Men's First Team Teamtalks
5 September 2009 | 8 August 2009 | 2 August 2009 | 25 July 2009 | 18 July 2009 | 11 July 2009 | 4 July 2009 | 20 June 2009 | 6 June 2009 | 1 June 2009 | 30 May 2009 | 16 May 2009 | 2 May 2009 | 25 April 2009 | 4 April 2009 | 14 September 2008 | 30 August 2008 | More 2008 Teamtalks
5 September 2009 : FM Bays 1 CSFC 1
Team: Ben Lennon, Ryan Stewart, Simon Rennel, Paul Hughes, Ben Leith, John Gough, Nik Gebhardt, Aaron Corkhill, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ash Welbourn. Subs: Brennan Pitts, Jimmy Stewart, Tristan Nicol, Aaron Nottage.
The big playoff finally arrived and a huge crowd of loyal supporters turned out to "Black out" Barnett Park.
Thank you to every one of you who came and supported.
A tight game was expected and that is exactly what we got. A fairly even first half saw Coastal create a couple of chances with probably the best one falling to Ash Welbourn who finished off some fine play and a great cross, but his header fell just over the bar.
A goal was scored earlier in the first half, but the Bays' keeper was deemed to have been fouled.
A mistake with the hard ground and bounce gave Bays the lead early in the second half.
Coastal equalised quickly with a goal scored by Gareth Turnbull following a great ball by Jason Stapley.
A few opportunities to each side in the second half and a wee bit of Bays dominance in the final quarter saw the game finish in a fair 1 - 1 result.
Everyone played their heart out with Ben Leith, Aaron Corkhill and Nik Gebhardt all putting their bodies well and truly on the line.
Good result, although a win on the 19th will be the only result we are after.
See you all at Bexley.
Final Score: 1 - 1.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
8 August 2009 : CSFC 4 Waimak 0
Team: Ben Lennon, Ryan Stewart, Simon Rennel, Paul Hughes, Ben Leith, Jimmy Stewart, Nik Gebhardt, Aaron Nottage, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ali Nazri. Subs: Brennan Pitts, Marc Sutcliffe, Jonathon Gough, Aaron Corkhill.
A better performance this week against a Waimak team more intent on keeping the score down than playing attacking football.
Good attitude by all showed, and another step in the right direction was taken.
Nik Gebhardt led the way again with support from Jason Stapley and Jimmy Stewart.
2 more goals to Gareth Turnbull and goals to Simon Rennel and Jonathon Gough was enough to put Waimak away.
Good work by all.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
2 August 2009 : League Cup Final CSFC 1 Cashmere 0
Team: Ben Lennon, Ryan Stewart, Simon Rennel, Brennan Pitts, Ben Leith, Jonathon Gough, Nik Gebhardt, Aaron Nottage, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ali Nazri.
Subs: Jimmy Stewart, Danny Palenthorpe, Jacob Kearns.
The league cup title was secured on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Cashmere.
Whilst pleased with another trophy, the team may feel that they let themselves down a little again. The intention of improving each week has not really been achieved since the Mid Canty game and the team will be a little frustrated.
A pleasing note was that a few of the younger squad members got some game time and all did well.
A Gareth Turnbull penalty just on halftime was enough to secure a win against a fired up Cashmere.
A couple of good night's training this week will hopefully get the team back on track for good performance at Home next Saturday against Waimak.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
25 July 2009 : Parklands 1 CSFC 4
Team: Marc Sutcliffe, Ryan Stewart, Marc Capstick, Paul Hughes, Ben Leith, Jimmy Stewart, Nik Gebhardt, Tristan Nicol, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ash Wellbourn. Subs: Simon Rennel, Aaron Nottage, Brennan Pitts, Jacob Kearns.
The league title was secured on Saturday with a 4-1 win over Parklands on another bright sunny Christchurch afternoon.
A good contingent of loyal Spirit supporters were on hand to watch Marc Capstick collect the Div 1 cup after the game. Winning the league with 2 games to go, was a fantastic effort and all credit should go to Alan Walker and the team for securing the league in just the second Coastal Spirit season.
The game itself was a little disappointing game. After a great performance last week, a rather laboured and error ridden game wasn’t what the team would have liked to have shown its supporters. A bad injury to captain Marc Capstick just before half time showed it wasn’t really going to be our day.
However a win and league title has now been secured.
The Cup final against Cashmere next Sunday at English Park [update - fixture transferred to Bexley] is next on the list before the ultimate goal of winning the playoffs.
Well done to everybody, Alan, the players, the club and and the supporters. But the job is not yet finished.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
18 July 2009 : CSFC 7 Mid Canterbury 0
Team: Mark Sutcliffe, Ryan Stewart, Marc Capstick, Simon Renell, Ben Leith, Jonathon Gough, Nik Gebhardt, Aaron Corkhill, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ash Wellbourn. Subs: Paul Hughes, Tristan Nicol, Ali Nazri, Danny Palethorpe, Jimmy Stewart.
The continued team spirit, and improved organization, was evident as the second placed Mid Canty team was comprehensibly beaten on another fine Bexley afternoon.
Mid Canty were completely outplayed by a rampant Coastal side. Ryan Stewart and Ash Wellbourn dominating down the flank with Gareth Turnbull benefiting again by scoring 4 goals.
Jonathon Gough played well after the late withdrawal by Jimmy Stewart. Tristan Nicol replaced Aaron Corkhill at half time and did well.
Jimmy and Aaron’s decision’s to rest injuries rather than playing, shows the team attitude towards the long term goal rather than short term game time.
Another good performance and improvement from previous weeks, Well led by Marc Capstick, Nik Gebhardt and a rejuvenated Ash Wellbourn.
A great step in the right direction.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
11 July 2009 : Cup - CSFC 8 Parklands 0
Team: Ben Lennon, Ryan Stewart, Marc Capstick, Simon Rennel, Ben Leith, Jimmy Stewart, Nik Gebhardt, Aaron Corkhill, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ash Wellbourn. Subs: Paul Hughes, Ali Nazri, Danny Palethorpe.
A beautiful day greeted the arrival of the teams at Bexley for another round of the Division One cup.
A good positive start was halted after just 5 minutes when a collision between the Parklands goal keeper and Gareth Turnbull stopped a certain goal, but unfortunately left the keeper with a nasty broken leg.
An hour delay (whilst the goalkeeper was seen to), could have been awkward, but the team rallied together during the break, kept focused and then it showed to be 2-nil up just 5 minutes after resumption of play.
From this point, the team carried on to complete a good victory over a spirited Parklands.
With the delayed start and fading light, this team showed great determination to keep organized and concentration to good levels right through to the end.
4 goals to Jason Stapley and 3 to Gareth Turnbull showed good reward to the front runners as most opportunities created were taken clinically.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
4 July 2009 : FM Bays 1 CSFC 3
Team: Ben Lennon, Ryan Stewart, Marc Capstick, Paul Hughes, Ben Leith, Jimmy Stewart, Nik Gebhardt, Tristan Nicol, Gareth Turnbull, Jason Stapley, Ash Wellbourn. Subs: Simon Rennel, Jonathon Gough, Aaron Nottage, Brennan Pitts, Aaron Corkhill.
A very wet and awful day at Barnett Park and the lads put up a more than creditable performance against a weakish Bays team.
After a slightly disruptive week, the team rallied together well and played as well as possible given the conditions and opposition’s lack of intent to play good football.
Good efforts by all and a win and another 3 points tucked away.
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
20 June 2009 : Avon 0 CSFC 3
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
This was to be the match that would go a long way to determine the rest of the season.
With Avon only 3 points behind and at the half-way point in the season, it was a must win match.
We arrived at Avonhead Park to witness what can only be described as a mud-bath of a Number One pitch which had been played on earlier in the morning after the previous night's downpour. The pitch would have made the match a mockery of the fixture.
Common sense prevailed and with co-operation from Avon and the officials the pitch was moved to a more suitable (and better condition) pitch at the far end of the park. Thanks must go to all parties.
The team:
Ben Lennon, Ben Leith, Jonathan Gough, Paul Hughes, Marc Capstick, Tristan Nicol, Jimmy Stewart, Ryan Stewart, Ash Welbourn, Aaron Nottage, Jason Stapley.
Subs: Gareth Turnbull, Jacob Fitz-Kearns, Brennan Pitts, Jose Matiz.
The match started with errors from both sides and little creativity for the first few minutes until Coastal Spirit started to pressure the Avon defence.
Ryan Stewart and Ash Welbourn were at the centre of the Coastal Spirit attacks as close chances fell to Jason, Aaron and Ash.
With such an open game, it was disappointing to see us opened up on the counter-attack as we lacked structure and cohesion in our approach. Avon pressed down the flanks and created a couple of chances they were unfortunate not to capitalize from.
Ben Lennon was alive and smart in pulling off a couple of excellent saves to deny Avon.
After 25 minutes, Jason Stapley scored his 49th goal for the club when he neatly controlled, turned and finished with a low drive under the hapless Shatford for a well taken goal deserved of the man's quality.
A few minutes later, Ash Welbourn received a throw-in from wide on the right. He turned and drifted past two defenders and unleashed a rocket shot with his left foot into the top left hand corner. The keeper never moved.
It was befitting of the disjointed nature of the game that two of the best finishers in Canterbury would be the difference as we settled into a comfortable two goal lead.
Aaron, Stapes and Tristan went close to extending the lead prior to the end of the 1st half, however, it remained 2-0.
The second half saw Coastal start to dominate the play and the reward was an Ash Welbourn 2nd and Coastal 3rd in the 50th minute to give us an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Gareth Turnbull, Jacob Fitz-Kearns and Brennan Pitts replaced Skippy, Lethal and Cappy after 53 minutes.
We continued to threaten the Avon defence, with chances falling to Gareth, Ash and Stapes, but we were unable to increase our lead.
The only concern was the manner in which we relaxed our intensity, something that will be a repeated message for us to avoid for the rest of the season, which allowed Avon a couple of chances through our relaxation in our defensive 3rd.
We must understand the bottom of the MPL will be playing high-intensity, pressured football and we cannot allow ourselves to drop our pace or concentration going into any play-off matches we may be involved in.
The final score 3-0.
Ryan Stewart was excellent today, with Jason Stapley always a threat. Ben Lennon was commanding in goal and Paul Hughes and Jimmy Stewart were dependable in their roles, although the plaudits for Player of the Day must go to Ash Welbourn for two excellent goals and permanent threat to the Avon defence.
Although not a convincing performance, it was everything we needed as a result and credit must go to the players for maintaining their 100% league record with 8 wins from 8.
The players have now got themselves into a positive position from which they must now go on and win the league and they must be credited on this.
With Mid Canterbury 5 points behind us and Avon 6 pts we now must look odds-on to win the league, especially with them having to play each other twice.
The focus shifts to next week's Bexley fixture against Cashmere and a step closer towards the play-offs, as long as we maintain our focus from game to game.
We shall have to continue to build our fitness, sharpness and structure/organization for the remainder of the season to ensure we give ourselves the best chance possible of gaining an MPL spot.
This will not be easy and the players must be prepared to do whatever it takes as individuals and as a group to reach our end goals.
It starts again at training on Tuesday and we trust we shall continue to represent the club with honour over the coming months.
Thanks to all the support we received at weekend and particularly to the contingent from our Under-15's team as we start to build a mutual appreciation and support for each other's achievements.
Look forward to seeing you at Bexley on Sat 27th June.
Yours in sport
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
6 June 2009 League Cup Group A: Avon 1 CSFC 1
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
My day started on freezing cold frosty pitches at 9am with the midgets and moved on to a bright, sunny warm day with the juniors.
By the time our Men's First Team had taken to the bumpy Avonhead Park pitch in the afternoon there was a driving cold southerly wind blowing down the pitch, making it difficult to play attractive football.
The League Cup will only exist for this season and is really a trumped-up way of adding fixtures to the season.
That said, it provides an opportunity to win a trophy and they do not come along too often.
With both teams having won their respective fixtures in the first game of this 4 team league cup group, we were both looking for a positive result to progress towards the final.
The Team:
Ben Lennon, Jacob Fitz-Kearns, Paul Hughes, Brennan Pitts, Jonathan Gough, Tristan Nicol, James Stewart, Ryan Stewart, Nik Gebhart, Aaron Nottage, Jason Stapley.
Subs: Ben Leith, Fortune Ngwenya, Gareth Turnbull, Ash Welbourn.
With the wind at our backs, the match started in a lively and positive way as we pushed forward on the attack, pinning Avon in their own defensive third.
The conditions were not conducive to good football, however, chances started to flow as we pressed into the area.
One-on-one chances fell to Stapes, Notts and Gebhart, but we failed to convert and the score remained deadlocked until Aaron Nottage controlled a bouncing ball and dispatched it into the bottom right hand corner with yes, his right foot!
Avon had caused us trouble on the break and had failed convert a golden chance earlier to go one up.
Although we dominated the play, there was huge concern over our willingness to work defensively and particularly in competitive areas.
This was summed-up when the referee rightly blew the whistle to stop the game and treat a head injury to one of the Avon players. Even though we were in possession and on the attack, when the ball was dropped back in play we passed the ball back to their keeper to continue the game. Why? I don't know!
It may have been minor in the scheme of things, however, it epitomised where we were at mentally and the "soft" approach was never going to win us the game.
5 minutes before half-time, Avon scored with a breakaway goal and it's nothing they didn't deserve!
Half-time 1-1.
In fairness to the players, the response was positive in the second half and we looked a more solid outfit when playing against the elements of a strong wind.
The application was better, the structure was better and we, for the first time, started to compete better.
It is important the players understand they cannot switch on and off in games and we must maintain a high intensity at all times.
With the MPL relegation battle now becoming very close, the intensity level will be there with all of the teams for the rest of the season and should we get into the play-offs we need to be at a level that will allow us to compete effectively with them!
Ben Leith came on for Brennan Pitts and Ash Welbourn replaced Ryan Stewart.
The second half didn't amount to much, with neither side creating clear-cut chances.
We threatened on a number of occasions to go ahead, but were unfortunate to get the final delivery correct.
With 20 minutes to go, Gareth Turnbull replaced Nik Gebhart.
The highlight of the half was the injury to Skippy, which may keep him sidelined for a week or so, but it has certainly given the squad a huge amount of amusement!!!!!
Final Score 1-1.
The result was satisfactory to us and we trust will see us progress to the final unless we slip up against bottom placed Parklands in the final game.
With Avon due to play Waimak, they need to beat them by 4 more goals than us, as long as we defeat Parklands.
This was our third outing against Avon. With two wins and a draw we have to be satisfied so far. However, this will count for nothing when we play them on 20th June in the league. With only a 3 point gap there will be everything to play for.
Our next game sees us test ourselves against MPL opposition, Ferrymead Bays. The match is scheduled for Wednesday evening, 7pm at English Park. Your support would be welcomed.
The English Cup is high on our priority list and we would like to progress all the way and have a day out like last season on cup final day.
The next league game is away at Universities next Saturday 13th June, 2.30pm.
Thanks for your support.
Yours in sport
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
01 June 2009 Chatham Cup: CSFC 1 Woolston Tech 3
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
It was great to have some excellent competition down at Bexley and they don't come any better than the leaders of the MPL in Woolston Tech.
It was also great to see many people down to watch, which proved that both sides have created an interest in the city and the spectators were expecting a good game.
Although the Chatham Cup was not high on our priority list, it is our national cup competition and it would give us a chance to benchmark ourselves against higher-grade opposition, so we can truly reflect on where we are at.
With over half of the Tech team made-up of National League players, it was always going to be a learning curve for our younger players to compete with them.
Team:
Ben Lennon, Marc Capstick, Paul Hughes, Brennan Pitts, Jonathan Gough, Jimmy Stewart, Tristan Nicol, Ryan Stewart, Ash Welbourn, Nik Gebhart, Jason Stapley.
Subs:
Jose Matiz, Aaron Nottage, Ben Leith, Daniel Palenthorpe, Jacob Fitz-Kearns.
The match started at a furious pace and Tech were quick to release long balls for Jamie Smith to run on to. With the threat coming down our right hand side and Cappy having a tough time of it, he battled well and the threats were nullified.
One long ball saw Jamie through on goal and as the ball bounced, Ben Lennon raced from goal and collided with the Tech striker as he headed towards goal. The ball bounced wide and a free-kick was given for the collision, along with shouts from the Tech bench for a sending off, which is complete b#llocks! If there is no intention to play the ball, fair enough, however, a genuine attempt to play the ball and a collision doesn't warrant red cards. To everyone's amazement not even a yellow card was issued.
The free-kick came to nothing.
We proved more than a match for Tech in certain areas and with an attacking four of Nik, Skippy, Ash and Stapes we were always going to be able to create chances, regardless of the opposition.
Nik Gebhart looked threatening on the ball and released Jason Stapley who failed to convert a golden chance.
A quick counter-attack saw Stapes and Ash link well to create a perfect opening only for Ash to miss another chance.
A further chance went begging to Ash as he shot from 8 yards out, which was deflected just over the bar, only for the officials to inexplicably give a goal kick.
A loose ball lost in midfield whilst our full backs pushed forward created a chance for Tech in a 3-on-1 breakaway. Tommy Cairns bore down on goal and failed to gain his composure and slashed the ball high and wide - cheers Tommy!
Ryan Stewart remained a threat down the right hand side and on numerous occasions got away from his man, only to fail in delivering a quality ball into the box. This continued to be a threat throughout the game and again, was close to creating a couple of goals.
A further chance fell to Jason Stapley, again from a Nik Gebhart through-ball, only for the shot to go agonisingly wide.
With 5 minutes to go before half-time and happy to go in scoreless, despite the chances we created, we proved we could match an excellent and quick Tech side.
That was not to be as we dwelt on the ball in central midfield and Joe Murray released an effective Russell Kamo to run on and shoot on goal. The ball was initially well saved by Ben Lennon, but unfortunately the ball deflected back into the striker and rebounded into the goal.
It was a fortunate goal for Tech, coming at completely the wrong time for Coastal.
Half time score 0-1.
We had competed well in an open game where there were chances for both sides to have scored a couple of goals apiece.
We were pleased with many aspects of the game and our intention was to ensure the game remained tight for the first ten minutes of the second half.
That was not to be, as within 3 minutes of the restart we conceded a goal when we were opened up for Tommy Lancaster to pass the ball in from inside the 6 yard box.
The next 20 to 25 minutes were the only block of the game I went away disappointed with in our application, discipline and performance.
We were now in a position where we had to chase the game, however, the 2nd goal had taken the stuffing out of us and we failed to get hold of the ball and failed to get a grip of Tech's mobile midfield.
The pressure mounted and it was inevitable another goal would come, which came about with a bizarre penalty. Marc Capstick clearly pulled down Tommy Lancaster, no issues.
The penalty was dispatched under Ben Lennon by Tommy Lancaster, only for the referee to demand a retake due to encroachment by the Tech players.
This was where madness began.
The referee, after lengthy debate awarded Coastal an indirect free-kick to the amazement (and rightly so of Tech) Again, after further debate and another couple of minutes the decision was reversed and retaken penalty was awarded.
This time, Adam Cowen stepped forward and duly dispatched the ball to make it 3-0.
A couple of further chances fell to the two tall centre backs from Tech at set-play corners, where we failed to pick-up their players. Two smart saves from Ben Lennon denied them.
Nik Gebhart and Jonathan Gough were replaced by Jacob Fitz-Kearns and Jose Matiz.
Coastal started to get back in the game and we again opened up their defence in the 70th minute, when Ash Welbourn dispatched the ball only for it to be denied by an official for offside. The reaction of the spectators behind the official spoke volumes, as we appeared to be denied a perfectly legitimate goal that may have got us back into the game.
With 12 minutes remaining, young Danny Palenthorpe came on for Ash.
His first touch saw him drop deep, receive the ball and play a quality ball down the line for Skippy. Skippy traveled forward and this time delivered a quality ball in return into the area. Danny had continued to move off and found himself 8 yards out where he dispatched a great header into the far corner of the net to make it 1-3.
It was well deserved for both the team and Danny!
The game ended at 1-3 and we went on to reflect on how we compared to the top side in Mainland.
We proved we could compete on many levels, however, the key areas we fell short on were fitness and discipline.
As previously reported, we have serious issues surrounding injuries which have affected our fitness levels. That cannot be an excuse from now to the end of the season! To take away the element of risk, we need to ensure we are fitter.
In addition, the discipline in roles and responsibilities has to be taken on further, to again take away that small element of risk when we play higher-grade opposition.
In reality, we do not have high-quality opposition to play week-in week-out and it is plainly obvious when it comes to sharpness, touch and movement. Again, this cannot be an excuse and we need to ensure we do the right things at the right time and quicker.
It was a great game for us, despite the result and we proved we can compete on many levels.
It also showed areas we need to address and the players must rise to this challenge.
It was fantastic to be able to field a 15-year old, two 16-year olds and 5 under-21 in our side, which again shows the club has a healthy future.
What next for us?
We now have Avon United to play in the newly made-up "championship cup" on Saturday at Avonhead Park. This will be our third outing against Avon and we certainly don't want to give them an upper hand going into the more important fixture in the league on 20th June.
In addition, we have another quality game to play against most probably the second best team in Mainland MPL in Ferrymead Bays next week at English Park in the English Cup, Wednesday 10th June.
It will be another chance to benchmark where we are at and this time I trust we will not fall short!? It is also an opportunity for us to progress towards the Final of the cup which we graced last season, where we fell narrowly short against Nomads in our inaugural season.
With three competitive games in 10 days, it is just what we need to get us back focused!
Thanks to all those who supported the team at weekend and thanks to Michelle for the quality of the support in the after-match hospitality at Linfield.
Cheers,
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
30 May 2009 Waimak 1 CSFC 3
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
Our previous visit to north of the city had resulted in a 7-0 victory to us and it was always feared we would expect to stroll the match.
It provided a difficult task and, although we ran out comfortable winners, we did not show the intensity we need to start getting into our play on a more regular basis.
The team:
Ben Lennon, Marc Capstick, Paul Hughes, Brennan Pitts, Daniel Palenthorpe, Jimmy Stewart, Ryan Stewart, Aarron Nottage, Ash Welbourn, Jason Stapley.
Subs:
Nik Gebhart, Gareth Turnbull, Jacob Fitz-Kearns, Jose Matiz, Ben Leith.
The game started comfortably enough for us and we had a huge portion of the possession, creating a number of chances to open the scoring.
After 20mins it was noticeable the intensity of our work faded and we started to become ill-disciplined in our approach play.
This was to become our downfall as Waimak threatened on the counter attack on a couple of occasions.
On a breakaway attack, a clear-cut penalty was awarded as an ex-Coastal player Tom Chadwick attacked the goal.
We were in the position of being behind in a game for the first time this season.
The reaction was swift as we had some good build-up play down the right hand side for Skippy to deliver a ball into the 6 yard box that was clinically dispatched by Ash Welbourn (or just hit him with surprise) depending on what version you want to believe.
It was a short-lived lead to Waimak and they were soon to be 2-1 down when Aaron Nottage popped up in the 6 yard box to tap in the ball after again, good work down our right side.
We went in at half-time with a 2-1 lead.
The message at half-time was to pick up the intensity and start to do things quicker/earlier.
The second half saw the introduction of Jacob, Gareth and Nik for Aaron, Ash and Brennan.
We started to dominate proceedings and Waimak very rarely ventured beyond their own half as we started to look comfortable, without having the security of the third goal.
The third goal eventually came when Gareth advanced from a deep lying position to score at the far post after positive work down our right hand side.
The final result was 3-1 and comfortable. However, I would credit Waimak for making it a competitive game and pushing us at times.
The lack of intense competition is an issue we need to address in the coming weeks, as we build up towards a key game against Avon. It was also an issue that may hurt us in our up-coming fixtures v Woolston Tech and Ferrymead Bays from the MPL.
All-in-all, another 3points and it keeps our noses ahead of Avon.
Thanks for those that traveled out to the game to support us and let's trust we can continue to win games like this to set us up for the season and give those lads something to cheer about!?
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
16 May 2009 Chatham Cup: CSFC 4 CBHS 0
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
Firstly, it was great to see Ben Leith return from his months abroad (altitude training in South America!?) Be good to have him back training this week.
As previously stated, the Chatham Cup is not necessarily high on our priority list, however, it provides us with opportunities to put ourselves against MPL opposition and benchmark where we are at as a team.
Firstly we had to overcome a spirited and resilient CBHS team.
The team:
Ben Lennon, Marc Capstick, Jonathan Gough, Brenna Pitts, Jacob Fitz-Kearns, James Stewart, Tristan Nicol, Ryan Stewart, Nik Gebhart, Aaron Nottage, Jason Stapley.
Subs: Ash Welbourn, Jack Roberts, Gareth Turnbull, Paul Hughes, Jose Matiz.
The opening of the game saw us start brightly as we moved the ball around and maintained possession without any penetration.
CBHS had set themselves up with one striker and a blanket of midfielders to frustrate and deny space. This meant our movement and control had to be so much better in maintaining the ball in key areas.
Despite the possession, our quality in the final third was lacking and we didn't often press into their penalty area to create clear-cut chances, despite the threat of Skippy in particular down the right hand side.
Our lack of bite caused us to miss three tackles through the centre and a breakaway chance resulted in a free kick just outside our area, which fortunately came to nothing!
It was a wake-up call for us to remain focused.
Following a poor free kick attempt of our own, Marc Capstick whipped in a quality cross with pace from the right hand side. Following mayhem in the goalmouth, the ever-dependable Stapes slotted home our first goal.
The second half saw the introduction of Ash Welbourn for Nik Gebhart (another injury victim) and eventually Gareth Turnbull (for Aaron Nottage) and Jack Roberts (for Tristan Nicol).
The movement and positive passing created our second goal following an attack by CBHS. The move started at right back and with 5 or 6 passes of two-touch or less, an excellent low cross from Skippy saw Gareth Turnbull put away a simple tap-in from inside the 6 yard box. Simple, effective and perfect. A joy to see and straight from the training ground!
Ash Welbourn then made up for his earlier sitter missed and scored his customary goals as he was set free by a fine ball by Jack Roberts.
Ash rounded off the scoring with his second a few minutes from time.
Overall it was pleasing to go through, although no-one was a stand out player there were many that did the job adequately and saw us safely through.
We now play Woolston Tech (top of MPL) in the next round!
Along with playing Bays in the English Cup (2nd in the MPL), we shall have a great chance of seeing where we are as a team in fitness, touch and ability against the current best two teams in Canterbury.
We constantly show the quality of our play in small blocks of the game and now we are starting to get players back from injury, we need to add consistency to our qualities.
Next week sees us take on local rivals Parklands at Bexley where we hope to continue our 100% record, whilst keeping an eye on the result between 2nd and 3rd (Mid Canty, Avon).
We have set out to get fitter and improve the quality of our performance over the next few weeks. I felt we were heading the right direction with our ball circulation and movement and it augers well for the coming weeks. I believe we shall continue to improve further and with additions to the squad in Gareth, Ben and one or two more overcoming injuries, we will start to build-up our momentum as we start to reach the halfway point in the league.
Look forward to your continued support next week - thanks!
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
2 May 2009 Coastal Spirit 3 FM Bays 0
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
This was always going to be a difficult fixture, despite issues surrounding the validity of a Bays "third team" being involved in the competition.
With a number of experienced players in their line-up and having won Div2 for the past couple of seasons, they were always going to be a threat.
Again, we had a number of players patched-up and ready to go, with Paul Hughes only just making the starting line-up following a last minute ankle injury.
The team:
Ben Lennon, Marc Capstick, Brennan Pitts, Paul Hughes, Jonathan Gough, Tristan Nicol, James Stewart, Aaron Treasure, Ash Welbourn, Nik Gebhart, Jason Stapley.
Subs: Aaron Nottage, Jacob Fitz-Kearns, Daniel Palenthorpe, Jose Matiz, Ryan Stewart.
As we tend to do, we started the game sluggishly against a physical Bays team.
The opening encounters saw them play long balls up to their strikers or alternatively, play long diagonal balls and press the ball high up the field.
On two occasions, they pressured the defense into opportunities and should have gone one nil up after a gilt edge chance was missed.
In addition, the naivety of youth nearly cost us dearly. A long ball over our defence fell between Brennan Pitts and Ben Lennon. Without a shout between them they proceeded to tackle each and leave the ball to ricochet loose. The onrushing shot from Thomo towards the empty goal only hit the post and we got off lightly.
A few minutes later a corner from Jimmy Stewart created pressure in the Bays goal mouth and the man to watch, Paul Hughes, drilled the ball into the back of the net from inside the 6 yard box. 1-0 to Coastal Spirit and a welcome relief.
The second half saw Aaron Nottage take over from Aaron Treasure, who had acquitted himself well on his 1st team debut.
The second half was dominated by Coastal Spirit and we rarely looked in danger, where Bays' lack of fitness appeared to be taking its toll.
Marc Capstick, was having a good game and ventured forward to receive a pass from Tristan Nicol. As he drove forward into the space he let fly with a tremendous right foot pile-driver that saw the keeper hardly move as it went into the top right hand corner for a well deserved goal.
The game wouldn't be the same with the partnership of "Jash" (Jason and Ash) getting on the score sheet.
A pure individual goal by Jason Stapley was crafted along the dead ball line, as first sent a defender the wrong way and they dribbling in from an impossible angle, he dropped a shoulder and rolled it the ball inside the keeper to be thrashed in by Nottage. In honest tradition Notts accredited the goal to Stapes!
It was then great to see Danny Palenthorpe and Jacob Fitz-Kearns enter the fray for Jason Stapley and Nik Gebhart, who had worked tirelessly through the game following a short lay-off from injury.
Danny Palenthorpe looked neat and tidy in his play and Ash Welbourn continued to lead the line and looked threatening every time we ventured forward.
The game petered out to a thoroughly deserved 3-0 win and with results coming in from Mid Canty and Avon, it elevated us to the top of the table for the first time this season.
We must continue to improve the quality of our performance. That said, with 5 wins out of 5 we have now reached our initial objectives and set up the season as we would like it.
Next week shall see us take a road trip down to Ashburton for our match versus an improved Mid Canterbury.
We look forward to getting more of our players fit and also look forward to your continued support.
At this point, we must wish all the best to Aaron Corkhil, our dependable and versatile player who played a major role last season. He recently had knee surgery and has been advised to miss the entire season. We wish him well and look forward to seeing him on the sidelines with us each week.
All the best
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
25 April 2009 Cashmere 1 Coastal Spirit 4
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
With the expense of Cashmere's new imports, it was always going to be an interesting encounter and one we would have to overcome to continue our progress towards our Number One priority: promotion.
We had earmarked the first four league games as vital in setting up the season and so far the lads have not disappointed!
We patched up Hughsey, Brennan, Skippy, Jimmy, Fortune, Jose, Josh and Nik to field a squad we are hoping will overcome injuries very soon and give us greater strength and continuity.
The game also saw the return of Tristan Nicol from an impressive display at the National Federation age group Tournament and our new signing Hope from Christchurch United.
The team:
Ben Lennon, Marc Capstick, Paul Hughes, Brennan Pitts, Jonathan Gough, Ryan Stewart, Tristan Nicol, James Stewart, Aaron Nottage, Ash Welbourn, Jason Stapley
Subs: Josh Dredge, Nik Gebhart, Hope, Jose Matiz, Fortune Ngwenya
The players had allowed the coach a day away from the match due to personal circumstances and he kept in touch minute by minute via sideline txts.
Thanks go out to the players and thanks to Jose - your understanding was much appreciated!
The match took time to settle down, with the first clear-cut chance falling to Cashmere as Tom Sadd raced through on goal only for the ball to bounce away from him into the grateful arms of Ben Lennon.
Soon after, Ash Welbourn was through one-on-one with the Cashmere keeper only to be denied by his outstretched foot to keep the scores even.
It came down to Jason Stapley to open the scoring after 30 minutes followed good work by James Stewart as he slid a pass through for a instant shot from Stapes to take us into a 1-0 lead.
The second goal came ten minutes later when Jimmy and Stapes linked up to create space for Ash who went past two players as he penetrated the box. His awareness and unselfish play saw him pass square to an untracked Skippy run, who finished it off as he knocked the ball in from 6 yards.
Half-time lead 2-0
Nik Gebhart replaced James Stewart after 60 minutes and immediately made an impact.
8 minutes after entering the game, he took Coastal Spirit into a comfortable 3-0 lead as he scored the third and vital goal.
A lifeline was thrown to Cashmere as a penalty was awarded for handball against Goughy when the ball appeared to strike his arm in a shot which can only be described as "ball to hand".
Ben Lennon made a terrific double save from the penalty, only to see the ball ricochet off the onrushing Paul Hughes to end up in the back of the net.
Josh Dredge entered the fray, replacing Aaron Nottage after 75 minutes.
Coastal continued to look comfortable and eventually put the game out of reach with Ash Welbourn completing the scoring on 85 minutes.
Final score: Cashmere 1 Coastal Spirit 4
Tristan Nicol was rightly acknowledged as Player of the Day and at his young, tender age, we trust he will continue to develop and grow into the excellent player we expect him to.
A great result which surprisingly still sees us in 2nd place in the league behind Mid Canterbury on goal difference, however, with 3 wins out of 3 (two against Avon and Cashmere) we have to be happy with our position.
Great credit must go to the character of the players in the past few weeks. The number of injuries incurred has been incredible and this has resulted in disjointed preparation since the pre-season tournament. With Ash and Stapes continuing to fire on both fronts (Ash 11, Stapes 12, incl. pre-season) we have maintained a 100% record.
What we must now do is start to focus on the quality of our performance!
As we develop through the season it is critical the quality of performance improves, so we are thoroughly prepared when it comes to greater tests.
If we do not, we shall leave matches more to chance and this cannot be accepted. Quality of performance will ensure we are better prepared to match any team at any time.
A great result today and with Cashmere v Avon next week it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this short league season of 14 games (after next week, we'll be virtually one third of our way through the league games!)
The next stop for us is Ferrymead Bays at Bexley on Saturday, where we must maintain our focus and continue to progress through the season.
Thanks to everyone that got behind the team on Saturday and we look forward to your continued support next weekend against our neighbours from Bays.
Yours in sport
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
4 April 2009 Coastal Spirit 7 Universities 0
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
Welcome to a new season for all players, staff and supporters. One we trust will be an enjoyable and successful one.
The close season saw the first team squad capture the signings of Fortune Ngwenya and Aaron Nottage, along with youngsters Ben Lennon, Tristan Nicol, Jacob Fitzgerald-Kearns, promotion of Brennan Pitts and return of Jose Matiz, from Santiago. We also await the return of Ben Leith, currently altitude training in South America to bolster the squad.
I am also more than pleased to have secured the services of David Kearns as physio. An excellent professional, who has already proved his worth in the past few weeks! Welcome on board David. With 8 players under treatment, David worked hard to patch-up the players to give us a competitive team.
At this point, our best wishes go to Aaron Corkhill (Pom) who is currently recovering from a knee operation and who will try and get back into things at some point towards the middle of the season.
In this ridiculously short league season of 14 games, we were up against Universities for the first match at a sunny Bexley Reserve.
The deck was half full, but our loyal band of supporters were in fine voice and there to give the lads a good send off.
The team:
Ben Lennon, Fortune Ngwenya, Paul Hughes, Brennan Pitts, Jonathan Gough, Gareth Turnbull, Nik Gebhart (Captain), Aaron Nottage, Ash Welbourn, Ryan Stewart, Jason Stapley
Subs: Jose Matiz, Jacob Fitz-Kearns, Tristan Nicol
The game was slow in starting as we adjusted to new positions and we were surprisingly nervous in our passing and general play.
10 minutes into the game and the pace of Universities forward saw him clear and one on one with Ben Lennon, who closed down the space and pulled off an excellent stop.
After 15 minutes, Universities should have taken the lead when a breakaway down our left side saw the ball pulled back inside the six yard line only for a Universities player to miss a tap-in to an open goal as he blazed it high and wide. In the first game, it will go down as one of the misses of the season.
30 minutes into the game, we started to get the ball down a bit more and play football.
New season, old story: Jason Stapley found his scoring boots and took us into a 1-0 lead with a typical poacher's goal after good approach play by Ryan Stewart. 1-0 to Coastal
Five minutes later Stapes added another one as he coolly lobbed the advancing Universities keeper who had previously pulled off a couple of great saves. 2-0 to Coastal
With two strikers of the quality of Stapes and Ash it was always going to be a hard task to keep both at bay. Ash then came to the party with a sublime finish as he rounded one player into the box and coolly slotted the ball into the corner past the advancing keeper to give us a 3-0 lead.
A minute later, the referee blew for half-time and we went in with nerves settled and 3 goals in 8 minutes for our rewards.
The second half saw us make a few minor adjustments and settle into a pattern of retaining the ball better and passing in the right areas.
Nik Gebhart also became a gritty tackler and started to lead the team as a Captain from central midfield.
Paul Hughes took us into a 4-0 lead as he used his nimble feet to rise unchallenged from an Aaron Nottage corner and powerfully thunder a header into the back of the net.
Ryan Stewart was replaced by Jose Matiz and it was good to see the Chilean back in new colours, but part of the same culture with Coastal Spirit.
Gareth Turnbull moved to the right side and took up some good positions as he got a little bit of rust off his boots and started to threaten the goal.
Johnny-on-the-spot, Jason Stapely added another goal to be rightly rewarded with a hat-trick.
Not to be outdone, Ash Welbourn stepped up and scored his second to take us into a 6-0 lead and meet the target set for 2nd half goals.
The final goal came from Stapes, as he took his 4 goal with the class of a top striker.
With only one attempt on goal from Universities in the second half, no goals conceded and 4 goals scored, we met our targets and ran out comfortable winners. For this I applaud the application of the players.
Nik led from the front, Gareth put his hand up when needed and applied himself well in an unaccustomed position, the back four started to look commanding, with an excellent display from Fortune. Aaron and Skippy always looked a threat and Stapes and Ash did what they do best with quality. Jose came on and applied himself despite injury and thanks to Tristan and Jacob for their efforts getting across after Federation training and match to be there.
All in all, a pleasing first result and an enjoyable second half performance.
We now look forward to the club getting behind us in support of the team as we take on Avon at Bexley this Saturday at 2.30pm.
We understand the importance of every fixture in such a ridiculously short (as expressed previously) season, however, we also understand the greater importance of key fixtures and the need to pick up 3 points from Avon.
We also have a target of getting to the English Cup Final for the second season running and Avon stand in our way on Easter Monday, 2pm KO at Avonhead Park.
Therefore, the Easter weekend will prove to be a pivotal weekend in our season, despite it coming so early.
We thank everyone for the support and applause at the end of the game and we look forward to this continuing at the weekend.
Yours in sport
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
14 September 2008 English Cup Final: Nomads 2 Coastal Spirit 0
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
On a fantastic day for football and with a great crowd behind us it was a great atmosphere to bring down the curtain on an eventful season.
The result didn't go the way of Coastal Spirit, but the manner in which we attacked the Nomads team, which has proved to be the best in Christchurch, shows this group of Coastal Spirit players are one hell of a good side and not too far behind them.
It was a credit to football and a credit to the shirt the players wore in the way they performed today.
The team:
Andrew Richardson, Ryan Stewart, Paul Hughes, Marc Capstick, Ben Leith, Aaron Corkhill, James Stewart, Michael Fifii, Gareth Turnbull, Nik Gebhardt, Jason Stapley.
Subs: Josh Dredge, Jacob Egues, Michael Berry, Ekow Quaino, Connor Chellew, Dougie Hyde.
The match report shall have little detail of the incidents throughout the game, as I am sure the many that were there will remember more than I did in a frantic day.
The build-up to the week was a bit like a doctor's waiting room as we waited on the fitness of Skippy, Jimmy, Jacob, Nik, Ribsey, Pom and Ben. With good fortune, they all declared themselves fit.
With all the lads turning up early to support the Ladies win the Reta Cup, it was a good way to start the afternoon and you could see the support for each other beforehand. When the lads chose to stay and see the girls raise the Cup instead of giving them more time in the dressing room, it was good to see and we allowed it to carry on, as it showed a unity amongst the players and what the club is starting to stand for.
As I stood back watching the players in support of the girls I was extremely proud of them and what they had achieved in this season, regardless of the outcome of the final. I also knew they were here to support one another and would give a great account of themselves on the day. They didn't disappoint.
I had watched Nomads the previous week and we understood they would play a direct game, moving the ball from back to front as quickly and as direct as possible. We also understood the hard-work ethic of their players and the experience within central midfield of DT and Andy Pitman. We set ourselves up to try and nullify their threats and exploit areas we felt we could take advantage of.
The opening few minutes were excellent in the way the players adapted to their roles.
Jimmy and Pom held the midfield well, Cappy and Hughsey set-up well, the fullbacks (Skippy and Ben) gave good wide support and cover when needed, Ribsey looked sharp off his line covering the back-four and the threats of Gareth, Stapes, Nik and Fifii was there for all to see.
The threat of Fifii's pace was evident from the start and as well as creating chances for him, opportunities opened up for Gareth and Stapes as we started to carve open a defence that had proved over the past few seasons to be the best in the area.
I doubt that Nomads have had as many chances created against them in one half of football at any stage this season!? Notes from Jordan Buchanan in the Nomads goal suggest as much and they felt they were fortunate not to be at least a couple of goals behind.
The report in The Press accurately reflected the chances and dominance Coastal Spirit had on influencing the game.
Special mention must go to Hughsey and Cappy for the way they handled the threat from the front pairing of Petrie and JC from the start. It gave us a solid base from which Skippy could raid a couple of foraging attacks forward, which often caused Nomads problems.
Skippy was playing out of his natural position and he was showing what a good player he can be when he includes thought and discipline to his game.
This can also be said of Aaron Corkhill, a defender turned midfielder who had kept Andy Pitman quiet for much of the first half, as well as simple and effective distribution from which we could launch our attacks.
Gareth Turnbull found the spaces we thought he would do and he combined well with Fifii to set him away on his positive running.
A compliment to the way the Coastal Spirit players played was to see Nomads start to get increasingly frustrated with numerous fouls, resulting in 3 bookings in the space of 7 minutes.
The big talking point of the half was whether Luke Petrie deserved to stay on the pitch after deliberately taking-out Ribsey in an aerial challenge when he had no intention whatsoever of playing the ball.
It was obvious to see from the way Nomads set-up at corners they were going to try and intimidate Ribsey in the Coastal goal. The way I saw it was that the ball bounced up, Petrie had his chance to be "physical" and he took it. Did he deserve to be sent off? I say he did what he felt was required, but was a very lucky bloke to stay on the pitch. He walked a fine line and in my opinion 75% of the time he would have gone. Today was not one of them and he stayed on the pitch as the referee gave him leniency that he maybe didn't deserve.
The first half was a pleasure to watch and with a hatful of chances created and very little conceded we had certainly achieved our first objective - to prove that we could be competitive with the best team in Christchurch - and we were more than that.
We deserved to go in ahead and didn't following a number of missed opportunities - something of a surprise after scoring over 100 goals in the season.
We had scored an average of five goals a game and not failed to score in any competitive match we had played this season. With the firepower we had I believed we would continue to get a chance and get a couple at least.
The start of the second half saw a 20 minute period which was the only time we didn't perform to our best and we allowed Nomads to get a part of the game.
Nomads started to pick-up the 2nd-phase ball more often than we would have liked and they began to get a grip on the game, despite not really gaining clear-cut chances their play deserved.
I could understand the difficulties our players would have at this level, as they had not had the continued intensity of a match against quality opposition this season. We had faced Tech and Christchurch United, but the high-intensity of Nomads was going to stretch us more than we had been previously.
The period of pressure resulted in a goal to Nomads that came from a throw-in at our corner flag. Instead of working the line, the ball was thrown inside and play was broken-up. As the ball was delivered inside, JC neatly finished it off to give Nomads the lead.
Jacob Egues and Josh Dredge entered the fray for James Stewart and Ben Leith who had both performed excellently.
We wanted to get more thrust going forward again and immediately Josh sent a pin-point ball forward to get Jacob travelling down the left.
As the game got stretched and we went into the final 20 minutes we continued to progress forward and create openings, however, we also started to take risks and looked like we could concede a goal on the break.
A further chance fell to Stapes and he volleyed over the bar. This lad has been fantastic this season, scoring an incredible 32 goals in 16 appearances. It is not only 2 goals a game, he has been substituted in many of the games after scoring 7 hat-tricks and his goals per minute ratio is around one goal every 26mins!!
As with Rowena and one or two of her players, I find it incredible that Stapes has been overlooked for the leading striker in the Mainland awards. Although many of his goals have been scored against lower opposition than MPL teams, a record of a goal every 26 minutes is an incredible feat!
What a shame that he couldn't cap his season with the goal he deserved most in the final.
As we pushed for an equaliser and four or five of our players out on their feet it was left to Nomads to score a 2nd goal in the 94th minute and seal a victory for them.
Although JC was awarded the Player of the Day award for his two goals (to me the 2nd one was not significant) I believe that Andy Pitman was more influential for Nomads in the 2nd half and started to gain them a bit of momentum, along with DT's experience and adapting to a variety of roles.
However, I would have picked Marc Capstick, the Coastal Spirit Captain as Player of the Day. He put his heart and soul into the game. He positively won his aerial battles and his tackling was immense. A credit to his team-mates and a credit to the club, not only in the final, but throughout the season where he has been asked to carry-out various roles and just got on with it and applied himself 100%.
In addition, Paul Hughes was tremendous at the heart of the defence and not one player let the side down as they all showed their mettle and performed admirably. No player performed below par and they were a great credit to this new club.
We failed to score for the first time this season, but hey, we certainly "went for it" and gave Nomads one hell of a fright!
Without feeling sorry for these lads they deserve better from this season.
We've finished runners-up in the league by one point, with a hugely superior goal difference to the winners. The league season that came down to two games and a couple of debatable decisions by officials!
We had the fantastic excitement created in our 8-3 win over Woolston Tech in the early rounds of the English Cup (a truly memorable night for all those that were there!), only to be knocked out of the Chatham Cup by them when we again outplayed them, but contributed with a missed penalty and own goal to lose 2-1.
We finished the season with runners-up in the English Cup, when you reflect back and think what might have been had a couple of the numerous chances gone our way?
This is not to whinge. It is just to say that I believe these players deserve better than they have got.
It has been a fantastic first season and we have now started something that can be massive in the coming seasons!
I trust we shall continue to develop together and move it further forward together and take the team/club to the next level.
In closing, I would like to thank Brent Wilson for his great efforts behind the scenes as Manager - Thanks Brent, you made things so much easier for me!
Thanks go out to Marianna for her dedication and contributions as physio: including the day she wore the white boots for a game! (couldn't have seen Jackie Humphreys doing that last season!?)
Thanks to Hughsey for his support and calm nature, his positive thoughts and the way he has shown leadership on the park. Class bloke.
Thanks to Cappy for his earache and opinions (I love it) - You tested and questioned things and have done exactly what was needed! I couldn't have done it without your support and influence. You have been immense this season and I thank you for everything you have contributed to making this team grow and the club become a club!
Cheers to Gareth for not only his playing contribution, but for the commitment and structure he has provided in the past 9 months. The club will only go from strength-to-strength and you have provided fantastic progress in a short time. Don't stop now - let's get it in even better shape for next season!
To all the players:
- You have been tremendous and have certainly provided some great moments this season.
- You have started this club and that is a big thing to be proud of.
- Thanks for your loyalty in the first instance and for the application you have shown throughout the season.
- You don't get many chances to win a medal in any given season. You have won one in the inaugural season of the club - congratulations, it's well deserved!
The final was a great day to cap a great first season for the club.
Congrats must go out to Mike and Rowena for the league and cup double (Ro - I said lets make it a double-double - sorry, it wasn't to be, but we had a good go at it!)
To the Coastal Spirit Board and Committee - Congratulations on taking the club as far as it has done in such a short time with the hard work and dedication you have shown. The first season is the easiest one, as everyone is fired-up and enthusiastic. Let's not drop it and keep things progressing forward towards making this club what this club can be - the best club in Christchurch!?
Some of us look forward to a rest. Myself, I'm looking forward to working with the Under-19s from this week in the build-up to the 2008 Tsunami South Island U-19 Tournament we are running over Labour Weekend.
It may then be a couple of weeks of rest and then back to it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . we have a better job to do next season!
Yours in Sport
Alan
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum
30 August 2008 English Cup SF: Coastal Spirit 1 Chch Utd 0
by Alan Walker, Men's First Team Coach
A well-deserved win for Coastal Spirit sets-up a fantastic Finals Day for the club on Sunday 14th September at English Park and I trust the whole of the club will be out in support for the day!?
The game was hard fought and physical on a bumpy Eric Adam pitch, but ultimately gave us a reward the players thoroughly deserved after two previous encounters with United that leaves us 5-5 on aggregate …….. Harry, maybe a decider could be on the cards!????
The team:
Andrew Richardson, Ryan Stewart, Paul Hughes, Marc Capstick, Ben Leith, Jimmy Stewart, Aaron Corkhill, Michael Fifii, Gareth Turnbull, Nik Gebhardt, Jason Stapley.
Subs: Jacob Egues, Michael Berry, Ekow Quaino, Brennan Pitts.
We had waited 4 months since despatching Cashmere in the Quarter-Final, to meet Christchurch United in the Semi-Final and the game quickly burst into life.
After 4 minutes and a couple of threatening ventures forward, we had a corner on the right-hand side which was cleared out of the area by United, only to be passed out wide right to Paul Hughes (I still don't know what he was doing there). Hughsey moved the ball onto his right foot and delivered a perfect cross (I know …. with his right foot!) for Gareth Turnbull to use his goal-poaching instincts and head the ball downward for the first and only goal of the match.
I had instructed the players to avoid giving away free-kicks, as the biggest threat United posed would be from direct play into our goal area.
This went unheeded and we gave away numerous free-kicks, with some thunderous challenges which resulted in two yellow cards for Ben Leith and Aaron Corkhill, as well as some pressure from United.
In contrast to the previous game where we conceded three goals from direct long play by Utd, our defence stood firm and coped with what was thrown at them.
The physical approach our players took was borderline at times, but after previous matches in which we lost certain physical battles, it was good to see the complaints from the opposition and the commitment from our players, which was total.
One corner by Utd threatened to undo the good work by Coastal Spirit, but Mitch failed to get his head to the ball under good pressure from Paul Hughes.
There were no notable chances to either side in the first half except for a Nik Gebhardt opportunity just before half-time, when he wriggled free in the box to create an opening and then did what we often see in training as he tried to clear the houses behind the goal!
The second half saw us play the best 15 or 20 minutes of football in the match as we created a number of chances which fell to Stapes, Gebhardt and Turnbull.
Stapes hit the post following a deflection by the keeper, which was unfortunate for us, but also good to see that he's saving the goals for the final!?
We were unable to take advantage of the good play and extend the lead as we started to dominate the game through the second half.
Jimmy Stewart was replaced by Michael Berry and Jacob Egues came on for Michael Fifii.
Jacob immediately got into the game in the first minute of coming on and created a far post chance for Nik, only to see the shot go wide of the near post, when any sort of shot on target would have seen us extend our lead.
The only threat from United in the second half was from a low cross that went under the boot of captain Cappy and was flicked wide of the far post by United from a tight angle.
The game petered out without any notable pressure from United and the lads celebrated a 1-0 victory over their rivals.
Marc Capstick, Paul Hughes and Aaron Corkhill were immense in their defensive duties, with Aaron making some great tackles throughout the game and the two centre backs dominating their aerial battle throughout the game.
Player of the Day would have to go one of these three and it would be hard to separate them, although Pom certainly carried-out 90% of his job to fantastic effect.
It was never a pretty game with flowing football, as none of the previous matches have been, but the commitment of the players was there to be seen and they deserved to be taking to the final against Nomads.
Anything can happen in a final, but with Gareth now looking threatening, Stapes always good for a chance and the defence holding firm as a unit, it bodes well for a finals day to remember.
My best wishes go out to Harry, Jackie and the United players for their play-off matches against Richmond. After seeing part of the Richmond game on Sunday, I am sure it is there for the taking. Good luck lads.
I must at this point say thanks to all the people that text and contacted me to wish us all the best before the game and again in congratulations afterwards. I would also like to thank the supporters that were there in their numbers again, including our Solomon Islands contingent that had a good time with the BBQ behind the goal (you still owe me a sizzler!).
I must also congratulate our Ladies team on all but securing the league title earlier in the day with a 1-0 win against Western (and thanks for being there to support us later in the day). Well done Ro and Mike and the girls!
For Coastal Spirit Men's 1st team, the season continues and the players are now guaranteed some reward for their season's work with a medal …… It is up to them what colour medal they want it to be!?
We have 4 training sessions and 2 weeks until the final in which to prepare.
Let's make it a club day to remember on the 14th !?
Yours in Sport
Alan Walker
Comment on team talks at the Coastal Spirit Forum