Aug
22

Amateur Cup Quarter-Final Match Report

"Singing in the Rain"

Okay it's cheesy but I do these things during lunch so grin and bear it.

Much like a title you would find in amongst T.C's special dvd collection the Hammers found themselves at crappy Yuluma Reserve in aptly named Innaloo on a “Wet and Wild” night for our blockbuster cup quarter final tie against lower league giant killers Kingsway. Just so I may paint the picture for you, over in the white and black corner you have a side which knocked out Premier heavyweights Shamrock and Murdoch whilst accounting for a very decent North Lake side along the way pitted against a green machine accustomed to pumping their Sunday opposition by a cricket score every week and coming into the tie having well and truly accounted for Subiaco as well as claiming a few other scalps I’m too lazy to research.

Much like so, so many highly anticipated cup ties before it what actually transpired was a truly poor standard arm wrestle highlighted by nervousness, poor execution, even poorer officiating, errors a plenty and players simply not adhering to instruction. In fact the only highlights of the first half was Logan’s excellent contribution on the left, thankfully a well disciplined & alert defense and Ian’s text book keeping. It must also be mentioned that for first time this season our normally very reliable set pieces that have been so invaluable to us all year were letting us down. Not sure as to why but we know we can do far better so not a great concern. Oh, and the ref sent the dirty Kingsway striker off for his second yellow of the half which made his teams task just that bit harder. That made us laugh a bit.

After a “wake up” chat at half time I pointed out to the lads what was at stake here and that none of them should leave the ground that evening having kept something in the tank or knowing they hadn’t given their all. It was simple as that. That’s not to say the standard of the game then raised above anything other than mediocre but it did mean that asides from short periods here and there Hamersley were, in my opinion at least, thoroughly in control of the tie namely due to Ian being in fantastic form, the back fours alertness and the midfield working their knacks off. In fact, had the side received a little more from Special K and Ossie by way of pressure on the Kingsway defence and tracking back to assist their midfield the game would have been over well back rather than inevitably labouring to what seemed a penalty shoot out.

Thankfully my heart not to mention my backside needn’t worry because on the 65th minute mark after some sustained pressure by ourselves the ball fell to the Kingsway centre half who for once didn't push forward but chose to turn and play it back to his keeper. Nothing wrong with this at all but the pass was short and Special K was on the front foot and slipped past the CB, collected the ball and found himself 1 v 1 against the keeper and with a very composed and excellent finish low to one side of the custodian he duly put us ahead and on track for the Semi Final. I guess all that training does pay off.

The remainder of the game can be summed up as consisting of a flurry of missed half chances by both sides of which the best falling to Aaron who headed wide from 4 yards in a chance that could and should have sealed it there and then. Alas, K.O were K.O’d and it’s H.R.S.C. that find itself in a Cup Semi Final against Amateur Galacticos, Real Kingsway in a tie that the entire league will keenly follow and one in which we will certainly need to be switched on for every minute of the game.

Jul
27

1st Team Leading Goal Scorer (26/7/10)

Steve Kruit bagged his first two goals of the season on Sunday vs Lynwood to get off the mark. A great effort for central defender Ikey, well despatched penalties have bolstered his tally. Captain fantastic Ben Ashton has weighed in with some very important (and impressive) goals so far this season but Mark Hunt still leads the way despite missing the last few weeks.

Leading Scorer

Hunty - 7

Ikey - 6

Ben - 6

Ricky - 3

Scudders - 2

Steve K - 2

Paul H - 2

Conor - 1

Scott - 1

Jon - 1

Jul
27

1st Team Fairest and Best (26/7/10)

Captain Ben Ashton leads the field in the fairest and best count so far this season with Ikey Ireland not far behind. Scotty Morris has made a late charge with 7 points from the last 3 games while Jon Lock, Ricky Andrews and Dan Scudder round out the top 6.

Leaderboard

Ben - 15

Ikey - 12

Scotty - 10

Scudders - 10

Jon - 10

Ricky - 10

Dave - 9

Hunty - 7

Brady - 4

Steve K - 4

Broomy - 3

Htin - 3

Jun
09

Hamersley Defeat Premier Team Shamrock Rovers in Cup Thriller

Having watched 9 first team players being struck down with the flu over the last fortnight and not including myself and Mo I really had to put my thinking cap on as to who and how we would take the field against Shamrock. To make matters worse the day prior I received a call that Glen had been in a car accident some 7 hours out of Perth and would not be able to return in time and Pred had also come down with the flu which may have triggered a serious relapse of his pneumonia. Add to this Stewie’s knee giving way during his fitness test in the reserve friendly just hours prior and it was now going to be a very big ask of the lads to go into this cup fixture and win.

As I said to the group it’s not so much who takes the field as what the players do both individually and collectively when they’re on it and if they can adhere to our game plan, do their individual jobs well and put in the effort required than there’s no reason why we couldn’t win.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The game started off at a high tempo with Shamrock dominating possession whilst Hamersley were comfortable in absorbing the pressure and finding their rhythm. After 15mins and some excellent interchanges of passes a swift counter attack found the ball to Scudder who cleverly stabbed the ball past the keeper and in off the upright to give us the advantage…or so we thought. The cheating Shamrock linesman (one of 3 cheating linesmen they utilised during the game) chose to put his flag up which prompted the (easily) confused referee to go over and ask the lad if he was offside which to no surprise to anyone the guy said yes. No goal. Alas this only served to motivate the lads and soon after another set of neat interchanges had Conor play a series of one two with his team mate before curling a contender for goal of the season from the edge of the area past the out stretched Shamrock keeper to give us a deserved lead. Going into the break 1-0 up we sensed that we were more than capable of absorbing pressure whilst counter attacking with danger and certainly scoring another 1 or two and despite Shamrock mometarily setting this back when they equalised some 5 minutes into the second half we still maintained our composure and stuck to the game plan. At 1-1 we again swept up field with speed and numbers with the ball being held up intelligently by Paul (who was excellent all day) who managed to turn his marker, pass to his unmarked co-striker Hunty on the other side of the goal who duly despatched it for our second.

Then came a pivotal moment in the game whereby Scott made contact with the oncoming Shamrock winger to concede a penalty. The Shamrock penalty taker looked very nervous and the lads played on this and did the right thing in winding him up so there was no surprise when he scuffed the first against the upright before the Welsh ref instructed it to be re-taken on account of him not engaging his brain or blowing the whistle, not sure. The second was despatched by the nervy Shamrock lad but again the ref asked for it to be re-taken due to encroachment and having to step up for a third time and with the Hamersley lads well in his ear the Shamrock player hit his third to the right of Dave only to see a keeper that was on top of his game all afternoon save it comfortably and keep our advantage intact.

It’s moments like this that change entire games and the heads of the Shamrock lads were visibly dropped and so it was with Osman now on that Hamersley totally dominated the last 10 minutes with one wave of attack after another which led to him skinning his marker driving into the box and laying it off for Scudder who had ran a good 50-55 yards to join the attack and finally drive the knife home, making the score line 3-1 and booking our passage into the last sixteen of the Cup.

On Sunday each and every one of you were on top of your game and did exactly what was asked both as individuals and collectively as a team and you reinforced the belief of your coaches that when you play like this there are very few (if any ?) teams in the league that can match you.

Apr
20

First and Reserve Team Squads 2010

Coaches Flavio L'Abbate, Mo Caplin and John Markham are pleased with how Hamersley's first and reserves squad is shaping up and the signs are good for a successful season as the club tries to re-establish itself in the Amateur Premier League.

Returning players from 2009 make up a good portion of the squad. Paul Broom, Conor Fullard, Nick Brady, Scott Morris, Jon Lock, Daniel Scudder, Steve Poutney, Steve Kruit, Adam Creese, Rueban Manyang and Trevor Courcha are welcomed back while players returning to Hamersley after stints elsewhere are goalkeeper Ian Norgrove, defenders Matt Baker and Martin Ireland and midfielders Paul Bunton and Htin Kyaw.

This season four juniors have come up from the ranks and secured themselves positions after impressing in pre-season. Jackson Richardson, Dave Howell, Nick Hage and Mike Garcia will look to improve their games and try and break into the first team. Ricky Andrews meanwhile has become an integral member of the squad after playing for Hamersley socials last year.

New players have joined the club and have added some real quality to the playing group. Ben Ashton joins form Balga SC while joining from Kingsway Olympic are Graeme Wiles and Nik Silsby. Former UWA goalkeeper Dave Metcalfe has also joined along with former Maccabi midfielder Stuart Broom. Elia Nyikai, Abdulhi Jalloh and Osman Jalloh have come up the divisions from Wembley Downs as has Mark Hunt joining from Quinns FC.

New players to senior soccer in Perth to have joined the club are brothers Daniel and Patrick Guggisberg, Jamie Taylor, Jon Carlson and Deng Majok. Former Shamrock and Kingsway defender Paul Harland has also come out of retirement to play this year.

Despite good numbers and plenty of depth this year, Hamersley are still on the look out for players who can improve the squad and fit in with the coaches hardworking ethos and integrate into what is becoming a tight knit group of players willing to give 100% for each other and the club. 

The first game of the season kicks off at 3.00pm at Hossack Reserve against Lynwood United on Sunday 11th April. Reserves kick off at 12.45pm.