Mens 4th Team v Western Springs

This weekend saw the Senior Men’s 4th Team in action away at Eastdale Park against Western Springs Wombats in the opening fixture of the season.  Although we did have a few older heads in the side the majority of the team were under 20, with 5 players making their competitive debuts in senior football.

The opening minutes of the first half saw us looking to find our feet and weathering an early storm from the opposition attack, which was really to be expected for our first game.  However, the team quickly settled down and played a lot of neat short-passing football with Satch and Ezra linking up particularly well in the heart of our midfield.  The build up and pressure applied by the Puke players eventually paid off resulting in a well taken Shane Harneiss goal, 1-0 to the Maroons.  Unfortunately for us, Western Springs were soon back on level terms due to a controversial goal as the result of a foul on a Puke defender followed by a pass to a player in an offside position, neither of which were given.  Half-time saw the game level at 1-1.

The second half again saw Puke retain much of the possession with both Matt Stewart and Craig Upson coming close to increasing the scoreline.  Unfortunately the scoreline did increase, but not in our favour.  Western Springs soon added two more goals to their tally (the second of which was clearly offside) to give them a 3-1 advantage.  Puke continued to put pressure on the opposition defence, but Western Springs were able to weather the storm and even managed to add another goal to their tally as the result of a goalmouth scramble, giving them a 4-1 lead.  Puke could have been dead and buried at this point, but our players refused to give up and played for the majority of the remaining 10 minutes or so in the opposition half.  We got our just rewards with just seconds of the game remaining when a ball into the box from Satch Subba saw young Rhys Biddick calmly put the ball into the back of the net to finish on a high note and end the game at 4-2.

I’m not one for bagging anyone who puts up their hand to referee a game, but the result may have very different had we had an official.  Like I said, that’s certainly not meant as a criticism and the efforts of the Western Springs guys who stepped up to the plate and offered their services was very much appreciated.  It’s a hard enough job for official refs, let alone for volunteers without the support of linesmen/referee’s assistants.  We do have to remember that it is at an amateur level and not the Premier League we are playing in, so I think that the lesson to be learned for us as a team is not to try playing the offside trap too rigidly and perhaps defend a little deeper!

In summary, it was always going to be hard game (as most games no doubt will be) and we were up against a very physical and experienced Western Springs side.  Pukekohe showed dogged determination and played a lot of simple neat football, which we will look to carry forward into forthcoming fixtures.

This week saw a very strong team performance for our opening fixture but player of the day honours went to Ezra Leffalaar, who looked confident and composed in midfield and was just as assured when asked to put in a stint at right-back.  A very well done to every player on the park, while the end result may have been disappointing the attitude and commitment of the team certainly looks encouraging for the coming season ...

Team: Neil Kraakman, Roly McKenzie, Dave Wadeley, Pete Wild (capt), Donald Fleming, Matt Stewart, Ezra Leffalaar, Satch Subba, Cameron Williams, Rhys Biddick, Craig Upson, Jason Harneiss, Shane Harneiss, Mike Smyth

Goalscorers: Shane Harneiss, Rhys Biddick

Final Score: Western Springs 4 - Pukekohe 2

Next Fixture: Home v University-Mt Wellington, Saturday 11th April (kick off 2:45pm, Bledisloe Park)