No-one likes getting spanked. Particularly away from home on the opening day of the season. It’s safe to say this would not have been one of the best days in the history of Waitakere City. It was a decent day for me, however. Oh, and Wanderers too, I guess. But firstly, me. This Saturday was a great father-son bonding afternoon. Nathan, my five year old, accompanied me after being coerced into it with the bribe of a pair of...
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It’s not often you watch someone die on a football pitch. I had that unfortunate experience during the 2003 Confederations Cup in France, not that I knew it at the time. My wife and I used this tournament as a good excuse to have a quick look around France and Switzerland. It was a piece of cake booking tickets, even though actually getting hold of them was a pain in the arse. Something blew up in the ticketing system, meaning...
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Ngaruawahia drew their NRFL division 1 fixture 1-1 with Melville United on Easter Monday. I wasn’t there but master photographer Grant Stantiall was. Here are some of his pics from the day’s action. You can follow Grant on Twitter at @thekiwicanary. You can view more pics from this match here:...
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Everytime I visit a match I’ll take a minute long movie so readers can get a feel for the venue. I don’t promise these movies will be master pieces. They won’t. I’m not Peter Jackson. And I don’t have a million dollar budget. But they’ll do and you’ll get the idea. In the latest in our One Minute At… series we’re at Warkworth AFC’s Shoesmith Reserve for their NRFL division 2 match against Waiuku on March 30, 2013. The match...
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Everytime I visit a match I’ll take a minute long movie so readers can get a feel for the venue. I don’t promise these movies will be master pieces. They won’t. I’m not Peter Jackson. And I don’t have a million dollar budget. But they’ll do and you’ll get the idea. In the first of the One Minute At… series we’re at Glenfield Rovers’ McFetritge Park for their NRFL division 1...
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The thing about football at NRFL division 2 level is that you’re never really likely to watch a team with eleven footballers on the field. You’ll get bits and pieces of quality, and a handful of gems, but little more. Sure, the players are competitive. Most of them can run around with purpose. And tackle. And head the ball. But rare is the occasion you’ll find a side full of players who actually know what...
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Melville United beat Takapuna 2-0 on the opening day of NRFL division 1. I wasn’t there but master photographer Grant Stantiall was. Here are some of his pics from the day’s action. You can follow Grant on Twitter at @thekiwicanary. You can view more pics from this match here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiwicanary/sets/72157633116970142/
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McFetridge Park is a decent place to watch football. Which is just as well, because this match was bizarre for me. I’ve usually been in the technical area, with a stake in whatever game is being played in front of me. Not today, though. And that was kind of nice. If I’m honest, I nearly piked out. The man flu struck and, after a long drive to Auckland, I thought staying in might be the way to go. But then the kids started...
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Okay, so here we go for real with this blogging thing. There’s nothing like the traditional NRFL double-header Easter Weekend football extravaganza with bells, whistles and footballs to get things going for another year. Actually, with only two divisions on offer I thought I would be a little starved. But thankfully some forward thinking club officials thought of me when scheduling their matches, so we have a lot to look forward...
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I had every intention of spending my day out at Links Ave, Mt Maunganui, wandering around the ground, watching all the WaiBOP Federation’s Pre-Season Cup finals matches and then producing what would be my first impartial match report in years. Unfortunately, Matamata Swifts were playing and I discovered it’s still tough to be completely unbiased on a day when they’re playing. Enlightening. Anyway, as for what was on...
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