Kaneo, Ice, Double Trouble Kami & Kaze, Cha Boom, Sharpy and Goldie have joined the surviving Devilz from 2008, The Muss, Da Man and The Needle to start the 2009 campaign in the 11th grade 2nd Div. South.
The team had five training runs, two friendlies and plenty of reading thrown at them in the rather short lead-up to the season, however the mood on Saturday morning was buoyant, the team had been training well and even the 4:1 defeat by the always tough as nails Waiuku Tigers on the previous Wednesday night did not dent the optimism of the coach and the team alike.
The Tuakau Panthers came to town, to Rosa Birch Park, the new home of the Devilz to be precise. The last encounter against the Panthers was more like a game of water polo, who could forget the Mai due senza tre encounter form the 30.06.07 (if you have, you may want to go back to the archive and read up on it, its worth it, believe you me
.), which the Devilz took out 3-zip. Since, the Devilz as well as the Panthers had had a number of face-lifts and changes and the new beginning was not just a Devilz prerogative.
The Red Devilz; a team which has his origins dating back to 2000, when this coach decided to give it at go at junior/youth level after previously trying for some years to teach old dogs new tricks across various disciplines, inimitable in style, controversial in method and execution but, always, always entertaining. Hurrafussball pure, the most treasured distinction the Red Devilz can claim as theirs and they did not disappoint when kicking their 2009 campaign into live.
The 10:00hrs kick-off happened in front of a respectable crowd of 40+ onlookers and the Devilz, with new formations across the park and a new goalie ventured into the unknown with a perky attitude and a definite spring in their step
AAAARGH, the kick-off whistle, havent we all been hanging out for this for far too long???
The first seven minutes saw a lively exchange attacking and defending at both ends, Goldie and Cha Boom in the new Devilzs defence got their work cut out early and it did their confidence building no harm. Kaneo in goal had a couple of early touches of the ball and he calmly dispatched anything coming his way and booted the ball downtown with plenty of interest. Da Man through the guts of the defence and Kami & Kaze with the Muss up front proved a constant nuisance for the Tuakau defence and it was only a matter of time when the pressure yielded just reward. Kaze pounced on a loose ball in the Tuakau box and drilled it past the goalie, 1:0 not even six minutes into the game and the Devilz grew in stature and composure. Ice and the Needle came off the bench and made their presence immediately known, the pressure on the Tuakau line-up increased the 2:0 score followed a beautifully executed pincer movement, starting from a left defence clearance and a quick switch in midfield to the right where Ice collected and, after taking on one defender, coolly slotted it past the desperate goalie. 18 mins gone and one has had seen worse starts to a season. The first half ended a bit flat, the goal-mouth action at either side of the park missed the finishing touches, however, the Devilz turned in for half-time justifiably happy with their first 25 mins in the 11th grade.
Half-time and Oranges, who could separate these two? The Devilz were feasting and the coach was coaching. Building on the promise of the first half was the doctrine for the second instalment and, boy, did the Devilz deliver. Like a bunch possessed the Devilz went about their work and man-for-man they outplayed and out-passioned the opposition on every inch of grass gracing the Rosa Birch Park.
3:0, 4:0, 5:0, 6:0, 7:0, 8:0, the (Tuakau) ref lost count and at times control of his frustrated charges, the Devilz played some remarkable 25 min of football, Kame and Kaze added one and four, Sharpy contributed with our first header of the season.
What impressed most though was the way the team gelled as a unit, whether it was players coming off the bench or players being shifted into different positions, everyone was there for everyone and everyone played for the team. No superstar allures but commitment and dedication to the cause by all, this TEAM certainly doesnt carry any I in it....
Moments of magic a plenty but Ice, cool under pressure, stood out when he delivered the pass for Kaze to make it four-zip; that was pure class.
The graft in defence laid the platform for this resounding start to the season and Goldie turned out the man of the match performance on the day; his work rate, cover defence and positional play a wonderful reflection of our intense but fruitful training sessions and proof to the coach that, hey, we are listening...
Anyhow; early days yet and we are not getting carried away but we are happy to celebrate our successes and suck every inch of confidence and self-belief we can get out of it.
Cheers-, W
On another note;
We wish to thank Caltex and Lynda for supporting our team on match-days again this year with plenty of goodies for the player of the day Thanks Lynda and thanks Caltex-.
The Devilz motto
the Skys the limited!