Game 7 - Jaguar vs Stop Out McCreadie

Result - Win - 2 - 0

Players of the day:

Josh- for a terrific goalkeeping skills that kept a clean sheet with fantastic saves!

Liam - for great positioning, controlling and go-forward play.

Strengths - Players playing in their positions.

Areas to develop - Passing (& receiving passes) without giving away possession. Using the field better and not bunching together which creates gaps for the other team.

It's amazing what a win can do for morale (especially the coach's)!

We had no subs (AJ, Caleb & Vincent were unavailable) so each player had a HUGE game. They stayed in the same position for the whole game which seemed to help their structure on the field. Not sure if the new Nike match ball made a difference but it worked for us!

I realise playing in the same position isn't always ideal, as different players want to play in different positions at different times. I do try to accommodate as many of these as I can and we are fortunate there are many versatile players. Overall I try to create a strong team by having players in a position they are suited for.

Wins only come after good defence, combine with solid mid-field and attacking strikers.

Besides winning by 2 goals there were many other highlights.

Josh was outstanding in goal with solid saves and good clearances.

Cody was reliable in defence, taking on their strikers and winning the ball. Our first goal was the result of Cody making a tackle, then a lob pass upfield to Liam.

Vinnie was relentless as the centre defender. The defenders did well to catch a player off side which resulted in a turn over of possession.

Bosco is very strong in defence when tackling head on.

Sam was captain today and continues to improve every game. His tackling was effective and was able to feed the ball upfield.

Cameron is a natural mid-fielder and was able to read the game and intercept passes. I hope he can pass these skills on.

Andy had a useful game with tactical passing and tackling to feed players around and ahead of him.

Amanda made some excellent tackles and useful passes. This was her strongest game yet & I know she will continue to make progress.

JD was getting used to his new position and was able to provide useful links from the right wing. He was tenacious in defence and positive on attack.

Aaron was on the left wing but was promoted to striker. This proved effective as he was on the end of the first goal and created the own goal by crossing the ball into the goal area, the keeper was unable to control the ball and it deflected off a Stop Out defender into the goal.

Liam also peppered the goal and was unlucky not to score. By keeping the pressure on attack we are able to control the game for substantial periods.

I felt really proud of the team today & they seemed deservedly proud to win a great game.

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!