Game 5 - Jaguars vs Petone Settlers

Result - Loss - 5 - 0

Player of the day - Bosco- for clear communication.

Strengths - More positive 2nd half.

Areas to develop - Positional team play. Capitalise on goal shooting opportunities.

I was feeling disheartened after today's loss because I didn't think the scoreline reflected how the game evolved, however we didn't capitalise on our chances to score.

Players that went close to scoring were: Vinnie, AJ, Bosco & (Captain) Aaron.

I asked the team to score two goals early and our first shot on their goal was after 1 minute. In the 2nd minute Caleb (The Rock) was staunch in defence, diffused the attack and was key in getting the ball up to Vinnie who forced a corner in the 3rd minute.

Aaron and AJ combined well in the 5th minute and put pressure on their goal.

I was impressed with Aaron's attacking runs and he looked threatening whenever he had the ball.

AJ made the most of his mid-field role with great defence and storming attacks, I thought there must have been 2 of him on the field!

Cody made some great saves and we were lucky the scoreline was only 3 - nil at half time.

A positional change at half time saw us only fielding 3 in defence, but the strength of our back 3 meant Petone only scored twice in the second half. Cody, Liam and Caleb were solid making tackles and clearing the ball to the mid-field.

In the mid-field, Vincent connected well with the ball and I was impressed with his passing. I've been pleased with his continuous improvement, getting better every game.

Amanda was aware of her position and was able to provide useful linkages.

Andy also made some good tackles in defence and positive passing.

Josh took a few knocks, but brushed them off to save a number of goals in the second half.

Sam had his best game yet, making more tackles and looking for subtle passes to his team mates.

Vinnie is capable whichever position he is in. I was most impressed with his ability to win the ball with skillful tackling.

Bosco will be captain next week and after this week's excellent communication on the pitch should thrive in this role.

Focus for practice will include: fitness, physical play, capitalising shots at goal, clearing from our goal area.

I'm sure we can learn from the result and the players can support and help each other develop into a game-winning team.