Round The Tracks, Athletic Bayside Fanzine  Photos
Bay Athletic lost their debut encounter in the 2007/08 Summer League to an impressive Black Magic outfit.

The game kicked off in freezing conditions and it was the Black Magic team who made the early running with the Bay side struggling to hold onto possession. The Bay side did have the ball in the back of the net after a David Kropp shot was parried by Chemo and Matty Kolic followed up but was ruled offside.

Black Magic opened the scoring early in the second quarter. Steve Davey was quickest to react to a loose ball and he cut in from the left and shot with his right into the corner of the net. A few minutes later and it was level. Matt Kolic flicked on a throw as Dave Rutherford made a great run from midfield. He found himself one-on-one with Chemo and calmly slotted home.

On the half hour mark, Black Magic restored their lead when the ball was passed wide right to Mike Jessett. Mike calmly picked his spot and knocked the ball with the outside of his right foot into the far corner of the Bay goal. A couple of minutes later and it was all square again when Matt Kolic passed the ball square to Paul Muollo. Paul let fly from 20 yards, the ball moving in the air sending Chemo diving out of the way. 2-2 at half time.

The second half saw both side pushing for a winner. Paul Bleyenga and David Kropp came close for the Bay before Magic's Jody Bullen shot from 30+ yards. Woolley in goal misjudged in letting it go and Black Magic were head again. The Bay pushed players forward looking for a late equaliser and were lucky not to concede again, as Woolley made a fantastic save to deny Anton De Gregorio late on. Final score: 3-2 to the Magic.

---

Harry Potter, Sports Editor, Black Magizette Photos
A new season dawns for the Black Magic. The off-season has seen a change to the squad for the 2007/08 season. New teams to the Summer League have prised some of the Jessett Cup experienced players from the Magic squad. TV, George and Steve Hughes head to The Originals, whilst Carlo and Matt Kolic join the newly formed Bay Athletic and face Black Magic in the first fixture.

The Black Magic featured a new mix of players and this was evident from the start, as Bay Athletic started off the more impressive side with fluent passing. The pressure created the first chances of the game. The Magic held out in the first quarter after absorbing the pressure for most of the starting period. The second quarter started the more promising with players beginning to warm to their first game in the summer league - though the weather was far from summer. Signs of  rebirth of the champion Black Magic team of the first season (The Invincibles) were becoming established.

It was the new team and Matt Kolic that got the first chance after the first shot was blocked by Chemo, but Matt was ruled off-side. The let-off was a wake up call to Black Magic and after a flowing move through the midfield, Steve Davey took the ball inside before tucking the ball nicely into the corner, 1-0.

Athletic were quick to respond and Dave Rutherford hit back two minutes after, levelling the score. The first game of the season was off to a great start. The rain easing off saw both teams putting good passes together, with Black Magic playing a wider game than Athletic. It was Mike Jessett, playing at right midfield, who put Black Magic back into the lead with a sweetly struck shot going across the keeper and into the far corner - 2-1 Black Magic. This time Athletic struck back after three minutes, through Paul Muollo opening his account for his new club. Half time 2-2.

The second half started more favourably for Black Magic. Tahl at right back and Wade at centre back were having a great game and the keeping the Athletic strikers at bay. Kevin Provis, alternating with Anton acting as a solo centre midfield role, held the continuing advances from Paul Muollo and Dave Rutherford. It was Bay Athletic who almost took the lead, but the chance was put over the bar. Chemo also put some stops on two other advances on the Magic goal.

Magic were then having the better spell of the game towards the end, with Dave Paterson's effort just going wide of the top corner and Anton having his attempt saved by the keeper onto the bar. Then just after the 60th minute, Jody Bullen let loose a long range effort that caught Athletic unaware as it tucked nicely inside the post... 3-2 to the Magic. The confidence gained kept the side together and then saw Magic come close to a fourth, only to be ruled offside. It was a good first performance by the Magic and lots to learn from for their next fixture against the Originals - where they will come up against ex-Magic legends Aranyi and TV.

View From The End, Junior Reporter, The Island Bay Times  Photos
On paper the second of the 2007/08 expansion teams faced an easier introduction to Summer League. Not only did the sun finally come out, but their opponents were the sole proprietors of the wooden spoon since Summer League began.

It was a timely reminder then that the game is not played on paper, as it took the Hs a mere two minutes to open the scoring. This reporter was still greeting the newly arrived sun and removing the thermals necessitated by the sub-artic conditions of the  opening ceremony, so is unable to relay anything about how the goal came about - satellite footage is being reviewed by one of our remote branches and we hope to learn something soon. All we can say is that HHH new boy Thomas Probert entered the One Word hall of fame by that most un-H like means - not just scoring, but scoring on his debut.

The Fat Alberts responded by piling on pressure, with Rhys Cole left up front as the danger man. Several times, the Hs called on keeper Michael Wray to be alert. A vicious strike low to the corner was already being celebrated by the Alberts before Wray got down to push it round the post. Brendan Gage and Joss Opie provided their usual stalwart cover in defence.

Eventually however, the breakthrough came. Rhys Cole benefited from a delightful through ball that split the defence and allowed him to place a shot past the exposed keeper.

In to the second half, the Alberts had advantage of the wind. However, it was HHH who dominated the third quarter.

Jon Rowe and Mark Soper produced several chances, boding well for the Hs to break past their perennial scoring problems.

Rowe pounced as some hesitant defending produced a mix-up in the Alberts defence. A Fat Albert defender dallied whilst trying to get the ball back to his keeper (apologies - we haven't learnt their names yet - but we'll name and shame then when we have). As he grabbed the ball, Rowe still had a lot to do and the narrow angle may have proved too difficult for a lesser player. The cultured midfielder merely passed the ball into the net and lifted one arm in a Shearer-esque celebration.

As the game wound on, HHH had two golden opportunities to put the game away. Mark Soper missed from short range. More criminally, Ken Okawa was presented with a one-on-one with the keeper. With not a defender in sight, Okawa forced the keeper to go to ground early and present him with what was practically an open goal. With the keeper committed, Okawa switched to the left, took his time and gently stroked the ball wide of the goal.... as his team mates all groaned in unison.

It looked like the Alberts would take advantage. The Albert number 7 (we really should learn their names) received a cross ball behind the H defence and only the keeper to beat. Wray flung himself in the direction of the ball and it was his shin that kept the narrow lead alive.

Unlike the Hs, the Alberts would make-up for their lost chance. They piled on the pressure for the fourth quarter, clearly reversing the domination stats from the third quarter. When Lucas Cordeiro received the ball, he still had several defenders between him and the target. However, he made space for himself to place a shot towards the bottom right hand corner of the goal. Joss Opie lunged, Michael Wray dived and Andy Poole stretched.....

2-2. A game that both teams can take positives from and one that both teams know they could have lost.

View From The End, Junior Reporter, The Island Bay Times  Photos
Massey Coolmoves and The Originals kicked off their 2007/08 campaigns in a re-match of the 2006 Jessett Cup Final.

Both teams had seen integral squad changes during the off-season. Massey parted company with regular goal scorers Glen McCarty and Mark Leeming, whilst The Originals had strengthened their ranks by signing George Aranyi and Tony Volpicelli from Black Magic. TV was unavailable for selection, but the Os gave debuts to four players. Massey also debuted four faces, but were missing regular keeper Scott Helson - necessitating a loan transfer of veteran keeper Michael Wray from HHH.

Massey played with the wind at their backs for the first half and enjoyed the greater number of chances as a result. Jonny Smith pounced after a mere 4 minutes. When Sean Lyle added a second, with a long range effort taking a wicked deflection to beat first half keeper Robbie Romijn, Massey had a two goal advantage before The Originals had even found their stride.

The Os soon settled and their elderly skills had them moving the ball around nicely. George Aranyi was a constant threat down the right, combining with new boys John Barton and Thurl Gibbs to great effect. However, Massey did not become Champions without learning to withstand opposing pressure and for the most part Aranyi was limited to speculative efforts from range that presented Wray with little danger. On the 25th minute the breakthrough came when Aranyi received a through ball ahead of Applegarth and exploited the gap he'd created in front of Nicholson. A left foot effort beat the oncoming Wray to nestle in the bottom right corner of the net.

Despite Aidan Teesdale restoring Massey's two goal cushion, The Originals continued to hunt for goals. They came close - Wray had to dive across to his left to prevent an open effort on goal and on another occasion the Massey defence had to clear a goal bound header off the line.

Half way through the third quarter, Jonny Smith grabbed a second and it looked like a comfortable finish for Massey. Wray enraged the Originals several times by playing keep-ball with the ball at his feet in his area, waiting for the Originals to force him to pick up the ball to start the 6 second clock. Strangely for a team trailing, the Originals repeatedly ignored this tactic and allowed significant chunks of time to be lost - all whilst complaining about it!

In the 52nd minute, George Aranyi secured his second of the game. Catching Massey on the break, he burst down the Originals right wing for a one-on-one with Wray. As the keeper came out, Aranyi jinked around him at speed. Showing great ball control he calmly passed the ball home past the lunge of Todd Nicholson, who was desperately racing back to cover the goal.

A grand-stand finish was set-up by a bizarre third Originals goal from Robbie Romijn. Romijn got on the end of a cross to head the ball towards goal at short range. The ball came in too fast for Wray to react and hit him on the head. This was enough to deflect the ball onto the under side of the cross bar. Just as it looked like this unorthodox save was going to keep it out, the ball bounced down onto the line, hit Wray on the back and trickled over the line. Was it an own goal? The dubious goals panel (Colin Reidy and Peter Lye) convened immediately after the game and awarded the goal to Romijn - see the poll here.

With only a spare goal to separate the teams, The Originals laid siege to the Massey backline for the final 5 minutes. Despite a couple of scares, Massey held firm and their defence of the title starts with a win.

Let's meet the players that make up one of the new teams, Bay Athletic:

• Nick Woolley
  Signed from Tawa.  Being a keeper he probably has bipolar so won’t say anything nasty about him.
  Claim to Fame: Once went 37 minutes without conceding a goal.
   
• Michael De Gregorio
  Chopper De Gregorio signed from the Originals.  Mike’s petition to have the no slide tackle rule removed has failed but don’t worry that won’t stop him.
  Claim to Fame: Has less cards than Dave Rutherford.
   
• Carlo Petagna
  Late signing from Black Magic.  Italian Stallion Carlo still lives at home with Mum.
  Claim to Fame: Has a larger collection of Island Bay gear than John Barton.
   
• Paul Muollo
  Has been the backbone of the IBUAFC 1^st team defence since Jesus played left back for Bethlehem United.
  Claim to Fame: Winner of the best retro haircut in football 1998 for his impressive mullet.
   
• Lee Westlake
  Another signing from the Originals.  Lee married an Italian thinking it was a requirement to play for the Bay.
  Claim to Fame: Island Bay spitting champion.
   
• Sam Hooper
  Another ex-Original.  Sam has been counting the days until Summer League starts.  He paid big money to join the team.
  Claim to Fame: Scored his one and only goal playing for the Wgtn High 5^th XI.
   
• Dave Rutherford
  The Ginga Ninja is a new signing subject to completing anger management, alcoholics anonymous & problem gambling classes.
  Claim to Fame: Has slept with 1023 women, 1 sheep, 2 goats & 7 dwarfs.
   
• David Kropp
  Big Dave signed from Tawa.  Actually wanted to sign his girlfriend but Dave will have to do.
  Claim to Fame: Contrary to Rutherford, Kropp is a devout Catholic and is yet to experience the finer pleasures of a woman.  According to Dave his adventures in Europe do not count.
   
• Ryan Du Plessis
  2006 Golden Boot signing from the Originals.  He is expecting any day now so will miss the first few games.
  Claim to Fame: Once drank 2 kegs in one sitting.
   
• Matt Kolic
  Pocket rocket Matt signed from Black Magic.  Matty is the founder and only member of the Costa Barbarousos fan club.
  Claim to Fame: Was talking at 2 weeks old.
   
• Bernie Muollo
  Newly signed from Leicester.  This Leicester fanatic was even married at Filbert St, unfortunately the marriage lasted as long as Leicester’s stay in the Premier League.
  Claim to Fame: is taller than Matt Kolic
   
• Paul Bleyenga
  Signed from Wgtn Utd.  Bangers is the old man of the team and also the quickest.
  Claim to Fame: the only Wellington supporter of the Queensland Roar.

In a battle of two Summer League old guards, Black Magic face a changed Originals side from previous seasons. Losing Muollo, Du Plessis and Westlake to the newly formed Bay Athletic could have harmed the goal scoring record, but new signing George Aranyi silenced the critics against Massey in the previous week. Despite losing the clash, Aranyi bagged a brace to put his old team on notice.

Rumours around the league have a pairing of Aranyi and Volpicelli in the forward line up against their previous club, whilst news is still awaited on whether Steve Hughes will face his old club.

Scandal hit the front page of the Summer League last week for The Originals with the team bonding of new players reported to have been taken wrongly.

This week, Magic return on-loan striker Patrick Laviolette and last minute transfer Matt Viliamu to AndyCapped. They are reportedly looking to improve on their second half performance against Athletic, making a few changes for the clash.

Side Swipe, Mount Albert Daily Photos

A generous goal feast saw the commencement of the Coolmoves Shield Challenge for 2007/08. Barca Bay were defending the Shield for the first time, whilst Fat Alberts were contesting their first ever Challenge.

The first quarter was a defensive nightmare. Barca stole the lead after just 4 minutes. A muffed clearance from Steve Scannell played in Dominic Scott, who placed a shot straight back in to the top right section of the net. Three minutes later, the game was all square. A low cross from the left was pushed away by Barca keeper David Plowright. It fell straight to Kevin Flynn, who beat Matty Hicky to the ball and bobbled an awkward shot between Edward Oosterbaan and Plowright to open his goal scoring account.

Worse was to come for the young defence, as they were to find themselves trailing after just another two minutes. Attempting to steer the ball safely back to his keeper, Hicky under hit a back pass. Plowright stood no chance as James Trotter pounced on the loose ball and gave the Alberts their first ever Summer League lead with a powerful shot hit from outside the area.

Barca Bay came out to attack in the second quarter. As with much of the game, PJ Lupi provided much of the spark. He covered large sections of the pitch, whether challenging the Albert defence or coming deep in to midfield to win the ball. The Alberts were forced to concentrate their chances within sporadic counter attacks as they weathered the storm.

In to the second half and the Bay were forced to change their keeper. McLeod came in and Plowright spent the second half with a bandaged arm. Again, PJ Lupi looked like the most likely outlet through which the next goal would come. He was cynically brought down a few yards outside the area, when it looked like he would test Nimmo in goal. From the resulting free kick, Nimmo would parry the ball with his knee and then block the follow-up with his foot. It only seemed like a matter of time before we would see 2-2. Instead, the Alberts would take a two goal cushion, when Trotter collected the ball on the right edge of the area and coolly rifled home.

Inevitably, PJ Lupi pulled the Barca boys back into the match. In the 51st minute, he collected a loose ball that Nimmo had parried from the corner and his shot found the goal.

In the fourth quarter, the Alberts were reduced to long balls for Rhys Cole and Damon Trenberth to chase. PJ Lupi was giving Steve Scannell a torrid time, setting up opportunities for Blair Gilbert and Stu Dunn, before levelling the match himself in the 63rd minute. Similar to their second goal, the equaliser came from a corner as he returned the clearance to the net through a crowded area.

Ultimately, the youngsters from Barca did enough to retain the silverware that they won outright last season. Both teams will have reasons to feel aggrieved at not taking a win. The Alberts held a 3-1 lead with less than 20 minutes to go, but Barca never deserved to have been chasing a two goal deficit in the first place.

Side Swipe, Mount Albert Daily  Photos

AndyCapped audaciously attempted to set what would surely have been a Summer League record for fastest goal, when Phil Jones noticed that Nick Woolley was not paying attention. He immediately shot on-target from the kick-off. Woolley turned round just in time to catch the ball and prevent glory for Jones.

It is tempting to say that this is the closest AndyCapped would come to breaching the Athletic goal, but this would be unfair. Not completely unfair, as it would be Bay Athletic that would dominate this encounter and rue their lack of finishing. For all that, despite having fewer opportunities, AndyCapped probably enjoyed some of the closest scoring chances.

Athletic attacked in an organised and tactically astute fashion. Using the full width of the Summer League stadium, they would push down the flanks through Muollo or Bleyenga and then cross in to the middle for Kolic and the midfield runners to attack For all that, AndyCapped would demonstrate the need for alert defending as they would hit Athletic on the break at every opportunity.

Both sides had a good opportunity to seize a first quarter lead. The Caps had a long-range free kick miss everyone, requiring Woolley to remain alert to collect. For the Bay, Dave Kropp almost exploited a soft back pass but shot narrowly wide. Paul Muollo tested Nimmo, who needed to be quick to react down low to his right and push the ball on to the post.

Ricky Boyd and Phil Jones worked a nice move early in the second quarter to send Joe Murphy on a run past several defenders. Joe shrugged off challenges to release a shot whilst still stumbling. Woolley went down to save, but it was an opportunity the Caps should have converted.

Similarly, Joe Murphy collected a Ricky Boyd through ball early in the second half. Using his pace, Joe created space between defenders and hit a low shot to the near post for Woolley to palm wide.

Whilst Joe presented the Cappers' third quarter  threats, it was Paul Bleyenga who would become important to Athletic - both on the ground and in the air. The first came from a through ball across the area and was denied by Nimmo spreading himself to block from short range. The second came two minutes later when a cross to the back post gave an unmarked Bleyenga a free header on goal, but he weakly sent it wide.

In to the fourth quarter and Athletic started to realise that it would not be their day. When it looked like a goal was certain, an unidentified Bay player placed his shot on to the underside of the bar from which it bounced to safety. The Caps too would see signs that the famine was to remain two way; Ricky Boyd burst down the left and played a wonderful square ball to Paul Atkins in the middle. With just Woolley to beat, Atkins side footed towards goal. Woolley deflected it back and Atkins tamely played it wide.

Under intense pressure from Bay Athletic, the Caps closed the game desperately defending attack after attack. A clean sheet that Nimmo can be proud of and the Athletic strikers will be wondering how they ended the game unrewarded.

Side Swipe, Mount Albert Daily  Photos

A new league record win was the reward for a rampant Black Magic side, as they repeatedly punished the Originals with a lesson in scoring goals.

The first quarter gave little indication of the carnage to come, but the game commenced at a frenetic pace. The Originals enjoyed the first chance of any note. In a fast break away attack, John Barton fed Peter Chung with a line ball and the resulting cross presented a shooting opportunity to George Aranyi, which flashed just wide of the post. The Magic responded with an opportunity of their own. When Jody Bullen squared the ball just in front of goal, Kevin Provis had a golden chance to score from just a few yards out. Unfortunately, he got his feet tangled up and tripped over the ball.

The game's first goal would take 25 minutes - a Dave Da Vanzo strike from the right edge of the area that gave Robbie Romijn little chance. With the game now well and truly alive, the next goal took a mere minute. Alf Basille sent in teasing corner, which Chem went for but somehow missed completely. This miss took Sandy Pawson by surprise - the ball hit the unfortunate defender and bounced in to level the scores.

Three minutes later the Magic lead was restored.  A long ball in behind the defence left Robbie Romijn stranded. The first half keeper came out, but Jordan Morris reached the ball first, flicked it up over Romijn and then continued round him to follow ball in to the net.

Shortly before half-time, Jody Bullen made it 3-1. Receiving possession on the edge of the Originals area, he used both feet to control the ball and dance around a defender on his way to goal.

After a torrid second quarter then, Robbie Romijn gladly handed the gloves over to Darren Goggin. Goggin almost got through the third quarter unscathed, only conceding a few minutes before the final quarter when a poor defensive clearance went straight to the feet of Kevin Provis. Provis wasted no time in firing it back in from range.

The Originals may well have given up on recovering the game, but hopes of securing a consolation goal remained. Thurl Gibbs came close with a powerful header from a Tony Volpicelli corner. They followed this with a period of pressure and even regained some small sense of pride... until the Magic launched a break-away counter attack from a corner to score again. This time, Mike Jessett from out wide setting up Jody Bullen - who basically passed the ball in to the net from about 20 yards.

When Steve Davey jinked around three or four defenders in the area and was shaping up for a left foot shot, Jody Bullen was to his left in space. With Bullen asking for the ball, screaming "I'm on a hat-trick!" Davey selflessly passed him the ball. To his credit, Bullen delivered on his promise and claimed his hat-trick.

This broke the Originals and for the final 10 minutes, the Magic players were queuing up for a chance on goal. To add insult to injury, the bored Magic goalkeeper even wandered up to join the attack. Chem claimed the ball in the final third and let fly a shot at goal, then brought the rebound in to the Originals penalty area before shooting wide.

Steve Davey closed the game out with a final minute goal to set a Summer League record for the biggest win and send the Originals in to their bye week with lots to think about.
 

Two weeks into the new Jessett Cup season, fledgling managers Paul Muollo and Paul Thompson are under fire following unconvincing - and at times inept - opening performances by their respective franchises.

Thompson's Originals are rock bottom following a humiliating 1-7 spanking from Black Magic in round two. There were no consolations to be drawn anywhere in the performance, a fact Thompson was prepared to acknowledge "It was a rout. If it had gone on another five minutes it could have been 10!"

The first target for the knockers appears to be Thompson's misguided activity in the transfer market. The Originals have picked up aging Black Magic squad members George Aranyi and Tony Volpicelli. While Aranyi looked sharp bagging a brace in the opening defeat to Massey, he was reduced to an afternoon of referee bashing on Saturday. Volpicelli was unavailable for the opening fixture due to a hair appointment. However, his arrival on the pitch on Saturday was greeted with a cry from the stands of "Hey, you can't come on and roll the pitch now. There's a game going on!" While Volpicelli managed to display his customary strength on the ball there was certainly a suggestion that he has lost a yard of pace.

Thompson's other big money signing is former National League star Thurl Gibbs (which national league is the subject of considerable media speculation). Gibbs has been prominent in both the Originals opening fixtures, although as a demonstration of the franchise's youth policy, Gibbs also appears to be a questionable signing.

Two games into the season Thompson is refusing to panic. Franchise directors Lye and Lawson are said to have given the manager a vote of confidence on Saturday night. However, the recent history of Heart of Midlothian and Chelsea, and the close ties between these clubs and the Originals' directors suggests Thompson will need to engineer a rapid improvement in results if he is to secure his seat in the dug-out.

Meanwhile, Paul Muollo has enjoyed an only slightly less harrowing opening two rounds. The new Bay Athletic franchise were many pundits' pick for the Jessett Cup but have only picked up a draw and a bonus point loss in their two games to-date.

Muollo has enjoyed an illustrious Summer League career and fans were shocked to see him leave the Originals. While Muollo is remaining tight-lipped, it seems that privately he is unhappy with how things have unfolded at Bay Athletic. Lured to the franchise with the promise of an open cheque-book to build a squad, it appears that by the time the new kit was paid for there was nothing left for players.

The Bay Athletic manager was forced to call-in some favours and negotiate some cost-cutting signings. Muollo managed to land Lee Westlake from the Originals but only after an initial offer for Rod Lawson was rejected. Further haggling saw him offer Black Magic a $10 Mediterranean Foods pizza voucher for Carlo Petagna. Black Magic declined the offer but said they could have Petagna for free if he promised to take Matt Kolic with him. Ian Paterson agreed to join for a can of yellow spray paint and Ryan Du Plessis promised to play so long as Muollo agreed to sign someone shorter than him - hence Muollo accepted the Petagna/Kolic deal. Michael De Gregorio has signed a contract allowing him to "play when he feels like it, in any position."

Muollo is confident his cosmopolitan squad will deliver the goods, "I've been around this competition as long as anyone. I knew what I was looking for and I'm happy I got the players I wanted. It might take another game or two for us to gel, but I'm confident we'll be in contention come the business end of the season."

Endzone, Mount Albert Daily Photos

There was real concern for the Fat Albert management team at the start of this fixture. They did not have enough players to fulfil the fixture and there was serious concern that the first default in league history would be required.

Manager Rhys Cole made some last minute loan signings and the Alberts were able to start the game, albeit with only eight players. Goalkeeper Michael Wray was brought in from HHH, forcing James Nimmo into an unfamiliar place on pitch as the positional assignments came down to the logic of necessity - with both being reputable keepers, who is less of a liability in the outfield! Rod Lawson came in from The Originals, though a rush-trip home was required to get kit and the Scotsman didn't take to the field until the second quarter. Free agent Greg O'Connor came in, though we're not certain whether that signing will be made permanent as yet. Tony Spellacey was borrowed from the Cappers for a quarter and ex-Barca player Anton Oosterbaan also turned out. Young Anton did well enough to earn a transfer enquiry from Cole.

It was no surprise to find the outnumbered Alberts, full of unfamiliar faces, struggle to find their rhythm during the first quarter. They deliberately adopted a slow tempo and defended in numbers. By the end of the quarter, they started to exert some pressure themselves forcing Corb Tate to save down at his near post.

Early in the second quarter, AndyCapped made their pressure tell. A snap shot just outside the area came through a crowd of bodies. Stand-in keeper Wray was unsighted but was able to react to the ball as it came through and parry it away. Ricky Boyd reacted to the loose ball first and slide the ball under the keeper as he tried to recover for a block.

Now in the ascendancy, AndyCapped applied pressure to the makeshift defence. Dangerous crosses came through unconverted and it looked as the Alberts were going to weather the storm. Paul Atkins took advantage of some loose marking down the right to beat Anton Oosterbaan and create space just inside the area. With no-one between him and the keeper, Atkins brought the ball down and aimed a shot for the far post. Wray dived, but it was just beyond his reach. The shot was going wide and seemed safe. Patrick Laviolette beat Rod Lawson in a race for the back post and threw himself foot first towards the ball. He missed. The ball struck him on the backside and both player and ball bundled themselves over the line. It wasn't the most elegant finish, but it was enough to leave the Cappers feeling comfortable before half-time.

That comfort level was not to be preserved, however. Rhys Cole and Lucas Cordeiro were creating chances, with some intricate dribbling forcing gaps to appear in the Cappers backline. A few minutes before half-time, Rhys Cole was to place a low hard shot to Corb Tate's right. The veteran keeper was unable to hold on to it and Rhys Cole beat both Tate and Richard Swallow in the race for the loose ball to make it 1-2.

Temporary signing Greg O'Connor stated his credentials for a permanent place in the Alberts squad when he pulled them level with a precision finish a few minutes into the second half. O'Connor broke down the right and smashed a shot low into the far corner on the inside of Tate.

The unlikeliest of comebacks was set when the Alberts took the lead. A shot came in from an unidentified forward that Tate was unable to hold. His parry fell to the feet of Lucas Cordeiro who made no mistake tapping it in.

It looked like the Alberts were going to close out their first win in team history, something that looked inconceivable at 0-2. The Alberts applied lots of pressure forcing Wray to intervene a couple of times. Once to prevent an awkward header that bounced up in front of goal and another when Joe Murphy took out both the keeper and the goal in a race for a loose ball at the back post.

However, Wray would soon join his opposite number in the error column and cost his team a goal. Ricky Boyd found himself alone on the edge of the area and sent in a looping shot to Wray's left. It looked like a simple one to collect, but Wray bobbled the catch and Joe Murphy was waiting for any loose ball. When he was presented with spill, Murphy made no mistake.

Given the uncertainty in the Alberts ability to field a line-up just minutes before kick-off, they won't be too unhappy with the draw - especially given the two goal deficit they had to chase. The Caps will want to examine the ease with which they surrendered that lead. Though both keepers will cite preventable goals resulting from unforced errors, a draw was the fair result.

Sideline Sid,  Mount Albert Daily Photos

This was a game between two sides that had not lost for five games. The reigning Champions against the Shield holders, with the former never having lost to the latter.

Right from the start, Barca Bay set out their intention to attack and hassled the Massey defence at every opportunity. Dominic Scott pounced on a muffed clearance on the edge of the area in a near replica of his opening goal last week, only this time he cleared the bar.

Despite the pressure, Massey took the lead. Scott Helson collected the ball from a corner and launched an over-arm throw up to half way. Kyle Callaghan found himself through with just the keeper to beat and placed his shot low past Plowright.

After taking this lead against the run of play, Massey came into the game and the match became a great back-and-forth set of attacking chances for the neutral to enjoy. Some neat interplay and short passing around the edge of the area set-up Jamie Milne to blast Barca level with a vicious shot that seemed to catch Helson wrong-footed.

For the second half, Barca continued to force most of the pressure, but Massey played patient football and looked to attack on the break. It was the third quarter that was to decide the contest and provide a glutton of goals never before seen in a single quarter of summer league football.

As with the week before, Barca would substitute their keeper. David Plowright came off to be replaced by Allen McLeod. When queried, Plowright advised this was not an injury forced change. Presumably the rotation policy applies to all positions within the Barca line-up.

Three minutes in to the second half, the goal-fest began. A cross to the edge of the area evaded all of the Massey defenders and fell behind Hayden Applegarth. With PJ Lupi pressuring him, Applegarth tried to flick the ball away with his heel but only placed it for Lupi. The peroxide-peril steadied himself with a touch before powering past Helson.

It was soon to be 3-1. Jamie Milne received a ball on the edge of the area, took it in and shot from a few yards out. The ball took an awkward bounce, flew up and hit the bar before ricocheting down. Was it over the line? No-one could tell and in the scramble to get to the ball first, Milne toe-poked it over to make sure.

Massey struck back to keep the match competitive. An absolute rocket from Aidan Teesdale was well beyond the reach of McLeod and cannoned in off the left hand post.

Barca took this temporary setback in their stride. A mere two minutes later, and PJ Lupi took the ball in to the Massey area. The diminutive forward had to fend off Hayden Applegarth, who must be twice Lupi's height, before simply passing the ball into the net as Helson closed.

Jamie Milne secured a place in league history with two fourth quarter goals, one from short range and another from outside the area, as the first player to score four in a game.

Sideline Sid,  Mount Albert Daily Photos

A hard fought contest would dispel the expectations of the Summer League form book. According to the stats, Black Magic were expected to make easy meat of an HHH team that struggles to translate their winter form to the warmer months. Whilst the Magic were good for their win, they needed a little luck to collect it and a different result could easily have transpired.

The first quarter saw HHH enjoy the better of the chances as the match concentrated into a midfield battle. The first notable chance of the game fell to HHH's Jon Rowe. Finding himself free in the area with just the keeper to beat, Rowe was only denied by Chem.

The Hs would force another save from Chem with a free kick to a crowded far post just at the end of the first quarter.

The Magic came out in the second quarter, found and capitalised on gaps in the HHH defence. Joss Opie had split his boots in the first quarter and borrowed a replacement pair for the second. It took a few minutes to adjust to the new footwear and when a through ball was aimed at Steve Davey, Opie lost his footing and slipped. Davey exploited the unexpected space and came to meet Wray at the near post. He tried to place his shot and hit the post. The rebound came out between Wray and Gage, falling to Dave Da Vanzo. Da Vanzo struck his shot, just as defender Andy Poole was closing in, to make it 1-0 to the Magic.

The Magic midfield came on strong during the rest of the half, dominating the ball on the ground and making it difficult for HHH to get back in the game. Despite holding much of the possession, their goal efforts were mainly confined to long range shots that were comfortable for Wray or searching through balls that were comfortable for Gage, Opie and Poole.

For the third quarter, it was again Black Magic with the majority of chances. A free kick on the edge of the box saw the Hs line-up a wall just a few yards out from the goal line. The wall blocked the kick, but Steve Davey fired back a shot aimed for the top corner of the net. Wray leapt across to push the ball wide for a corner.

Midway through the fourth quarter, HHH scored a sensational goal. Ken Okawa struck a thunderous volley from about 15 yards out.
It was powerful and it was accurate. Chem appeared to get a touch, but the ball's velocity carried it in regardless.

The goal came against the run of play, but spurred the Hs on and they then enjoyed a period of ascendancy. It even looked possible that they might steal the game.

Five minutes later however, Magic would enjoy a moment of luck that would win them the game at the expense of Wray's dignity. A low placed shot from outside the area, we think from Tahl  Theodorou, bounced up just in front of the keeper. The ball changed direction slightly and instead of coming into hands flew up to go over his legs. Wray reacted to push the ball away as he struggled to contain the bounce. Steve Davey ran in to convert the ball from an acute angle and take the win for the table topping Magic.

The final five minutes of the game saw Black Magic pen the Hs back inside their own half. Whilst HHH had a couple of break-out attacks, it was a searching cross ball from a corner into the HHH area that came closest to adding to the scoreline.  Kevin Provis beat Simon Bratt to the ball at close range to head at goal. It seemed like a certain goal and Wray is the first to admit that he didn't know a lot about it, but he managed to deflect it clear. Theodorou followed up to force a second save, which again Wray admits he knew little about, when a goal seemed certain. It was to be the final opportunity of the game.

Influential Cappers midfielder Steven Jones has been fired by team boss Joe Murphy.

Three AndyCapped players (Steven Jones, Andy Moraes and Jonathan Toomey) were missing from their opening fixture against Bay Athletic last week, something the franchise management team refused to comment on in the post-match conference.

However, scandal hit when Jones was sensationally outed by the Wellington Phoenix fan-site Yellow Fever after being caught in a hotel room dressed in a brown bikini with a goat, a family size tub of vaseline, a video camera and traumatised squad members Andy Moraes and Jonathan Toomey tied up in plastic wrap. Details are sketchy and both Moraes and Toomey's lawyers have issued an injunction preventing the release of the video footage found in the seized camera. 

Moraes and Toomey have been granted leave from the squad in order to seek some healing time. Jones has been fired without pay. The NZ high court have sentenced him to a period in exile in Europe, where he will be treated by Kieron Dyer's psychiatric team. 

In the meantime, Murphy has signed Simon Jobson and brought back 2006/07 one-hit wonder Tony Spellacey to fill the gaps in his squad..

Endzone, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The Originals came in to this match having used their rest week seeking therapy after being on the end of the biggest whipping handed out in Summer League. By contrast, the Hs came in after only a narrow defeat against the same team that had humiliated the Os.

It seemed that the stage was set for the Hs to finally shake off the hoodoo that has dogged them since the inception of competition - an inability to beat the league's elder statesmen. Almost immediately, the Hs were 1-0 up and looking good. Thomas Probert, who seems to be developing a penchant for early goals, converted the easiest of chances by rolling the ball gently past Robbie Romijn in a one-on-one.

It took the Originals seven minutes to create anything at all, but when it came they converted it. Taking advantage of some static marking around the box, Gibbs and Chung played John Barton into the gap between Bratt and Gage. With plenty of time to pick his spot, Barton opened his Summer League scoring account with a shot to the far post.

Despite the setback, HHH continued to look the more likely of the two teams to score again. Rowe, Soper and Gadd were enjoying themselves in the middle of the park and Thomson, Lawson and Graham were struggling to contain them.

Come the second quarter, the Originals would turn things around. The quarter started as per the first and the Hs had a couple of golden chances. First Mark Soper found himself through with Rod Lawson chasing and Robbie Romijn coming out to close. He went to lob the keeper and it seemed like the H's lead would be restored, only for the effort to bounce narrowly wide.


A minute or two later, Robbie Romijn would be almost punished for leaving his goal open with the ball behind him....

From wide, the angle was too narrow for Soper and there was no-one on the other side of the area to provide the finish before Robbie could recover.

The remainder of the half was dominated by the Os and they made their domination count. Alfonso Basille hit a low range speculative shot from outside the area. It did not appear to be too dangerous but Wray could only get a touch, which was not enough to send it wide - the ball hit the post and bounced in.

Just before the break, Darren Douglass made it 3-1 with an audacious lob over Wray. Whether it was a cross or a shot, the diminutive keeper was unable to reach as the ball floated down in to the corner of the net.

The rest of the game would be about Robbie Romijn. HHH would exert pressure and create chance after chance... only to see Romijn stop them at every opportunity.

For the most part, the saves were unconventional. With the exception of a flying leap to his left to push away a long range strike from Justin Lester, Robbie repeatedly slid feet first to keep a clean half all the way through to the end. The Originals had only one chance of any note in the second half, a break away effort from George Aranyi that cleared the cross bar, whilst the Hs had a catalogue of opportunities - but Romijn had decided it was time for his first win of the season and he was not to be denied.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The 2007 Jessett Cup Finalists met for the first time this season, both featuring significant squad changes since their fight for the Cup. The changes would appear to favour the Cappers - a squad strengthened by loan signings of the Magic management team Griffin and Jessett, the return of their first choice keeper Corb Tate and the off-season departure of much of the devastating free-scoring Massey frontline would surely see the Cappers be able to successfully ply their counter-attacking football. Then again, in previous match-ups it has been Neil Cannell who has done much of the scoring and he remains in the Massey black.

The first theory would prove correct, as the Cappers enjoyed the benefit of much of the pressure. Rather than attack on the break, they boasted the majority of the possession and it was Massey keeper Scott Helson called into action rather than the returning Tate. Three times in the first quarter his goal looked threatened. A daisy cutter of a shot nearly sneaked in and a series of efforts from a corner had Massey supporters worried.

Massey were reduced to soaking up the pressure and hitting away on the break. Whilst the half ended with the stat count firmly against them for a consecutive quarter, Neil Cannell beat two Cap defenders, flashed an effort low just outside the post and put AndyCapped on notice that the game could just as easily go against them.

The second half opened with more of the same pressure from the Caps. On-loan Griffin sent a lob into the area for Joe Murphy to head just over under pressure from Helson. And Ricky Boyd chased down a long ball, beat Helson but saw his flick go over.

Massey struck back in the final quarter, finally securing a period of pressure of their own. They came close to breaking the deadlock when Aidan Teesdale put an effort past Corb Tate, only to see it blocked on the line by a defender. Lance Jensen fired the ball back in, but it was blocked yet again as Tate tried to get back into position. Eventually a pattern of pinball was ended by Tate claiming one of the rebounds at the feet of Lance Jensen.

Ultimately, Massey scored a scrappy goal to claim the win. Corb Tate failed to claim a corner that beat him for height. It dropped at the back and in the mass of bodies, Sam Shiels got enough of a touch to poke it over the line before on-loan Mike Jesset could intervene from his position on the post.

The score would stay at 1-0, despite a final five minutes that saw a flurry of chances. Massey first hit the bar (Lance Jensen we think) and were then denied a penalty - Tate bundled over Shiels in the area and with the spectators on the sideline anticipating the whistle, Greg Spencer hoofed it clear. The Caps had the last opportunity with Helson denying the Cappers the draw in a game they must have felt they'd done enough to win.

Sideswipe, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The inaugural battle of the bays came as a shield match - Barca on their longest unbeaten streak versus the winless Athletic. An attractive opening period saw chances for both teams and the Bay Athletic subs bench screaming for a penalty that was not given, before one that was. Before we describe any of the action, there was one incident down the corner where Dave Rutherford blatantly body checked defender Stu Dunn, before apologising, "sorry - I didn't know it was you." This leads us to the question, who did you think it was Dave?

The first handball shout came when the ball was flicked up against Stu Dunn. He didn't really know anything about it and a penalty would have been very harsh. As the ball ricocheted loose, Ian Paterson drew a good save from David Plowright to deflect wide with feet.

Five minutes later and Barca should have had the lead. Josh Notman released Jamie Milne down the wing. Jamie's cross set-up an effort that hit the cross bar, and fell to PJ Lupi. Lupi's shot was a little too central, giving Woolley the chance to make a good save at short range. From the clearance, Dave Kropp and Dave Rutherford combined well to set-up a swift counter attack for the latter to shoot narrowly wide.

The opening goal came after 24 minutes. Josh Notman (we think - see photo) was judged to have deliberately handled. Protesting his innocence amidst the Athletic claims, Josh could only groan as the ref blew and pointed at the spot.

Paul Muollo stepped up to take the spot kick and placed it low to Plowright's right. David had already committed to the left and was unable to transfer his weight back. 1-0 Athletic.

The score would remain unchanged all the way up to the half. Barca spent much of their play trying to send Lupi balls to run onto, but poor accuracy and good reading of the game from the Athletic defence made it a frustrating time for the young forward.

The game remained an enjoyable game for the neutrals as the second half wore on. For Athletic, Steve Romijn received a great ball down the right but his shot went wide. Not to be left out, Barca had Jamie Milne and PJ Lupi combine well to set-up Dominic Scott to shoot into the side netting. Then Josh set-up Jamie from the left. Jamie had his back to goal and tried to turn from short range, but bundled into Nick and allowed the defence to clear.

It looked like Barca were starting to graft out the chances and increasingly it appeared that an equaliser might come. However, they would often end some nice build-up play with a shot from distance and Nick Woolley was finding it a simple job to pick off these efforts. PJ Lupi caused some concern with a shot that beat Nick, but it hit his right post, bounced across the line and skimmed past the other post... somehow staying out.

After applying so much pressure with nothing to show for it, perhaps it was inevitable that Athletic would grab a chance to seal the game. With less than 10 minutes to go, a PJ Lupi free kick broke down and allowed Athletic to launch a counter attack - culminating in Matt Kolic beating David Plowright with a shot to the far post.

Shortly before the end Athletic would make sure of the result as Matt Kolic turned provider tapping the ball square for David Kropp to side foot the ball past Plowright.

The result means that the Athletic take possession of the Coolmoves Shield at the first time of asking.

Endzone, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The HHH-Massey rivalry is one historically dominated by Massey Coolmoves. Only once have the reigning champion Massey failed to score at least three goals against the Hs. That once came last season and is the only time the free-scoring Massey have been held scoreless.

Jon Rowe took the untapped H potential to deliver the under-achieving franchise's first win of the season. He created the first goal and took the other three. Tenacious in winning and retaining the ball, intelligent passing and lethal at the finish, Rowe ended the game with the first HHH hat-trick in history and the all-time triple H goal-scoring record.

The first goal came after 10 minutes. Rowe received the ball from a throw, around the edge of the area. He lost possession of the ball, but won it back by harrying the defender, turned and played a square ball across the floor. Ken Okawa received the ball just inside the area from a central position. Noticing that the back-post was untended, Okawa tapped the ball goal ward. Scott Helson immediately scrambled across his line, but Ken had applied just enough force and the Massey keeper was unable to prevent the goal.

A little after, Massey would mount the move that would prove their most threatening of the match. Aidan Teesdale took advantage of Simon Bratt being pulled central and a burst of speed took him past Brendan Gage to feed Lance (we think). As Jensen took advantage of the space inside the area, he advanced on the goal intending to cross to a free teammate on the back post. Wray closed down the forward just in time to prevent the cross, albeit with his face. For the remainder of the match, the HHH defence held firm, preventing any further breaches.

The second goal was much simpler. Midway through the second quarter, Justin Lester played the ball to Rowe. Jon was just outside the area, but out on the right-hand corner of the box where it seemed safe for Todd Nicholson to back-off and wait. With Rowe in such rich form, it was anything but safe, as the midfielder hit a low shot that flew in from distance.

Just as the half was drawing to a close, the Hs struck again. With Justin Lester to his right and Ken Okawa ahead of him, Rowe had options. The option he took was to accelerate rapidly and hit the ball low to the Scott's far post. The ball flew past the outstretched hand and the half ended 3-0. Mark Soper was quick to follow-up for any rebound, but there was no need.

Shortly before the fourth quarter, Rowe struck to secure his hat-trick - the first H to Triple since Summer League began. Rounding a defender, he set himself up for a one-on-one with Scott, which he mercilessly slotted in to make it 4-0.

Whilst the Hs can take great heart from setting a new record victory, the Massey forward line were uncharacteristically quiet. Andy Poole had a stand-out performance at the back to protect Wray, who won't have an easier clean sheet.

Endzone, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Bay Athletic's attempt to defend the newly taken Coolmoves Shield was undone inside two minutes. A classic poacher's finish from George Aranyi was enough to return the Shield to the Originals for the first time since January 2006.

Before the game had barely settled from kick-off, a searching ball was sent up the middle for Aranyi to chase. We're not sure who sent it, though we think it was Peter Chung. It looked like Sam Hooper would get there first, but just as Athletic keeper Nick Woolley arrived Aranyi managed to stretch in and steal the goal.

For the rest of the game, Athletic would put the Originals under great pressure as they pushed for the equaliser. With the previous week's goalkeeping heroics of Robbie Romijn unavailable, the Os turned to ex-O Michael Wray to stand-in between the sticks and he would have a busy day.

Darren Goggin and Rod Lawson were called on repeatedly to keep the Athletic out. Matt Kolic was an energetic presence at the front, with Paul Muollo and Dave Rutherford attacking from deep. Lee Westlake, Carolo Petagna and Paul Bleyenga joined in the attack more and more to make it a very long day for the Os defenders.  

There were a few long-range efforts for Wray to deal with, diving to his right to push one round the post and blocking another with his knee. However, a goal almost came from a keeper error. Darren Goggin played a back pass from out wide. It came in off the ground and on Wray's unfavoured left foot. With Kolic closing quickly, the keeper eschewed the chance to take a touch and turned to switch the ball to the right - just as the ball gained pace from a bounce that took it away from him. Realising the error had put his goal in jeopardy, a desperate chase back to the goal ensued. Wray lost the race, but thankfully for his blushes the post intervened to divert the ball out for a corner.

Then Bernie Muollo spurned one of the best chances that the Bay would enjoy. With half-time only a minute or so away, he got behind Alf Basille and found himself with just the keeper to beat. Wray came to meet him and it looked like the long sought equaliser would surely come. Instead of going for the chip, the Bay forward hesitated, allowing the keeper to get in close and block the shot with his body.

Midway through the third quarter, Bernie would have a chance to make up for the miss. Paul Muollo sent a ball across under pressure from Basile, Bernie found himself between Goggin and the goal with the keeper still at the near post. Wray got himself across as Bernie shot towards goal and managed to block the ball with his face, allowing Darren Goggin to hook the ball to safety before Bernie could have a second attempt.

Bay pushed forward for an equaliser, so the Os carved out a few chances for themselves. John Barton and Paul Roberts were looking to provide a quick release for Peter Chung and George Aranyi - even TV turned up - to test the gloveless Nick Woolley. (Why was Woolley playing bare handed?) As the game wore on though, Aranyi was pulled deeper to assist with the rearguard action, which limited the Originals' potency going forward.

The final chance of any clarity fell to League goalscoring legend Paul Muollo. A superb cross (from Bernie?) allowed Paul to get ahead of Rod Lawson and he headed back across the goal to Wray's far post. With the keeper clearly beaten, the ball bounced agonisingly close on its way past the post.

Really, the Bay should have converted one of their chances and for the second week running, the Os won a game in which they lost the stat count.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The League's last two unbeaten teams of 2007/08 played having come in to the game with impressive consistency in their results. Magic had won each of the last three, whereas the Alberts had drawn all of their games to date. You can't get more consistent than that.

In their line-ups, the two teams contrasted quite sharply. The Magic have been able to field a set of players that varies little each week, whereas the Alberts have faced turmoil within the squad. Young Anton Oosterbaan had been promoted to full squad member, James Nimmo is probably now an Alberts player rather than a Capper as he is listed, but two temporary signings were still required to fulfill the fixture. Carl Van Muelen was brought in from the Caps, whilst Damien Johnson and James Hill were taken on single game contracts.

Hill immediately presented a case for a permanent place, as he scored to give the Alberts a lead after just two minutes. He took advantage of a through ball to strike the ball to Chem's left. Chem didn't even stretch fully and in it went.

The Magic came back strongly, Steve Davey caused chaos, twisting and turning with the ball inside the Alberts area before getting off a shot. Nimmo blocked, Davey pounced on the rebound only for a defender to get in the second block before clearing for a corner.

On the stroke of quarter-time, the Magic pulled level. The chances came after an Alberts corner was caught by Chem. The Magic keeper released the ball upfield and down the middle for Jody Bullen to catch the Alberts on the break. Bursting in to the area, Bullen placed his shot past Nimmo.

The Alberts continued to threaten after the break, Hill forcing Chem to divert a long-range effort over the bar.

Regardless, Magic took the lead a few minutes later. Nimmo missed a corner, which then went past the defenders to land for Tahl Theodorou to side-foot in. The ball trickled back through a crowd of players, possibly picking up a deflection in the confusion on its way into the net.

It had been an even half, with chances for both teams and the Alberts had gone behind in a cruel fashion. It was only going to get worse. And crueller. Mid-way through the third quarter, Jordan Morris hit a shot from around the edge of the area. It seemed to be well-covered, but took an awful deflection from an unidentified defender. The ball flew up in the air, ricocheted over Nimmo and with an evil back spin dropped under the bar for an undeserved own goal.

The Alberts tried to fight back and came close. Shaun supplied a low cross to Rhys. Rhys' shot was going wide when James Hill reacted to send it on to the post, but a defender guided it back to Chem. There were shouts for a back pass, but they went unheeded and an opportunity to get back into the game was missed. Shortly after, Damon Trenberth lobbed Chem only for the ball to bounce just the wrong side of the bar.

Following this, Black Magic took control of the match and the fourth quarter was one-way traffic. The Magic don't let leads slip easily and exhibited a ruthless streak that will send shivers through their rivals.

Nimmo, trying to speed up the Alberts counter-attack, took a swift goal-kick. The ball hit the back of a Magic forward's head from a distance of two yards. The ball bounced back towards goal and a bit of a scramble saw the ball cleared for corner. From the corner, the ball was pulled back for Paul Griffin. Griffin hit a shot just inside the near post. Shaun was standing just ahead of the line. Did he get a call from Nimmo? Surely Nimmo wouldn't call the defender off in such a position? Whatever, the defender ducked, Nimmo dived, the ball went in and it was 4-1.

The Alberts were still low when a fifth goal was given up by lacklustre defending. From wide right, Jody Bullen beat Nimmo and a defender to find a wide open Jordan Morris at the far post. Morris had enough time to make coffee, eat a doughnut and have a wee nap before casually tapping the ball in. No dubious goals panel were required to sit in judgement for this one.

By the end, Magic keeper Chem was rubbing in the result by joining in the attack himself. If it were not for Paul Griffin intercepting an effort to shoot in to the open Magic goal from the half way line, the Alberts may have reclaimed a little respectability for the scoreline. It would have been just. Whilst the Magic were clearly the better team and good value for their win, a four goal margin was a cruel lesson in ruthlessness. Beware the Magic.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The battle of the expansion teams produced the most entertaining game of the weekend, possibly the season, with an eight goal extravaganza. The two new franchises could not differ more. Bay Athletic boast the most stable line-up of the season, with little change in their line-up from week to week meaning they have used the fewest players in the league. At the other end of the scale, Fat Alberts have used more players than anyone this season. The Athletic offer a more traditional brand of football, tight at the back and scoring only as many goals as are required, but the Alberts guarantee goals at both ends whenever they play.

Having players on first name terms seemed to give Athletic the early edge. When Bernie Muollo and Sam Hooper looked to be getting themselves in trouble around their own box, they managed to play their way out of danger with a series of short passes. They then sent the ball down the right flank to Paul Muollo, whose cross into the area created confusion in the Albert defence as Dave Kropp and keeper Mark Boyland collided. The ball somehow bounced in over Boyland with Kropp claiming the last touch to open the scoring after just five minutes.

Only once has it taken longer than this for one of their matches to have goals, so the familiarity appeared to settle the Alberts. James Hill, now a permanent signing, was testing Bernie and Sam in the Athletic defence. After 12 minutes, Hill picked up a loose ball in the centre of the pitch. Coming down the middle unchallenged, Hill reached the area with Bernie Muollo, Sam Hooper and Carlo Petagna in close proximity and Nick Woolley still on his line. Before anyone could put him off his stride, Hill placed an early shot to Woolley's left to tie up the scores.

A series of chances for both teams went unconverted during the second quarter. Paul Muollo and Lee Westlake combined to send Dave Rutherford in behind the Alberts defence. Rutherford's effort was weak and easily saved by Boyland, but the rebound fell to Kropp who blazed a shot over the bar.

Then the Alberts were awarded a dubious free kick for hand-ball. James Hill sent the kick wide for Rhys Cole. Cole laid it back to Anton Oosterbaan, whose shot from distance just shaved the post as it went inches wide.

A little later, the Athletics were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty. Rutherford burst down the right and faced a couple of options - an unmarked Bleyenga at the far post or a guarded Kropp in the middle? Perhaps unwisely, Rutherford elected for the latter but Kropp managed to get the shot off despite his marker and it seemed that the defender blocked it with an arm. No foul was given, perhaps influenced by the lack of appeal from the usually vocal Matt Kolic?

The closest of all these near misses fell to Bay Athletic. Nick Woolley failed to get his hands to a James Hill shot, instead deflecting it with his knee. This almost benefited his team as Athletic streamed downfield on a rapid counter-attack - Bernie passing left to Rutherford, who crossed low to set-up Kropp, whose one-on-one effort drew a good save from Boyland.

Just as it seemed that the second quarter would end goalless despite the string of chances, controversy struck. Paul Muollo received the first sin-bin of the season after verbally abusing referee Simon Morris. Morris had awarded the Alberts a free-kick. It appeared that the free-kick could, perhaps should, have gone against the Alberts and Paul protested in no uncertain terms. Paul had to sit out the remainder of the half.

The advantage was to provide the Alberts with the impetus to claim the game. Shaun Howes on the right centred the ball to Rhys Cole. Rhys flicked the ball wide to the unmarked Darren Johnson, who accelerated through and finished with a low shot to the far post.

A minute later and it was 3-1. A visibly rattled Bay Athletic conceded a free kick for handball on the halfway line. James Hill, in space, received the ball and his near post effort gave the Alberts a strong half-time position.

Despite the score line, the third quarter started with chances for good both teams. Howes forced Woolley in to a save after good build-up play from Cole, Hill and Oosterbaan. Then, after a through ball from Westlake,  Matt Kolic showed good strength to muscle his way between two defenders, fire off a shot and win the corner.

Despite the pressure that Athletic were beginning to exert, the Alberts celebrated the next goal to take them into uncharted territory of a three goal lead. In a move directly from the route one school of football, the Alberts hit a long clearance forward for Hill to chase. Hill just beat Woolley to the ball on the edge of the area to claim his hat-trick.

Going into the final quarter the pattern of the game was set. The Alberts were battling and contesting every ball, whilst Athletic were playing all the football and went into all-out attack.

Athletic were denied until the 62nd minute, when Dave Rutherford finished off a simple shot from the middle of the area. With a two goal cushion and only 8 minutes remaining, it seemed little more than a consolation.

Less than two minutes later however, the game was set-up for a tense finish. Dave Rutherford passed to Paul Muollo from a corner. There seemed to be little danger. Paul was a little way out and there seemed to be few passing options within a crowded area. As Rutherford came for a possible return ball, Anton closed down the advancing Muollo. Paul elected to shoot and the ball beat Boyland to find the far corner and make it 4-3.

The comeback would end three minutes from time, with more Athletic protests. On a rare late attack, the Alberts sent a high ball back in just after an Athletic clearance, Ben Buckle standing in an advanced position flicked on a head that Woolley had no chance to reach.

Was Buckle off-side? The Athletic thought so and it looked quite likely from this reporter's vantage. The goal stood however and ended the comeback. Despite the moments of controversy, the Alberts can be satisfied at finally taking their first win. They may like to concede, but they certainly love to score. Opposing defences have been warned.

Minor Comment, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Black Magic come head-to-head with a Massey Coolmoves team that they have not beaten for two years. However, this season has seen changes for these two Summer League heavyweights. The rejuvenated Magic are on a roll, having equalled the league record for consecutive wins, fittingly set by today's opponents Massey. Unfortunately for a team looking to preserve their status as the record holders, Massey have been faltering this season with both defeats coming at a previously unknown scale.

The combined absence of Chem and Scott Helson meant that neither team would be able to field their regular keepers. Magic secured the loan services of HHH custodian Michael Wray, whilst Massey looked inward to Kane until Barca's Allan McLeod became available for the fourth quarter. In the event each team's choice of backup keeper was to make no difference to the outcome. Massey rarely breached the Magic defence to test Wray and neither of the Magic goals were likely to have been stopped by a regular keeper.

Of greater concern for Massey was the necessity to borrow Anton Oosterbaan from the Alberts to fill a shortage in the squad during the first quarter. Whilst young Anton has proved himself with the Alberts, it meant that Massey were needing to gel new players into new positions against the league's in-form team. Both goals came in the first quarter, perhaps from the Magic capitalising on uncertainty as the makeshift Massey line-up settled down.

Kevin Provis opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Taking possession of a Sandy Pawson switch from the left, Provis ran in to the Massey area from the right beating Todd Nicholson to slide the ball past the stand-in keeper and into the corner of the net.

Just as the quarter ended, Kevin Provis popped up again with a thunderbolt. Receiving a short cross at about waist height, he rifled a volley into the roof of the net from 20 yards out.

Late into the second quarter, Massey finally got behind the Magic defence. Aidan Teesdale (we think) chased a through ball to get in behind Wade De Graff. Wray came out to collect the ball, but being right on the edge of the area could not come forward to make the catch so instead batted the ball away from Teesdale's attempted header. The ball fell to the Massey 14 (see right) but with Wray closing him down and Wade guarding the net, the ball was played to the now offside Teesdale and any danger was ended by the ref's whistle.

Massey only breached the Magic defence once more during the game, once again a long ball for Teesdale to chase. This time the ball came in low and Wray was able to hoof the ball clear from the edge of the area just as Teesdale challenged.

Allan McLeod arrived to take over between the sticks for Massey for the fourth quarter. It was a timely arrival. Whilst the Magic had pushed for a third goal that would guarantee the win all through the third quarter, they stepped it up for the fourth.

One of Allan's first actions was to dive full stretch to his right to prevent a certain goal. Several times he was called into action, in all probability being required to make more saves in that single quarter than Massey had required for the previous three.

So the Magic set a new league record for consecutive wins, but Massey have a challenge to work their way out of their first slump.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The Cappers came to this game missing regular forward Ricky Boyd and both squad keepers Corb Tate and James Nimmo. They plugged the gap at the back by loaning in veteran keeper and defender Michael Wray and Peter Lye. In addition they sported temporary signings in Mark Lunn and Jon Toomey - both of whom may hope to emulate the recently promoted Carl Bland, signed up as a permanent after Carl Van Muelen was transferred to the Alberts.

Barca Bay came in missing their vibrant goal scorers PJ Lupi and Jamie Milne. All bar one of Barca's goals this season have come from these two. Richard Steel returned from injury to try and compensate for a possible shortage of fire power up front, but after a long lay-off might be struggling for match fitness. Coming immediately after ending their unbeaten streak through their first scoreless game, the Bay front line could find themselves in for a difficult match. And so it would prove. With the Cappers front line having been held scoreless for two of their previous three fixtures, the smart money was therefore on a goalless draw.

As the first quarter progressed, there was nothing to suggest that the smart money would be wrong. Neither keeper had been called upon to make any meaningful intervention. Then in the 14th minute, Stu Dunn was caught being hesitant in possession and Phil Jones was able to steal the ball. He centres for the oncoming Carl Bland, who shot early to get it under McLeod to break the deadlock.

Richard Swallow was having a stormer of a performance at the back of the AndyCapped defence. First to almost every ball, the Barca forward line were struggling to get past him.

The next goal came when a long ball was sent forward for Joe Murphy to chase. Allan McLeod came out to the edge of the area to collect, but the ball bounced just short of the area. With the Summer League penalty areas being shorter than the regulation winter league, Allan found himself caught between coming to catch but most likely straying outside his area in the process or simply hoofing the ball clear. Murphy took advantage of the indecision to nip in ahead of Allan and set himself up for a simple shot into the open net from a few yards.

It took Barca until late in the third quarter to force a meaningful save from Wray. Up until this point, all he had to do was clean up loose balls and catch crosses. However, with only a few minutes of the third quarter to go, a wild Ronaldinho-like cross/shot was sent into the area by Stu Dunn. Wary of being lobbed, not for the first time, Wray carefully watched the ball come through before jumping up to push it over for the corner.

Just as Barca had at last posed some form of attacking threat, Craig Bland popped up to finish the game off. A flick-on head off a throwing was presented to him from either Matt Viliamu or Joe Murphy. From out wide, Craig was given the time and space to to pick his spot in the far corner and he made no mistake with letting off a rocket of a strike.

The final chance of the game fell to Barca, but was very nearly put away by AndyCapped defender Mark Lunn. In an attempt to steal the ball from one of the Barca forwards (Richard Steel?) Mark inadvertently sent a fast-powered shot towards his own keeper. Wray was lucky that it came in only slightly off centre and at waist height - any lower or further to the side, he would not have been able to react in time. It was the closest Barca would come to scoring and they will hope to bring back at least one of their forwards for their next fixture.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Black Magic seem to like playing AndyCapped. Coming into this match, exactly half of the Magic clean sheets had been earned against the Caps and only twice had the Cappers been allowed to score more than a single goal. In the nine previous meetings, AndyCapped had triumphed just once.

The team news didn't provide much confidence to those wanting to see the league leaders upset. Black Magic announced their usual squad, with only Sandy Pawson absent. AndyCapped, however, had serious problems. Ricky Boyd returned to playing duty still carrying an injury and the equally fragile Peter Lye made a second loan appearance. Veteran Capper Paul Mouncey was also recalled to the squad, at less than two hours notice, and was reportedly playing under the effects of a hangover. The biggest problem for the team was the absence of Joe Murphy and Richard Swallow, arguably the two most important players in the squad.

The crowd had hardly settled before the Magic had secured a two goal lead. Jody Bullen collected the first with a simple pull-back after receiving the ball from out wide. With Nimmo left exposed, Jody had almost the whole goal to aim at and passed the ball in off the far post. Two minutes later, Kevin Provis followed Jody's example. Kevin's shot was more within reach, but Nimmo was caught flat-footed and could only extend an arm towards the ball as it went past.
And so the pattern for the game was set.

Black Magic spent much of the first quarter squeezing the Cap defence up the middle, allowing few chances to counter-attack and no opposing shots on goal. Then the Caps' selection problems were compounded by Ricky Boyd gave in to injury.

After the initial onslaught, Black Magic relaxed a little and the AndyCapped defenders began to deal with the challenge. It seemed that the Magic changed tack after the first break and started to use the flanks more. They were still enjoying the greater possession, patiently passing the ball around and not forcing chances until they opened up. Such patience was rewarded as opportunities to increase their lead were presented.

James Nimmo denied Mike Jessett's long-range shot that zipped along the dry pitch and forced the keeper to get quickly down to his right. With Magic forwards lurking for a rebound, James did well to make sure the deflection went safely out for a corner.

Shortly after, the Caps finally created a real opportunity of their own. Paul Atkins sent through a pass that forced the Magic to concede a corner. Peter Lye sent a superb ball over to Paul Mouncey at the back of the area, but Mouncey's shot did not have enough behind it and Chem saved comfortably.

The Magic continued to threaten, coming close a few times before eventually taking a three goal lead. A great ball (from Wade? Or Steve?) sent Jody in behind the defenders and free of Andrew Jessett. Nimmo came out to close, but Jody patiently picked his spot and skilfully converted.

At half-time, the stretched AndyCapped squad suffered more bad news. Loan signing Peter Lye was unable to immediately continue, leaving the Caps with only eight players on pitch and necessitating loans from the Magic bench for each of the remaining quarters. Lye was to make a comeback for the final quarter, but only as Paul Mouncey succumbed.

Jody Bullen made it 4-0 six minutes after the restart. With Andrew Jessett tightly marking him, Jody turned the defender to put himself clear on goal. Andrew and Paul Mouncey hurried to chase down the forward, but Jody made no mistake in claiming his second hat-trick of the season.

It could have been five a couple of minutes later. James Nimmo muffed a clearance straight to Dave Paterson. Just as Paterson was lining up the shot, Greg Spencer made a fantastic saving tackle to prevent the finish. Paterson had two other good chances. First he collected the ball on the edge of the area and a solid strike drew a good save from the keeper - albeit with his backside as James virtually sat on the shot. Then Jody Bullen fed Dave on a swift break from a rare Caps attack. Dave hit the ball on the run just as he reached the area and James had to save with feet, leaving Paul Mouncey to clean up the rebound.

By the fourth quarter, the game had turned into a training exercise. A bored crowd allowed their attention to wander as the game fell to pedestrian pace. AndyCapped were broken. If it had been a boxing match, the game would have been stopped on humanitarian grounds. The Magic could have pursued and probably achieved a summer league record or two. Instead, they decided to switch things around and the game became a novelty affair. Chem was allowed to come out of goal and take up position up front and Paul Griffin took over the gloves - Chem was coming up and staying for corners anyway, so this merely allowed the Magic to protect the clean sheet as he did so.

It's safe to say that Chem will be despatched back to his normal position. Dave Paterson burst down the line to send a cross straight to Chem at feet. With Nimmo committed, having vainly attempted to cut out the cross, Chem had an open goal. He swung at the ball to finish a certain goal..... only to scrape the top of the ball with the bottom of his foot... the ball bobbled towards goal... snails on valium lazily overtook it... and the chance was gone.

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The one definite thing the HHH scouts had recommended with Barca was the importance of stopping both Jamie Milne and PJ Lupi. Bay Athletic had shown it could be done, whilst both players had been absent in the shutout defeat to AndyCapped. Barca were buoyed by the return of PJ, but Jamie was missing once again. Similarly, HHH were missing Jon Rowe, the creative midfielder who had crafted the demolition of Massey.

The first quarter was a midfield battle, generating little entertainment for those on the side or any moments of concern for either keeper. The nearest either team came to creating a chance was a HHH corner that proved a fraction too high for either Simon Thompson or Steve Gadd.

Minutes into the second quarter, David Plowright in the Barca goal created a moment of concern for his defence. Taking the ball out of his area, he found himself under pressure from Mark Soper. It looked like the keeper would be dispossessed with his goal empty, but he managed to fend off the attentions of the HHH attacker long enough to get the ball away.

Ironically this close call for Barca lead to the first real scoring chance of the game for either team. Plowright's hurried clearance lead to PJ Lupi taking possession of the ball in the middle of the pitch. With Dominic Scott to his left and Yorick Canales to his right, Lupi took it on himself. He beat Brendan Gage to setup a run at Andy Poole in the centre of defence. Nick Thomson came across to assist Poole. There appeared to be little real danger, but despite the marking, Lupi managed to release a ferocious shot and force Michael Wray in the HHH goal to make a good save.

The next chance fell to HHH. Nick Thomson had possession of the ball on the left wing around the half way line. With fantastic vision, Nick switched the ball to Mark Soper on the edge of the area on the right side. Soper chested the ball down and hit a left foot volley at goal just inches wide. Plowright dived and had it covered, but it was a tremendous piece of skill from both HHH players to create the chance.

HHH again came close to opening the scoring. This time it was Ken Okawa. Finding himself free on the right edge of the area and with Josh Notman closing, Okawa sent in a low shot that looked destined for the far corner as he drilled it past Plowright.... only for it scrape the post as it went wide. 

As the half drew to a goalless close, Stu Dunn crafted the last genuine chance of the second quarter. From a wide right position, he sent in a shot that dipped and curled on its way towards the right corner of the goal, forcing Wray to scramble across and dive down to push it wide.

The second half began with David Plowright still in goal, although Barca usually switch keepers at half-time. Allan McLeod was in attendance and kitted up, so it was curious to see him go unused for the whole of the game.

Five minutes into the second half, the game produced the goal it had been threatening. Brendan Gage sent the ball down the left for Ken Okawa to chase. Ken beat Edward Oosterbaan to the ball and turned to find himself surrounded by three defenders - Tim Robinson, Josh Notman and Edward. Seeing Mark Soper making the run through the gap between Notman and Fuad Wadow, Ken rolled the ball into the area. Mark got to the ball ahead of Fuad, and with his right foot beat Plowright from five yards out.

Ken Okawa nearly made it 2-0 before the quarter ended. With Ed Oosterbaan in close attention, Ken tried a cheeky back hill flick at the near post from just a few yards out. David Plowright produced a great reaction save to push it round the post.

With PJ Lupi being so well marked, he went deeper and deeper in search of the ball. As a result, it was Stu Dunn who was becoming more of a factor upfront for Barca. Stu really should have finished an opportunity near the end of the third quarter. Getting ahead of Simon Bratt at the far post, Stu had most of the goal to aim for. Trying to steer the ball wide of Wray, he also put the ball wide of the goal. It was a bad miss and with the triple H defence playing strong, in particular Brendan Gage, it began to look like another clean sheet might be produced.

Then PJ Lupi, under pressure from Simon Thompson, switched possession to Stu Dunn just inside of Gage. Dunn looked ready to shoot at the near post when he noticed Jeremy Van Lier had lost marker Nick Thomson at the back end of the area. Stu sent the ball across to present Van Lier with a chance similar to the one that Dunn had spurned earlier. Van Lier made no mistake and the game was level.

Suddenly, instead of a possible clean sheet, it looked like HHH might lose the game as Barca enjoyed several chances for the lead. PJ got into a one-on-one with Wray at the edge of the area. Wray merely stood and spread his hands to try and deny PJ a sight of goal. PJ's shot hit Wray's arm or shoulder and the ball ricocheted up in the air. For a few seconds neither player knew where the ball had gone, allowing Simon Thompson and Thomas Probert to clear.

Stu Dunn also had a chance to win the game when he got behind the defence for another Barca one-on-one with Wray. The HHH players had stopped play, appealing to referee Paul Muollo for a decision - though I don't know what. Taking advantage, Stu sent in a shot that Wray awkwardly deflected over the bar with his right hand.

Just as it looked like the chance for HHH to take a win had gone, Mark Soper popped up to score the winner with four minutes remaining. Tackling a Barca player caught in possession (we don't know who), Soper brought the ball into area from the right and struck a low shot to Plowright's far post and into the corner of the net.

Barca tried to get back into the game in the remaining minutes, but the chance had gone and HHH closed up at the back.

It was unquestionably the game of the week. End-to-end action for the final three quarters, a result in balance until the last minute, two evenly competitive teams playing hard to win the game, three good goals and some good saves at both ends.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Both teams had reasons for optimism coming into this match. The Originals were pursuing a third consecutive win for only the second time in their history, whilst the Alberts had just recorded their first ever win.

The Originals' preparations were hampered by the late arrival of Tony Volpicelli. TV turned up at half-time, so in the meantime ex-Originals manager Paul Muollo was signed on a loan deal. As TV arrived, Darren Douglass went off injured, so Paul ultimately played the entire game. Fat Alberts had similar problems. Rhys Cole was unavailable, as were a number of the squad, so Rowan William came in on temporary terms - perhaps to be converted to a permanent squad member like many of the Alberts? However, even with a temporary signing, the lack of a substitute would become a problem for Fat Alberts as they would have to play with eight men for the final six minutes or so.

The game started at pace. Whilst there were few genuine chances for either team, the action was end-to-end. The pick of the chances belonged to the Alberts. Anton Oosterbaan, who had an excellent game, let fly a terrific effort from a narrow angle on the left side. Anton was being marked by Maarty Romijn - possibly an example of the league's youngest player being marked by the league's oldest? The shot demanded a really good save from Robbie Romijn, who had to get down low to his left. James Hill nearly pounced on the rebound, but the Os scrambled it clear.

The Alberts also had chances in the second quarter. James Hill collected the ball from a clearance off a corner and aimed a long ball at Darren Johnson. Johnson's volley just cleared the bar.

Soon after, Thurl Gibbs beat Fraser Leith in the race for a loose ball as the Os hit the Alberts on the break. Taking control of the ball, Gibbs entered the area and hit a ferocious shot wide of the goal, when he should have tested Boyland in goal.

Gibbs then set-up a George Aranyi with a nice flick-on that put George into the area behind Leith. Once again, an Original had just the keeper to beat and failed to get it on target, as the shot ballooned over the bar.

The Originals took the lead early in the third quarter. A trademark Paul Muollo shot from distance, moved around in the air on its way to goal and Boyland was unable to adjust and prevent the goal.

An awkward challenge on Darren Roberts led to him coming off, a knee into his thigh preventing him from continuing, but allowing the tardy TV to enter the fray.

The quarter ended with a little controversy. George Aranyi was sent through for a one-on-one with keeper Mark Boyland. Everyone on the Alberts team stopped for offside, even the Originals weren't certain but the whistle didn't come and referee Peter Lye was well placed to make the call. Aranyi coolly rounded Boyland, avoiding a clumsy slide tackle from the keeper that could have been deemed a foul, to tap the ball into the net. [Sorry George, no photo - the photographer thought offside was being given too and stopped shooting!]

For the fourth quarter, the Fat Alberts dominated much of the play. Shaun Howes down the right and Anton down the left were feeding James, Darren and Fraser in the middle. However, the Os are masters at soaking up pressure and scoring against the run of the play. And so it would prove.

Both sides exchanged chances, as the Alberts left themselves exposed pushing for a way back into the match. Anton shot narrowly over for the Alberts after Darren Goggin' punch from a corner lacked conviction and presented him with a chance. Shaun Howes skinned Paul Muollo around the edge of the area to set up Fraser Leith for a shot that went just wide.

After Darren Goggin had to make a series of saves, mostly from efforts hit straight at him, the Originals struck back to put the game beyond doubt. George Aranyi took the ball forward on a counter attack. He laid the ball off to Thurl Gibbs, who passed the ball past Mark Boyland into the empty net to make it 3-0.

Three wins in a row for the Os and two clean sheets. The last time they achieved two consecutive clean sheets, the Os went on to win the Jessett Cup. Is this an omen?

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

After AndyCapped struggled to produce a full line-up last week, normal service was resumed. Instead it was their opponents with the problems. As the teams lined up for kick-off, only eight Originals had turned up so ex-Original Michael Wray was brought in on-loan to play in goal. Tony Volpicelli and Peter Chung arrived at half-time, just as Peter Lye and Darren Goggin were struggling to complete a game in sweltering heat and Darren Douglass had to depart after three quarters.

It took the Originals several minutes to get their bearings. AndyCapped came out the more lively of the two and provided a few scares as they attacked. They certainly claimed the first quarter. The closest chance would have the cruellest of conversions had it gone in. Simon Jobson received the ball on the left, stepped to the side of defender Peter Lye and let fly with a left foot effort. Wray went down to save but was too slow to get in front of the shot. The ball hit the post and bounced back to hit the keeper in the back of his arm or shoulder. The rebound could have gone anywhere, but fortunately for the Os it went to the left of the post and out for a corner. From the corner, Jobson was presented with a free header in the box but could only direct a weak header directly at Wray and should have done better with the opportunity.

From this chance, the ball went straight up the other end. A typical Originals move presented George Aranyi with a chance to open the scoring. Fending off Richard Swallow, George jinked to the left and sent a shot low back across the goal. It beat Corb Tate, but dribbled wide by mere inches.

The next close call would fall to Joe Murphy. A superb cross from out wide (Ricky? Patrick?) found Joe complete unmarked at the back post. Joe stretched to add the final touch as Wray shifted across, but Murphy was unable to direct it and the ball went out for a goal kick.

As the first quarter drew to a close, the Caps once again threatened. It was Joe Murphy again. This time he took advantage of space down the Cap right, running down the flank and shooting for the far corner. Wray dived across and with Jones lurking for any rebound, the keeper got enough of a touch to send it out for a corner.

The second quarter retained the cut and thrust approach of the first, but the Originals tightened up at the back and prevented the Caps any serious chances. Robbie Romijn was cleaning up most of the long balls, getting his head to anything that got in behind the O midfield.  Viliamu came on up front in place of Jobson and the Caps midfield were unable to supply him with the same quality of ball. Perhaps they were disturbed by his wearing Doris Day's vintage 1950s headband?

The Caps were limited to long range efforts that were easily picked off. The closest they came to scoring was when a Peter Lye interception was deflected narrowly over his own cross bar.

With the half-time arrival of reinforcements, Alf Basile and Marty Romijn dropped into defence with Robbie, whilst Chung and TV went to support Aranyi up front. 

AndyCapped threatened first. Matt Viliamu beat Alf Basile down the right to send in a deep cross for Jobson. Jobson's shot was blocked by Marty. The ricochet flew up into the air and fell down behind Lye where Jobson once again collected the ball and released a fierce shot into the side netting.

Darren Douglass combined well with Peter Chung to set-up several deep runs down the left. Richard Swallow, who had been having a relatively relaxed game found himself under increased pressure for the third. The pace of the game increased dramatically as the Os pushed. There were few real chances though and despite the pressure Tate never experienced any moments of concern.

On the stroke of the quarter-break, AndyCapped punished the Originals for failing to convert the possession they had enjoyed. Jobson brought the ball up from midfield, exchanged passes with Phil Jones to find himself in space on the edge of the Originals' penalty area with Ricky Boyd wide and Patrick Laviolette in the middle. Marty Romijn closed, but Jobson stepped into the area and struck a powerful shot. Robbie Romijn got in the way of the shot, but the ball fell just right for Jobson to have a second chance. The rebound gave Jobson a second or two to pick his spot. As Basile rushed in to challenge, Jobson shot for the far post. Wray dived across but was unable to reach it and the Caps lead 1-0.

The Originals came out to attack in the fourth quarter, but AndyCapped did a good job in preventing them. the Caps came closer to going up with a second that the Os did with an equaliser. Patrick Laviolette nearly capitalised when Robbie Romijn sliced a clearance back along the goal and over the reach of his own keeper. Laviolette was only presented from scoring by the timely intervention of Darren Goggin.

AndyCapped take possession of the Coolmoves Shield for only the second time. A curious fact on their season so far: they've had three clean sheets this season with different goalkeepers delivering each one.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Barca on a team record of consecutive defeats, having scored only one goal in three games, against a Magic team on a league record of consecutive wins and two clean sheets.... surely there could be only one outcome in this match? And yet, if there is one team that the Magic don't like to play it is Barca Bay. In the four previous meetings, the Magic have only one win and that was in their first ever meeting. Still, the league table does not lie and the smart money was on the Magic to extend their streak. Even without lethal finisher Jody Bullen or defensive stalwart Paul Griffin, no-one was betting on Barca to cause an upset the runaway league leaders.

Yet from the off, the Magic looked troubled. Their usual coherence was missing and the youngsters were enjoying much of the ball. No Jamie Milne, but PJ Lupi and Stu Dunn were quite happily making their leader's absence unimportant.

An extended first quarter saw both teams exchange possession back and forth. There was little to worry either keeper and a solid midfield battle saw the majority of the ball. After about 15 minutes, Antony Tarrant (we think) found himself through with just the keeper to beat. He rounded Chem and seemed certain to score, but the pace of the ball took him wide. The angle proved too much and with both Chem and Wade De Graff back to cover goal, the chance was lost.

The break-through came in the 21st and final minute of the first quarter. A high ball into the area from Yorick Canale beat Tahl and fell just right for Blair Gilbert. Despite the close attention of Wade, Blair finished calmly as he slid the ball just under or by Chem and into the net.

It really should have been two before the break. PJ Lupi was presented with a great chance by an uncertain Magic defence. A searching ball forward was unconvincing headed away by Sandy. The ball bounced around Mike Jessett, Sandy and PJ. With Wade closing in to assist with the blonde bomber, the ball fell just right for PJ to unleash a shot. It beat Chem, but cannoned back off the cross bar.

The Magic could have equalised when Yorick miss-hit a clearance. It fell to Giuseppe. Mike Jessett run an unmarked overlap down the left and Giuseppe sent him the ball. Mike hit a cross ball over to Jordan, who immediately demanded a good save from David Plowright.

Shortly after, the Magic were denied another chance. Jordan tried to get the ball over David Plowright. David pushed it away and had to be strong to get to the rebound as a second chance looked likely.

Both teams exchanged chances as the third quarter progressed. It became clear that the next goal would decide the eventual winner.

Josh set-up PJ, but he delivered a miss-hit that bounced up off a divot to nearly beat Chem and Mike Jessett was denied by a mere deflection after some creative individual work from Steve Davey.

The killer goal came exactly half-way through the third quarter. Richard Steel was presented with the ball about 20 yards out in the middle of the park. With space in front of him, he pulled the ball down and ran towards goal. He shot early and hit it low to Chem's left. Chem dived, but was slow getting down and the ball went in just inside the post. After all the intricate play from both sides had failed to deliver, it was the simplest possible goal that decided the match.

The remainder of the game played out with Magic seemingly accepting defeat more and more as time progressed. Chem remained lively at the back, looking to take chances and feed the ball forward. Tahl was making most of the running from deep with the ball, but continually found his options blocked and failed to find any real chances.

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

HHH came into this match on the back of the first set of consecutive victories ever. As a counter-point, Bay Athletic were on the back of their first set of consecutive defeats. There were no surprises in the team line-ups. The Athletic have remained remarkably consistent and have used the smallest set of players in the squad, whilst the triple H line-up was drawn from the usual set, with just the inclusion of Kyle Spiers to replace Steve Gadd perhaps raising an eyebrow or two.

The match began in competitive fashion. Athletic started the brighter of the two sides and the Hs took five minutes or so to switch on. The Bay were unable to fashion any chances out of this starting ascendancy. The biggest threat to the HHH goal came from a skewed clearance by Brendan Gage that ricocheted high and back towards goal and called for Wray to bat away from Carlo Petagna's head before collecting.

It was tight game, competitive for both teams with neither really forcing the opposing keepers into heroics. Athletic pass and moved very effectively, testing and probing the triple H backline. They weren't really penetrating past the HHH defence though and possession was being hotly contested by both sides. Similarly, HHH were enjoying their share of the ball as well as inability to get in on goal. Then after thirty minutes, the game split wide open and firmly in the favour of the Hs with three quick goals.

A Dave Kropp headed clearance failed to find Paul Muollo. On the half way line, Jon Rowe stole possession of the ball. He turned and accelerated down the left, past Michael De Gregorio, then Lee Westlake. Bernie Muollo left Ken Okawa in the middle to close down Rowe. Jon hit a shot in with terrific power and Nick could only parry it away. It bounced towards the unmarked Okawa running towards the centre of the goal. The bounce of the ball was awkward and it looked too difficult for Ken to control. Instead he lunged at the ball, bundling both it and himself over the line. 1-0.

Three minutes later and once again it was Jon Rowe who would play the role of provider. Receiving a return ball from Joss Opie, Jon jinked around between Paul Muollo and Michael De Gregorio. Spotting an unmarked Thomas Probert run down from the right, Jon squared the ball from the left side of the area. Nick moved across to block the shot, but Probert calmly sidefooted the ball back towards the side of the goal from which Nick had come to make it 2-0. 

Just another two minutes and this time it was Ken Okawa who would create the goal. Out on the left side of midfield, he found himself in a fight for the ball with Bernie Muollo. With neither able to get the ball under control, Lee Westlake came over to assist Bernie. The ball bounced off towards Michael De Gregorio. Ken continued to fight for the ball, tackling Michael, losing his footing, quickly getting back up and passed the ball forward for Mark Soper. Soper still had a lot to do, with Lee Westlake moving in for the tackle. Soper hit his shot from outside the area just as Lee challenged. Somehow the effort deceived Nick Woolley in goal and the keeper remained stationary as the ball flew in past his right. 3-0.

Despite the 3-0 score line, the game remained tight for the third quarter. Neither side dominated and each team was enjoying as much possession as the other. Had the last five minutes of the first half been missed, it would be difficult to believe one team was leading the game by so much. HHH apparently switched off at half time and once again needed 5 to 10 minutes to get back into the stride. Whether it was the absence of Brendan Gage, subbed out for the third quarter, or the Hs relaxing on a lead is difficult to say, but Bay Athletic tried to use the triple H downtime to get back into the match.

They should have claimed it. From a corner, Simon Thomson scuffed a clearance under pressure from Dave Kropp. Matt Kolic failed to claim the ball with the goal at his mercy, but it rolled back to Paul Muollo. Paul hit a thunderous shot that might have gone in had it not been stopped by a great defensive block... by Athletic forward Matt Kolic!

Both teams could have claimed goals as the quarter progressed. Simon Thomson had a header from a corner narrowly clear the Athletic bar. From an Athletic corner, Wray failed to claim a ball he came for and Nick Thompson headed the ball clear off the line. Later, Nick Woolley made a terrific save to deny Jon Rowe.

Eventually the fourth came when Joss Opie performed an athletic leap to get on the end of a superb James Fairhall corner and direct the ball back across goal and down into the net.

A Paul Muollo cross ball split the HHH defence to send in Matt Kolic in ahead of Kyle Spiers. Keeper Michael Wray came out to close him and the both arrived at the ball in time, with Matt going tumbling up into the air. All eyes turned to referee George Aranyi. Was it a penalty? Aranyi signalled no, but there could have been little objection had he pointed to the spot. Athletic continued to attack and try to get at least a consolation goal. Bernie Muollo twisted and turned inside the area under the attention of Nick Thompson, setting himself up with a chance at the near post. But Wray closed down to save and Thompson put in a last challenge to pressure Bernie into shooting wide. A snapshot from distance flew inches wide, though Wray had dived across and had it well covered.

Mark Soper had two one-on-ones to finish off the Bay. Nick Woolley produced a good save to deny one, whilst the other went over - accompanied by claims of a bobble. Then in the final 10 minutes, Ken struck again with two goals inside a couple of  minutes. The first came when Nick stopped a Mark Soper shot and Ken followed up to tap in the rebound. The next came when Ken chased down a through ball (from Soper again?) and without pausing cheekily it flicked across the oncoming keeper.

For a team that only scored five goals in total for an entire season in 2005/06, the scoreline was an incredible achievement for HHH. It is a match that Bay Athletic would rather forget. In truth however, it was not a 6-0 game. The Hs benefited from some deadly finishing in front of goal, but the game stats would otherwise tell the story of a balanced match with little to separate the teams. Neither team should get too carried away with the result, though Triple H will enjoy the moment - especially Joss Opie, who has ended his jinx and won in a summer league fixture for the first time.

Vicarious Vic, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The Alberts are a team that run hot and cold. Since their opening three games, all draws, they have varied between scoring a bunch or conceding a bunch. No-one seems able to predict which version of the Fat Alberts will show for any given match. They have utilised a huge number of players as the search for a settled team has taken them well into the season.

Massey on the other hand have consistently been one of the league's power teams since they entered the competition in season two. And yet something has changed with the team this season. Where teams used to go into matches against them already intimidated, they now sense a chance to put one over the reigning champions. The problem seems to be a lack of stability in the squad, with many members of the dream team unavailable for selection for many games. This week would be no different, with only eight players available. Goalkeeper Nick Woolley was brought in from Bay Athletic on loan, as Scott Helson was absent for a third time this season.

The game itself is something we're not entirely qualified to report on. The Mount Albert Daily reporter had to leave to fulfil a prior engagement with most of the game remaining. We've taken on board some hearsay and second-hand gossip about the outcome of the match and stitched that together into a report of sorts. Hence, the MAD's usual policy of accepting copy from any source is even more open than normal and we would welcome any submission from any roving reporter out there who can elaborate on the match.

Early pressure was evident from the Alberts. Steve Scanell tested Woolley with shot from the edge of the area that looked destined for the corner of the net. The on-loan keeper produced an outstanding save to push the ball around the post.

Massey were not slow in coming forward though, using Sam Sheils and Aidan Teesdale as the outlet through which to distribute many of their early forays. The crosses came in too high though and Nimmo went untroubled.

The Alberts took the lead after just eight minutes. Shaun Howes sent in a ball from deep that James Hill converted. We don't actually know how the ball got from Shaun to the net, beyond the photo below and James being the credited scorer. Answers on a postcard please......

Three minutes later Rhys Cole delivered in a cross. The cross looked like it might go in on its own, when James Hill provided the faintest of touches to prevent Nick Woolley from being able to make the save. There was much debate on the sideline as to whether Hill had made any contact, but on review the goal was awarded to him.

After the game had completed just thirteen minutes, James completed his hat-trick. Collecting the ball from Darren Johnson, James drove in a terrific shot just inside the far post. The ball appeared to swerve, or possibly pick-up a deflection, requiring Nick to make the adjustment and allowing the ball to beat him and sneak inside the post.

 James Hill added two more goals during the third quarter, to set a new league record for the most individual goals scored in a single game. Then in the final quarter, Rhys Cole added another couple to give the Alberts the league record for the largest win. One of these was a deft flick back that Rhys delivered with his back to goal. The ball bounced up and appeared to beat Nick through his legs, with Rhys looking surprised to turn and see it in the net.

For the remainder of the game, although the Alberts went on to make it seven, it was not a justified score line. Massey spent their fair share of the game attacking and gave the Alberts defence several scares. James Nimmo was called on to earn his clean sheet and for the rest rode his luck. Massey should have had at least three goals to show for their efforts and flashed several chances just wide.

However, when it is not your day it is just not your day. Sometimes football just dishes out a day that is for your opponents to savour and the game will not let you do anything about it.

Where is the Coolmoves Shield? After defeating The Originals in the last Coolmoves Shield Challenge last weekend, AndyCapped have lodged a complaint with the league. Ricky Boyd, acting as spokesman for the Caps, declared it criminal that The Originals failed to handover possession of the coveted trophy.

 

Commissioner Peter Lye demanded the trophy be handed over, only to discover that its whereabouts are uncertain. Originals' manager Paul Thompson said that the Shield had been given to TV for safekeeping after it was won from Bay Athletic on 24 November. Club officials have not seen it since.

 

The Serious Fraud Office have been called in to review TV's financial records after rumours circulated about the hair dye commodities market being cornered by a big buyer. It was found that a large sum of money went in and then out of TV's off-shore accounts. Shortly after, TV turned up at Mount Albert Park with a new car.

After assessing the black market for stolen Shields, the SFO declared that the funding of the Mercedes had two separate sources - both of which were evident in the questionable audit trail of transactions.

The police have uncovered the source of the secondary funding and the truth is even more shocking than we initially feared. Shield sponsor Rod Lawson has not been seen since he last played for the Originals in the same game that the Os won the shield in the first place. The coincidence is too great to be ignored. Evidence has been found that he has been forced into a slave labour as a wee Scots rent boy. It transpires that the Vice Squad have had Rod under surveillance for weeks. Footage of him selling favours in car parks across the Wellington region have surfaced on the internet.

 

Since the investigation of TV began, witnesses have been mysteriously disappearing. The possibility that TV has enacted some form of Mafioso clean-up operation has police seriously concerned for the safety of the wee man.

CSI detectives have combed the house of Mr Lawson. A disturbing level of trace evidence has been found in the Scotsman's bath to suggest that he was drowned in a solution of Grecian Formula. This further implicates TV, who is well known for holding excessive volumes of the product in his garage.

If you have any information that can assist in the location of either the Shield or its sponsor, we urge you to come forward before it is too late.

 

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

This is one of the greater rivalries that the Summer League has created, fuelled by the two teams being divisional rivals in Capital 5 during 2005 and 2006. In regular season match-ups, the Hs generally win. When it comes to the post-season the Caps always win. They have twice met the HHH in the Wooden Spoon playoff and won each time, albeit once on penalties. However, this is the first time the two have met in a Coolmoves Shield match.

Of the two teams, the pre-christmas selection problems hit the Caps more. Regulars Joe Murphy, Ricky Boyd and Phil Jones were absent, their places taken by two temporary signings and the loan of Mike Jessett from the Magic. HHH dipped deeper into the squad, but were able to put out a team made up of regulars despite Brendan Gage, Simon Bratt and Mark Soper missing a game for first time this season. James Irvine made his first appearance after pre-season injury and Anthony Comerford came back in after a lengthy absence to make his 18th Summer League appearance for the Hs.

For the second week running, it was Summer League with an emphasis on summer and a strong sun meant that the temperature was high. Perhaps this was why so many players from both teams were looking to shed layers and forego shin pads. Referee Gary Oosterbaan noticed several unprotected shins, in contravention of Summer League Regulation 19, and players were ordered off to fix their equipment. [Take note: whilst Gary, as the most experienced and professional of our refs, is more likely to notice such infringements, all referees should be enforcing these conditions. There is no point in moaning to the ref that one or two of the other refs don't notice or that the ref should inspect your equipment prior to kick-off. This is Summer League and it is your responsibility to be familiar with the league regulations.]

HHH settled into their game quicker than AndyCapped, probably as a result of the unfamiliarity in the Caps line-up. However, the first goal came before either team had managed to put any moves together and it was a moment of individual brilliance from left back Nick Thompson. From deep inside his own half, Nick dispossessed Matt Viliamu.

The ball bobbled loose towards Andy Jessett, but Nick accelerated to claim it first before going around Richard Swallow.

Tony Spellacey tried to tackle him, but as they clashed Nick took the ball away, leaving Tony on the ground. Then Nick evaded Greg Spencer's tackle to find himself on the edge of the area with just Corb Tate to beat. Nick placed the ball to Corb's right, just past the keeper's reach, to make it 1-0.

Tony Spellacey complained to the referee, causing Gary to delay the kick-off to deliver a lecture audible to the whole pitch - words to the effect that Tony fouled Nick and not the other way round - and the goal stood.

Both teams threatened as the quarter progressed. Of the two keepers though, it was Corb Tate who was having to save his defence. The triple H defenders were holding off Paul Atkins, who was not getting a great deal of help, and it was only when Simon Jobson or Tony Spellacey made one of their runs from deep that they looked dangerous. Ken Okawa, exuding confidence over the last few weeks, was being man-marked by Richard Swallow. This gave James Fairhall more space down the right and the speedy winger was clearly enjoying himself.

The second quarter saw Patrick Laviolette join Atkins up front. This gave the Caps more options in attack and an equaliser began to look more likely.

However, HHH would strike next with a goal that possibly had an element of luck to it. The Hs won a free kick on the left edge of the area. Jon Rowe played a low ball inside the two man wall and it looked like a simple collect for Corb Tate.

Sam Irvine managed to get outside of Greg Spencer for a touch of the ball. The re-direction was enough to deflect the ball towards the inside post and beyond the reach of Corb.

Only a minute later, HHH scored again. From a throw-in, Thomas Probert exchanged some neat passes to get ahead of Richard Swallow and in space to set-up himself up for a run towards goal. Before Greg Spencer could close and with Corb rushing out, Thomas side footed the ball to Corb's right.

It could have been 4-0 before half-time. Jon Rowe hit a long range effort that was dipping into the top corner of the net until Corb dived across to push over the ball with a terrific save.

For the third quarter AndyCapped attacked HHH with vigour and for the only period of the game, the HHH backline looked vulnerable. Mike Jessett came into the triple H area a lot more than previously and the Caps probed for a way back into the match. They almost claimed it in the first few minutes of the half. Tony Spellacey sent in a ball for Patrick Laviolette. Patrick managed to turn Andy Poole to give himself space for a shot inside the area. Michael Wray dived across to block the effort, but Patrick miss-hit his shot. Ironically this almost created the goal as the ball bounced awkwardly goalwards and Wray could only react with a parry. The ball hit a defender and ricocheted back for the keeper to claim.

AndyCapped were put on warning not to go on all-out attack a couple of minutes later when Ken Okawa set-up James Fairhall for drive at goal and his shot only just went wide. Then only a series of brilliant saves prevented it from going 4-0. Ken Okawa was put through for a one-on-one with Corb. The keeper put in a well-timed tackle at Ken's feet  to send the ball away from the forward. Anthony Comerford ran onto the loose ball to shoot, but again Corb - still getting up after the first save - threw himself down to block. The ball bounced clear to James Fairhall for another chance, but James' shot found the carpark.

AndyCapped's closest chance came just before the end of the quarter. A long high ball into the HHH area was well read by Tony Spellacey. Tony ran into the gap between Andy Poole and Nick Thompson to direct a looping header towards goal. Keeper Michael Wray, who had stepped forward, leaped up but found the ball beyond his reach and was relieved to see it dip down behind the bar and not into the net.

For the final quarter, the story was more about HHH's failure to convert a fourth. Ken Okawa sent over a cross for Anthony Comerford. The cross beat Corb Tate and Ants had a simple job to put it away, but somehow placed it wide. 

Triple H did score a fourth. James Fairhall found an unmarked Ken at the back post. Ken made no mistake in side-footing it in, only for the ref to disallow it for offside. We need the photograph from a split second earlier to be sure and the angle doesn't help, but the available evidence suggests that the referee was correct.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Both teams arrived at this fixture fresh from ending winning and losing streaks. Barca's defeat of Black Magic last week ended their three game sequence of defeats, whilst the Os lost the Shield to the Caps after winning three on the trot.

We believe that this match fielded the first father against son contest that the League has witnessed. Due to player availability problems, Barca had recalled ex-Original Karl Romijn from the wilderness. It was his first game since contesting the 2006 Jessett Cup Final. On that day, he lined up alongside father Marty but today he would be going against dad.

The one thing the Originals have brought to competition this year is banter. Traditionally banter is something you give the opposition, the ref, the crowd.... with the Os, the banter is between themselves. Whether it is the repetition of "what part of on the ground do you not understand" or other all-round jibes and insults, one can't but wonder whether they should hire themselves out for parties. The Harlem Globetrotters, but without the flair. Or the trotting.

Barca gave themselves a scare early on when one of their players nearly pulled the ball back and into his own net. Whether this was uncertainty at the back due to having an unfamiliar keeper is hard to say, but the Originals were definitely looking the sharper of the two teams and the more likely to score.

And so it would prove. Peter Chung was set-up with a pull-back across the area that presented him with space in the middle just outside the box. Peter hit it to the inside post and the keeper was unable to respond. Remarkably, this is Peter's first ever goal in Summer League.

A few minutes later, Jeremy Van Lier put his side in trouble. Under no pressure at the back and looking to play it long, Jeremy played his pass directly to Thurl Gibbs 10 yards away in front of him. This put Thurl through on goal and his low shot was pushed aside unconvincingly by Crooks, the stand-in Barca keeper.

Barca were struggling to get the ball forward. Robbie Romijn, who played the first half in goal for the Os, was having an easy time. Most of his interventions were simple catches or sweeping up long balls that came in behind his defence.

After half an hour, John Barton pick up the ball from just inside the Barca half. With Blair Gilbert pressuring him and Darren Douglass running up alongside in support, John pulled it square to Darren as they reached the area. Yorick Canales came to close Darren, but not before he'd released a shot to the left side of goal. Crooks was caught flat-footed and could not get down to his left in time to prevent the goal. 2-0.

With the half winding down, Barca finally gave the Originals a fright when Fuad Wadow put an effort wide from a few yards out, to his obvious frustration. It spurred on the Barca lads though and they were able to take that momentum into the second half. Where the first half had been one way traffic directed at Barca, the second half was a more enjoyable contest for the youngsters with end-to-end football. In truth, neither side managed to really threaten. Then the Originals added a third. A John Barton lead attack had broken down, giving possession back to Barca and with four Os left up field, it seemed an opportunity to break was on. However, a sloppy giveaway from the Barca lads, possibly Yorick, presented on-loan Paul Muollo with a shooting chance. He hit it with his right foot directly to the far post and in the net. Little wonder that The Originals have expressed an interest in regaining his services from Athletic on a permanent basis.

Barca were able to grab a consolation goal. After a break down the right, Darren Goggin, second half keeper for the Os, was forced to concede a corner to prevent Ed Oosterbaan from getting a header on goal. From the corner, Jamie Milne flicked on a header to Fuad Wadow. Fuad's shot was blocked by Alfie Basile. Jamie was the quickest to react to the loose ball and smashed it into the net. With John Barton and Paul Muollo on the posts, Rod Lawson just ahead of them and Darren Goggin closing in on the ball, Jamie's shot had to be precise to find the net.

Less than a minute later, Barca came close to making a real game of it. Karl Romijn hit a long range effort that required Goggin to be alert in order to get down low to stop and hold. The fourth quarter threatened to produce a come-back. Barca had several close chances. Alfie Basile had to do well to block Stu Dunn when Stu was otherwise through on goal. Then Stu took on and beat Alf from out-wide to deliver a cross for Dominic Scott. Dom's shot cleared the bar by mere inches.

Stu was involved in another close chance. Karl beat Alfie to a header in the area to flick the ball on to Stu unmarked near the post. Stu could have been off-side, but it was academic as the ball picked up speed from the bounce and Stu was unable to stretch to give the ball the touch it needed.

Fuad, Stu, Karl and Jamie were definitely creating problems and Barca were bringing more and more pressure to bear. First Richard Steel delivered a series of long throws into the area and then Barca had five corners inside a couple of minutes. If Barca had brought this level of intensity to the game from the start, instead of saving it all for the final quarter, they may have been able to take something away from the match. Instead, they left empty-handed and the Originals keep the pressure on in the race to catch the Magic.

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The largest loan deal ever to be brokered saw the Massey Coolmoves line-up with 10 HHH players, not to mention one temporary signing, and no Massey squad players. By contrast, Bay Athletic stuck to their usual select squad, though they also brought in a temporary signing from Hawkes Bay to replace the absent Matt Kolic.

Both sides enjoyed chances in an attractive first quarter. The makeshift Massey line-up came close to opening the scoring inside a few minutes. James Fairhall received a layoff from Thomas Probert to rifle in a shot from distance. It looked like it might go over, but dipped down goalwards without losing power. Nick Woolley was relieved to push it up onto the bar and out for a corner.

Athletic were pushing themselves and Ian Paterson got down the left and behind the Massey defence to test Michael Wray with a low shot. The longish grass took much of the pace out of the effort and Wray was left with a simple collect from his dive. A little later, Ian collected the ball to set himself up for a one-on-one with just the keeper to beat. He showed too much of the ball to Wray, who was able to block the effort down at feet.

As the quarter drew to a close, some tight ball control from Adam Wilson just outside the Massey area broke down when Joss Opie lost his footing. Ian Paterson collected the ball and struck a shot goalwards. Wray was unable to reach it, allowing Ian to open the scoring with his first ever Summer League goal.

For the most part, the second quarter failed to produce the goalmouth action of the first. Both teams were putting together some good moves, but in each case the final ball failed to penetrate through either defence. Dylan Morgan forced Wray to push a long-range shot over the bar.

Mike De Gregorio attempted to amuse the crowd by ball-walking. It didn't work - the ball-walking that is, the amusement was evident - and Mike fell off the moving ball the minute he stood on it.

Athletic sat back and defended their lead for the third quarter. Massey were able to push forward for the equaliser, but again were struggling to get past the defence. When they did, Nick prevented the finish.

Thomas Probert had the best chance for Massey. His direct free kick went past the wall and Nick did not move as the ball flew towards goal. The ball went inches past the post.

Bay Athletic didn't just defend their lead for the fourth quarter. They came out in search of a second goal. It took half the final quarter and some luck for them to get it. Ian Paterson sent over a low cross into a crowded area and Dylan Morgan was able to send a weak shot to Wray's left. As the keeper moved to block, Simon Bratt deflected the ball back to the other side. Wray tried to change direction but now had his weight on the wrong foot and couldn't adjust.

The dubious goals panel were called into to determine the goal's owner and after due consideration have awarded an own goal to Simon.

Unfortunately, we must announce the withdrawal of Massey Coolmoves from the 2007/08 competition. A Brooklyn based team known as Biffa's Harpoon have agreed to take over so that the season may be completed without disruption.

The team are a mix of the Brooklyn Third Team from Capital 4 and the Brooklyn Masters Team. Several of their players are familiar to us and we know that two of them have previous Summer League experience. We wish Biffa's Harpoon luck in the four games that they will participate in and hope that this may become the start of a new team for future Summer League seasons.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

With the demise of Massey Coolmoves, Biffa's Harpoon have stepped in to plug the gap at short notice. Two of the Biffa players have Summer League pedigree. Brent Watson played one match for the Originals a couple of seasons ago, whilst Ants Comerford is a regular HHH player who defected to Brooklyn three years back.

Biffa have taken over Massey's season-to-date results for the purpose of the league table. Realistically, this means that the remainder of this season is about preparation for next year rather than an assault on the title. Having said that, the fight to avoid the wooden spoon begins properly in the playoffs and it is a genuine chance for the Harpoons to set themselves up for 2008/09. The headline news for Athletic was the return of Ryan Du Plessis to playing duty after nearly a year out with injury. The forward had even celebrated the occasion with a visit to Elton John's hairdresser...

It was a tentative start for the league's newest franchise. Athletic may not be much older as a team, but they have some of the most experienced Summer League players in their ranks and they've had a tough 2007/08 campaign through which to condition themselves. The early chances fell to Athletic. Carlo Petagna switched a cross-field ball to set-up Paul Muollo for a first time hit. Paul didn't connect as well as he would have liked and the ball was easily collected by the keeper. Then Sam Hooper, yet to record a Summer League goal, fired narrowly over from long range.

After eight minutes the opening goal came. A shot from distance (De Gregorio? Kropp? Hooper?) seemed to take catch the Harpoon keeper by surprise. He could only get his right palm onto the ball and it deflected up and away to the back post. Matt Kolic was the first to react and as the ball came down he stretched out his right boot to flick it in.

Six minutes later Athletic added to their lead. Ironically, it came after the Harpoon had managed to put some pressure on the Athletic defence. Ants and Brent were running hard and physical, but failing to achieve any penetration for their efforts. Dave Kropp, Paul Muollo and Ryan Du Plessis seized possession of the ball to launch a breakaway attack. A long ball found Anton De Gregorio unmarked at the post. With a defender closing, Anton got up to direct his header down into the goal.

During the second quarter, Biffa's Harpoon enjoyed one of their best periods of the game. We're not sure which Harpoon it was, but a long range effort forced Nick into his first proper save of the game.

Athletic had a couple of decent chances to finish the half on a high. Dave Kropp failed to beat the keeper with a side-footed shot that he perhaps should have done better with and Matt Kolic had a header that was directed straight into the keeper's arms.

Just a few minutes into the half, Michael De Gregorio scored a spectacular goal to put the game beyond doubt. Receiving the ball from Carlo, Mike shot from around 25 yards. Remarkably, after four years of Summer League football, this is Mike's first ever goal.

Overall the Biffs were threatening more and the game looked like an even contest. Ants Comerford was marauding down the right, whilst Brent Watson was giving the defence problems. More often than not however, the quality of ball being delivered to Brent was poor and as a result Nick was enjoying an easier time than he could perhaps feel entitled to. Mike De Gregorio was running the game in the middle of the pitch and responsible for much of the Harpoon's failure to progress.

Nevertheless, there were several chances for the Biffs and they enjoyed a series of chances early in the fourth. Brent turned Anton several  times to hit a shot on the turn. Nick had to be alert to get down to his left and save well. Daniel burst down the right to square for Brent. With just the keeper to beat, Brent tried to shoot with his first touch but it spun wide for a real let off. Then Nigel Moore hit a ferocious shot to the top right corner, demanding a great save to stop, which Nick duly delivered.

Finally, Athletic punished the Harpoons for their profligacy. An awkward cross deceived the keeper, who failed to collect under pressure from Matt. The ball dropped, hit the ground and bounced up away from anyone. The keeper desperately batted the ball away, but instead of going safe it fell to the feet of Anton. Anton pulled it round to the centre before shooting into the corner of the net.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

This was a match that both teams were desperate to win in order to get up into the Jessett Cup playoff spots. As a result, the match was fast paced and offered end-to-end action to entertain the crowd with some attacking football.

Barca had the first real chance. Stu Dunn's low shot was kicked back by keeper James Nimmo and landed at the feet of Jamie Milne. Jamie returned it with a shot that was just wide.

From a corner, Ricky Boyd challenged Barca keeper David Plowright. It was enough to put off the young keeper. David tried to punch the ball clear, but merely scraped the ball, sending it down.

It bounced up and hit one of the defenders on the arm. The Caps called for the penalty, but the ref apparently ruled the handball as accidental. Whilst this was probably the correct decision, Barca put themselves back in danger with a poor clearance that fell near Simon Jobson. Simon's shot went narrowly over and Barca escaped.

Early in the second quarter, an error from David Plowright nearly allowed Paul Atkins to score. David fumbled a catch from a Ricky Boyd shot at the near post. Paul Atkins was lurking and almost got in, but David recovered enough to pressure Paul into shooting wide.

Barca were looking vulnerable at the back through the second quarter. Richard Swallow hustled Jeremy Van Lier into giving up possession just outside the area. With Patrick available to his left, Richie elected to take on the shot himself but put it over. Then hesitancy between Jeremy and Blair allowed Paul Atkins a chance, but Paul put it wide. 

With the Cap defence marking Jamie Milne very tightly and physically, Barca were struggling to get through to test Nimmo. The second quarter was a very easy quarter for the keeper and Barca were lucky to go into the half-time break still level.

Yet Barca nearly opened the game up at the beginning of the third. Nimmo came to the edge of the area to collect a high ball, but missed it. The ball took a huge bounce and with both Jamie Milne and  Dominic Scott lurking, he tried to punch clear. He missed the ball, which presented Dominic with a chance to score, but his header bounced wide.

Paul Atkins got through the middle for a one-on-one with David Plowright. The keeper put in a saving tackle, which stopped the ball dead. Paul's momentum carried him away from the ball, whilst David lay stranded on the ground. Patrick Laviolette was lurking and tried to get to the ball for what would have been a simple open goal finish. David managed to stretch his legs out to kick the ball clear whilst still on the ground to avert the danger.

It seemed incredible for the game to still be scoreless as the fourth quarter started. Both teams had spurned chances, but AndyCapped certainly should have been leading.

Finally the breakthrough came. Tony Spellacey took advantage of possession just inside the Barca area to turn inside Blair Gilbert. There were four Cappers in the Barca area and Tony had only the Barca keeper ahead of him. Blair and Yorick seemed to stop to watch the inevitable and Tony took all the time he needed. Only Josh came in to close him down, but he arrived just as Tony shot and the Caps had the lead they'd been threatening for so long.

Tony could and should have had a second. A defensive giveaway around the Barca area presented him with an effort that he should have at least got on target, but he put it over the bar.

Late in the game the result was put beyond doubt, but there was an element of luck involved. Ricky Boyd found himself with just Jeremy Van Lier to beat to get through to David. As he tried to get the ball under control and away from Jeremy, Ricky stood on the ball. He was able to recover his balance, but the accident stopped the ball completely and Jeremy's momentum took him away. Ricky stepped back to get the ball back in front of him and slotted home under the advancing keeper.

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The league's two form teams met, both with top four and Shield ambitions. The league's second best attack (Alberts), boasting golden boot leader James Hill, against the league's second best defence (HHH).... which would prevail? With the Alberts also having conceded more goals than everyone except Massey, the smart money was on a game to produce goals.

The first blood came to HHH. After eight minutes, a deep pass went into the Alberts penalty area. Simon Bratt beat everyone to the ball and shot through the crowd. The ball went in, for his first ever Summer League goal.

Just before the quarter ended, the Alberts leveled the match. Rhys Cole got away from his marker to enjoy a free header at the back post. He directed his header just inside the post. Wray dived but couldn't quite reach.

The Alberts almost snatched the lead in the seconds remaining to the quarter break. From out wide, James Hill beat Adam Wilson to create space for a shot. The shot had power but should have been an easy enough collect for Wray. Instead, the keeper fumbled the catch and the ball spilled loose for Rhys Cole.

Cole immediately released a powerful shot, but Wray threw himself down to block the shot with his chest.

Jon Rowe came very close to restoring the lead to HHH. From a free kick, his effort beat the wall and keeper Mark Boyland, but it hit the post. There was enough power behind the shot for it to rebound back out for a throw-in.

In the final minute of the half, Jon Rowe sent in a deep cross to Thomas Probert. Tom's shot beat Mark Boyland on its way in off the back post.

The lead lasted minutes. Almost immediately after the second half started, some comedy defending in difficult winds gifted the Alberts with an equaliser. Under pressure from John Sutherland, James Fairhall managed to head a Rhys Cole cross back towards his own goal. Goalkeeper Michael Wray dived across to save the own goal, but couldn't reach. The ball bounced back off the bar. John Sutherland reacted quickest. He flattened the keeper on his way through to the ball, putting both ball and player into the back of the net, injuring Wray in the process, who played the rest of the game in pain.

Ten minutes later, the Alberts took the lead. A poor defensive clearance was sent back in to Lucas Cordeiro just outside the area. His shot came through a crowd of players. Wray got a hand to the shot, but not enough to prevent the goal.

The Hs went in search of an equaliser and occasionally tested Mark Boyland, but the truth was that they struggled to cope with the windy conditions. A high ball nearly beat Boyland and Adam Wilson came close from a free kick, but the Alberts were able to hold out.

Eventually, the Hs got caught on the counter. James Hill beat Joss Opie before firing past Wray to put the game beyond doubt.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Watching the first quarter it was difficult to believe that Black Magic were the team on top of the table and that the Originals were supposed to be the underdogs. Or that the last meeting between these two teams ended in a 7-1 thrashing of the Originals. The Magic looked to be a team in disarray and the Os were not wasting any time trying to take advantage of it. At one point they even resorted to rugby, when one of the Magic defenders dragged down an Original who would have been through on goal - surely a challenge that should have resulted in a sin-bin?

Justice was served a little later when the Originals took the lead. Paul Muollo, making an on-loan appearance for his old club, beat Dave Da Vanzo down the left and sent in a low cross for George Aranyi. George had to stretch to get a touch, but he managed it ahead of Sandy Pawson. Chem had slid out, but George's re-direction of the ball left him stranded. Chem stuck out a hand, but couldn't get enough of a contact on it and the ball trickled in.

Before the quarter ended, the Magic showed that they were still a danger. Steve Davey produced some good work down the left wing to deliver a perfect cross for Dave Da Vanzo at the back post. Da Vanzo's header cleared the bar, but it could so easily have been 1-1.

When the second quarter came, the Magic took control. Whether going behind had provoked a competitive response or whether the Originals diluted their form due to having a squad of 13 and wholesale substitutions each break is unclear. In a reversal of the first period, Black Magic pushed hard for the equaliser.

Almost immediately, Dave Da Vanzo came very close to providing it. A free kick from out wide was delivered into the box and squared to Dave. Dave's shot could have only been inches away.

Despite the Magic pressure, the Originals came close to increasing their lead. First, a terrible back pass from a Magic defender (unfortunately we didn't get who) almost lobbed Chem. The keeper had to leap up and control the ball with his head to stop it going in and then wait for it to come down so he could hoof it. The ball bobbled unkindly and one of the Os closed him to lob, but Magic got away with it as the ball cleared the bar.

The Originals had the next decent chance too. This time they earned it. TV put in some good work down the right before delivering a fantastic cross to Thurl at the back post. Thurl's header bounced down in front of the goal and beat Chem. It also beat the bar and bounced over.

Midway through the quarter, Steve Davey collected a pass from Tahl around the half-way line. Steve proceeded to take the ball clean through the Originals defence, beating Rod Lawson, John Barton and Steve Hughes before slotting the ball in past Robbie Romijn. It was the equaliser that they had been threatening all quarter.

It was nearly a complete turnaround before the half. Jordan Morris almost embarrassed Robbie Romijn with a nutmeg. Robbie's ankle just took enough pace out of the ball, but he then had to fend off Jordan long enough to get hold of it.

Then Dave Paterson squandered a great opportunity. Tahl's pinpoint cross put Dave through, but he fluffed his shot and to let off the Os.

Black Magic continued to look dangerous through into the second half, with Steve Davey in particular driving the league leaders forward. Steve Davey and Dave Paterson combined well to set-up Dave, but he dragged his shot very wide when he should have at least tested Robbie in goal. Marty Romijn came close to scoring the own goal of the season when he chested a Steve Davey cross out for a corner. Then Steve Hughes gave the ball away to Dave Paterson just a few yards outside the Originals penalty area, but Dave's shot was weak. The Magic were creating and wasting so many chances that for a while it looked like they would never score.

Then again, they were creating chances and surely they couldn't miss them all? Perhaps they would need some luck.... when Tahl took the ball down the right, pulled the ball back for Steve Davey to shoot it looked like another lost opportunity. Alf Basille lunged to block and the ball ricocheted like a pinball before Dave Paterson got a touch (whether he knew anything about it is a matter for discussion).... and the ball trickled in so so slo--o--owly.

For the final quarter, Black Magic continued to enjoy the better build-up play and chances to score, but the Os were venturing further forward themselves.

The Magic were still putting together some nice moves. Kevin Provis sent Steve Davey down the line, Steve crossed to Dave Da Vanzo, Dave flicked it on to Kevin and Kevin struck a rocket of a shot that Robbie did fantastically well to punch wide.

Overall the Os can't be too unhappy with the scoreline. The amount of chances that the Magic wasted meant that another spanking would not have been entirely unjust and a single goal deficit means that the Originals still have something to show for their efforts.

Following hard on the heels of the recent visit of David Beckham to Westpac stadium, celebrity spotters were given another opportunity to star gaze at a football match when aging rocker Elton John made a surprise marquee appearance for Bay Athletic in the Jessett Cup summer league.

John was enthusiastic about the way the game went "I feel I slotted into the team really well. I saw a number of openings but I'm not as quick as I once was, the gaps closed up on me just a little too quick. I would have slid in, but apparently that's against the rules. Such a shame."

Excited fans were keen to learn what the renowned party-goer had planned for his night in Wellington. Quizzed after the game John said he was looking forward to a nice dinner and that following the game he thought he “rather fancied a nice Italian”.

Quite why Elton John was in Wellington remains a mystery. Contrary to rumours circulating around the ground on Saturday, a spokesman for the singer has denied that Phoenix star Daniel is John's brother and that he had not arrived in Wellington to spend time with him.

Following a second successive victory manager Muollo was surprisingly sharp with reporters when questioned about how John's high profile appearance had improved the mood in the camp "Hey, get this straight, there's nothing camp about my squad...OK, maybe one or two of the Italian guys spend a bit of time on their hair, but that's just about taking pride in your personal appearance, OK."

In the wake of last weekend's defeat to Fat Alberts and allegations of pre-match drinking binges a la George Best, HHH United coach James Fairhall today called a press conference. He issued the following statement to the national press:

 

 

---

Apologies first. Let me explain why it is that on Saturday I played like a blind paraplegic four year old missing half his brain.

Reason Numero Uno: I have come to learn that alcohol is not my friend. And in synergy with a Mr. Farrar and Mr. Bratt it becomes liquid Damian i.e. Satan spawn. In particular I would like to single out the $7.00 black death X2 (a.k.a Black Sambuca) as devil juice and not a sound investment - the returns are two days of pain and severe detriment to motor function (hence my mint first touch on Saturday).

Reason Numero Dos: Sleep is crucial. 6am return home birds chirping is not good sleep prep for a 70min game of football. Especially not Summer Football in the blistering Wellington heat.

Reason Numero Tres: The pressure. With four great wins behind us there was just too much pressure on me. I am Jose Torinho not Jose Morinho.
 

 

However I should have known better. When you've had no sleep and you're hung like a dog you should not be on the field. I did try to keep myself off and actually sat myself out for the first two quarters (during which I laid the meanest dirtiest cable ever at the fields across the road - nasty stuff). Maybe I should have heeded the old saying - If you're laying filthy shite you'll be playing filthy shite (not so much an old saying, more of a new one I just coined while drunk and writing this rant - but I like it).
 

Anyway in my defence my left back kind of caught me off guard when he did a timely 'step over' in the box. Without thought (in hindsight thought may have been wise) I thrust forward my ever reliable left (note with motor impairment my foot eye co-ord left a bit to be desired). Instead of a whopping great hoof over the sideline I sliced it off my boot sideways over Mikey and onto the cross bar. Sure it bounced back. Maybe I should have redeemed myself at this stage. But unfortunately my reaction speed was a tad affected, or maybe I just don't like to header the ball, or (surely the majority - well definitely me would say) it was the extreme weather conditions and the wind that blew the ball away from my header (let me clarify - not fake) and allowed the oppo player to bash one thru Mikey. Basically it was an abortion.

I apologise. Although that is two crossbars in two weeks. Even the same end, and almost exactly the same spot on the bar. One was good and one forgettable (please - I don't want another Crack Newtown Park).

Now that that unpleasantness is behind us it is time to focus on this weekend. This is a big game lads. Ucking Huge in fact. We must finish top four. This is imperative - we don't want another Wooden Spoon Lester season now do we.

Fairhall closed his statement with a rallying cry to his troops and received the official presentation of his Three Days Clean certificate.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The first game of the weekend was a glorified friendly as the result could make no difference to the finishing position of either team. Pride is a powerful motivator, however, and the game set-off at a tremendous pace. Paul Griffin playing wide on the left attacked frequently down the flank and his team mates regularly looked to out the ball in space for him to chase. The lively start didn't really generate any goal scoring chances though, with both teams limited to trying their luck with long range shots that failed to trouble either keeper.

A throw-in from Tahl, flicked on by Steve Davey, gave Giuseppe a chance to score. With only the keeper to beat from just a few yards, Giuseppe scuffed his shot tamely back to the keeper. Shortly after, the Magic won a corner down their right. When the corner was crossed over at height, two Magic players leapt to meet it but not a single Harpoon player reacted. Tahl found himself ahead of Sandy with a free head. He made good use of that freedom to direct the ball back towards the near corner. Richard Harbour, caretaker keeper for the Biffs, moved across to make the save but was unable to prevent the goal. 1-0 Magic.

Brent Watson was tireless in his pursuit of the ball up front. Several times he nearly caught Chem in possession and the Magic defenders were having to stay alert not to give the ball away in their back third.

Despite the high work rate, the Biffs attack weren't really getting through on goal. The game gradually slowed down to a pace that suited the more experienced Magic and they were generally keeping the ball away from their opponents.

Kevin Provis came close to doubling the lead when he dispossessed one of the Harpoon players to send himself through for a shot on goal. The effort beat the keeper, but also cleared the bar.

For the third quarter, it was one way traffic. The Magic were pressing constantly and the Biffs were struggled to get out of their own half, yet no goal would come. Kevin Provis charged down a clearance from Richard. The keeper was relieved to see the ricochet go wide of the post.
 

Then Richard came to claim a cross, but missed the ball. It fell to Mike Jessett with just Shannon between him and the net. Mike got off his shot, but Richard recovered across really well to make the save.

Towards the end of the quarter, Shannon Doyle put in some good work down the right. Fending off the attentions of Mike Jessett, he set-up Sandy for a drive at goal but the shot was a comfortable save for Chem.

The final quarter was a much more even contest, with both sides pressing for a goal. Black Magic should have put the result beyond doubt by the 63rd minute, but with a single goal lead the game was still up for grabs.

Brent Watson saw Chem straying away from his goal, perhaps a little too far off his line, and sent in a speculative lob. The ball dropped into the back of the net to give Biffa's Harpoon their first ever Summer League goal. With just seven minutes remaining, could the Biffs hang on for their first draw?

Sadly for them, the answer was no. Leading Magic scorer Jody Bullen collected the ball on the run before releasing a shot at goal. Controversy fired up with the entire defence claiming that Jody controlled the ball with his hand. Given the mass spontaneity of the claim, it is difficult to believe the claims were unjustified. However, the ref did not see the incident and the goal stood. The complaints may have been justified, but the abuse directed at the ref was worthy of a red-card.

 

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The first meaningful game of the day, but only to one of the participants. Barca would remain seventh in the table regardless of the result. HHH would remain in the top four provided they did not lose by two goals or more, though a win would guarantee a decent seeding. The Hs had never lost to Barca, so were confident of protecting the required margin despite gaps in the match day squad.

Both sides announced enforced changes to their starting line-ups. The Hs were missing Probert, Opie, Okawa and Rowe - all vital parts of their most successful Summer League season ever. Barca's absences were mainly at the back, leading to a first cap for Xavier Scott in goal, the recall of Ben Wierenga and a couple of temporary signings.

Referee Simon Morris called for the game to start without allowing either team a few minutes warm-up. This seemed to affect the Hs more than their young opponents. The early part of the first quarter belonged to Barca, as did most of the first quarter. If asked to believe this was second versus seventh, you would not identified the teams correctly. Jamie Milne and Stu Dunn were enjoying a bit of a free run around the HHH penalty area and it was a few minutes before the Hs got their bearings.

Jamie came closest to opening the scoring with a flicked on header. It looped dangerously and keeper Wray elected to push it away rather than risk the catch.

HHH improved as the quarter progressed. Mark Soper sent in a speculative cross-shot that tested Xavier in the Barca goal. Xavier did well to palm it out for a corner.

Then Simon Bratt, who scored his first Summer League goal after 24 games last week, won the ball in a contest with Richard Steel. Turning to face towards goal, Si hit a powerful shot low to Xavier's right. The keeper dived, but the shot's power took it into the corner of the net and Si had two goals in two games.

The lead only last three minutes, thanks to a terrible goalkeeping error from Michael Wray. From out wide, Richard Steel sent a searching cross into the box for Dominic Scott. Wray came to collect, but allowed the ball to bounce in front of him and failed to complete the catch. Instead the ball skidded past his side and sat in front of the vacant goal for Dominic Scott to tap home.

The third quarter saw an open game with threatening moves at both ends of the pitch, but little to endanger either net. The first clear chance fell to Barca just before the next break. Jamie Milne (we think) set-up Jeremy Van Lier with a chance on goal. Jeremy's shot was bounced off James Fairhall and span to the feet of Richard Steel. Wray had dived to block the original shot from Van Lier and was still scrambling back across goal as Steel shot past Andy Poole to complete Barca's comeback.

This set-up a unique situation for the fourth quarter. Barca were winning and therefore happy to defend what they had. HHH were happy to defend the point they had. It meant neither team were taking chances in their pursuit for goals. The Hs were trying to time-waste more overtly and as a result, it seemed that Barca were the more interested of the two teams to find another goal. HHH still attacked, but it was more as a means of keeping the ball away from their own goal as they waited for a chance to present itself.

Barca came the closer of the two teams to scoring as only one decent chance was produced by either team for the rest of the match. Henry Velvin (we think) jinked around Andy Poole to shoot at goal. The shot had power and accuracy, but Michael Wray had a clear view to get across and push it to safety.

The final whistle went and it may have puzzled Barca to find HHH celebrating a loss. But for the first time in Summer League history, HHH have made themselves safe from a bottom spot. The Wooden Spoon will have a new name on it this year.

Oh, and Andy Poole went on an attacking run.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

With the result from the previous game, only one of these teams could take a top four finish. The advantage lay with the Os, who only needed the draw, whilst AndyCapped had to win.

In team news, the Os were playing without the services of Darren Douglass, Rod Lawson and TV. Paul Thompson returned to playing duties, Peter Lye made a rare appearance and Paul Griffin was borrowed from Black Magic in order to fill the gap. The Caps had no such concerns. Whilst Paul Atkins and Patrick Laviolette were absent, ex-Team Wellington player David Batty made his second appearance.

It did not take David long to make his mark on the game. After just two minutes, a giveaway allowed him a shot at goal as John Barton came to close. He placed the shot to Robbie's right and Robbie didn't move. 1-0.

By the end of the quarter, David had pounced again. Collecting the ball on the left (from Richie? Or Phil?), David cut inside before slotting his shot low past Robbie.

For the second quarter, the Originals saw a lot more possession. They were getting penetration to test James Nimmo, something that had not happened at all in the first period. Peter Chung set-up George Aranyi in front of the area. George turned and fired a shot that James Nimmo did well to push away.

The Caps were still looking dangerous and every time they broke forward, the Os were vulnerable. They had several chances to score, but somehow failed to convert. In some instances, the Os did well to prevent the goal. Like when David Batty was through with just Robbie to beat and Robbie saved with feet as David tried to put the ball under him. Other times, there was an element of luck. The best example of this was when Simon Jobson and Andy Jessett combined well down the right, before Simon cut inside and shot. Robbie fumbled his catch, but the ball went out for a corner. From the same corner, Robbie missed the ball he'd come out to claim and there was an almighty scramble of heads in front of goal Somehow Joe Murphy was prevented from making a finish and a combination of Alf Basile, Maarty Romijn and Paul Griffin managed to get it out for a corner.

A vital lifeline came the way of the Originals a couple of minutes before the half ended when AndyCapped were penalised for a handball in the area.

John Barton took the penalty. James Nimmo went the right way, but was unable to prevent the goal. With the Originals now only one goal away from the required result, it seemed an exciting second half awaited.

It didn't take long for the Caps to pull away again. Three minutes into the second half, David Batty and Phil Jones worked together to set-up David for a run at the defence. David was forced wide and it looked as though the danger had been averted, so he laid it back to Phil. Phil crossed and the defence failed to clear the ball away. It fell to Ricky Boyd, who made no mistake in finishing from ten yards out.

The Originals thought they had pulled one back a little later. An Alf Basile cross curled in from out wide. Except it didn't. It hit the roof of the net as it floated past on the wrong side of the bar.

Then the Caps squandered a couple of chances. The first was unfortunate, when Ricky and David set-up Craig Bland for a blast at goal and it hit the bar. The second was poor, as Tony Spellacey fired high and wide with an open goal at his mercy. Not that it mattered - a minute or so later, he finished a much more difficult chance on a counter-attack.

Just before the quarter-break Craig Bland took the ball into the area under pressure from Darren Goggin. Craig dribbled around Robbie, but the ball bounced loose to Phil Jones. Phil had an open goal, but skied his effort well over.

For the fourth quarter, Darren Goggin took over the gloves from the shell-shocked Robbie. One of Darren's first acts was to prevent Craig from adding a fifth after a free kick had sent the Capper through at the near post. There could have been a second penalty, with a block on the Originals goal line looking suspicious, but the crowd of bodies prevented the ref from seeing it - if there was one.

In the 62nd minute Tony Spellacey put David Batty through down the left. David squared the ball as Robbie (now a defender remember) closed and Darren guarded the near post. Ricky collected and put it away for his second and the Caps' fifth before Darren could get to him. That made it 5-1 - a record margin of victory and a record number of goals scored by AndyCapped to serve notice that they are peaking in time for the playoffs.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The final Coolmoves Shield match of 2007/08 fell to the two expansion teams. This guaranteed the continuation of one of the Shield's quirks - it has always been won by a new team each season.

This was the game of the week. As well as settling the Shield for the season, only one of these teams could make the major semis. A win would put Bay Athletic into the top four, whilst any other result would condemn them to the minor semis and a battle to avoid the spoon.

The early chances were shared between the teams, with the Alberts just about edging the first quarter match stats. Golden boot leader James Hill tested Nick Woolley in a one-on-one and the keeper came out better.  Then Matt Kolic put the caretaker Alberts keeper, Jason Trenberth, under pressure in a race for the ball. The ball bounced loose to Carlo Petagna. Carlo's shot was just deflected wide by Steve Scannell with the keeper was stranded.

A James Hill cross came to Mike De Gregorio to clear, but he missed and the ball fell to Rhys Cole. Rhys shot, but put it central where Nick was able to push it away and collect.

Shortly after, James Hill received the ball from a throw and sent it into the area. Nick came to claim it, but was unable to get hold of it under strong pressure from Rhys Cole. The ball bounced up and trickled loose towards goal. As Paul Muollo tried to get back to clear, Rhys slammed the ball home to make it 1-0.

A nice Athletic move towards the end of the quarter, involving Matt Kolic, Michael De Gregorio, Anton De Gregorio and Paul Bleyenga deserved a goal, but Jason made a save at short range to prevent Matt Kolic from finishing the move.

The second quarter saw Fat Alberts step-up the pressure and push Bay Athletic back, though Nick was never in any serious danger of conceding a second. Anton Oosterbaan probably came closest when he got up to meet a header from a cross, but it went directly into Nick's hands.

The Athletic looked a lot more up for the game through the second half. Whether it was having the wind at their backs or the realisation that their season was getting away from them, they put a lot more pressure on the Alberts defence than they had managed in the previous quarter.

The game became more and more combative with tempers fraying at various points. Ian Paterson and Fraser Leith, Anton De Gregorio and Darren Johnson, in particular were getting at each other, giving referee Gary Oosterbaan a job to manage the action.

After pressing the Alberts, the 13th minute of the second half finally provided Athletic with their reward. Paul Muollo threaded a terrific ball through the centre of the Fats defence for Ian Paterson to chase. Ian held off the attentions of Fraser long enough to get his shot away - a great finish that Jason could not stop.

Bay Athletic were nearly gifted the lead. A back pass (from Ciaran? Ben?) put Jason in danger. It was more of a pass to Ian that had been slightly over hit. Both Ian and Matt chased it down and Jason was only just able to hoof a clearance before berating his defence for the hospital pass.

Right to the end it looked like one or other of the teams would score and take the win. The clearest of these came with the final action of the match itself.

From a corner, a Matt Kolic header was blocked. The rebound fell back to him and he got the shot off, but Darren Johnson saved his team's hold on the top four and the Shield with a very important tackle.

P

As Wellington's premier summer football competition, it is perhaps not surprising to discover that we have managed to forge an unofficial relationship with our city's representative in New Zealand's premiere national football competition... next stop the Phoenix!
 

A number of players have experienced the thrill of representing both Team Wellington and the Summer League. We'd like to elaborate on any other NZFC franchise connections, but we don't have the information. However, we do believe that HHH United midfielder Jon Rowe was a one-time Auckland City squad member, though we don't have any appearances stats.

The Team Wellington Summer Leaguers and their records are:

Raf De Gregorio

The biggest name to have made a Summer League appearance, with international and NSL experience, not to mention professional leagues in Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands and Finland.

The 28-time All White made a guest appearance for Black Magic in season one. Two weeks later, he signed for Team Wellington.

The 30 year old midfielder has gone on to become one of Team Wellington's most important players.

 

Debut	4 December 2004 - Black Magic v AndyCapped [3-0]
	Total	1	1	0	0	0
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2004/05	Black Magic	1	1	0	0	0
Record Against Opponents
AndyCapped		1	1	0	0	0

 Stats as at 20 January 2008

Debut	19 December 2004 Team Wellington v Auckland City [1-4]
	Total	28	10	7	11	8
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2004/05	Team Wellington	9	2	3	4	4
2005/06	Team Wellington	9	3	2	4	2
2006/07	Team Wellington	2	0	1	1	0
2007/08	Team Wellington	8	5	1	2	2
Record Against Opponents
Auckland		5	0	1	4	0
Canterbury		5	2	0	3	0
Hawke's Bay		4	2	1	1	4
Manawatu		3	1	2	0	1
Otago		2	1	1	0	0
Waikato		5	3	1	1	1
Waitakere		4	1	1	2	2

Darren Cheriton

The 29 year old midfielder played the 2006/07 season for HHH United, though he was only available for a handful of games.

Darren made his debut for Team Wellington in their first season. After an absence of two seasons, he re-signed for them for the current season... explaining his absence from the Hs this season!

 

 

Debut	11 November 2006 - HHH United v Barca Bay [3-1]
	Total	4	3	0	1	2
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2006/07	HHH United	4	3	0	1	2
Record Against Opponents
AndyCapped		1	1	0	0	1
Barca Bay		1	1	0	0	0
Black Magic		1	1	0	0	0
The Originals		1	0	0	1	1

 Stats as at 20 January 2008

Debut	12 December 2004 Team Wellington v Waikato [0-0]
	Total	7	5	2	0	1
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2004/05	Team Wellington	3	1	2	0	0
2007/08	Team Wellington	4	4	0	0	1
Record Against Opponents
Manawatu		1	1	0	0	0
Otago		1	1	0	0	0
Waikato		3	2	1	0	0
Waitakere		2	1	1	0	0

Allen Chote

The 23 year old midfielder has recently returned from the US, where he played College Football for Cal State Fullerton. He has yet to make it into the first team squad for Team Wellington. Allen made one appearance for Fat Alberts earlier this season.

Debut	15 December 2007 - Fat Alberts v Massey Coolmoves [7-0]
	Total	1	1	0	0	0
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2007/08	Fat Alberts	1	1	0	0	0
Record Against Opponents
Massey		1	1	0	0	0

 Stats as at 20 January 2008

David Batty

 

David played one season with Team Wellington in 2006/07, but has not signed for them this season.

The 34 year old forward has filled the gap in his summer schedule by turning out for AndyCapped.

 

Debut	22 December 2007 - AndyCapped v HHH United [0-3]
	Total	2	1	0	1	2
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2007/08	AndyCapped	2	1	0	1	2
Record Against Opponents
HHH United		1	0	0	1	0
The Originals		1	1	0	0	2

Stats as at 20 January 2008

Debut	15 October 2006 Team Wellington v Young Heart Manawatu [1-2]
	Total	10	0	0	0	2
Playing History
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2006/07	Team Wellington	10	0	0	0	2
Record Against Opponents
Manawatu		0	0	0	0	0
Otago		0	0	0	0	0
Waikato		0	0	0	0	0
Waitakere		0	0	0	0	0

Karl Romijn

The youngest Original in existence, who also holds a Jessett Cup Winners (2006) and Runners-Up (2005) credit, has been named as part of Team Wellington's youth team. He will be participating in the National Youth League this season, which means we will be unlikely to seem him in any of the final Summer League rounds this season.

Debut	6 November 2004 - The Originals v HHH United [1-1]
Playing History
	Total	10	4	5	1	1
Season	Team	P	W	D	L	Scored
2004/05	The Originals	5	3	2	0	1
2005/06	The Originals	4	1	3	0	0
2007/08	Barca Bay	1	0	0	1	0
Record Against Opponents
AndyCapped		4	2	2	0	0
Black Magic		2	0	2	0	0
HHH United		2	1	1	0	1
Massey Coolmoves		1	1	0	0	0
The Originals		1	0	0	1	0

Stats as at 20 January 2008

Malcolm in the Middle, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The business end of the season kicked off in style. Now that HHH have vacated the lower regions of the table, the fight to not be the new name on the wooden spoon acquires some meaning. Would the first team to be consigned to the bottom playoff be the league's new boys or would it be one of the league's more decorated teams? The Originals have a Jessett Cup title (2006) and a runner-up credit (2005) to their name. This did not stop them from contesting the wooden spoon playoff in 2007, so would they find themselves in that position in 2008.

From the off, the game was fast and entertaining. The teams were quite evenly matched, but for the most part the action was taking place in the Biffs' half. Thurl Gibbs and George Aranyi were combining well, with John Barton  and on-loan Paul Muollo running forward from deep to create openings for them to exploit.

The first chance of any note came from George dispossessing one of the Biffs' debutant defenders. Leon came to close, but a pinpoint cross allowed Thurl to get in ahead of Sandy. Thurl's shot was put wide of goal. The pace of the ball made it difficult, but Thurl had the space and should have tested Richard in goal.

The Originals continued to press. The Biffs were mainly forced to counter-attack, with the pace and tenacity of Brent Watson being used to unsettle the Os defence. After seven minutes, the strategy paid off. Brent connected well to put in a shot after a bit of a scramble around the edge. Whilst the shot was well-placed just inside the post, it seemed to take Robbie Romijn in goal by surprise. Robbie was slow in reacting and was left scrambling across his goal to no avail. 1-0 to Biffa's Harpoon and they lead in a Summer League match for the first time.
 

The Biffs were lifted by this and for a while looked the more likely to score again and Paul Roberts had to intervene to prevent Brent from converting when through on goal. Instead, The Originals pounced twice in as many minutes to steal the lead. Thurl beat Leon down the left and accelerated round for a run at goal. As Richard started to close, Thurl delivered a square ball low across the area. George beat his marker to get a touch and directed the ball into the net at the near post. It was an incisive move and a quality finish.

A minute later and the turnaround was completed. A more direct move with, we think, George playing a long ball into the middle gave Alf Basile a chance with just Richard to beat from short range. Alf side-footed the ball to Richard's left, the keeper stuck out a leg but the ball went in.

As the half progressed, the Os started to threaten in the air. Several times, high crosses were directed towards Thurl in the Biffs' area. And several times, Thurl got on the end to put in a header but was unable to beat Richard. It seemed that with both Ants Comerford and Brent Watson off for the second quarter, the Biffs lost their energy upfront and they only generated one chance on goal.

The entertainment factor continued in the second half, but Richard often found himself the cause. Three or four times, he gave away possession around his own area. This lead to a panicked scramble each time, but the Biffs somehow managed to get away with it.

The final five minutes of the game were the ones enjoyed most by the neutrals. The Originals, despite having numerous chances, had been unable to add to their lead. With nothing to lose, the Biffs piled on the pressure for an equaliser. A long ball from Sandy forced Robbie to make a save that he couldn't hold. Ants squared the loose ball and the shot looked in... until Paul Roberts got his foot in to block. As Robbie tried to get hold of the rebound, Steve Hughes hooked the ball over his own bar.

There were a couple of extra chances in the dying minutes for both sides. Shannon had a rocket of a shot deflected out and George worried Richard a couple of times. The final score stayed as it stood at the end of the first quarter.

There's no doubt that Biffa's Harpoon are getting used to Summer League. Coming in to the competition at such a late stage, with no priors other than a couple of players, has thrown them into the deep end. There are signs that they are becoming accustomed to the playing conditions and who knows.... the franchise's first win could well come on Finals day.

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

The first of the major semi finals pitted the league's current in-form team against the team that had virtually dominated the season to-date. The previous meeting between these sides had generated a 5-1 victory for the Magic, but much had changed during the remainder of the season for both teams. Since securing their top seed, the Magic had visibly relaxed in recent games. By comparison, the Alberts had taken the final regular season game to secure their presence in the top four.

The Magic were pleased to announce the bulk of their squad as available, with only Dave Da Vanzo and Jordan Morris absent. The Alberts, as is their way, were forced to dig deep into their squad. Ciaran Ross and Gordon Andrew were promoted to full-squad members and Michael Wray was taken on-loan from HHH - both of which required approval from the commissioner.

It was a tentative start by the Alberts. The Magic put pressure on Wray in the early minutes, with a long shot that was a simple collect and a physical challenge from Steve Davey. As Wray claimed a cross, Davey lunged to intercept, but as he ran through he caught the keeper around the neck, spinning him round 180 degrees in the air.

After five minutes, Steve Davey almost gave his side the lead. Taking on and beating a couple of defenders, he struck a thunderous shot to the inside of Wray's post. The force of the shot almost caught him out, but the keeper dived across to make a great save and push the ball away with one hand.

The remainder of the quarter saw both teams fight it out in midfield and there was little to concern either defence. The biggest threat for each team came from corners, but no genuine scoring chances emerged. Tahl and Jody were getting a lot of the ball, but found themselves well contained.

The second quarter remained quite even, but the Alberts were starting to enjoy more possession. Lucas Cordeiro was getting down the left and opening things up for James Hill.

It was a chance conjured from nothing that opened the scoring. A speculative ball into space outside the Magic area, set-up a three-way race for the ball between John Sutherland, Sandy Pawson and goalkeeper Chem. The race came down to Chem and John, with John just reaching the ball a split-second ahead. John poked the ball forward and then the inevitably happened - neither John nor Chem could stop and a head-on collision emerged. Chem came-out the worse and to add insult to injury, the ball had entered the empty net.

The game remained even and it was a cruel blow, arguably unjust, when John Sutherland doubled the lead.

A terrific cross-field pass, from James Hill we think, played John in behind his defender for a run at Chem.

Chem came out to save at feet and it looked like he might have done enough, but John showed great composure to roll the ball in to the far post.

With the Magic only needing a draw to progress to the Jessett Cup Final, a 2-0 lead was not enough to guarantee the Alberts the match. It was clear that the next goal would be all important. The neutrals expected Black Magic to come out into the second half pushing hard for a way back into the match. Instead, just two minutes after the restart, the Alberts sealed the match. James Trotter received the ball wide left with Tahl closing and his shot from distance beat Chem..... though we're not sure how.

It was a tough blow for the Magic and it showed. Forced into chasing the deficit, they managed to get some pressure going. Jody Bullen, possibly aware of his personal contest for the golden boot with opposing forward James Hill, looked the most likely to get one back. He did well on a run from deep to beat Gordon and Darren to give himself a shot at goal, but not enough to claim the finish.

Then the Magic had two direct free kicks in quick succession on the edge of the area. The first was given to Jody and the second to Kevin, but on each occasion the four man wall did its job. By the end of the third quarter, the score remained 3-0. The Magic had managed to put a lot of pressure on the Alberts backline, but not managed the all-important goal. Fraser Leith was having a great time at the back, ably assisted by just as in-form Darren Johnson, to afford their stand-in keeper some expert protection. On the odd occasion when they were breached, the keeper found it comfortable enough - even coming just outside his area to head a clearance at one stage.

Over the fourth quarter, Black Magic began to attack with all nine men. Chem, not for the first time this season, got up into the opposing area to support his team's attack. Eventually the all-out attack needed was punished. Michael Wray collected a back pass outside his area and directed it wide to Gordon Andrew. Gordon set-up John Sutherland between Paul Griffin and Sandy Pawson. John hit a speculative lob from distance to beat Chem and complete his hat-trick.

Only three minutes remained and they played out without incident. It was a tough way for the Cup favourites to go out. Perhaps they peaked too early. Certainly, they had not looked the same since that loss to Barca Bay in December. At the time, the media put this down to the playoffs being secured and expected them to turn it back on in the playoffs. The Alberts, despite their fourth placed seeding, will now go into the Jessett Cup Final as the probably favourites against whoever they meet. After a slow start to the season, no-one can accuse them of peaking too early and they are now on for the double.

Sideline Sid, Mount Albert Daily Photos

Whilst the early chances fell the way of Barca, the match was an even contest throughout the first quarter. Even so, Barca could be forgiven for thinking they deserved the lead by the time the first break arrived. Jamie Milne had been presented with a couple of clear chances, one a header that was comfortably collected by Nick Woolley and the other a shot that cleared the bar. Then an almighty scramble inside the Athletic area saw defender desperately blocking the path to goal as the Barca front-line did everything but put the ball over the line. It wasn't all one way though. Athletic worried the Barca goal when Matt Kolic set-up Bernie Muollo down the right wing and his cross took a defensive deflection to require a save from David Plowright.

Athletic opened the second half with another close chance. The on-loan John Barton, appearing as the reciprocal for the O's regular loan deal for Paul Muollo, pitched in a long throw-in.

Anton De Gregorio beat Josh Notman to the ball and with Yorick closing, deftly flicked the ball to the right of goal. His effort fell a little to close to the keeper but David still needed to do well to get hold of the shot.

There was good football being played by both teams, with nice interplay and some quality passing moves. Yet the opening goal came from pure graft. Stu Dunn latched onto Mike De Gregorio in the middle of the park and hounded him until possession had been given up. It wasn't pretty, but it was effective. Stu poked the ball forward for Henry Velvin to chase down the right side. Henry cut in at a 45 degree angle, met the ball and hit his shot low and hard into the corner.

Calamity almost struck for Barca a few minutes later. Anton chased a bouncing ball aimed at the Barca area. Josh Notman was in attendance but his keeper called for the ball. David came well outside his area to claim the ball, but Anton got there several yards ahead. The ball bounced awkwardly over David and Josh had to intervene to prevent Anton from finishing into the open net.

Just before the half, Richard Steel scored an outrageous goal. A goal-kick fell to him and he immediately half-volleyed it towards goal with his first touch from inside his own half. It dipped just under the bar and somehow eluded Nick to put Barca 2-0 up.

Nick went some way to redeem himself early in the second half after a delightful series of play from Barca. Trapped in his own corner and under pressure from Anton, Yorick played himself out of trouble. This set-up a series of passes that involved most of the Barca team before culminating in a Stu Dunn shot on goal that drew a good save from Nick.

Then Josh Notman, on for the injured Jamie Milne, showed that perhaps he should be allowed away from his defensive duties more often. The Athletic defence were finding him a physical menace. He managed to get down the right to deliver a cross, where there were two Barca forwards and only the one Athletic defender waiting. Dominic Scott went for the ball, but missed it. Instead it fell to Henry Velvin, whose shot required Nick to once more make a great save.

Barca were putting on the pressure, but without committing numbers forward. They were defending with strength and Athletic were finding it really hard to break them down. It took some individual brilliance from Anton to open up the youngster and give Athletic a way back into the game. Anton skinned Tim Robinson from wide right, then evaded Jeremy Van Lier to shoot at goal from a tight angle. David Plowright dived across to save, but could only palm it away. There were no defenders guarding either Matt Kolic or Mike De Gregorio at the far side. Mike reacted to the loose ball first and made no mistake in side-footing it back into the net.

 So the fourth quarter started with the game again wide open. The next goal would be crucial and it was only a minute away from the restart. As with the last goal, Anton De Gregorio would play a key role. From a Barca corner, a shot came through someone's legs and Anton unwittingly redirected the ball into his own net between Nick and Paul.

A minute later, Jamie Milne had the chance to put the result beyond any remaining doubt. A long ball presented him with a one-on-one with Nick. On the hard, dry ground the ball was bouncing awkwardly, which made it difficult for Nick to claim and also for Jamie to finish. It caused the move to play out in slow motion. Basically, Nick stood just ahead of his line and waited. Jamie paused, before he finally put in a tame shot that Nick blocked with his foot. It went wide where Dave Kropp was able to intervene and the chance was gone.

Then Jamie Milne had the chance to put the result beyond any remaining doubt. Henry Velvin collected a Richard Steel pass on the corner of the Athletic area. He brought it down and drove in a shot low and hard. Nick dived down to parry the shot, setting up Jamie with almost an open net to aim at. As Dave Kropp arrived to apply pressure, Barca's all-time leading goalscorer skewed his shot wide of the post.

40 seconds later Jamie Milne had the chance to put the result beyond any remaining doubt. You could be forgiven for thinking that we've been here before. The previous miss had obviously bothered the striker somewhat and he looked determined to make-up for it. When Henry Velvin flicked on a header, the ball fell to Jamie. He wasted no time in unleashing a shot at goal and this time it flew in. And the result, finally, was beyond doubt.

Endzone Eric, Mount Albert Daily Photos

As remarked in the intro to the last match between these two teams, they tend to follow a set pattern. If they meet in the regular season, the Hs win. If they meet in the playoffs, the Caps win. It's a simple formula. And by the end of the day, it would remain unbroken.

There was no time for the customary warm-ups and the teams were required to kick-off immediately on taking to the pitch. HHH managed to carve out the first decent chance, with Ken Okawa heading narrowly wide in the third minute. After this, the Caps took a hold on the match and dominated any chances being created. Ricky Boyd was particularly vigorous and obviously enjoying playing off the space that David Batty was creating for him.

Towards the end of the first quarter, Ricky Boyd headed wide and Tony Spellacey headed over. Then the two of them combined to put Ricky in at the far post completely unmarked, but he was unable to find the target and cleared the bar instead. Just as it seemed that we would end the first quarter goalless, Ricky popped up again to make-up for the earlier misses. Collecting a David Batty cross ball, Ricky was on the edge of the area with James Fairhall between him and the goal. Instead of trying to take him on, Ricky struck a shot around James. Wray dived, but could not prevent the goal.

There should have been a second before the break. Richard Swallow played a long ball for Tony Spellacey to chase. The ball overshot him and James Fairhall was slow to close, forcing Michael Wray to come out of his goal to close himself. The bounce favoured the attacker and left the keeper regretting his decision as Tony lobbed the ball goalwards before Wray could put in a block. The ball bounced ahead of the goal for David Batty to nod in, but the bounce beat David and Nick Thompson cleared it to safety.

Shortly after the quarter break, the Caps made it 2-0. Once again, David Batty was the provider. Joe Murphy made a diagonal run in from the right, which went completely unpicked up by the defenders. Batty played a perfect ball in for Murphy to collect and Joe made no mistake in sliding the ball past Wray.

HHH picked-up after this and enjoyed a spell of possession. The Caps were sitting back, happy to defend for a while, but the Hs weren't getting through to test James Nimmo. Eventually, with only a couple of minutes to go before the half-time break, they managed to get a decent chance at goal. It was a smash and grab goal. Jon Rowe, on the right, squared for Steve Gadd to run onto the ball. Gadd smashed his shot towards goal. The penalty area was crowded, with Andy Jessett, Joe Murphy and Richard Swallow all in defence. Ken Okawa and Simon Bratt were there for the Hs. As James Nimmo went to make the save, it seemed to take a slight deflection from one of the defenders. It was enough to leave James wrong-footed and the ball was in. 

Then suddenly it was all level. A very similar goal to the first HHH goal, only this time Steve Gadd received the ball after Joss Opie was tackled by Craig Bland. And there was no deflection. The shot smashed through a crowded penalty area into the right hand side of the goal.

The stage was set for an exciting second half and the game duly delivered. Unlike the first, when the Caps could rightly claim to have deserved to be in the lead, the second half was a very even contest. Like the proverbial football writer's cliché, the game could have gone either way. We could even have enjoyed a penalty shoot-out like we did between these two teams for the wooden spoon semi-final a couple of seasons ago.

Despite the entertainment, neither side was making the opposing keepers perform any heroics and the two defences were holding firm against strong pressure. Then half way through the third quarter, the Caps got breakthrough. David Batty got the better of Joss Opie in a tussle for the ball on the flank. David gave the ball to Joe Murphy, who found in himself in a lot of space between the HHH midfield and defence. Joe played an early pass to Ricky Boyd just inside the penalty area on the right. Ricky struck a powerful shot straight at Michael Wray in goal. The power prevented Wray from holding onto the shot and it bounced loose just in front of him. It looked like he would gather it at the second attempt, but Joss Opie arrived just ahead of Joe Murphy and a scramble developed. The ball remained loose and Wray took a blow to the wedding tackle area that left him paralysed with pain for several minutes. To add the proverbial insult to injury, Joe had got the ball over the line to restore the Caps' lead.

After losing a two goal lead, going ahead again seemed to lift the Cappers and spur them on. Paul Atkins and David Batty did well to dispossess Joss Opie down the left and David delivered a great cross to put an unmarked Ricky free on goal inside the area. Ricky shot earlier and sent it wide of the post. Though the keeper looked to have had it covered, it was a criminal miss.

For the final quarter, HHH chased the deficit and really made the AndyCapped defence work. Jon Rowe, Steve Gadd and Ken Okawa were testing and probing, moving the ball around well, but the Caps stood resolute. It was a great defensive stand, with Richie Swallow in particular getting involved in denying any way through to goal. The Hs were always going to be vulnerable to the counter-attack, especially with Ricky Boyd in such good form.

Five minutes before the end, the Caps struck to seal the game as David Batty claimed his third assist of the match. Coming forward and encountering no resistance, David decided not to lay-off to either of the free team-mates - Craig on his left or Ricky on his right. Instead, he cut to the side to create space and shot around the defender. It didn't look like it would unduly trouble the keeper, but as Wray dived to his left, the ball swerved back right. Instead of catching it, he merely deflected it. Ricky was the only player to have run-in for any potential rebound and he immediately punished Wray's error.

There was enough time remaining for both teams to carve out a couple of half chances, but the final score stood. Overall, the Caps were worthy winners and for the second year running they will contest the Jessett Cup Final.

Referee

Player

Team

Goals*

As in previous seasons, the Finals day barbeque concluded with the 2007/08 season awards ceremony. Awards were handed out to the website administrator (collected by Coolmoves on behalf of the absent reporter), Coolmoves Shield winners, golden boot winner, player of the season and finally the Jessett Cup winners.

The Golden Boot was the first award of the day to be presented. James Hill celebrated becoming the first player to reach double figures in a single season.

Talismanic forward Steve Davey earned the Player of the Season award in return for his tireless performances on behalf of Black Magic.

The Jessett Cup was collected by debut-manager Rhys Cole, who guided his team to the double at the first time of asking.

	Fat Alberts finish as Jessett Cup Champions.
	AndyCapped finish as runners-up for the second consecutive season.
	Black Magic are awarded third place despite not having a final day game.
	HHH United must settle for fourth after player availability problems from the fixture switch forced them to default.
	Barca Bay finish in fifth place.
	The Originals complete their end of season slump to end in sixth.
	Bay Athletic utilise most of the Black Magic team to avoid a Wooden Spoon finish.
	Biffa's Harpoon complete the season with the Wooden Spoon, though to be fair that title belongs as much to Massey Coolmoves for this season.
	Steve Davey receives the League Player of the Season award.
	James Hill wins the 2007/08 Golden Boot.

  Inside the Numbers:

	With 43 games, this has been the largest Summer League season so far, exceeding last season by 7 matches.
	The number of players were also at an all-time high, with 170 capped players - an average of 18.89 per team.
	Loan deals became the norm, with one player even racking up more appearances in loan deals than for his designated club. A massive 27 players made loan appearances, well up on the previous high of 8.
	Goals were at their highest level since season one. We saw an average of 2.05 goals per team per match.
	Paul Muollo reclaimed the all-time leading goal scoring title from Neil Cannell.
	Paul Muollo and Ricky Boyd have scored in more games than anyone.
	For the first season ever, we had players exceeding hat-tricks. James Hill got five one game, whilst Jamie Milne and Anton De Gregorio each managed four. Elsewhere we had 6 hat-tricks.
	However, the goals came in binge-fashion and 21 clean sheets is a season record. Seven of these were supplied by Michael Wray and five by Nick Woolley.
	The top four highest victories in league history all took place this season.
	We saw only the third ever goalless game ever. As with the previous occurrences, AndyCapped were involved. At least we changed the keepers - the previous ones were Michael Wray and Gareth Knight, but this time it was Nick Woolley and James Nimmo.
	Excluding own-goals, 63 different players put their names on the score sheet.
	Ricky Boyd scored in four consecutive games. Within a single-season, this has only been done once before.
	We had 12 ever presents for their teams this season. They were Steve Scannell (Fat Alberts), Nick Woolley & Sam Hooper (Bay Athletic), Dominic Scott & Stu Dunn (Barca Bay), Kevin Provis & Mike Jessett & Steve Davey & Tahl Theodorou (Black Magic), Michael Wray (HHH United), George Aranyi & John Barton (The Originals).
	Michael Wray set a new single-season appearances record, exceeding the previous record of Lee Westlake, and remains the most-capped Summer League player.
	Black Magic won six games in a row, two more than the previous best, and also set a new record for most games won in a season.
	The Fat Alberts set a new record for most goals scored in a season.
	For the first time ever, HHH United scored in every game in a season.
	Draws were at an all-time low with only 5 all season and four of the teams went the whole season without a draw.