
From left: Tia, Callum, Connor, Fergus, Dylan, Vinnie, Absent: Tom
& Ryan
Ohope Thistle 2
- 0
Whakatane Incredibles
When the final
whistle
blew on this game we celebrated a great win
and a great team
performance, but didn't realise at that point that
we had in fact won the
League. More on that later !! With the Incredibles,
Thistle and Volcanoes all still with a chance of
winning the leagues
there was much to play for here and the news that
Dylan was joining
Calum on the sick list was not the news we needed
at 10.30am. The rest of
the team were asked to step up
and
make a bigger
contribution and to their credit they responded in style.
Tom and Vinnie's
defence, Ryan's two goals, hard running from Tia
and Connor,
Fergie's return to form and his second half goal keeping
performance
were all of the highest order. AND Dylan and Calum
both played with
the sort of commitment and attitude that we have
come to expect,
despite both being under the weather.
This was a
performance
to equal the earlier game against the Incredibles
and the
highlights were the beautiful wing play of Dylan, Fergie's
excellent pass
to set up Ryan's second goal, Fergie's penalty
save and
wonderful save from Gregan's long range shot and Tom tackling
his heart out.
Vinnie and Tom have contributed so much this season
and Vinnie ran
himself to a standstill in this game ably
assisted by Connor
whose lightening acceleration has proved invaluable
in defence.
Ryan too, ran and ran and ran and contributed so
much in attack and
defence and his two goals in such a crucial game
earned him a
player of the day award. Not an easy call with so many
great
performances. This was the first time for quite a few
games that Calum hadn't
got on the scoresheet and after 15 minutes in goal
he contributed
well in attack and defence. The willingness of Calum,
Dylan and Ryan
to help in defence as well as attack has been invaluable
all season
and to the on several occasions yesterday they put
in fantastic runs,
turning defence into attack in a matter of moments.
Tia and Connor
deserve a special mention for their positive attitude
throughout
this game and this season, when they have been asked
to cover so many
different positions and take on different roles.
Its a team game
and they have worked hard all season.
There was
great support
for the team from the sideline and what great game
to watch as both
teams contributed to an excellent match.
AND THEN
!!!!
I drove away feeling
happy we had done so well and a kilometre down the
road received a text
from Denise White, manager of the Volcanoes.....it
read.....
OH NO SAINTS DREW AGAINST TE TEKO SO IF
YOU
WON AGAINST INCREDIBLES
THE LEAGUE ALL YOURS CONGRATS IS IT THEN ?
TIME TO CELEBRATE
! OHOPE THISTLE, 8th GRADE PREMIER
CHAMPIONS 2009
- Luvin it !!
Ohope Thistle 9
- 0 Saints Go Girls
15 minutes of muddling and messing
around were followed by a much
improved Thistle effort and in the end a win by nine goals to nil
was
well deserved. Tom played a very tidy and committed game in
defence
and deservedly took player of the day, while Calum scored four ,
Ryan
two and Fergus, Dylan and Tom got one each. There were some great
crosses played in from the wings and some tidy distribution from
Vinnie and Tom, allied to some hard yards through the middle from
Fergus and Ryan, with Connor putting himself about to support the
attack. Tia was secure at the back and helped keep the Saints
scoreline to nil, while she also shared the Goalkeeping duties
with
Tom and Vinnie. While its great to celebrate the goals, the hard
work
of our defence has been one of the reasons the team has kept a
clean
sheet on several occasions this season and there was some very
sensible play again to stop the Saints GG's who have several
talented
players in their ranks. One scheduled game left and plenty to play for !
Ohope Thistle 8
- 0 Thornton Thunder
A
beautiful spring day in the Eastern Bay and the loyal Thistle
supporters made the trip to the riverside settlement of Thornton
to
enjoy a game played in good spirits and fine conditions. With
Thistle
down to six players and a sick Tia only there as emergency
back-up,
the game began with Calum in goal, Tom and Vinnie in defence ,
Connor
out on the left, Dylan in his usual on the right and Ryan playing
through the middle. It didn't take Thistle long to get two ahead
with
goals from Ryan and Dylan, but Thistle were a little subdued and
Thornton were far better organised than in the last encounter. By
half time Thistle had created many opportunities, but added only
one
more goal to their tally, thanks to Connor who scored after a
lovely
run down the left wing.
In the second half Tia took over in goal and Calum was restored
to
the left wing and it wasn't long before the ball was worked out
to
Ryan on the edge of the penalty area and he controlled it
beautifully, before firing in a low cross which Calum finished
tidily
with the outside of his left foot. Thistle were playing with a
little
more urgency now and Dylan was putting in another excellent
performance on the right wing and was well rewarded with two
goals
for the day. His consistency over the last few weeks has been
fantastic and he has raised the level of his game to a new
standard.
Ryan played tidily in teh middle. with a mixture of good running
and
nice passing and scored yet another hat trick.
Yet again the defence of Tom, Vinnie and Connor (in the second
half)
turned in another solid performance and they can be proud of the
fact
that they conceded no goals. Tom put in a number of solid tackles
and
Vinnie's highlight was a beautiful covering tackle to kill a
Thornton
attack. Excellent stuff.
Tia was not feeling at all well and half way through the second
half
handed the goalie gloves to Tom and retired from the match. For
her
efforts and commitment to her team, Tia was awarded Player of the
Day
and she can feel proud of her great attitude. The final score was
8-0
with Calum grabbing a second, but the Thornton team can take
heart
from their defensive efforts.
So with two games to go against Saints Go Girls and the
Incredibles
we have plenty to play for. Its been a great season and the level
of
expectation is high, but the Volcanoes supporters and players are
buoyant after beating us a month ago and then thumping the
Incredibles 6-1 last week.......We'll be looking for a big effort
this week from coaches, players and supporters........
Ohope Thistle 9
- 1 Te Teko Taniwha
An absolutely perfect day in Texas with little wind, a dry pitch
and
glorious sunshine. The grass was short and this suits our team
and
their style of play. It wasn't vintage Thistle , but it was
effective
and four goals from the hard working Dylan, three from a busy
Ryan
and two from the industrious Calum sealed the victory. Tom and
Vinnie
were solid at the back and there was clear evidence that the team
have listened and learned about the perils of playing the ball
across
their own goal mouth. Connor and Fergus shared the goal keeping
duties and played tidily. With Tia off sick there wasn't much time
on
the sideline for any of the players and playing on the 11th grade
pitch at Texas meant plenty of running for the team. The team are
at
their best when they play the ball wide and Connor, Tom and
Vinnie
have all picked up on the need to play the ball wide, turning defense
to attack. Calum and Dylan both ran hard on the wings and when
there
efforts created a host of chances. The midfield was much more
crowded
and Ryan and Fergus were given a hard time from some of those
hard
tackling Texan girls. They never stopped trying however and
Ryan's
first hat trick for a few weeks was well deserved. When you win
9-1
and you haven't played your best then there is plenty to be happy
with, but the expectations for this team are high and we look
forward
to building on this performance.
After the disappointment of losing
their unbeaten league record the
previous weekend, it was time for the players to lift their game
and
the expectation of a better performance was made clear to the
team.
From the outset Thistle applied the pressure and Dylan,
deservedly
player of the day, showed excellent skill, attitude and commitment
to
take the ball down the right wing on a number of occasions and
his
example was an inspiration to the others. By half time Thistle were
3
- 0 ahead and Calum, Ryan and Dylan were all on the scoresheet.
This
wasn't one of their best performances, but there was a lot of
intelligent play and tidy passing. In the end Thistle won 6-0
with
Calum returning to action with a hat trick and Ryan grabbing a
second. In defence, Connor, Vinnie and Tom proved solid and
dependable and kept the Awakeri team pinned in their own half.
The
distribution from defence wasn't as good as in previous games,
but
there were still some sensible balls played wide to Dylan and
Calum.
Tia has shown over several weeks now that she can make
telling
tackles and she again won a numbe of imporatnt tackles in
midfield.
The Goalkeepers for the day were Vinnie and Tom and while Vinnie
played tidily in the first half, Tom was left in isolation in the
second half as Thistle took the game to Awakeri. Plenty of work to
do
at training and plenty of room for improvement, but a 6-0 win is
a
welcome return to winning ways.
Whakatane Incredibles 0
- 3 Ohope Thistle
(photos courtesy of Juliette Silverston)

9am at Rex Morpeth and a top of
the table clash. The players know that this is a must win game. There
are no subs with Ryan still
on holiday and Tia sick. The team are focussed and from the start
there is no need to remind them about who plays where. They know
the
drill. The Incredibles are a tough team, but our passing and
organisation
is good and both Dylan and Calum are working hard on the wings.
What's missing is the communication and that is where Tia's absence is
most
felt.
However, the defence of Tom and Vinnie are a match for the Incredibles
and most of the early chances fall to Thistle. With
seven minutes gone Dylan runs down the right and fires in a lovely
cross
to
Calum who controls it well before unleashing a fierce shot from outside
the penalty area that leaves Sam Sheaff the Incredibles goalie with
little chance of stopping it.

1-0 to Thistle, its a
great
start. The hard running of the Incredibles Gregan and Campbell
means
that there is no shortage of work for Thistle's defence and Tom
and
Vinnie were just superb in this area. Dylan and Calum were
running
hard on the wings too and a covering back when required. Great to
seethat Dylan has been thinking about his game and he stuck to
his

position and put in a huge first half
effort against Gregan in
the
Incredibles defence. Fergus was in the thick of the action for
most of the first half, making a huge contribution with a number
of
timely tackles and strong runs, but it was difficult finding space in
a
crowded midfield. With half time approaching, the Incredibles had
their chances to equalise,

but Connor showed that
he is well organised in goal and he played a great first half in this
position. At half time with the score 1-0 Thistle faced a grumpy
coach, who
reminded them that communication is the key to the game and that
it would take a lot more second half effort if they were to win this
one.
Out came Thistle for the second half with Dylan taking over in
goal and Connor working on the right side of midfield. Fergus was fired
up
now and he and Calum had the Incredibles under pressure from the
kick
off. It was proving ever more difficult for the Incredibles to find
a

way through and Tom and Vinnie were
cleverly occupying the space
behind Fergus and Calum and keeping the pressure on the
Incredibles.
After five minutes of the second half Fergus put in one of his
trademark runs through the middle with great dribbling skills and
he
took his chance beautifully, firing into the net and putting his
team
2-0 up. Great work Thistle !
For the remainder of the game, Thistle stuck manfully to their
task
and kept up the passing game that they are becoming familiar
with.
With seven minutes to go Tom took a throw in down the line and
Calum
pressured the defenders. With the ball worked free,

Calum took
his
chance and fired in a powerful shot from the right that left the
goalie with little chance. 3-0 and the game was won. The
remaining
five minutes were played out with Thistle continuing to apply
pressure while the Incredibles relied on the odd breakaway and
despite a couple of chances, Dylan protected his goal well and
ensured that when the whistle went, Thistle players and
supporters
could reflect on a job well done.ju

***Thistle players I feel very proud of you. Today was a great
effort
and you should feel proud of yourselves too. We have had some one
side games recently, but today was a greater challenge. We showed
that we have made great progress in the last couple of months,
but
there is still plenty of room for improvement and plenty of work
to
be done. - Kenny
Ohope Thistle 10 - 0
Thornton Thunder.
With Ryan in the USA and Tom sick,
it was time for the remaining six
players to lift themselves and give a little extra. To their
credit
they responded to the challenge. The team played the best 15
minutes
of football we've seen all season and the passing, communication
and
finishing were excellent. (Ash you would have loved it !)
In that first fifteen minutes, Calum scored his second hat trick
of
the week and Dylan got his first goal for several games. The
defence
of Vinnie and Connor were very tidy and there was excellent ball
control and sensible distribution. They are now both putting in
consistent efforts and we're beginning to look like much more
organised. Tia has really lifted herself in the last few games
and
her consistent tackling in midfield stopped any chance Thornton
had
of getting a goal. With Fergus in goal for the first half, Calum
and
Dylan formed the attack and together they were more than a
handful
for Thornton's defence. The pick of their four goals was a
beautiful
though ball from Dylan which played Calum into space and he made
no
mistake with a clinical finish from outside the penalty area. In the
second half, Tia took over the goalkeeping and Fergus was
restored to the attack. Fergie wasted no time on getting on the
score
sheet and in an action packed second half he scored four with his
usual mix of good control and determined finishing. Dylan really
was
back on form and his contribution on the right wing was rewarded
with
two further goals and selection as player of the day. A great
result
and we look forward to next weekend when we go to Whakatane to
take
on the Incredibles , who are also unbeaten in the league this
season.
It'll be a great test for this team.
Saints Go Girls 2 - 6 Ohope Thistle
This was the rescheduled game from
last weekend and following this
result Thistle remain unbeaten in the league. A hat trick from
Calum
and a brace from Fergus plus a glorious solo effort form Connor
ensured that despite going a goal down early on, Thistle went
home
with the two points. This was not their best effort, with some
elementary errors such as passing across their penalty area and
giving the ball away easily - both of which will have Ash shaking
his
head in frustration, but the good aspects were Vinnie and Calum's
great goalkeeping, Dylan's strong running on the right wing,
Tia's
increasing involvement in general play and Tom's sound tackling
at
the back. Connor showed with his great goal that he is improving
quickly and that he can make a valuable contribution to the team
in
attack and defence. Vinnie again took the player of the day award
and
despite his focus on Ninja turtles, he again showed that he
always
looks to be creative and rarely misses a tackle. A great effort.
Fergus was a handful for the opposition defence as usual and he
showed his vision with a beautiful pass to Calum who made no
mistake
with his shot into the net. Plenty to work on and as ever
great
parental support. Lastly a mention for the Go Girls who have some
great players and seem to be improving all the time. Look forward
to
the next one !
Thistle
7 - 1 Go Girls (friendly)
With the rain falling and most
games cancelled, Thistle took the
opportunity to move indoors and take on the Saints Go Girls in
the
relative comfort of the Ohope Hall. Playing 5 a side with some
basic
rules it gave both sets of players the opportunity to show some
ball
skills and test their stamina. With Ryan overseas, each of the
seven
remaining player had to give a little more to the cause. Special
mentions needs to be made of the efforts of Tom and Tia who both
showed big improvements. Tom brought his usual hard tackling
game,
but he has been asked at training to release the ball earlier and
time and again he played tidy passes forward to his forwards. A
great
effort and he was rewarded with his first goal of the season. Tia
was
involved in winning numerous tackles and put in several nice runs
and
deservedly took the player of the day trophy. It can't be long
until
we see a goal form Tia. Up front Fergus and Calum both added to
their
seasons goal tally. They have 23 goals between them this season,
with
Fergus slightly ahead and today Fergus added a further four
through
great determination and ball control, while Calum went home with
a
double. Vinnie and Dylan both put in notable efforts with nice
ball
control and sensible passing as well as countless tackles. They
were
aided by Connor whose great timing in the tackle and swift
acceleration proved very useful indoors. The final score was (we
think) Thistle 7 - 1 Go Girls. Both sets of players were warmly
applauded by the sizeable turn out of parents and whanau who
enjoyed
the elevated seating and great show of skill.

Ohope Thistle 13 - 0 Te Teko Taniwha
Thistle put in a tidy performance
to beat Te Teko by 13 goals. It was
a game with many positives, not least the passing and positioning
of
the players. Ryan, with a man of the match performance, Calum and
Fergus scored four each and it was great to see Vinnie on the
score
sheet with a fine goal from a narrow angle. Vinnie played really
well
in defence and has great timing in the tackle. He won countless
tackles and distributed the ball well. Tia playin

g along side him in
defence positioned herself well
and made several crucial tackles. In
the second half with the team well ahead, Tia moved up front and
was
unlucky not to score her first goal.
Tom played a tidy first half as goalie and showed his strength in
defence in the second half, taking off on several nice runs and
passing the ball intelligently to create opportunities for
others.
Tom's tackling has been a key feature of Thistle's defence so far
it was good to see him add some nice passes to his game.
Dylan was full of running on the right wing and showed his skills
with some well Timed tackles, tidy passing and great control. For
the opening goal,
it was Dylans strong running and Ryan's persistence that ensured
a
positive start. Moments later Dylan crossed again for Fergus to
find
the net and he was there to set up Fergus for his hat-trick. In
the
second half, Dylan took

over the
goalkeepers gloves, but it was a
quiet half and he had little to do in the Thistle goal.Fergus always
displays great control with the ball at his feet and after
collecting a great pass from Dylan, he took off on a lovely run down
the right wing, playing a beautiful ball across to Calum who steadied
himself before firing a shot into the corner. Terrific play.Calum,
Fergus and Ryan were all running strongly and combining well and
if they build on this effort, we have some promising times ahead. As Te
Teko were one player short , Connor agreed to play for them in
the first half and put in an excellent effort, with some lovely
runs and strong tackles on his Thistle team mates. Te Teko gave
Connor
their player of the day award and it was well deserved. He
returned
to Thistle in the second half and carried on his good work with
some
great midfield tackling and passing.
Great support from the families and thanks to Karen for filming
the
game - the team will enjoy watching it and again a big thanks to
Ash
for refereeing the game.
Week 4 Ohope Thistle 3 - 4 Whakatane Incredibles
Thanks to the Whakatane Incredibles for agreeing to this friendly
non- league fixture and it turned out to be just the sort of game
Thistle needed. Thistle were very much off the pace in the first
half
and were finding the speed and skill of the Incredibles team very
difficult to handle. The defence that had played so well last
week
were often found out of position and by half time the Incredibles
were 2-0 ahead. Fergus had played most of the first half in
goal
until his brother Cameron, with a special appearance for Thistle,
took the gloves just before half-time. Calum, Dylan and Ryan had
all
worked hard to contain the Incredibles in the first half, but
there
were too few passes and not a lot of communication. After some
frank
words from the coach at half time and with Fergus restored to the
attack, Thistle began to play with more determination and Fergus
scored a nice goal to give the team some encouragement, before
Calum
scored after a determined run and low shot. With the scores back
at
2-2 it looked as if Thistle might push on for victory. Tom had
lifted
his game, making several nice runs down the wing and putting in a
number of crucial tackles to halt the Incredibles, while Tia and
Connor began to get more involved in play. Dylan, Calum and Ryan
were
all involved in last ditch defence , before The Incredibles went
to
3-2 ahead after a lovely run from Gregan, who was involved in many
of
their best moves. It was an end to end game now and after the
Incredibles 4th, Thistle were looking beaten, but all credit to
the
team that they pulled back one more goal. Ryan, Calum and Fergus
were
all involved, before Fergus's determination finished off a period
of
pressure. This was a tough game, but the Thistle players will
learn
from it and tackling practice will be a priority on Tuesday.
Week 3
Awakeri
To celebrate the arrival of the new Thistle T-shirts...(and a BIG
THANK YOU to Andy and Julia / Fairview Aluminium)........Thistle
wasted no time in getting into their stride, with some nice
passing,
great running and clinical finishing. Calum and Fergus scored two
a
piece in an action packed first half, which saw Awakeri placed
under
pressure from the kick off. With Ryan in goal and strong defence
from
Tom, Connor and Vinnie, Awakeri's chances were limited. It was
great
to see tidy defence mixed with sensible distribution and Thistle
showed that if they work as a team they will be hard to beat.
Dylan
ran hard on the right wing, taking the ball forward and covering
back
to good effect. Tia brought her strong tackling game and showed
that

her positional play is improving every week. She is without doubt
a
master of throw- ins and a great example to the rest of her team.
The
work put in at practice is paying dividends
and Tia, Connor
and Tom all showed that they have listened and applied the lessons.
Thistle created no end of chances in this game. Calum put in
several
strong runs on the left wing and fired a succession of crosses
across
the goalmouth, with the finishing touch just eluding Thistle.
With
the industrious Ryan restored to midfield in the second half,
more
chances were created in the Awakeri penalty area, but only one
more
goal was added thanks to Fergus. He showed once again that his
great
timing in the tackle and lovely dribbling skills are a match for
any
team. His hat trick was well deserved. Dylan and Ryan may not
have
got on the scoresheet this week, but their overall contributions
were
crucial to the result and it won't be long until they find the
net
again. And Connor, player of the day. Well deserved for excellent
passing and good vision.
Lastly, a special mention to our second half goalie, Tia and her
postive attitude.Thanks to the great defending of Tom, Vinnie and
Connor, she never got to touch the ball, but still managed a
smile
at the finish.
Great support from the families and this team still has so much
potential.
Week 2 Saint
Volcanos
The scoreline doesn't reflect what a hard fought game this was
and
the Thistle players distinguished themselves with a performance
full
of hard running, committed tackling and intelligent positioning.
With
the rain falling gently, Thistle showed what they were about and
the
ball was moved well down both wings. With Calum on the left, Dylan
on
the right and Fergus playing through the middle a number of
chances
were created before Fergus scored the opening goal.
The Volcanoes had shown at Bay Day that they had a combative
midfield
and Tom, Vinnie and Tia all worked hard to contain the Volcanoes
and
secure possession. Ryan was working hard in midfield and won a
number
of crucial tackles and scored a peach of a goal, firing the ball
into
the top left corner from a tight angle. With further goals
from
Dylan and Calum in the first half, Thistle went in at half time
4-1
ahead.
Thistle started the second half with Vinnie replacing Connor in
goal.
With Calum and Vinnie switching wings and Ryan carrying on his
good
work, Thistle looked dangerous going forward. This
was a great
team effort and Tia and Connor showed great determination on the
ball, halting a number of Volcanoes attacks and linking well with
their team mates. Tom at the back showed his strength and
positional
sense to stop any Volcanoes attacks and when the space opened up,
took off on several strong runs. A great effort. Five more goals
followed. Dylan and Calum secured their hat tricks with a mixture
of
skill and strong running. Ryan collected a second goal and Vinnie
in
the Thistle goal pulled off a number of great saves with his
bravery
and commitment. The pick of the goals came with Ryan beating his
man
on the outside and firing in a cross that was controlled by Calum
for
Dylan to rifle the shot into the back of the net. A cracker !
There's
still plenty of room for improvement in this Thistle team, but
for
the first competitive game of the season, this was a great
result.
Final score Ohope Thistle 9 - 2 Saints Volcanoes.
And thanks to the parents and families for their great support
Week 1
Thanks to City for agreeing to this friendly match, with both teams
being given byes in their competitions.
Thistle got off to a flying start with Fergus putting himself about
and Ryan being industrious in midfield. The defence of Tia and Connor
put in a number of strong tackles to keep the bigger Allandale
players at Bay and Calum had a pretty quiet time in goal with only a
few shots to deal with in the first half. Vinnie and Tom were busy in
a crowded midfield and it was good to see that the passing that was
in evidence last week was again a strong feature of their play. After
a number of attacks, Fergus found himself in space and despite the
scrambling defence, he fired the ball past Allandale goalie. With
half time approaching, Ryan beat a couple of players down the left
wing and played a lovely ball across the face of the goal, with
Fergus just failing to connect.
Tom took over the goalkeeping duties at half time and a battling
Allandale took the game to Thistle. With Calum restored to the left
wing and Vinnie putting in numerous tackles, Thistle attacked down
both wings. From one attack Calum collected a pass on the edge of the
penalty area and his shot on the run beat the Allandale keeper. 2-0
to Thistle. Allandale never gave up however and despite the defensive
efforts of Ryan, Connor and Tia, the ball finally went past Tom with
the last kick of the game. 2-1 was how it finished and while there is
plenty to work on, the Thistle players showed their potential and
their ability to pass the ball.