Game 2 - Jaguar vs Stop Out McCready

Result - Draw - 1 - 1

Player of the day - Vinnie, for excellent passing and forward thinking.

Strengths - Strong defence, busy mid-field, well placed strikers.

Areas to develop - Build on progress with positional play.

The game

This was the team's first away game. It was played in wet, but calm conditions in Naenae against a formidable Stop Out side.

Much of the action was in the opposition half as the team played positively and with direction.

With players finding their preferred positions in the team and understanding the roles they play on the field there appeared to be a more cohesive flow to the play.

Some of the highlights in the game for me were:

Josh putting pressure through the middle in the first 5 minutes, enabling Vinnie to have a shot that glanced off the bar.

In the 10th minute when Aaron forced a corner which resulted in Vinnie scoring our first goal and the subsequent celebrations.

In the 12th minute when Stop Out pushed hard and Andy defended well and Cody handled the ball confidently.

Again Stop Out put pressure on, and Captain Caleb diffused the attack with an upfield clearance, turning defence to attack, allowing Vinnie to have another shot, shortly followed by AJ shooting at their goal.

We handled the late first half pressure well with strong combinations in defence and midfield.

The second half saw a re-energised Stop Out who were intent on scoring, which they did in the 31st minute. However we had 3 shots at their goal first. AJ did well to stop another shot in the 33rd minute and we had 2 more good attempts that were saved.

Sam used his energy to good effect and tackled well.

Liam's positional play gave the team structure when we needed it and he was able to direct play and look for opportunities.

Amanda was able to put pressure on their strikers who looked threatening at times.

Joshua (who has been nick-named Charlie) had some excellent touches in the mid-field and began to look threatening around the opposition goal.

I enjoyed watching Vincent attack the ball, moving up the field and being back on defence quickly to diffuse any threats.

If the team keeps up this rate of improvement they will have a strong season.

As their coach, I felt proud of the way they are starting to put their training to good effect in the game.

Thanks to the supporters who are doing a fantastic job!