleyed and it flew into the side netting of the far post, again good build up play from us down the right (paddy, heath). The third goal came from a loose ball which was bobbling around just outside the 6yrd box, and Carrick did a great job getting to the ball first and sneaking it passed the keeper. Good finish to some good build up! We controlled the game well but let our self down in finishing, the score could have been a lot more at the half; it wasn’t really till the last 20mins of the first half that we started to dominate. The second half started and that’s when the niggling started all over the pitch.  Paddy got nuts twice I was told, Rauru took out a toddler, Bakky almost getting sent off and with all the name calling going on I thought I was back at pre school. There's not much I remember about the second half apart from the fourth goal of the game from a break in play, there was a high ball in which I (Bakky), out jumped a little boy who kept calling me fat, The ball dropped to Lloyd who chipped the keeper from about 12yrds on the angle, very good quality goal.

Eds note:  Bakky obviously Pony despite scoring one and getting two assists.  Bringing the Stallions name into disrepute hasn't been used in a while but this was worthy.  Never heard so much moaning and decent to a ref, and this is from the King Albatross himself!
Stallion was Lloyd for scoring a double and an all round bull-busting game (is 'bull-busting' even a thing?)

Match Report: Stallions 5 - 0 Marist

Just three days after delivering a thrashing to Karori Boomers on Wakefield No 1, we backed it up with a fanatic win against Marist to demonstrate just what we are capable of.  This was a genuinely impressive display; the score line should have been a lot more.  The Marist team we saw of the first round were no where to be seen but another team showed up and they were happy to have rolling subs. After Wednesday game I think there were a few sore legs still and our ages started to shine through. So rolling subs was a godsend.

We had the better of the early exchanges, but as usually we failed to capitalized and put our early opportunities away, We had a few chances early with some good play down the right and a great cross in by Gus right onto the penalty spot only for Bakky to have so much time he put a clean header just right of the right hand upright.

From there we stuck to our task defensively and then ultimately with some good possession and few post and cross bars hit on the way, we put that nervous first goal in which came from Chris which I believe is his first goal for the stallions (No longer a virgin). Great little half volley off the cross bar and in. 1 nil.

Our second goal came from Rauru after some continuous play down the left between Chris, Heath and Carrick the ball ended up with Paddy who move to left back from centre back put in a beautiful long ball (not sure if this was a free kick or not) to Rauru who easily guided it into the far post, 2 nil.

We had a few more chances one with Lloyd toe poking into the back of the net from around 5yrds, this came from a through ball from Carrick (Eds note:  It was a self-confessed shanked shot) only to realize that Lloyd needed an extra yard in an off side position to put it in the goal. Off side called J well done Lloyd to get that far up the pitch in the first place.

The second half started with us going into the wind but I think this help us because any long balls that went through were a lot easier to chase than in the first half. The third goal came from Rauru again, this time it came from a corner, this arrived from some great pressure and play from the lads up the right hand side. The corner came in from Paddy, Rauru was fighting for position, he left his marker and the keeper and easily put it in the back of the net. Great assist from Paddy, 3 nil.

The 4^th goal of the game came once again from down the right hand side, It must have been at least 16 passes (the first of which was a back pass to Paul in goal) between 6 players, the final 3 phases came from Rauru to put Bakky through who instead of going for goal slipped a wonderful through ball to Aaron who beat 2 players to the ball to crash it home. To me this is probably team goal of the season great play from all.

With the stallions now just dominating position and Marist deciding to play 2 – 5 – 3 formation to try and get even just 1 single goal, the chances just came and once again the opportunity to really make a statement to the rest of the league had gone, only able to put one more goal in which came Bakky. This came from a free kick from Paddy which was flicked on from Rauru I believe, the ball dropped for Bakky whose eyes were wide open with excitement. The ball moved like it was in slow motion and Bakky got himself in position to side volley it home only to miss it completely and fall over on top of the ball (Eds note: And secure the Pony). The ball rolled away and Bakky just swung his left foot at it and put it into the net from 16yrds (a slight touch from Tom but not enough to claim the goal) 5 nil.

A few other moment’s about the match to mention.

Great game from DC - Great penalty save no matter what the guys say about it being hit straight at you. J|
And another strong performance from Gus, on the right hand side, even though he gave away the penalty by smashing the 10yr old right mid fielder in the 18yd box.

Strong game by Carrick.

Good refereeing by Lloyd and Heath.

And I reckon we rolled the subs pretty well on the weekend lads. No one waited too long on the side lines to get on.

Well done lads and let keep the intensity up for this week against Karori at Ben Burn Park.

One more thing Chris’s wife Jodi was meant to have their baby today (Monday) so congratulations Chris and Jodi! (Eds note: Much like Chris' first goal for the Stallions, the baby might be a little late coming, but when it does come, it'll be a stunner!)

Bakky

Stallions 5 - 2 Olympic

The Olympic manager just couldn't work out why his players were so s**t

Another great win in a game that had something for everyone.

Always keen to gain that initial mental edge, the Stallions held back until the last few minutes before emerging from the sheds. Shocked that the Stallions had not joined them for their 45 mins of warm-up drills and seeing Rauru's pre-match speed in filling out the team card on the pitch, Olympic suffered an early psychological blow that they would not come back from.

Gus started the ball rolling (although shouts of own goal were ringing out from some quarters). A powerful strike and the "slightest of deflections" gave the keeper no hope and it was 1-0 with barely any time on the clock. With Olympic still waking up, the Stallions dominated across the park getting to the ball first and cutting out any threat of attack. After another early break, Rauru laid on a delightful square ball for Tom to put another away once again taking full advantage of the Olympic back line to secure a deflection and send the keeper the wrong way. (Eds note: Tom was first, Gus second)

When Olympic did make it into the Stallion's final third the resurgent Stallion back line was up to the task. Tangihaere dominated, Paul "get out of my house" Kilford snuffed out anything loose in the box and Graham used all his height to kneel and chest one off the line (Eds note: I believe Graham got Stallion for "putting his balls on the line"). Aaron also demonstrated his attacking flair with a piercing run into the box to collect and smash home another to make it 3-0. (Eds note: Panda, if you're reading this, you would have been proud of the celebration)

Lloyd was not to be forgotten and soon after drove into the box. However, poised to shoot, through came Olympic to shoulder charge him off the park and then head back to collect the ball. The ref only had one option much to the surprise of the Olympic supporters ("what was that for?!") and Rauru calmly slotted the subsequent penalty into what has fondly become known as Walker's corner). (Eds note: Top left in case any future opposition goalkeepers are reading this)

At 4-0 up we were guilty perhaps of easing off, but it still took some climbing up Lloyds back off a corner to beat him to a header before Olympic drew their first blood. Of for half-time at 4-1 the gaffer rang the changes. The fresh legs were timely as Olympic upped the tempo, but the Stallions were up to the task and watching the clock closely Carrick made a perfectly timed run collecting a ball I sent over and shooting back across the face of goal to make it 5-1.

At 5-1 Olympic were dead and buried and started to lose all sense of reality. One poor soul reached out to Rauru for clarification regarding how we could smash them and be top of the table. Rauru thought about answering, but Olympic had suffered enough. (Eds note: Was this before or after you taunted them with "Has mum fed you?!"? Best sledge ever, even if I don't really understand it). As the game wound down we handed Olympic a consolation second goal. By that stage all minds had already turned to the post-match beer.

Well done lads, great win, great weather, great supporters and a nice after-match. Eds note: Gerald hasn't really said why he got Pony and had to write this report, and truth be told, no one really knows, but it had something to do with leaving balls to let the opposition get throw ins, trying to dodge goal kicks but instead heading it into row z, as well as a couple of air balls. The more you think about it, the more Gerald seems like 'Player X'...

Stallions 7 - 1 Petone Chicago

Nuff said

In all fairness this report should be written by a certain Mr Pringle but since we don't let ring-ins write match reports, I'll do the honors after a couple of bad misses against Marist.

Not too much to say other than Smashed 'em Bro.  The final score line was probably flattering on Petone as we could have been 5-1 up easily at half time, and at least 10-1 up at full time.  There were honestly that many chances that went begging.

After a week and a half my memory is hazy on the goals and assists and the order they came in but this is how I remember it.

1-0 - It started well with Carrick getting on the end of a through ball before getting brought down in the box, with the ref having no problem in awarding our first penalty in over a year.  I stepped up and put it away.

2-0 - A short corner from Paddy to Carrick, the defence backed off so Carrick decided to smash it straight at the head of the guy standing on the near post who happily ducked out of the way.

Lots of misses.  I missed one when a cross got whipped in from the right.  Came to my left on which I hit first time from 8 yards but pushed it wide.  Anything on target would have been a goal.  Lloyd was also denied once (twice?) as his shot from inside the box was just deflected wide.  Another year of goalless frustration from Lloyd?

3-0 - Carrick with another one but can't really remember how it happened.  Came down the right hand side this time I think.

3-1 - Dan does his best Stevie G impersonation.  No, not the blazing long ball to the full backs who are rushing forward on the overlap, the other Stevie G impersonation.  The one that no Liverpool fan will ever talk about but will also never forget.  With our defenders trying to play total football this sort of thing is gonna happen from time to time I guess and it happened again here.  The D was trying to switch the play, ball gets passed to Dan, he takes a touch and lets it roll past him and an attacker nips it and beats Paul with the 1-1.

Half time oranges.  Paul comes off saying he's feeling sick.  I'd feel sick after giving up a clean sheet like that too ;).  Graham into goal.

4-1 - A 'lost cause' is fought hard from Gus who with the ball looking like it's going out for a goal kick manages to put in an up-and-under.  Keeper and someone challenge for the ball, keeper spills, defender mis-hits a clearance which floats to the edge of the 18 yard where Bakkie comes flying in a strikes it on the (half?) volley into the back of the net.  Great strike and contender for goal of the season (even if the net was completely empty)

5-1 - Through ball put in, I get on the end of it, have a shot blocked by the keeper near the middle of the goal, ball rolls out to the corner of the 18 yard, I turn and put in a pi$$ weak shot that dribbles towards the goal, which the retreating keeper goes to collect and somehow manages to walk over the top of it.  Contender for worst goal of the season.

6-1 - Throw from near half way, their defender doesn't clear, I pick it up and take off.  From somewhere I hear Paddy yell "LLOYD!!" and look up to see Lloyd to my left steaming down the middle of the park like he had been all day.  Keeper comes out, I tap in into the path of Lloyd who can't do anything other than put in into the empty net.  Duck is broken (actually, I think he got one in the first week so ignore all my "Lloyd can't score" jibes.  No doubt Lloyd recounts the stories of his goals to his daughters every night before they go to bed to remind them who the goal scorer of the house it).

7-1 - Dying stages of the game, ball is cleared to me around half way, I turn and chip it over their CB, Carrick runs on to it and makes no mistake.  Game, set, match.

In amongst all this there's lots of moaning going on from Petone who aren't happy there are rolling subs, even though ref said to us at beginning of the game there was.  Didn't exactly make a difference as we spanked them.  Great start to the season.  Lots of goals at both ends which makes us more and more like Liverpool by the day.

Match Report: Stallions 4 - 3 Naenae

The Pony post from our beloved Heath
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 My debut pony arrived in the first game of the year last season. As least this year I made it to the second week.

This week's game was located in the legal-high capital of NZ - Naenae. Playing conditions were marvellous apart from foot-long grass which made passing a challenge. The opposition looked young and fast but thankfully the dirty-old-men insults were just an Eastbourne tactic. Or perhaps it was the fact that Paddy, Lloyd, Carrick and Tim were missing. That’s almost 160 years of experience missing. Geezus.

 We started well, making the most of a low key warm-up to blitz the first 10 minutes. Some great play around the sides resulted in an extremely agile run down the left wing from Bakie. With no room to work with, he crossed the ball into the path of a retreating defender who, unable to clear the ball from the goalmouth, could only watch as Rauru completed the follow up. 1-0.

It didn’t take long for Naenae to respond. A powerful warning shot from 30 yards was followed by a thunderbolt from the same distance. The ball clipped the underside of the cross bar and Paul stood no chance. Lesson learned - perhaps we'll start defending from further out.

Naenae then went 2-1 up after breaking through the middle. Tangihaere decided he'd already saved enough goal chances and called on Paul to front up. Unfortuantely Paul was still 30m from the ball and was powerless to a lobbed shot. Lesson learned - we need more goals.

Tragedy then struck as Bakkie went down with an over-laden little toe. With only the bare 11, all eyes truned to Gus on the sideline, still in his no.1s after a big Friday night. Despite strict instructions from his missus not to take the field, Gus pulled on his boots and strutted out. I assumed Gus couldn't bear to watch his fellow Stallions battle away with 10 men. He later confessed that a vacant striking slot was too mouth-watering to turn down.

Stallions went to the break knowing they would benefit from downhill conditions in the second half. The call was made for Route 1 football. Back to basics.

The second half started well. I managed to fashion a shot on goal and while there was acres of room to slot it inside the RH post, I smashed it straight at the keeper. Such poor direction caught the keeper by surprise and he could only parry it into the left hand corner. I apologised for such an awful shot. The keeper apologised to me for a poor save. It was a strange exchange.

We then went ahead. A lovely ball from [?] put Rauru through on goal and he cooly slotted his 2nd. 3-2 Stallions.

Naenae then pressed and when a stray cross flew towards our goal, I rose to help it on its way over Paul's outstretched arms and beneath the bar. Pony locked-in. First own goal in 30 years of football.

At 3-3, we pressed up-field to win numerous corners and free-kicks. Then, we only moments left, the ball emerged from the Naenae goalmouth. I nicked the ball from the path of an advancing Azza (who had a certain shot on goal - and even had his shirt half-off in anticipation of a goal celebration) and passed to Tom who chipped to the keeper. Most of the Stallions turned away to ready themselves for the restart only to find the keeper had somehow forgotten to catch the ball (perhaps with his mind on the next play). This description doesn't really do the whole incident justice but the result was everyone feeling slightly embarrassed and the Stallions winning 4-3.

Great games from everyone around the park. Particularly a great debut from Tharron in the middle, Tangihaere at the back and Glen filling in on the right.

Close pony-worthy moments 1. Glen for admitting he went for a 15km run before the game. 2. Gus for his yellow card dissent (geez, if you're going to get one, make it worse than that).

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For those of you that missed it, Heath's OG looked a little like #8 in this. The fight that happened afterwards is also reminiscient of Aaron and Heath's fight which should really claim the assist for Tom's goal, rather than Heath's pass. #3 is kinda similar to Heath's goal as well: To be fair to Heath, he could have almost claimed Stallion as well with his goal which is pretty similar to a lot of these goals, in particular the one at 5:40. Should also be pointed out that Paul went from zero to hero. Nice work Paul! A big save at a big time of the game.

EPIC: Stallies v BNU: 3 August

After much hype and a lot of email-traffic in the build up to what was one of the Stallion’s biggest games of an epic season, Kelburn Park turned it on with great weather and the biggest crowd of the season (well, a couple of partners, 5 or 6 kids, Nick G, and long-time Uni supporter Harriet). It was fitting that the Gossies played curtain raiser to the day’s big game; a winner-takes-all match, with the prestigious Capital 6 title on offer should the following weekend’s games go to form.

Brooklyn’s coach offered his refereeing services prior to kick-off, but after a pathetic performance in the first round, Rauru wised up to his tricks and told him to F*&K right off (Ed's note:  I don't think those were my exact words...). With Tim late as usual, it was a slightly rearranged starting line-up taking to the field, including second-string keeper Pringle who had finally managed a clean sheet the week before. Tangi was there too – the baby’s head hadn’t yet crowned so there was just enough time for another 85 minutes of football - he’d have a word in the ref’s ear to get the first half shortened (who would know).

So to the match, and it was crucial that the Stallions got ahead early, to take the game to Pilsner (aka the whinging Brooklyn Shandy drinkers). The Stallions started the game with panache, happy to have Lloydo back in midfield after he missed the first round loss at Happy Valley. Capital 6 would be won or lost in the middle of the park, and the boys were more than up for it. As it happened, there were half a dozen goal-scoring opportunities created down the flanks and through the middle in the first half. Unfortunately I missed the lot. The most memorable move was a fantastic square ball from Tom, into the path of Heath, who burst into the box before whipping the ball across the face of goal for a gilt-edged scoring opportunity. Unfortunately, I (Carrick) scuffed it into the air before attempting a hand-of-god move, bundling the ball into the back of the net (surely the ref would fall for that one).

Nonetheless, the Stallions kept pressing with more opportunities coming my way: a great cross from Paddy but a poor header, a ball through the middle and I shot just left of the upright; then I blazed over the top and into the hedge. Next time I’d aim for the keeper (fifth-time lucky as I told Gus at half time). Heath read my mind and cracked a shot from distance - the keeper parried, but alas, no one to follow up. The first half went pretty quickly – well, the first 40 minutes did at least – with the ref blowing up 5 minutes early to give the older Stallions players a breather. But Brooklyn was wise to that old trick and they let us have an extra five minutes to try and score (wtf?). To be fair, I don’t remember our defence or keeper being tested too much in the first half, as we dominated possession.

Half time and the Brooklyn coach again volunteered to ref. Can’t you take a hint - feck off! As we’re well aware, Cap 6 can be won or lost on refereeing decisions. After a gee-up at the half time break and some sage advice for the underperforming striker(s), the Stallies picked up where they left off. Tackles were flying in left, right and centre. There was fisticuffs; handbags (most involving Tim, Rauru and any number of the Brooklyn tw@ts). It was game on. Everyone put their bodies on the line. Lloyd also put his face in the way of an ambitious bicycle kick from Brooklyn’s striker (think Tim broke the same guy’s face in the first game). Off to the blood bin, a bit of whiskey and water, and Lloyd was good to go again (very Stallion-like). The deadlock was finally broken as Lloyd put a great ball over the top for me to chase – and for the first time all season I finally got hold of one and smashed it into the ol’ onion bag. In true Stallions-style, we kept pressing and could have scored another - Tom blazed wide with a header from another Paddy cross. Lloydo had a chance to hit an open goal from 35 yards but put it wide (did it even go out?). I headed into the goal from another Paddy cross although this one was ruled out for offside – which was probably fair given what was happening at the other end.

Brooklyn’s attack was starting to find holes in our defence as they pushed forward in a desperate bid to save their season (surely a young team of quality players wouldn’t be banished to playing Cap 6 for another season?). Joe got his chop on. Aaron (?) blocked a shot with his arm inside the box. And there were some worthy shouts for a BNU penalty when Tim keeled over in the box and possibly handled (Ed's note:  Tim seems to cop a lot of blame for this but it was that cankles brother of mine at fault). Could it be that luck would again turn against the Stallions? Luckily the Brooklyn coach wasn’t reffing. Impartial referee Nick White held his nerve and waved play on. The Stallions went into defensive mode, ensuring a tough final 15 minutes. Keeper Pringle tried to run it out on numerous occasions, still p!ssed that he wasn’t on the score sheet for 2013. But the Stallions withstood the pressure, taking the game by the tightest of margins, and putting themselves in a good position to win the league.

Everyone stepped up and played well – the entire squad. As with most of the season, the Stallions played the best football and deserved to win (in my unbiased opinion). Even though it was a big game, I think we stuck to the Stallions mantra of play hard, have fun, and take the piss when appropriate. If we’d taken the game too seriously, Rauru would have subbed me off at half time and I wouldn’t have scored that goal from 20, I mean 30 yards? (let’s just call it the half-way line). Good luck this weekend lads. Give it your all, but don’t forget to play it Stallions-style (free beer for the most nutmegs).

Match report vs Nth Wgtn Rebels

As news that the Stallions would be playing at Nairnville Park permeated across social media, 100s of Khandallans made their way to the ground expecting to watch some free-flowing-total-football. Kick off was delayed for 10 minutes, due to the large numbers still needing to enter the ground, and for nets to put up.


The first half was characterised by some great flowing attacking play from the Stallions, and dominance in the centre mid field and back line, which meant that most of the play centred around the Rebel’s penalty area. Great chances were fashioned for most of the attacking players, and ultimately missed; most pony-like was from me (Tom), when after Paddy decided he didn't want to miss a fourth chance, squared it across the 6 yard line, only for me to scoop it over. The 1000s of fans were cheering and whooping, I’m but not sure if they were watching the same game.


When the only goal came in the first half, from a great Gerald run and pull back for Tom to smack one just under the bar, the crowd was silent - maybe they were Rebels fans? The siege of the Rebel’s penalty area continued for the rest of the half, only abating when their quickie up front managed a run through but to no avail.


1 v 0 at halftime.


The first phase of the second half laid to rest any chances of Rebels getting out anything from the game - 3 goals (2 from Patrick, assisted by Rauru and 1 from Rauru himself, assist by Lloyd), killed off the game, and was what the 10000s of fans had paid their money to see.


A change in refs, led to a) the last goal, as Tom, back from reffing duty, prodded in from 6 yards after a deflected shot/cross, and then b) a very clear penalty being waved away by Lloyd, as Heath, running clean through, was scythed down by a Rebels defender, about 5 metres off the ball. Lloyd was unimpressed, and play continued.


5 v 0 at full time, and job done.


Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Northern couldn't beat Olympic (they drew 1 v 1), which means that Olympic now have to drop points at either Raiders or Wolves. Unlikely, but this season has thrown up a couple of strange-uns…

Stallions 2 - 0 Wainui

Wainui's goalkeeper

There's not much to be said that hasn't already been said.  Without Wainui's superhuman goalkeeper the score would have been a lot more.  6'4", agile as an agile thing and with pecks that make ladies blush, he puled off a number of saves that kept Wainui in the game a lot longer than they deserved to.  

0-0 going into half time, the Stallions had the better running of the whole half.  It felt like it was going to be a matter of time before we scored, but we needed some kryptonite.  As it turned out we didn't.  We just needed Tim.  As a corner from the left was swung in, Superman came for the ball but missed and Tim was on hand at the far post to nod in.

This was after Graham had pulled off a Superman save of his own at the other end to keep the game at 0-0 in one of Wainui's only shots on target of the game (he was to later repeat the feat with the score at 1-0.  I think he was only called on to make 3 saves which makes them all the better.  Hard to stay focused when nothing is coming your way).

As the clock wound down and I was getting anxious at the level of attacking football we were still trying to play (no running the clock down for Stallions 2013!) the game was secured with a swift counter attack that was finished with a cheeky chip (was that a shin to a bobbling ball?) over the onrushing keeper.

Odd that it was possibly our best game of the season yet our smallest winning margin.  Gotta love football.

As for why I'm writing this report?  I don't think there has been a faster Pony moment in Stallion history (actually yes there has, 10 points if anyone can remember what it was!).  We have the kick off, Gus rolls the ball forward to me, I slip, semi recover, stride forward, kick the ball, pull my hammy.  Game over.  All in 1.58sec.

If it wasn't for that then Paddy would have been a shoe-in.  A terrible dive in the box, a couple of misses and a woosy pants assist for the final goal when he could have scored himself because "I didn't want to anger the big man".  Quote unquote.

Stallion is Graham for a huge save at 0-0 which took his clean sheet minutes to over 300.  Should make team of the week.

Since I have the power of the match report, I also get power of the MVP points.  A lot of talk about it, and with everyone (except this writer) worthy of points it was a very hard decision.  But the points go to:

3 - Gerald.  His combination with Tom has been huge the last two weeks (and they've alternated between playing mid and D).  It's given width and a solid way to bring the ball out from the back.

2 - Heath - Owned the center of the park with Dan.  He gets the points rather than Dan because he actually passed the ball and we want to reward him with positive praise (not that Dan didn't, but as a teacher you reward children when you see positive behaviour that you want to continue to happen ;) )

1 - Tom.  See reasons for G.

Tim - You're on fantasy points.

Raiders struggling

Raiders match report

Alright boys, let's put last night behind us and move on. As Grant pointed out, we were quite flat. Marist are a decent side but I think, overall, we're a better team than the performance (5-3 loss) suggested.

Too many passes not going to players and Joe left stranded more than once. Couple of cracking Marist goals though. I think individual errors were pretty costly... but that's football and we had plenty of bright moments - Mike, in particular, scored a beauty of a goal (great buildup involving Andy T and Jules) and he was like a man on a mission all night.

Grant would be filthy if I didn't mention his goal. I managed to get my head (more like my face) to head one down into the area from a corner and it bounced kindly for the big man, who absolutely buried it. Cue tearing back to halfway, arms aloft. Well-deserved.

Stallions 7 - 0 North Wellington Rebels

It’s not often that you sit down at the pub after a 7-0 win and the mood is somewhat low, but that seemed to be the case after the latest win.  There didn’t seem to be much intensity which is probably to be expected when you aren’t met with much intensity, but when you put 7 goals past an opponent and could easily have had at least 3 more, things must have been going well.

The Stallions defence was largely untroubled and worked the ball around the back with good movement.  Almost all the goals were scored with a number of passes strung together, and I can’t think of any that were scored from outside the box which shows that the tiki-taka style of football is paying dividends.

The Stallions were up 3-0 at halftime with goals to me, Heath and a debut goal for last weeks Pony, Gerald, with Bakky providing the assist for all three.

The first was a well worked move down the left with Bakky putting in a cross which I met with the head and glanced it past the keeper.  1-0.

That shortly became 2-0 when Bakky put in a neat little through ball to G who got there just before the on-rushing keeper and managed to bundle it over the line.

The third came after another ball was whipped in from the left (from a corner maybe?) which Bakky met with his head.  The keeper saved but only managed to parry right into the path of Heath who was following up well to prod it in. 

It should have so easily been 4 but it wasn’t which is why I’m writing this match report.  I think it was Bakky again that put in a neat little through ball which I ran on to.  The keeper came out but I got there first and tapped it past him to his left, leaving me about 18 yards out on the corner of the box.  With an open goal I hit it with my left and watched dismayed as I missed by a good meter or two leaving the crowd roaring with laughter.  Continue laughing fools, your team has conceded 300 goals already this season (or was that Panda and Paddy laughing on the sidelines?).

The second half was much the same.  Bakky prodded in a goal mouth scramble, he provided a tap in for me after jinking to the byline then cutting it back, Heath got on the end of a Paddy corner and nodded home and Graham scored a great goal after Lloyd evaded a few defenders and put in cross which Graham met with his left after running in from right midfield.  Bakky claims that it was 90% shin but I’m pretty sure he’s just jealous since despite being the top goal scorer, none of his goals even come close to being as classy as Graham’s ;).

 Again, amongst all this I earned another nomination for Pony.  Paul put in a defence splitting through ball from the back, I ran on to it, cut back on my left taking out the defender and most of the keeper, and then with my right managed to miss the goal left with about 80% of it being wide open.  However I was not alone in the nominations for Pony and on another day it could have easily been someone else writing this blog.

-          No one will forget Paul’s throw-in in the second half which went twice as high as it did long.  As ugly as it was it was probably a legit throw-in!

-          Joe put in a fantastic cross in the first half.  Unfortunately it was down our end and straight to one of their strikers who was sitting in the box.

-          Paddy’s disgraceful blatant attempt at getting more fantasy points by trying to curl in a corner with his right foot from the right hand corner.  He managed to hit the post but his blatant disregard and lack of respect for the opposition is matched only by Mario Balotelli’s back heal attempt at goal.  We actually gave him Pony for it at the pub but he cried and packed a sad so we felt sorry for him and I got it instead.

-          And had they scored from it, Aaron surely would have got a Pony for his MASSIVE air ball.  Attempting to clear the ball he took a huge swing at the ball and only managed to push it further towards our goal and one of their strikers.  It took a good save from Lachlan to keep the clean sheet.

So after all that, here’s how the breakdown goes:

Stallion – Graham for his great goal.

Pony – Rauru for a shocker of a miss (or two)

MVPs – 3-Bakky (goal and 4 assists), 2-Graham (clean sheet and good goal), 1-Gerald (goal and good work down the left)

Goals (assists) – Rauru (Bakky), Gerald (Bakky), Heath (Bakky), Bakkie (none credited), Rauru (Bakky), Heath (Paddy), Graham (Lloyd)

Raiders finally speak

Funny what winning does to a team.  Raiders had tons of match reports last year as they just missed out on relegation.  This year they have been non existent.  Sounds like a great win for them today.

Fantastic 4-3 win today after being down 3-1 with about 20 left. This is the Raiders I know and love - digging deep, never settling for a loss or draw, fighting to the death. Lower Hutt were a decent side but we wanted it much more. The win has put us 7th and we have the chance to keep moving up the table next week v the other Nth Wgtn side. Nairnville, 12.30 is the kickoff.

Our one will be up at some stage once Paddy the Pony stops sulking and writes it up for that disgraceful attempt at scoring direct from a corner.

Stallions vs Raiders

While resting up on the couch contemplating this match report I realised the upside to getting pony on an injury is you don’t need to worry about the headband next game.

That said, its good to see “taking it easy on the new guy” isn’t really in the Stallion’s culture.

From the sidelines this match was entertainment+, with 6 quality goals and the turf making fast-paced passing the go-to tactic. I understand the derby took on some special meaning after we were dominated by Raiders last year, and that they said as much in their match report. You can see they are a good outfit, but were soundly beaten on a day when nearly everything fell the Stallions way.  

Up 2 – Nil thanks to well taken goals by Bakkie and Rauru meant everyone was cautiously confident at the half. However the match generally resembled a rout in the second, with a neat left-footed finish from Tom, and Rauru completing his hat-trick with two fine headers that gave the keeper no chance.

A couple of goals from the opposition (including a cracking finish from a botched corner) blotted the copybook, but the truth is Raiders were never really in it once Bakkie made it 3 – 0. They more they pressed for goals the more exposed they were at the back, and our finishing was clinical on the night.

Standouts included:

Jason and Joe, who spent most of the match monstering their strikers and pressing them into making mistakes.

Lloyd, Paddy and Tom who effectively set out their stall in midfield and bullied Raiders playmakers out of the game.

And Bakkie and Rauru for doing the business upfront and making the most of opportunities provided by the rest of the team.

2 wins from 2, and 12 goals in the For column. Not a bad start in anyone’s book. 

Chris.

(Eds note:  Chris asked me to proof read this to check the facts.  It was hard for him to remember who scored the goals and when due to the fact we scored so many.  I said the Stallions never let facts get in the way of a good story, but as we'll no doubt be showing this blog to our grandchildren in years to come to show how awesome we all were once upon a time, a few corrections.  Stallions up 2-0 through Bakkie and Tom.  Raiders pull one back before half time.  Second half me and Bakkie get goals before Raiders pull one back to make it 4-2, before I scored 2 more)

Match Report: Stallions vs Lower Hutt Latecomers - 6 April 2013

Sorry for the late 'blog'.  Have been away.  I'll be honest - its quite late in the week now and I'm struggling to recall a lot of the match.  It may have been the technical concussion I suffered from Dan's corner.

I do remember the Lower Hutt team being a little disorganised.  What was scheduled as a 12:30pm game eventually kicked off at 1:15pm.  This caused what could possibly be the longest and most thorough warm-up in Stallion history.  Is that fair?   I don't know.  It was my first game for the Stallions. 

The game eventually kicked-off with LH only having 9 half-dressed players.  They struggled to defend while we struggled to attack given the multitude of attacking options.  Before long however, Gerald put in a beautiful cross and the ball fortuitously landed on Bakkie's foot and rolled into the goal.  A lucky start.

After that it was all one way.  Paul pin-balled through a couple of defenders and then smashed it into the net.  Bakkie added to his tally and Lloyd? finished off some nice build-up play.  As I said, my memory is fading although I do recall a Stallions goal being awarded by the ref, but then being overturned on appeal by the Stallions players.  I have never seen that in 20 years of footy.  

In the absence of a detailed match report, and since it was my first game for the Stallions, I'll be cheeky and provide a manager's 'appraisal' of each of you:

Dan - a wasted engine in goal (altho pretty good at it nonetheless). Needs to take some pace off his corners to avoid injuries.
Bakkie - a true striker.  Berates midfielders, wants the ball, doesnt come back past halfway.  Nice hat-trick though.
G - ran a lot up and down the left wing.  Will have the highest mileage come end of season.
Rauru - a great referee.  Keep at it.
Lloyd - A solid, classy, and unselfish midfielder.  Reminds me of another Smith.
Chris - great game if I can say so.  Needs a nickname if he is to go further.
Graham - Sets himself high standards.  I haven't seen that much personal disgust for mis-kicks before.  Ever.
Tim - has lost his edge. never shouted at anyone, not even the stallions players.  maybe thats what happens to 'passion' after two kids.
Ian that filled in - couldn't stop smiling.  Could be a sign of deeper issues.
Tangi - came out of the backline to score.  Needs to stop showing off if he wants the players' player award.
Paul - dirtiest player on the field.  Needs to attend a few anger management sessions to get himself under control this season.
that dude that came on at halftime in defence - bloody good player.

Thats all.

Heath Smith

Game Day Match Review

No match review from the other week as there was no official Pony awarded, but since I was the only option mooted here goes...

It rained.  Hard.  It was cold.  Very.  I scored.  Again ;).  Paddy got the assist.  Again.  Lloyd did a 920.  And still had the ball.  The had young fuckers.  Who were lippy.  I fell over.  Someone blew on me.  Didn't throw an albatross (or did I?).  They scored.  Damn it.  Final whistle.  Their coach celebrated like they had won (and actually said "That's as good as a win for me boys").

Another game similar to Wainui.  Not really a lot happened and left feeling a bit deflated having given up points to the bottom of the table.  They were a good team though and placed some good football, always trying to construct from the back.  In hindsight we should have pressed them harder in midfield as their strikers weren't that dangerous and our defenders had them covered.  Bring on this avos game.  It's damn cold (again) but we need to get the win against what seems like a good team.

Perfect 10 - Stallions vs Marist, Game 2 2012

The Match of the Day team predict correctly how many goals the Stallions will score

Holy crap. Just published it and seen how long it is. Wouldn't blame you if you don't read it. I've clearly got too much school holiday time on my hands...

The Stallions continued their winning ways in 2012 with what turned out to be a surprisingly one sided game. Having driven for 10 hours from the metropolis that is Ruatoria that morning, I arrived at the game in about the 15th minute. Reports on the sideline were that Marist were playing well and if anything they were dominating the game slightly. A look on to the field showed that this was a slightly different Marist team to the ones we have played in the past but there were still some good ball players on their team who had good feet and could move play around well. There were lots of runs being made in behind our defenders but our last ditch defending, as always, was doing a stand up job.

In about the 20 minute mark disaster was about to strike. A ball was played through the defense for one of their strikers to run on to it. Kilfeiro (note: All names are courtesy of the Brazil name generator since that was kinda how we played ;) ) was alert to the danger however and came out quickly. However as he went to ground to smother the ball, the ball skidded quickly off the wet artificial turf past the keeper where it sat nicely for an easy tap in. 1-0 Marist.

While not quite against the run of play it was a fortuitous goal so the general vibe was still positive that we could strike back. And strike back we did. Early sub Logson was on the field by this stage and no more than 5 minutes after Marist had scored he was put in behind the defenders with a great ball from Llildo. When one on one with the keeper like that Logson never misses (oh, except that one time later in the game but I'll get to that) and he blasted the ball past the helpless Marist keeper. 1-1, 25 min.

The mood amongst the sell out crowd was that something special was about to happen, and happen it did. After 30 minutes the crowd got what they had paid to see and Walkeiro Da Costa entered the game. 20 seconds later his name was on the score sheet. The sub was made when a free kick was given 10 meters inside the Marist half in an unthreatening middle of the pitch location. Sawyisco chipped a ball in behind the defenders which Walkeiro Da Costa ran on to. As the keeper came out trying to claim it, Walkeiro stuck out a size 13 and got enough on it to deflect it past the keeper. 2-1 Stallions, 30 min.

The scoring wasn't finished there though, not by a long shot. Marist continued to press and were awarded a penalty when one of their strikers went down easier than a drunken first year uni student under the challenge of Walka. The penalty was well taken, being blasted high to the left leaving Kilfeiro no chance. 2-2, 35 min.

The Stallions managed to hit back again before the half though as Pandiano made a jinking run down the left. Weaving in and out of defenders he jinked and jived like James Brown in his hey day before unleashing a drive that the Marist keeper could only parry. Walkeiro Da Costa managed to get his unusually large big toe to the rebound which found Goodinhosa who managed to slot it through a web of defenders. There were claims that the goal should have been counted as an own goal due to the fact the defender on the line trapped it, did a lovely step over followed by a Cryuf turn before slamming it into his own net in protest of not playing higher up the field, but they were dismissed. 3-2 Stallions, 40 min.

As the half came to a close the players walked off the field knowing that anything could happen in the second half. What did happen however, took everyone by surprise. The half passed in such a blur that this writer is unsure of the accuracy, especially in the order of the goals.

55 min - Ball punted up field by Kilfeiro. Logson flicked the ball on with his head which Walkeiro Da Costa ran on to. His blistering pace was too much for the Marist defenders and the ball was calmly slotted past the keeper for his 2nd. 4-2 Stallions.

60 min - Corner taken by Sawyisco into the heart of the 6 yard box. Marist keeper flaps his arms but cant get anything on it and Goodinhosa is there at the back post to nod it in. 5-2 Stallions.

65 min - Something weird happens in the Stallions end as the ball is delivered into the box, it meets the head of a Marist striker and somehow lobs over Kilfeiro into the net. 5-3 Stallions.

At this point, while still sporting a good 2 goal lead there was still a nervous tension around the ground as all three goals from Marist were fortuitous, while they missed some easier chances. The feeling was that anything could still happen. That feeling disappeared soon enough.

70 min - Logson plays a nice through ball which Walkeiro Da Costa runs on to. He and the Marist keeper get there at roughly the same time, but the keeper didn't get enough on it and went past it. With the ball sitting there for Walkeiro, Listeiro Da Costa (no relation) yells out "LEAVE IT!!" as he comes charging in. Well Walkeiro didn't drive 10 hours to "leave it" so he slams it in to the open net to claim his third and the match ball. 6-3 Stallions.

75 min - Listeiro plays a through ball for Logson who is one on one with the keeper, who he rounds (not with ease it might be pointed out) and slots the ball into the net. There were loud protests for off-side which might have been valid but the goal stood. 7-3 Stallions.

80 min - Corner whipped in, bit of pinball before it finds the feet of Grahildo who drills it into the net off Sawyisco's ass. Sawyisco tries to claim the goal which almost earns him the Pony, but no go. 8-3 Stallions.

85 min - Sawyisco whips in a great early cross from deep which finds the feet of Walkeiro inside the 18 yard box, who plays it back to Listeiro who side foots it past the keeper from 17 yards. 9-3 Stallions.

90 min - Sawyisco gets fouled 22 yards out just to the right before delivering a trade mark free kick (we all know the one) to complete the scoring. 10-3 Stallions.

People on the sidelines were stunned, not only at the 13 goal thriller that they had just witnessed, but also at the perfect 5 minute interval of the goals. Don't leave your seat even for a second ladies and gentlemen, the entertainers are here.

One could be forgiven for thinking that every shot the Stallions took must have gone in, and they would almost be right if it hadn't been for Logson's near open goal miss. After some work down the sidelines that Pep Guardiola would have been proud of, Listeiro teed up Logson who was on the penalty spot with only the keeper in front of him. Logson underestimated the agility of the keeper however and placed it too close to him, with the keeper managing to get a hand to tip it round the side, earning Logson an early entry for miss of the season. To top it off, on a separate occasion Logson goes to get the ball for a corner kick, decides to jump the fence rather than use the gate that was right there (I told you we were entertainers) and managed to lose balance and face plant into the concrete. No one puts baby in the corner though so he stands up and stands, arms aloft, giving his best impersonation of King Kenny after a goal has been scored. No goal this time, but we'll give you the Pony!

All in all, a fantastic Wednesday night under the lights. Next up is a top of the table and local derby clash against the Raiders, again on turf and under lights. 10 more please.

The Longest Trip in Cap 6

The longest away trip in capital six football saw the Stallions trundle over the hill to Wainuiomata. Looking to take all the points on offer and full of bristling possibilities, many a warm-up shot took a little dip in the chilly waters of the stream 50 ( or was it 100) metres behind the goal. However, I am assured that no balls were lost.

With 10 players available to pick from at 12:28, The Captain wasn’t troubled with starting line-up decisions thus Paul, Graham, Tangi, Jason, Spencer (or was it Mike), Logan, Aaron, Dan, Paddy, with Rauru and Tristan up front.

Despite huge Stallion pressure for the first 20 minutes very little came from it. Excellent movement off the ball allowed the midfield to dominate possession, send some probing crosses into the box and with the strikers, pepper the Wanui goal. That set the mood for the rest of the half with confidence spilling over into a nicely worked passing move resulting in a goal to the oldest member of the team, Tristan McLeary, 39 (at least that’s what Facebook tells me). The total domination in the first part of the half lead to some very relaxed defending down the left side by yours truly, allowing a Wanui player too much freedom to put an excellent cross in which may (or may not) have been partly cleared. However it got there, it landed nicely at the feet of the central midfielder who blasted it into the mid left corner of the net, possibly taking a slight deflection on the way.

With the scores tied Wanui gained much confidence although The Stallions did not back down from the challenge and continued to string together some excellent South American style passing. Tristan then scored a fantastic goal after some good work by the midfield: 2-1.

The second half started well for the Stallions, exerting pressure on Wanui. But, with the opposition pressing to get an equaliser another Stallion goal was always going to come and after a short pass into the 18 yard box, and a blistering run, Tristan found himself on the ball facing an advancing keeper. The first time shot sailed to the left of the keeper and rolled gently over the goal line much to the disappointment of a chasing Wanui defender. Tristan ‘hat trick hero’ McLeary brought his early in the season prediction to life. I quote “I seem to not score for a while then they come in twos and threes” (actually that is a paraphrase but it’s pretty close)

Wanui showed their skill seemingly able to pass out of their back third at will, with regularity. However, another brilliant defensive effort kept them at bay. Taking all three points was huge and sets us up nicely to end the season top two. Promotion, although not a certainty, is possible if we win all the remaining games and if the other title contenders falter.

Good to see Joe and Whanau on the sidelines supporting. Hopefully he will be able to return (ankles, hammies and knees strapped) for the next game.

---

Pony: Me, for excessive whinging after the ref allowed the Wanui player a presence in the 6 yard box during the penalty kick (which I countered masterfully by also being in the 6 yard box)

Ref: ”Do you want me to give the whistle to someone else?”
Me: “Yes”
Paddy: “Ignore him, he doesn’t know what he is talking about” (or words to that effect)

Stallion: Hairy “hat-trick hero” Mcleary from Titahi bay dairy

I can’t remember the points, and Aaron, shock- horror must be working and isn’t answering my text query. So perhaps someone could post them here somewhere.

The have's and the have-not's - Uni Stallions vs Petone

Or in this instance, more a case of the finishes and the finish-nots as the Uni Stallions were made to pay the ultimate price by a clinical Petone outfit.

The Stallions turned up to find their dressing room had been overtaken by not only rugby tops hanging on the hooks, but the sights and smells of professionalism as the Petone team rubbed deep-heat into their Irish muscles and strapped their injuries from a proper medical kit. They probably even had a practise or two during the week. This was a sign of things to come as they made their way out of the changing rooms (less the bibs that they wore the last time these two teams met) and went for a team job around the field. Looks of fear crossed their faces as they asked nervously whether there were going to be nets or not, and they even lined up ran drills together. The Stallions meanwhile generally just stood around for our traditional pre-match 'warm-up'.

Once the game got underway both teams went about their business with Petone knocking the ball around well, switching the game from side to side using their support players well. Much like Arsenal though, their was a lot of nice movement and some good touches yet little in the way of penetration towards the goal, and anything that did get close was well cleaned up by the Stallions defence. The first half was relatively uneventful as far as chances in front of goal went, and the Stallions walked off the pitch feeling good about a job well done with talk about it being one of the best halves we've played. The game hung in the balance and the Stallions felt good about plugging away and coming out of the game with some points.

The talk at half time was about not switching off and not conceded in the first 15 minutes. While we can't be blamed for switching off, we did manage to concede in the first 15 minutes - twice.

The first came about after a free kick was given away for a tackle from behind just outside the box to the left. The free-kick was whipped in and one of their strikers who was standing in front of Corey (?) and Paul managed to get a flick off his head as Paul came out to punch. 1-0.

The Stallions needed to hit straight back but a moment of magic from Petone effectively shut the game out. Petone won a corner on the left hand side and as the ball came in the Stallions managed to partly clear it away. It fell to one of the unmarked Petone players just outside the box who banged in a pin point shot to the top left hand corner. A diving Paul could do nothing to keep it out, nor could Corey (?), who was on the post, short of pulling a Luis Suarez (although considering where Suarez is playing now it was unlikely Corey was ever going to do that). 2-0 Petone and surely one of their contenders for goal of the season.

The Stallions did have their chances at the other end with this author managing to make a break into the box only to have his shot blocked by the advancing keeper. Another opportunity fell to the debuting David (who arrived without shorts, socks or water bottle as he thought these would be provided by the team!) who managed to scoop the ball from 8 yards out to within 2 yards of the goal line, but it just wouldn't go over (it might have been about 6 yards wide as well). As tempers rose there was also a bit of push and shove with the angry rocker Bob Hinklets getting in amongst it.

The game was put beyond bout with about 10 to play as a Petone player picked up the ball in midfield and put in a through ball. One of their strikers and Corey (?) battled for the ball with the striker managing to out muscle Corey (surely not?!) and perfectly chip the advancing Paul (anyone else noticing a bit of a theme going on here?) all in one movement. Yet another great finish to make it 3-0 Petone.

A chance for a bit of pride came with 5 minutes remaining when one of the Petone players handled in the area, but the penalty was only hit slightly to the left, and with the keeper guessing the right way (if he had to guess at all) he managed to parry the ball. Luckily for the Stallions (and for the penalty taker) Dan was following up and manged to get to the ball first meaning some face would be saved and the consolation goal would still be scored. Unluckily for the Stallions (and even more so for this pony-writing Stallion) the ball came back too hard and all Dan managed was to get a knee on it that went wide. A controversial worst miss nomination?

At the final whistle a pretty sombre mood engulfed the team as we all contemplated what seemed so close yet was so far away. The 3 match winning streak came to a crashing end, and the team did not cope well with the loss. If anything can be taken away from this game I think it needs to be that if we find ourselves in a position where we are under pressure, we just need to work harder for each other and keep positive. After the first two goals went in the comments around the field tended to be negative as pressure built and heads dropped. Our team doesn't play well when bitching at each other so let's put this behind us and take it out on Miramar who we have next up.

The big positives from the game though was a fantastic first half, as well as a good return to the field for the Butch and a huge turnout at the pub afterwards. Long may they both last.

MVP points ended up:
Spencer: 3
Tristin: 2
Tangihaere: 1 (or was it the other way round?)

Stallion went to Spencer for managing to 'nuts' a player who had just 'nutsed' Corey (ultimate way to stick up for your team), and Pony to yours truly for the pen miss.

I've also always thought that I'll continue to take penalties until I miss so now I pass the chance for a few goals on to someone else. Paddy's name was mentioned at the pub, as well as Lloyd putting a half hand up (he needs to find a way to score at least one goal - both his 4-year-old twin girls have scored more than him) but anyone else who wants a go can take part in a penalty-shootout pre-match against Miramar.

And for the record, there's no question that there were players in the box when the penalty was taken, so it should have gone a little something like this...