Coogee United - Mens Football

MENS FOOTBALL MATCH REPORTS

:: 2007 REPORTS

Sunday 14/09/08
AA1: Grand Final - Coogee United V Barnstoneworth

Result: Coogee United 3 Barnstoneworth 2

How sweet it is!

The moment I felt that we would win the grand final was one week ago when we played the major semi final against Barnstoneworth and we were copping it from all corners. We deserved that abuse, but rather than collapse, we stood up and did something about it.

We arrived on Sunday night and I'm sure a lot of us were wondering what Coogee was going to turn up. The real Coogee Utd 1st Grade team is one that is confident, sharp and hungry. Well a good sign occurred before the game when Big Jimmy picked me up, but not at the usual spot, rather, at the bottle-o buying a case of Hahn Super Dry (shameless plug).

We got to the game nice and early for this one and it allowed us sometime in the change room to have a chat and a laugh or two to settle the nerves. Alan (Vinnie's other half) and Vinnie (Alan's other half) decided to keep those tails wagging by choosing to sit next to each other in the change room. Captain Socceroo observed Alan (Vinnie's other half), turning to Vinnie (Alan's other half) and saying "Vinn, I think your sock end up in my bag - it definitely has your smell. I want you to have it back." With a couple of reciprocal smiles, the sock was exchanged.

Signifying the importance of the game, the Pres (Romulus) found himself in our change room to witness proceedings. He let it be known that he was not impressed with the lack of volume, "Boys, you're too serious." In a method to boost the level of volume in the change room, Romulus decided to give us his pre-game grand final speech a little early. Please refer to the attachment for the great Italian's speech. (unfortunatly the webmaster would not allow more than 20 swear words : )

During the warm-up, Trainer Mark decided to employ his "numbers" drill. In true form, we were terrible at it again! Following a peculiar pre-game speech by Captain Socceroo and that piece of paper (where did it get to?), we ran out of the dressing room fired up to say the least.

And boy did we get it right from the kick-off.

Looking back at the kick-off, there was a real statement made by us with the second kick of the game. When Big Jimmy received the ball from the 2 forwards, instead of passing it to his backline, he passed it forward to Edmond. I thought that showed the difference of Coogee 1 week ago and Sunday night. Right from the 'off' we attacked down the flanks at speed. We were hungry and sharp. We created a great opportunity about 2 minutes in but we could not convert. Nevertheless, Barnstoneworth were facing a fired up Coogee (very different to a week ago). Our pace was electric. Within 5 minutes, Barnstoneworth picked up 2 yellow cards for very late tackles.

On 10 minutes, an unfortunate accident where a Barnstoneworth player broke his leg attempting a tackle. Despite these guys being our most fierce rivals, you don't wish that upon any player and we hope that he makes a successful recovery.

The game was delayed by about 50 minutes - the question was, would this negate our wonderful start?

It didn't. After the re-start we continued our electric pace. Looking from the backline, what pleased me was that we did all the things that we said we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win this game. We played a little more direct than usual to put Barnstoneworth under pressure and to also take the state of the field out of the equation. Our backline was solid, but it was the work rate of our midfielders and Vinnie which caught the eye. Big Jimmy was winning every first ball and when the ball found itself at TUNDER and LIGHTNING's feet, the Barnstoneworth guys were under pressure. We were consistently winning the first and second balls which meant the momentum was with us. We had to convert and we did, with Vinnie slotting home (much to Alan's delight). 1-0 Coogee.

All was going well until Tall Matty received his second yellow of the game - at the 35 min mark. The big fella was so dominant in the air so this was a big loss. Suddenly the game changed as we found ourselves under a bit of pressure. We had to handle a couple of nervy crosses into our box but the pleasing thing was that everyone stood up. Jase W made a spectacular clearance from a cross that just made it over our own bar. Whilst we found ourselves under pressure, Damo didn't really have to make a save.

At half time, we realised that we had a big job to do to defend a 1-0 lead with 10 men against a team that has beaten us twice this season. This was to be the mother of all tests.

Whilst we naturally found ourselves defending in the second half given we had only 10 men, the pleasing thing was that we started to spray ball around and attack. Rather than try to defend for the whole half, we decided as a group that we'd go for the throat - we'd try to score a goal. It was a our natural way.

Jase W and Robby were outstanding at the back. They easily got the better of their attacking opponent and the boys looked to get forward at any opportunity without taking unnecessary risks. At about the 65 minute, the moment we'd been waiting for all season happened.

As many of you will recall, back in April on a Boys Night Out, after a couple of Jaeger Bombs supplied by Captain Socceroo (I'm now feeling this after the recent share market falls), Jase "Chipperfield" W proclaimed in front of the group (was he drunk??) "I'm going to score goal of the season boys!!"

Well, just like his name sake "Scott Chipperfield" for the Socceroos on Thursday morning, Jase W found himself scoring for Coogee Utd in their grand final - his first for the season. What a goal it was.

The move started with Jase W himself, supplying the ball to Garth. Garth played TUNDER in. TUNDER did a freaky turn, beat a couple of players (he'll like that) then slide the ball into a forward running Jase W. Jase W coolly slotted the ball in to make it 2-0 Coogee. Wild celebrations saw us celebrate the goal Jase W called, back in April.

We knew the next 5 minutes would be crucial and we held out. But soon after Barnstoneworth made their numerical advantage count with a headed goal from a cross to make it 2-1. Rather than try to shut up shop and defend for our lives, Coogee decided to do something we didn't do last week. We took the game to Barnstoneworth. We continued to play football and make Barnstoneworth chase. This took the sting out of their comeback and we were rewarded with a penalty after Garth was brought down in the box. I decided that Danny should take the penalty given that he has the best record at Coogee Utd at taking penalties. When he's on the field, he is the incumbent penalty taker. I have never seen him miss and he made no mistake again this year (like last years GF), sending the keeper the wrong way to make it 3-1.

Barnstoneworth scored a consolation goal with virtually the last kick of the game - Damo was unlucky as the ball took a massive deflection past him.

Full-time saw us celebrate an amazing historic double for this great club.

Tributes
Boys - I couldn't be more proud of you lot. All season you have done what has been asked of you and you got the rewards you deserved. The spirit/banter amongst this group was exceptional. We really bonded together (some closer than we would have liked):

TUNDER + LIGHTENING = FD18 BIG JIMMY + DANNY = HOT STUFF AT THE SNOW (a bit of Yorkshire pudding I believe) DOM = BROKEN HEART AFTER THE TWO ABOVE GOT TOGETHER ALAN + VINNIE = MADE LE PRES' BLOOD BOIL MUZZA + TRAINER MARK = SH$TCHENKO! DANNY + RED CARD = REGULAR

All the Boys Nights Out were done on purpose to bond us together. I think you'll agree they played some part in helping us achieve our double.

For all of us existing Coogee players - you raised the bar this year. Tall Matty impressed me more and more each game. He has made himself a hard, uncompromising centre half. Dom's work rate was brilliant this year. He does the hardest job on the field which is to win the ball back. It's Dom's strength and if we didn’t have him, we would have conceded a lot more goals than we did. Danny was his usual entertaining rock-star self. Our X-factor had it all: goals, red - cards, bloody face; girls, girls and injuries. Big Jimmy was our general. Dictated our games, won everything in the air. Exceptional touch with a faster rising "face book" friends rate than the temperature in the Sahara desert.

Remember boys, when you need to quench that thirst. ..
think Hahn Super Dry.
It'll make those troubles just go away.

We also should make mention of Dave. Dave had a bad run of injuries this year but he remains a wonderful clubman. He turned up to training when he could and was always there on game days ready to come in if required. He always made the time to come for a beer or two after games. It's about being there for your mates and this is what Dave is about.

We made some wonderful acquisitions this year - Jase " Chipperfield" W (exceptional talent I will miss in the back line); Robby Baggio (brilliant touch, composed, versatile and liked by all); Edmond (unbelievable skill, match winner. . . . Our Ronaldo); Garth (huge potential, very intelligent on the field, made an impact); Bald Matt (classic winger, pace); Jules (quality, skill, pace, clinical); TUNDER - (passion, intensity, work rate. . . the things Karen loves!, our go to man!). Didn't understand a word he said all year. "Your man" was all heart. Karen describes him as "LIGHTENING" in bed. Or is it, she shouts out "LIGHTENING" in bed. Hmmmmm. . . .

As far as I'm concerned (and a lot of other clubmen think the same way), we also had the best GK I have seen for a long long time in Damo. Damo was formidable in goals and a big reasons why we finally had a fortress defence!

These guys have been wonderful additions to our club and we want them to continue here. Unfortunately Jase W will probably not be with us next year. Jase - you were immense and you're welcome back anytime. Remember. . . we are family now. Keep in touch mate. Don't go!

Guys - looking back on the season, a big factor in us winning what we did has to go down to 3 unassuming lads who joined us from June - riding their silly bicycles to training. Alan, Vinnie and Eduardo, brought that something extra to our season. They were very timely fresh faces at training and their injection was what we needed. Over time, they came out of their shells and boy did they fit in with the group. Again, you boys are now a part of the family. Vinnie will be leaving us (Alan if you need a shoulder mate, go to the Pres). Vinnie, your selection in the starting line up at the end of the season was a reflection of your quality and work rate. You had the toughest role in the last 2 games of the season and you did a brilliant job. You have left a great impression with a lot of people at this club. Come back soon.

I also have to pay tribute to Deano. Deano has an unbelievable football brain and he brought the experience we needed to be successful. He's seen and done it all before. Without his knowledge of the game we wouldn't have got as far as we did. We all know he is a tremendous talker on/off the field, but it's his strategising and tactics which were most valuable to us. As a leader, he is going to be tremendous for the club going forward.

Last but by no means least, Trainer Mark and Muzza. Together they form a formidable partnership. They need each other as much as Ken and Barbie; Ying and Yang; TUNDER and LIGHTENING; ALAN and VINNIE; BIG JIMMY and DANNY. We are all in debt to Mark. He turns up week in week out to train us and we all should appreciate that we are not the only team he trains. He has a sharp eye for talent and changed our season following a loss to Barnstoneworth by instigating a radical formation change. We owe Mark.

Muzza is our Guus Hiddink. Our man-manager. We can all turn to Muzz for relationship advice like TUNDER/LIGHTENING did; like ALAN/VINNIE did. He appreciates that we all have different things which make us tick.

Like I said, these two together compliment each other and are a massive reason why we went well this year.

Boys, we shouldn't forget the Pres who was a big supporter of us and the relationship status of Alan and Vinnie. As the Pres always says "Curls gets the girls!"

Final Word
Best bunch of blokes.

We won it all.

Can't wait for next season (how good will Ray look in a black and white striped shirt!).

The mother of all Boys Night Out is coming!

SH$TCHENKO!

Sunday 10/08/08
AA1: Coogee United V Maccabi

Result: Coogee United 3 Maccabi 2

With the minor premiership already wrapped we entered the game against Maccabi with a relaxed attitude. We were determined though to put in a dominant performance against a fellow top-4 finalist.

We began the 1st half in great fashion, by stringing a number of passes together through the formation of our little triangles. Great stuff lads - the type of football we need to play in the finals.

One man was more determined than all of us to make a mark on the game. Deano........ using the jealousy of Jules' pre-training large big mac meal as inspiration...... was in for a huge game. He started off brightly, winning possession a number of times for us. But 10 minutes in, his little hamstrings buckled under the enormous weight............. of expectation! An untimely substitution, but a huge opportunity for the tenacious Dom.

With Big ("50% winning percentage as captain") Jimmy orchastrating the game with his deft touch and vision, Coogee dominated proceedings. The ball was doing all the work from the backline, through the midfield and up to the forwards. We created a couple of good changes and Irish ("I taped Jules!") Mark was unlucky not to open the scoring after he hit the post from 3 yards. A bad miss.

Our defence was back to its fortress like best and at about the 30 minute mark, we took the lead as Irish ("I taped Jules!") Mark swung in a corner which was met by Garth. 1-0 Coogee.

The goal spurred us on and soon after another corner by Irish ("I taped Jules!") Mark was met with a clinical header from tall Matty. Tall Matty didn't hide back his emotions during celebrations. It meant a lot to the big man.

2-0 at the break and really a preview of the type of football our opponents can expect in the final series from us.

In the second half we faced a stiff breeze which had an effect on the game. It was proving difficult to get the ball out of our half, nevertheless we did well at times, scrambling in defence. Muzza began to rest some players - Jules, Jase W.

With a glut of posession, Maccabi got a goal back. But at around the 75 minute mark, in front of his favourite blonde on the sideline, Irish ("I taped Jules!") Mark dribbled past a couple of players - with more luck than skill - and then shot at goal. With the shot seemingly going wide, it then took a remarkable deflection which went past the keeper. The referee had no doubt in awarding an "O.G." Despite this, Irish ("I taped Jules!") celebrated with a cheeky little blowing of a kiss directed at his favourite blonde on the sideline........... Jules.

Maccabi got a controversial penalty late in the game, which they duely converted to make the scoreline 3-2.

Strong perfromances from Irish ("I taped Jules") Mark, Big Jimmy, Jules, Edmond, Jase W and Alan.

All in all, the 1st half performance was us at nearly our best. Now its time to show our opponents in the final series that we can do this for 90 minutes. And all I can say to our opponents is, match us if you can.

Sunday 03/08/08
AA5: Redfern Raiders V Coogee United

Result: Redfern Raiders 0 Coogee United 5

It was with great relief and jubilant cheers that Coogee got back to winning ways on Sunday. The aptly named referee Mr Carnivale tried to steal the show with clown like decisions, but really he could do nothing to prevent the procession of Coogee FC rolling a step closer to the big top that is the Grand Final.

Still a bit short on numbers, Coogee fielded a new look line up of Tug in goal, Khan and Scala in the middle with usual suspects of Mitch and Matty out wide. Adam and Jon ran the line outside the Daly and Doorly tongue twister, who attempted to feed the oh so hungry Bourbon and Watts combo. Mitch once again broke the sound barrier with his now traditional, heard in Burnley call to arms.

The previous record for fastest ever goal, adjudicated by Norris McWerter and the Guinness book of records team, was shattered by the ravenous Ashley. Making up for his games missed, straight from the kick off he took possession from the bumraiders and laid Wattsy's first goal on a silver platter. Wattsy tapped in from close range with only 3.8 secs on the clock. Gooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

The so called Post scoring vulnerability was nowhere to be seen thanks to Khan colossus and Super Scala. They cleared every header and kept the big dirty fella up front on a tight leash. Mitch proved a useful outlet and his passion was heard all over as always. In the midfield Mr Jiggly hips Daly was shimmying around like a samba dancer from Brazil and Mr Doorly taught the old master Mr Johan Cruyff a thing or three. Jon pulled dug deep into his bag of tricks with his now trademark chest flicks and neat passing. Such neat passing resulted in the second goal. A combination between Ash, Dave, Jon and Daly saw the ball pulled back to Wattsy. Still with a bit of work to do the part time Alan Shearer impersonator lost his man and slotted home. Goooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!

It was with goal difference on their minds that the Notts County / Juventus / Newcastle United look-a-likes rolled out for half time. The trickle that had been the first half goals soon erupted into a cascade of onion bag bustin fun (for you Dave). The little dutch lad who had his finger in the dyke (spellcheck please?) was dealt the first blow of a rampant Coogee second half. A now world famous Dave Doorly freekick was greeted by a leaping Drew. His header was goal bound but Daly being the true poaching predator that he is sneaked in to fire it home from 6 inches out... Goooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!! they all count Daly, don't forget Drew it's the providers that will inherit the world. The next one to knock the wee clog wearing whipper snapper of his perch was Adam. He had a few chances truth be told but Coco the Carnivale blew him offside a few times. But persistence pays, and Adam was set through by a Dale Watts combo and finished beautifully. GooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaL!!!!! The bumraiders tried to have a final say when their forward was put through and shot on goal. Ash dived like a fouled Italian but his fingertips couldn't stop the shot. Matty Dale used an old jedi mind trick on the Carnival master and said "offside!" to which the ref said peep! offside, phew all round.

The dyke finally exploded all over Hans when gaffer Watts took the last word and a hat trick to boot (golden boots of course). By now of course Coogee were so jubilant that the exact details of this potential goal of the season were somewhat lost. But surely it was a beauty eh Wattsy?!?

MOTM: Khan. Superlatives are banded about with ease, but Khan's performance was colossal in biblical proportions. Well done!

Wattsy please reply with the final word.......

- Report by Watts & Dale

Sunday 20/07/08
AA1: Barnstoneworth V Coogee United

Result: Barnstoneworth 1 Coogee United 0

Boys,
Firstly, Preso and Coach. Pipe down gentlemen, it appears that you two are the only depressed ones amongst us. If you care to look at the table (see below) you will realise that we are the superior team in the league and with some extra commitment the minor premiership and grand final will be ours. And Pres, I'm not answering 'the' question you keep asking me about. Concentrate on your hot dogs, not mine.

Apologies for the delay boys, I have been waiting for the results to come through and they finally did at 7.30 tonight.

Not a job I wanted, to have to report on our first defeat of the year. The good news is the minor premiership is still totally in our hands and we needed the wake up call. 3 games, 3 victories will more than do the job and gain the momentum we need for the finals. Casper will also point out that Man U lost 5 games on the way to winning the title last year so if those northern monkeys can still win it I say no more.

So a very early start for the game at a location Danny most appropriately described as Beirut (was that really Danny there at 9am?). It was great to see the commitment from the boys. 16 players all on time and it would appear that the only person with a hangover was our coach who looked like I feel most Sundays. Appreciate all the boys who turned up so early to fill in for our missing players and also 'vice' Jules who delayed his 'sliding down the pole' to play the first half an hour. One thing I was concerned about was that sweeper Jase would again be snipered, particularly bearing in mind the location of the game. Well done fella for staying on your feet. Credit to the 'fitness coach' who took us through the stretches despite not knowing what muscle any of the stretches work and to Mark for the running exercises (and his translator).

The first half was end to end stuff with some chaotic football at times. Barnstoneworth despite their weakened team were more alert to the 2nd ball (note - key difference for the whole game) and at their most dangerous from set piece situations. A couple of chances fell our way after some great work by Jules and then Garth but for this week it just didn't happen. The old lady at 337 Stanthorpe Close still has the match ball from Garth's effort. The resident of 126 Coogee Bay Road still has Dom's. To be fair to the boys at least they had a shot, something we must do more of against this mob next time if only to see the look on McGarvney's face as he does not receive yet another pass. In the words of the legend that is Mark Lawrenson, "you must shoot to score". Isn't he Irish?

So the half time talk was for more of the same but more clinical with the final ball. To be fair to the boss, we pretty much ignored that, something which we cannot afford to happen in the remaining games. Plenty of possession but a lack of killer instinct. Let's blame the 9am start and move on.

So the goal.................

The ref gave a reasonable performance it must be said but to miss the blatant handball was a slight shame to say the least. Another set piece (hint for training Muzza) led to the goal. About 4 deflections including one off the back of my head, 2 or 3 off the Barney players arm and the ball ended up in the top corner. Eddy despite the aid of a step ladder couldn't quite get there. Muzza's claim that had he had hair the game would have been 0-0 was harsh to say the least.

Plenty of possession after the goal but little came our way in the shape of chances until the final minute. Alan came on as a sub and was put through by a Lampard (just leave my beloved blues if your going to) esq ball only for the keeper to move sprightly off his line and deny us a draw.

Not a good final whistle to hear but fortunately there are a few things that come to mind. It was not the final, we played badly, and we have 5 key players to come back into the squad. Although we do need to be quicker to the 2nd ball credit to players form both teams for the decent spirit the game was played in after the 'mishap' in the last round.

Can we please have one final special thought, not just for the Pope but for the cleaner of the toilets at Beirut Park. The moment they discover those boxer shorts will surely lead to them handing their notice in. Bloody potatoes.

Back in the game boys, 7.15 prompt Thursday.

Sunday 13/07/08
AA1: Locomotiv Cove V Coogee United

Result: Locomotiv Cove 0 Coogee United 3

Gentlemen,

I could tell it was going to be a good day when Muzza presented me his team selection on a ripped off piece of a Tooheys New carton
(shameless plug).

With Captain Soccerette well in the northern hemisphere it was left to stand in skipper Jimmy Whiteford to lead his troops in to battle (did I mention I was captain?). After what can only be described as a campaign winning style speech from Deano we made our way to the task in hand. That was, after we got our hearing back post Deano's tones.

Locomotive were a pain from the off as our re-structured formation got used to one another. We gave away too many free kicks and corners early doors, which resulted in a fair bit of pressure. Finally we started playing some more typical flowing football and Robbie and Matty were beginning to rule the left side. In the blink of an eye Matty had the first half chance and a 'rasping' (I thank you) right foot (yes, you did read that correctly) just dipped over the bar. Another couple of sweeping team moves saw Mark 'gifted' a chance in front of goal. With only the goalie to beat he decided to enter a belated cross bar challenge from Thurs night. Matty also had another chance, skinning defender and keeper only to hit row Q, but a splendid effort nonetheless.

As the defence started to gel with Jase W looking like a sparkling replacement for our ex sweeper the chance of the first half arrived. With one of the two monkeys upfront (can't remember which, who cares) making a good run the ball came back to Matty (bald variety) and from about 30 yards he attempted to lob the returning keeper. The 6ft 8in centre back decided to make a save Damo would be proud of. The resulting red card gave the boost CUFC needed. Naturally it was the place of the stand in skipper to step up to the plate as both strikers were unable to stay calm. Calmly placed in the back of the net, 1-0. We ticked over for the remainder of the half with Deano & Eddy making life simple in the middle and with the extra man, triangles (and origins Markevic) were very apparent.

At half time (after borrowing some ear plugs) we made our way to team talk 2. It was decided that things were just about alright and yet again we needed to do what we do best and play more football.

We came out for the 2nd half with a better attitude but despite that some laziness/fatigue saw some early losses of possession. I am putting this down to nothing else but the 'high' we had all reached through the herbal remedies that swept across Heffron. Quickly we snapped out of the higher state of consciousness to deliver some crisp pass and move collections. The boys upfront, although it pains me to say it were starting to create more and a nice run by Mark was met with a rather super through ball from yours truly (did I mention I was captain?). A good finish from Mark and this was repeated only 5 minutes later with a copy cat goal this time starting with Deano's pass. Mark said he used the outside of the boat for the second goal. He had not come down from the 'high'. Class though mate.

Our two wingers Matty and Garth did a grand job and were replaced with Eduardo and Dave who did their position no harm by sliding straight into the game adding to our superiority. Matty (tall variety), Jase and Robbie together with our long lost legend of a keeper were now well in control at the back and the moves kept starting form them, looking good boys.

It won't surprise any of you or Mark's family and friends back home that his work rate lifted with a hat-trick on the line. Jules continued to do most of the hard work and was left with a great opportunity to add to the goals. In a vision that reminded me of back in 91 Deano made a run from centre midfield and the theme tune from Chariots of Fire began to play. Screaming for it (even louder than the team talk) he would have buried it had the ball been squared. It's a good job we are all friends. Our man of the match Robbie had our final chance and almost scored the 2nd best goal of the season after beating 3 players, himself and another 3 players only for the Loco keeper to deny.

So 3-0 was comfortable in the end and the push for an awesome season continues. Some big tasks ahead though as we know and it all starts on Thursday.

Thanks to all the fans that joined us for the afternoon especially Eddy's crowd that seem to be growing every week and to Trainer Mark for the pre-game show, it is much appreciated.

One last point. If anybody knows of or hears a rumour about the sniper that shot Jase W in the closing stages please report it to Muz or the Prez.

Rest up boys.
Skip.

Sunday 06/07/08
AA1: UNSW V Coogee United

Result: UNSW 1 Coogee United 2

At David Phillips Oval, Coogee put their unbeaten record on the line against 4th placed UNSW. We always expect a tough game against the Uni teams - games that you need to play out the entire 90 mins. Well, today was no different.

For the first 20 minutes or so, it seemed like we were stuck playing the pace that we were accustomed to in the last couple of weeks. To be honest, we were fortunate in the first 20 minutes, but sometimes you need to ride your luck and make the most of it.

To our credit, we changed our approach midway through the first half, with our passing having a little more zest and crispness to it. We quickened things up and as a result we started to make inroads. We had a decent spell and were unlucky not to take the lead with Irish Mark on the end of a beautiful move down the right. Big Jimmy and Edmund started to pull the strings in midfield and the big man was unlucky not to score himself with a spectacular scissor kick.

But, just as we were dominating, UNSW took the lead with a fortunate goal that looped off Suchi's head. 0-1 at the break.

We talked at half time about believing that we had 2 goals in us and we came out with the right appraoch right from the get go. We immediately went on the attack and a corner in the 47 minutes was swung in from the right. From it, Edmund's first touch set him up for a front on scissor kick (G.Poyet - Chelsea), which was executed perfectly. Top corner - 1-1.

We took on board Trainer Mark's comments at half time about getting balls in behind the UNSW defence and Jase W, in his comeback game, hit a 40 yard screamer (ball of the year) switch to Garth who made a bee line for the goal before intelligently crossing for Danny. 2-1 to Coogee and a goal to Danny on his comeback as well.

The only threat UNSW posed were off set-pieces and we were grateful when Suchi made a point blank save mid way through the second half to preserve our lead. Our defending was tenacious and dogged - but made harder when Danny got himself sent off for a late challenge.

From this, Jules stepped up vindicating his appointment to the leadership group by sitting in midfield and some timely challenges by him took momentum away from UNSW.

After defending well - we were glad to hear the final whistle which gave us 3 more precious points

Well done boys. I'm proud of all of you for realising that we needed to change our approach midway through the first half and doing it so well.

I thought Danny, Eduardo and Bald Matt did well when they came on. Full credit to Irish Mark for his hard work today - you're an asset to his club mate. Edmund was the pick of the bunch today. He turned it on for us.

When we step up that extra gear, no team has been able to stay with us. What we have realised today is that from here on in, we need to hit that 'extra' gear. Each game will be tougher and tougher, 'cause like I said today, we have a target on our chest. But, we have players, coaching/training staff to hold off everyone if we play with the heart we showed today.

Boys - you did the jersey proud today. Gutsy win which will prove valuable in our run in.

Captain Socceroo signs off a very content man. Big Jimmy and Jules will do the armband proud and I leave them with the best bunch of blokes. I'll miss ya boys.

P.S Please do the right thing by training. Don't let yourself down in this regard. I guarantee you that if we all turn up to training during the cold months, do what we have to do, we will get the success we deserve at the end of this season. But, if you don't put in boys, our great work thus far will go down the drain.

It starts next week - Locomotive!

Sunday 29/06/08
AA1: Coogee United V Sydney Uni

Result: Coogee United 2 Sydney Uni 1

Before I launch into the match report - the "powers that be" have whispered in my ear that they have noticed some of us not turning up on time to games and to training. Given that we are coming into the serious end of the season, and the fact that we have a strong squad of players to choose from, nothing less then total discipline in this regard will be tolerated. Boys, we have to follow these rules without fail:

1. on Sundays - you must arrive by 45 minutes before kick-off
(don't run the risk of missing this)
2. at trainings - you must be ready to begin the warm-up by 7:15PM
3. if you have to miss training, you must notify Muzza by phone, text, email.

It's common sense guys. Don't want to have to mention this again.

Match Report
Coogee Utd continued their unbeaten run this season with a awkward 2-1 win over Sydney University at Heffron.

We were back at Heffron for the first time in ages and our familiar surroundings and capacity crowd seemed to get our competitive juices flowing during the warm-up. We were buzzing and ready to put on a dominant display on our home turf. However, as with the case with the Uni teams, we got into an awkward battle and had to show some character to overturn a deficit and collect the 3 points.

Whilst in control in the backline in the first half, we struggled to control the midfield and find the connection to the front line. Some chances were created and with a little more commitment and composure, we could have found ourselves with a handy lead going into half time. Instead, we were not as sharp as we would have liked and as a result we went into the break scratching our heads as to how to lift things.

We began the 2nd half brightly and dominated possession and territory. Again, chances were created but no breakthrough. We started to give away a few free-kicks in our half of the field and in the end it brought our undoing. Sydney Uni broke our 7 game clean sheet record to take the lead against the run of play. With about 25 minutes remaining, Coogee Utd had to do something it has not done this season. . . . come from behind.

As we all know, coming from behind is a great feeling, and the Sydney Uni goal was the catalyst for Coogee to wake ourselves up. We started to show a bit of urgency and sharpness and with the successful introduction of Bald Matt, Vinnie and Alan - Irish Vinnie was rewarded for his great energy on the field with his first goal for Coogee on debut. 1-1.

This got us going, and shortly after Jules showed what a class player he is by scoring a quality goal after beating a number of players. It proved to be the winning goal and the 3 points were secured.

Boys, we all need to admit that this was not our finest performance. We need to lift our intensity and sharpness starting from next week. Let's learn from this game - i.e. that unless you're prepared to turn up on game day with the right attitude, and be prepared to work hard - we will come unstuck. Having said that, we still got the 3 points despite our ineffective display - this suggests to me that we are a quality team.

I want to pay credit to:

:: Irish Vinnie, Alan and Eduardo - their injection into the game was great and they each contributed to our win yesterday. You guys are great additions to the club and you have strengthened our squad. Boys the spots in the first 11 are up for grabs now. Even Captain Socceroo has been told that he may find himself playing with Zizou (I shudder the thought) when he returns from o/s.

:: Bald Matt was great when he came on - gave us plenty of width.

:: Jules was tremendous without his partner in crime up front. High work rate was rewarded with a fine strike that won us the game.

:: Our fill in GK yesterday was great. Its a pity the goal was scored that broke our clean sheet record. I have reminded him of this.

Sunday 22/06/08
AA1: Waverley V Coogee United

Result: Waverley 0 Coogee United 4

On a windy afternoon at Moore Park, Coogee swept aside Waverley 4-0 with a couple of new club goal scorers.

Whether it was the conditions or something else, we seemed a little "slow" in our thinking in the 1st half. Our usual crisp passing game was sluggish and defensively, we were about half a yard off the pace. We seemed to be battling ourselves at times and as a result we found the first half rather frustrating.

Nevertheless, we showed the class this team possesses by playing poorly in the first stanza yet still taking a 1-0 lead to the break with a fine strike by Rob from the left. Rob was making some good in-roads on the left, and with luck he could've have had 2 or 3 at the break.

We addressed a few things at half time and came up with a plan for the second. Right from the get go in the 2nd half, we were a different team. We began to buzz like we normally do and before Waverley knew it we were 3 goals to the good. Garth was rewarded for his efforts for the day by finishing off a comical goal in which Jules struck a ball past the 'keeper and seemingly into the goals only for the Moore Park mud to hold it up on the line. With Jules and the rest of the team celebrating, we suddenly realised that the ball did not cross the line. Luckily, Garth was on hand to bury it from 30cm.

Bald Matt came on in the 2nd half and found a lot of space on his wing. He was rewarded with his persistance by clinically finishing off a good move with a near post effort (Arjen Robben style).

The icing on the cake came in the last minute, when an ever hard working Jules was rewarded with a goal of his own in front of Irish Mark's fan club.

Good to see Deano back on the field, he brings a lot of experience to the side and we are grateful for it.

Lads, this game marks 7 consecutive clean sheets for us - 630 minutes!! Damo showed us his class again yesterday with a world class save in the 2nd half despite a game where he was hardly called into action. He's a great asset to the club (and could be the dark horse for the captaincy). Well done to all. I'm happy with our defensive efforts, but I also do believe that we could raise the bar by about 30% by doing a couple of things at training.

On that theme, the forecast for this week is sunshine all the way through. Let's get a good turn out to training on Thursday so we can work on some defensive and attacking set-ups. Like I said yesterday, the biggest challenge we face is complacency setting in. We owe it to ourselves to do everything we can to not allow this to happen. There is no game out there where we can go through the motions.

So our focus now is nothing more than the next 90 minutes against Sydney Uni (the last team to score against us!).

Boys - its very important to keep increasing your fitness levels by doing some work on your own. We need to be a fitter team by the end of the year. Do the right thing and do some work during the week.

See you on Thursday.

Sunday 15/06/08
AA1: Coogee United V Olympic Eagles

Result: Coogee United 5 Olympic Eagles 0

In absolutely terrrible conditions, Coogee continued its relentless undefeated form with a comprehensive 5-0 win over Olympic Eagles at Rowland Park.

Conditions were by no means condusive for playing football, but we somehow managed to do it - spraying the ball around the park with the sort of football (short passes) that have reapt us so much success this year.

Some of the interchanges were first class and really resemble the 3v1 drill we do at training. It's the kind of football lads that we need to continue to play. Well done.

Boys - this game marks our 6th consecutive clean sheet - that's 540 minutes of football!! It's a fair bet that's a club record and being a defender makes me an extremely happy captain. Credit to all as defending starts from the boys upfront.

Scorers were Irish Mark with 2, Jules 1, Big Jimmy with a penalty and Edmond with a delightful long range chip of the keeper.

I thought that Dom and Robby were outstanding on the park. Dom, in particular, clocks up a lot of km's in a game and often is the man who breaks down the opposition's counter attacks. Well done mate - appreciate your efforts.

Once last thing guys - I have to make mention of Damo. As you know, Damo attended the Rugby in Melb the night before - got hammered but still had the committment to change his flight plans to get back in time for our game. Now to do this, Damo had to board a very early flight on Sunday and pay a couple of hundred bucks. Boys - the conditions were terrible yesterday and Damo made the effort to not let his mates down. Please, the next time we're in the pub, shout him a beer.

Great effort lads - it's always hard to put on a big score in conditions like that. Let's now turn our attention to the next opponent and nothing else. I want that 7th consecutive clean sheet and another professional performance.

Sunday 01/06/08
AA1: Queens Park V Coogee United

Result: Queens Park 0 Coogee United 3

The day will be remembered for the H Kewell masterclass that I knew would be coming. King Harry turned back the clock to even make the great Muzza shed a tear at the sight of a truly world class player. For those doubters out there (Casper) in the words of the great J Warren - "I told you so."

Some Irish magic at both ends with Mark netting his first hat-trick for the club and GK Damo's outstanding penalty save allowed us to open up our 2nd half of the season by continuing the theme from the 1st half with a dominant away 3-0 win against Queens Park. The game also marked our 5th consecutive clean sheet (450 minutes!).

Yet again our character showed through with us overcoming a high injury/absentee list - and we have to thank Lou for helping the team out yesterday.

We talked before the game about being true to the fundamentals of our game - things like ball possession/retention and support play - the things which have worked well for us in the "bigger" games of the 1st half of the season. Pleasingly, we put the theory into practice straight for the get-go with some fine interchanges from the backline, through midfield and up to the strikers. At times we found ourselves stringing 10-15 passes through our little triangles - it was great stuff lads and really the way we want to play all the time.

We opened up Queens Park a number of times in the first half and we were rewarded about 20 minutes in with good lead up work by Rob and Jules finished off with a clinical finish from Irish Mark. 1-0 Coogee.

The ball possession from us at times was first class, so much so that you could see Deano on the sideline celebrating it by tucking into his 4th Hungry Jacks burger of the arvo. Given that we didn't hear much of Deano's voice throughout the day, one can only assume that he was extremely hungry.

Towards the end of the half, we doubled our lead with great lead up work down the right leading to a low cross that Dave was desperately unlucky not to slot home. But, as becoming regular occurrence these days, Irish Mark found himself picking up the scraps to give himself a brace. 2-0 Coogee.

The 2nd half saw us weathering some Queens Park chances. Defensively, we are proud of our run of clean sheets, so the back three + Damo, weren't about to concede any soft goals. Eventually we got the ball under control and following a corner from the right, Big Jimmy played an "in-form" ball which split the Queens Park defence wide open for Irish Mark to grab his hat-trick. Well done son, thoroughly deserved.

One could notice the envy on Jules' face as Irish Mark preceded to do a lap of honour around the ground. Hard-Man-Jules (HMJ) tried desperately to try and grab one for himself, often running around 6-7 blokes but he just couldn't get his shot away.

With 5 consecutive clean sheets within sight, the back 3 decided that we'd give Damo a test to see how good he really is. Big Matty obliged with a not so discrete hand ball. Which meant Damo had to face a spot kick. As the Queens Park player lined up his spot kick, Damo advised: "Boys, just get the rebound!" Some Irish magic allowed Damo to leap to his left and (just like Schwarzer against Uruguay) and preserve our clean sheet record run. Quizzically, that it was the only piece of Irish magic that Irish Mark's missus saw given that she was late to see any of Irish Mark's goals. Questions have to be asked, what was the reason for her tardiness? And why was Irish Mark late to the game as well?

Boys, under the adversity, another great win. The theme of the 2nd half of the season is taking it one game at a time. Now our focus is on Maccabi.

The pleasing aspects were of course the great finishing by Mark, our 5th consecutive clean sheet, but most of all the fact that we were clinical in a type of game where in the 1st half of the season we weren't. And, its because we stayed true to our fundamentals.

Just one last thing, please spare a thought for "in-form" Big Jimmy. Yesterday, he showed he's human after all. Not sure if it was the miss from 6 yards out with the goal at his mercy, or his attempt to in what can only be described as a "dive," to win a penalty.
His inspiration. . . . . . . . D. Drogba.

Sunday 25/05/08
AA1: Dunbar Rovers V Coogee United V

Result: Dunbar Rovers 0 Coogee United 0

Lads, it was an extremely tough, physical, fast and furious game (as always with Dunbar). Given the adversity we suffered for this game - i.e. of having only 10 1st grade players to choose from; and being away from home - this has to go down as a very good result and a really gutsy performance by us. It makes me proud as captain to know that the blokes in this team will stand up in tough circumstances and do the striped shirt proud. No question that this year's side is talented but what separates this team from past years is it's ability to sustain/weather pressure. Well done boys.

As we talked about before the game, Reg Bartley Oval is a very hard ground to get points from. We met a spirited opposition who wanted a fast and furious game - typical Dunbar style. Yes - they had some chances but I'll tell you what, we had some as well so that was pleasing.

Took us a little but of time to settle in the 1st half but once we did our quick passing game nearly got us the rewards it deserved. Mark and Dom had a couple of good chances but were unlucky. Really, Dunbar's only threat to us came from set pieces. It quickly became evident that if we stopped these, we would go along away to not conceding.

Have to pay credit to Zizou (and he'll love it). Zizou stepped up in our hour of need and put in a performance that should have him in our squad on a weekly basis. He retained possession and posed real problems for the Dunbar defence. Well done mate. Without Jules, Mark did an exceptional job holding on to the ball and his work rate was outstanding. Deservedly our man of the match. We're appreciative of your work rate Mark.

Guys, it was a gutsy performance. We weathered sustained periods of pressure and like I said this is the difference between this year's squad and ones I have played with in the past. It pleases me that we can sustain pressure and not concede. This is what will win us championships.

But in saying that, we should analyse why we were under pressure for large parts of the game yesterday. It comes down to a few basic principles that we must work hard at - i.e. not turning over possession easily (particularly within 1-2 passes of winning possession), keeping our shape and supporting the man on the ball. We let ourselves down on these areas which means their more improvement in us.

We have now gone 4 games (360 minutes) without conceding a goal. Damo, Jase W, Big Matt - give yourselves a pat on the back. In defence, our job at the back is to not concede and we are achieving this. Well done and pride yourselves on this. We should never concede soft goals and we should realise that each game from here on willl be harder and harder. I'm challenging us to make it 450 minutes this week!

Boys, there's a couple of other points I need to make (some I touched upon before the game):

1. This marks the halfway point in our season and we have amassed 20 points. Great effort to be unbeaten and leading the competition - well done. Make no mistake though, "20 points" will not even get us into the top 4. The 2nd half of the season is going to be harder now that we have a target on our chest. We need to step up starting next week.

2. We have a lot of injured players at the moment and this is a concern. Yesterday, we were nearly undone by injuries. Guys, we can't stop injuries but we need to do the right thing by each other by managing injuries as best as possible. It is crucial that you ice your injuries in the first 24-48 hours. If you don't do this (along with rest, elevation, etc) not only are you making your injury worse but you are letting the rest of us down. Do the right thing guys.

3. Common sense - people sometimes have to miss training and games. But for goodness sake, if you have to miss a game or training, please, please, give early notice to either Muzza or myself. I don't want to hear of people out of matches at 2PM on Sunday! It throws the preparation out. It's common sense guys. The numbers at training have been a concern of late with only 7 of us turning up last week. Guys, it's not good enough for 1st grade. It is ONE training a week. A lot of effort goes into organise trainings. If this continues, forget about the top 4 - it won't happen. Make the effort to come to training. Even if injured there is no reason why you cannot come and support your mates. This is only the half-way point and it's only going to get harder. A core group of guys are turning up to training week in week out.

We have made a great start but the job is no way near done. This is not going to be easy and we need everyone to work hard. The other teams have the ability to trouble us if we let our guard down. Our objective remains winning the minor premiership. Let's work hard for each other and the people who put the effort into our team.

Next week: vs Queens Park - Sunday 3PM at Queens Park, Darley Rd Randwick.

Sunday 18/05/08
AA3: Coogee United V Maroubra

Result: Coogee United 2 Maroubra 1

Coogee consolidated their position at the top of the table with a deserved victory over second place Maroubra at Fortress Heffron. Injuries, absences and alcohol forced Coogee into numerous changes, with Josh Mennen dropping to left back and the returning Lee Sparke, fresh from adventures in the outback forced to play alongside Mick McEvoy in the centre of defence. Coogee also welcomed back burns victim Stu Edwards, fresh from the previous nights poker victory.

Swirling winds led to few chances in the first half, with both sides jabbing at each other like two boxers past their best.

Coogee started the second half brightly, and with veteran Barry Ryan shielding the back four, fellow veteran Alan Taylor was able to supply numerous excellent through balls to the lone striker. On 64 minutes Coogee took the lead, with Ryan Flack finishing from 3 yards at the third attempt. Playing his last game as a twenty year old, and in front of watching family, Flack looked a constant threat against an ageing Maroubra defence.

Ten minutes later it was two as a Coogee fullback overlapped for the first time in three years, resulting in Man of the Match Mennen being viciously hauled down in the box when cutting in on goal. Dead ball specialist Mick McEvoy, with the blessing of all around him, stepped up to confidently scuff the ball into the back of the net.

Maroubra's heads visibly dropped, and this one was all over. At least it would have been with most other sides. But this Coogee team has a habit of making things entertaining for the fans. With ten minutes remaining Coogee conceded a free kick 30 yards from goal.

Jeremy 'Ronaldo' Masters stepped up and hit a viciously non-swerving shot towards the bottom corner. The keeper, in an homage to Cardiff's cup final villain Enkleman, could only parry to the oncoming forward who tapped home from three yards. Replays showed him to be clearly offside.

More drama was to follow as Coogee looked to play out time. With seconds remaining Sparke brutally chopped an advancing forward in the box to hand Maroubra a chance to share the spoils, but keeper Calverley threw himself to the right to tip it around the post and finally justify his selection.

Coogee have now opened up a lead of seven points over local rivals Maroubra as their title challenge is back on track. Next up is Nick the Greeks Dunbar Rovers on Sunday at 11.

- Report by Chris Calverley

Sunday 11/05/08
AA1: Coogee United V Locomotiv Cove

Result: Coogee United 2 Locomotiv Cove 0 (Nahjib 87' Jules 90')

We expected this game to arguably be our toughest test of the season thus far given: away from home; squad depleted through injuries and guys away; facing a team that was sitting in 2nd spot on the ladder; and a terrible ground to play football on.

It turned out to be quite a tough test, but boy did we put in a performance. From a defensive point of view, I thought we were outstanding again. I have to pay credit to Jase and Matty for again making my job very easy at the back. Collectively I think we three are working very well together, the straight up "2 markers" system seems to suit us - given the consecutive clean sheets! Well done guys.

I also have to make mention of Dave and Deano. Both were given new roles on the wings and both performed very well. What became apparent to me was that Locomotiv's threat were their two wingers, their nippy forwards and a playmaker in central midfield. Their boys on the wing were looking to get in behind our guys, but Dave and Deano had their measure. Dave - I thought your effort to track back was crucial in nullifying the threat from their winger. It's a hard role but you gave us everything for the 45mins. Well Done.

Deano, you came up against a quick young guy on your side and you came out on top. You showed how valuable experience was by continually winning possession for us and stopping the young guy in his tracks.

The passing/possession game we have been practising in training is paying off. Some of the interchanges in the 1st half were exceptional given the state of the pitch. We created a number of very good chances and were unlucky not to be a couple of goals to the good by half time. I thought our energy levels throughout the game was excellent - we showed great hunger to win first and second balls. Let's keep this up boys.

In the 2nd half, nothing really changed. We continued to dominate possession and create a number of chances. Defensively we were strong - Tugger didn't have to make a save in the 2nd half!

It looked as though it was going to be a case of 3 points missed and an unlucky day at the office. But my tactical abilities (don't really have much else), came to the fore when I decided to throw Nahjib into the fray late in the game. Keeping the big guy on the bench for a while was part of the tactics to fire him up and it worked a treat with Nahjib looking to get forward at every opportunity and in the 87th minute he found himself on the end of great lead up work from Mark (or Jules) to give us the lead. That makes me a level 1 accredited coach now and closer to taking up an assistant position with Deano.

As anticipated, Locomaotiv tried in vain to grab an equaliser but left themselves exposed at the back. Mark was rewarded for his hard work throughout the day by setting up Jules for an easy tap in. 2-0 to Coogee and a great win. Reminded me of Aust v Japan at the World Cup. . . . . . . . and also Eng v Cro at Wembley when the Cro's scored late to knock Eng out of Europe. Best of luck poms in those friendlies against the US And Trinidad and Tobago. You should do well.

Boys - I'm very proud of everyone. Apart from guys already mentioned, I thought Edmond was fantastic in the middle of the park - very unlucky not to have scored a couple of crackers. Domo was outstanding - tireless as usual. Won a lot of ball and distribution was great. Big Jimmy is relishing his 'front sweeper' role. Really dominating at the moment. Very grateful of their effort Mark/Jules are putting in. They have no reason to chase some of the balls they do, but in doing so it lifts the rest of us.

Welcome back to Garth, good to see you back. We did very well coming on in the 2nd half.

Boys - great result. Puts us in a strong position up top of the ladder.

Sunday 04/05/08
AA1: Coogee United V UNSW
Heffron Park

Result: Coogee United 2 UNSW 0

The lure of getting up for a "top-of-the-table" clash was just the tonic that Coogee needed with a "work-man-like" 2-0 win over UNSW.

The match may have well been decided before kick-off with Muzza 'Capello' going for a new formation for the big game. He decided to play 3 at the back with Jase W and big Matty acting as markers ahead of me. Big Jimmy was given a licence to act as 'general' just ahead of the back three - and the big fella didn't disappoint with a man-of-the-match display.

To be fair, the the first 15 minutes of the game, Coogee took some time finding its feet with the new formation. Matters weren't helped with Danny "I just can't stop scoring" succumbing to a hamstring injury exactly 1 min 48 seconds into the game. As soon as he started his long walk off the pitch, the inevitable happened.......... Casper "I can't stop chirping and I'm more clinical than Riise"........ started giving to him.

As the 1st half progressed, Coogee began to stamp themselves on the game. The back three were in control and suddenly UNSW found us very hard to break down. Through a lion's share of possession, Coogee crafted some nice half chances.

The dominance of Big Jimmy, Edmond and Dom in the middle of the park paid off at around the 30 min mark with some neat work by Matt down the left, Mark rounded the keeper only to be forces a little wide and he had the presence to pick out Jules who made no mistake with the keeper out of position. 1-0 Coogee.

In the second half, Coogee picked up from the 1st by continuing to show their determination by winning the majority of 1st and 2nd balls. We had a glorious chance to double our lead with an indirect free-kick within the penalty area, only to see it crash against the cross bar.

Shortly afterwards, the tenacity of our front two led the referee to point to the spot. As a reward for his hard work, Mark got the opportunity to hit the back of the net. Unfortunately the keeper picked the right way. Hard luck Mark. It's only a matter of time mate.

The only danger UNSW posed was through set pieces. Damo was great though and a couple of fine saves by him saw the threats averted.

Coogee then put the game to bed, with Edmond slotting home our second penalty of the match. 2-0 Coogee.

Well played everyone. Everyone contributed to a great performance......... very "German" like. Muzza got the tactics spot on and we played our roles very well. Well done to Jase W for his first game back since Rd 1. Boys, I particularly take pleasure in our clean sheet - I want more of these.

We are top of the table but that doesn't mean we take the foot off the gas. Next week v Locomotiv (Tempe Reserve 3PM), is another top of the table clash. Make no mistake, this is a massive game and we need to be up for it. Still things we need to improve on like ball retention and getting into triangles throughout the field. Let's not undo the good position we have got ourselves into. We still need plenty of points to make the play-offs.

Sunday 04/05/08
AA5: UNSW V Coogee United
Heffron Park

Result: UNSW 0
Coogee Utd 8 (Tofollo, K Bassal, Michot 2, J Bassal 2, Kirkland, Doorly)

With a squad of only 10 available the gaffers were forced to draft in a couple of quality continental imports in the shape of Frenchy and Alfredo. And with Mitchells now customary lateness the decision was well founded.

With a line up resembling Australia v China, albeit at sea level, Dean, Scala, Sol, Alfredo and Matty made up the great wall of China. Jarrah and Dave were licenced to wander round the centre of the park flanked by Adam and Zizou. Wattsy and Khan goal hung...

The blanconeri started well and some jiggerypokery from Wattsy on the left wing saw the Shearer look alike beat his men to whip in a kicked shot. The keeper parried into the path of the queued up Adam and Khan. Khan being the gentleman he is stood aside for Adam to pop it home from 20 yards out (6 inches in anybody else's terms!). Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

It was dejavu moments later. Again Wattsy broke from the left and fed a slide rule pass into Khan. As cool as a polar bear Khan took it to the keeper, made him commit and then calmly rolled the ball in at the back stick with a cool finish. Goooooooooooallllllll@!

The 2 goal cushion helped to open things up. UNSW pressed and drew 2 fines saves from Sol. It's amazing that a keeper with so little to do can still pull of full length diving one hand saves. Legend. It was from this pressure that the third goal came. Scala brought the ball from defence. He played a beautiful angled ball to Matty to run onto. His cross was flicked on by Adam for Jarrah to take on the full, and smash home a beautiful volley. Gooooooaaaaaaaalll!

In the second half the screws were really turned. Sol was unleashed from semi-retirement in goal into the fray upfront. Scala donned the gloves and his secured his spot for the rest of the season. Sol's pressing paid off. He went through on the keeper and was really unlucky not to score. The ensuing goal mouth scramble saw the ball break to Zizou, whose dipping shot tucked in just under the bar. Goooaaaal!

And then they kept on coming. An in-swinging corner from Wattsy hung up at the back post. Dean jumped highest and nodded home for a true centre backs goooooooaaaaal!

After that it was a question of how many. A quick throw from Matty put Adam to the back line. His cross was cut back to Dave who finished in true top joint scorer style. Adam cried. And then Sol, who was on the verge of having a clutcher, still found enough puff to feed the mercurial Frenchman who finished like a seasoned pro. And he didn't even charge us. The icing and the cherry on the cake came from our number 10. He may have a habit of falling over in the area, but Jarrah made no mistake here. Adam once again turned provider with a chipped cross to the back stick. Jarrah headed this back beautifully across the keeper to earn a famous Bassal hattrick. Gooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!

Wattsy being the top gaffer that he is tried to make Allan feel better by getting sent off. Stage one was achieved when he was yellow carded for a forwards tackle from behind. Second wasn't so easy when a crunching tackle saw Wattsy come away with the ball and the man. ouchie! Mitch was very kind in fouling the throw to hand uni the possession again.

Matty did his bit by running the ball out into touch three times in a row when unpressed and in space. He was sub'd by Jarrah and spent the next ten minutes repeating "I will learn how to control a ball".

Toot toot. Full time. Coogee went wild. Wooo Woo.

MOTM: he may have voted for himself but so do I sometimes. He thoroughly deserved it for the inspired perfomance of a natural leader and all round Shearer!

See you on Sunday champs!

- Report by Matty Dale & Matt Watts

Sunday 0/05/08
AA3: Sydney Uni V Coogee United
Heffron Park

Result: Sydney Uni 0 Coogee United 1

Sydney Uni AA3 0 Coogee United AA3 1

They say the key to winning titles is the ability to win ugly - and it doesn't get much uglier than Rob Hayden. The veteran forward rolled off the bench to head the winner in the 80th minute to give Coogee a narrow victory over a spirited University side. The experienced striker nodded in from a yard following a swirling corner from burns victim Stu Edwards.

With a late ground change caused by absolutely no rain in three days, Uni surrendered home advantage, and traveled to Fortress Heffron, where Coogee are now unbeaten in over a year. Coogee went in to the game missing three big names. Barry Ryan (virus), Andy Sinnott (holiday) and Sunil Bhogal (hangover) were all missing, but such is the strength in depth of the squad assembled this year, only Barry Ryan was really missed!

Uni forced an early corner, and forced experienced defender Lee Sparke into action. The former child star left his mark on Uni's Somalian centre forward, and set the tone for a man of the match performance in which he refused to be upstaged, never forgot his lines, and ensured Coogee kept to the script.

Swirling winds and general lack of ability made the first half a torrid affair, with chances few and far between. Coogee's defence continued to hold firm into the second half, easily coping with Uni's multiple and often questionable substitutions. Willdig fired over from five yards as Coogee's workrate began to make inroads. Flack and Walker both limped off, the latter with cramp, suggesting cocktail nights at the Racecourse are not the best preparation for big games! Taylor began to take control of the midfield, and the defence, with a succession of headed clearances. Uni pressed forwarded valiantly in search of an equalizer, and their frustrations were compounded with a late dismissal for dissent, but Coogee held firm to continue their perfect start to the season.

- Report by Chris Calverley

Sunday 0/05/08
AA1: Coogee United V Sydney Uni
Heffron Park

Result: Coogee United 3 Sydney Uni 2

Good to finally see some action again after a 2 week lay off due to the weather. The break though was probably more of a hindrance rather than a good thing with Coogee really making life difficult for themselves in scrapping to a 3-2 over Syd Uni.

I managed to raise some eyebrows before kick-off with my 'cockroach' analogy of the Uni team (there you go Casper, I even made this one easy for you). Cockroaches are persistent little buggers that you struggle to kill off. Well boys, I think you'll all agree that the analogy was pretty much spot on.

Guys - yesterday was quite simple to assess. We should have had the game wrapped up before half-time and because we didn't, we nearly shot ourselves in the foot. I can see a slight worrying trend in that when we play a "big" game, we seem to play very well. We hold our shape. We play 1-2-3 touch stuff. We play the way we're facing. We let the ball do work.

Against the weaker teams (no disrespect to our opposition), but we tend to come down to their level. We start to lose our shape. We hold onto the ball too long. And we look for miracle balls. In these games, everything seems to be 100 miles an hour as we're trying too hard to force the issue.

The positive to take from yesterday's game was our first goal. We held the ball for about 15-20 passes and in the end Danny finished off with a neat finish to the near post. That's the kind of football I want to see us play. Boys - take note of what I'm saying here. For those of you who think you're not doing enough by winning the ball and giving a simple 2 metre pass to the guy next to you, I'll tell you now, it is enough. Play simple football lads (and that goes for me as well).

The first goal yesterday showed how damaging we can be when we do this.

For our 2nd goal yesterday, full credit goes to man of the match Jules. Jules showed tremendous work rate yesterday and the way he set up the goal for Danny to finish on the far stick was a prime example.

You'll all agree that in the 2nd half, we lost control of the game. Two reasons for this, firstly, we gave away possession far too easily by always searching for "miracle" balls. Secondly, we lost our shape badly.

Luckily, Jules finished off some neat lead up work to give us a 3-1 buffer and it proved to be the match winner. I have to pay tribute to some of our last ditch defending. A couple of clearances off the line from Dave and Rob, not to mention some good last gasp tackles for all in defence.

Boys - next Sunday is a top of the table clash with us pitted against UNSW. These are the games you play for. Make no mistake this is a huge game and we will need to improve on yesterday's performance. We have the talent and there's no question about that. We just have to make sure we bring the right attitude against all teams and also bring our football brains. Please guys let's get back to basic football that has served us well in the past.

Boys - let's do the right thing by each other and work on our fitness outside of Thursday's. We need to be fitter and in order for this to happen, each of us need to do extra outside of Thursday's.

Sunday 13/04/08
AA1: Coogee United V Olympic Eagles
Heffron Park

Result: Coogee United 2 Olympic Eagles 2

Round 3 will go down as an opportunity missed for Coogee with us being held to a 2-2 draw with Olympic Eagles.

Following a few changes to the starting 11 which performed well the week before, the Coogee team found themselves struggling to play the fluent football it displayed only a week earlier. There could be a number of reasons for this, but the fact of the matter is that we did not find the cohesion, or the link up play, we wanted between defensive, midfield and attack.

We lost the majority of 1st and 2nd balls in the early stages and in all honesty the first goal came against the run of play. Big Jimmy picked up the ball well outside the box and hit a cracker which flew into top corner and had the keeper well beaten. After a struggle in the opening stages, we all expected this to settle us down.

It did to an extent with a number of good passages down the wings resulting in some good crosses into the box. Unfortunately, we just weren't there in the right place and the right time.

Eventually, we got punished for our turnover of possession and Olympic struck a minute before half time. A ball was floated into our box and after a brief scramble it just popped over the line. 1-1 at the break.

The 2nd half saw us beginning to show some resemblance of the rhythm of last week. Nahjib was thrown into the fray and immediately the momentum began to swing our way. Midway through, we found ourselves with a free-kick from a long way out which was floated in for Danny to meet with a crisp header, 2-1 Coogee. Shortly after, we had another free kick from virtually the same position, same execution however this time Nahjib failed to adhere to the call from Danny and the chance went begging.

Lightning was to strike twice for us, as Olympic punished us with 2 minutes to go. A dubious non-off-side call saw the Olympic striker slip through to cross for his fellow striker and equalise.

The dressing room following the game was a depressive state. But - boys, we could harp on the negatives all week long, frankly I don't see it doing any good. The fact is, that we are 3 rounds in to a season of some 18 games. There are a lot of points to be claimed. A positive that we take out of yesterday was that it hurt us all to drop points. That shows the passion in the jersey is there. Let's use this to fuel us for next week.

I thought Deano, Matty and I did well in defence and we were quite unfortunate to concede at the death of each half. Rob did well given his push into midfield. Looked composed on the ball. Mark and Jules battled hard and covered a lot of meters up front. We just have to make sure we get them the ball in the right places.

Damo - did very well in goal - a couple of outstanding saves in the 2nd half.

Lads - we should learn from this. i.e. there will be no easy games in this league and we have to turn up and be ready with the right attitude each week.

Sunday 13/04/08
AA3: Coogee United V Pagewood
Heffron Park

Result: Coogee United 3 Pagewood 1

Coogee United AA3 continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-1 victory over a poor Pagewood side.

A feisty start led to two early bookings for the Pagewood central midfielders as they struggled to get to grips with the pace and control of Coogee's dynamic duo of Flack and Edwards. Early position was rewarded with an early goal, as Flack put the lively Martin in down the right. Martin supplied a cross that Jesus would have been proud of, and the veteran Taylor was in the right place to bundle past the hapless Pagewood keeper.

Minutes later Coogee were two up when Willdig found himself one on one. Amazingly the feisty striker calmly scuffed his shot past the bemused Pagewood stopper. Pagewood finally woke up at this point, realizing the wind could play to their advantage. A succession of free kicks around the area finally led to them pulling one back, as Coogee's keeper amazingly blocked a viciously swerving free kick, only to watch in horror as the rebound was put away by an untracked Pagewood midfielder.

Two-one at the break became three-one early in the second half when Coogee's makeshift centre half Dave Lewis capped a man of the match performance with a thunderous strike into the bottom corner past the flapping Pagewood keeper. Lewis' celebrations were marred later, when he was controversially stripped of the coveted man of the match meal voucher for failing to attend the post match celebrations. Post match celebrations that looked set to carry on well into the evening, with English import Graeme Hibbert rumoured to have attempted to sell the voucher he had been awarded in Lewis' absence in order to purchase another jug of Blonde.

So that's 9 points out of 9 available, with all eyes on the top of the table clash with Redfern Raiders this Sunday at Fortress Heffron.

- Report by Chris Calverley

Sunday 05/04/08
AA5: Coogee United V Maccabi
Heffron Park

Result: Coogee United 2 (Doorly & Dale) Maccabi 0

Following the disappointment of last weeks defeat Coogee bounced back with a resounding victory and a clean sheet to boot. Missing Sol, Ash, Daly, Adam and Jon would be a blow to any team but the available players with the aid of stand-in-keeper Jimy produced a solid display.

Starting with the trusty back four of Scala, Neil, Dean and Drew, with Tugger, Jarrah, Allan and Matt Dale in midfield, and a Matt Watts / Khan front line, it took a fair while for Coogee to find their feet. Passing was at a premium and the early exchanges were scrappy at best. The referee, resembling a 1970's Bond Villain, hardly helped matters with his penchant for whistle blowing. The game was a fragmented affair.

Still though, it was Coogee who showed the most desire and carved out some good chances. Dale should have scored at the back post following Allan and Khan's good work but he screwed his effort wide. Tugger set up Allan and Khan with a gilt edged opportunity at the far post but a lack of a shout saw the chance go begging. Wattsy was put through on goal with a fine ball from Dave, but a bobble on the pitch saw his weaker sides effort saved. This pressure reached a crescendo just before the break. A Coogee free-kick on the edge of Maccabi's area was taken by Dave. Whipped with power, dip and bend, his effort rose over the wall and found the top corner. You beauty. Goooooooooooooaaaaaaaaal!

Coogee dealt the killer blow just after the break. Khan pressed the Maccabi defence. A back pass was poorly dealt with by the keeper, and Khan took the ball before intelligently knocking it off to Dale. His sweet strike rose into the goal to put Coogee 2 clear. Goooooooaaaaaaaaal!

One way traffic followed. Jimy partook in his favourite pasttime of not speaking and taking elaborate touches in his area. Neil and Dean took alternate skirmishes forwards and caused havoc in doing so. Scala unfortunately missed out on the fun after tweaking a muscle. Mitch ably deputised for Scala even if he did set a new record for number of slides per game. Jarrah kept Scala company on the bench for a while before returning to play with a busted foot. Nails. His combination with Tugger saw the latter hit a rasping drive which rattled the woodwork. Another effort from Tug flew just over.

Stinging from his earlier spurned chance but still clearly in holiday mode, Wattsy caused plenty of problems all the same with quick feet and his few-pounds-heavier frame! Drew followed suit, breaking into the box but not quite getting his shots away. Entertaining as ever though was Drew and the crowd wasn't disappointed.

And so the entertainment ended. The score line flattered Maccabi as Coogee on another day would have scored 6. And going into next weeks headline fixture at Pagewood, that is the aim.

MOTM: David Doorly

- Report by Matty Dale & Matt Watts

Sunday 05/04/08
AA2: Maccabi V Coogee United
Mission Field

Result: Maccabi 1 Coogee United 4

Round 2 saw us up against fellow round 1 victors Maccabi at Mission Field.

I lost my 100% strike rate at the coin toss, meaning we were running "uphill" for the 1st half. This proved to be a blessing though with the Coogee team putting on what can only be described as one of the finest "Coogee" 45 mins of football witnessed. So much so that we virtually had the game wrapped up at half time.

The game began with us employing the same sort of tactic as last week, pressuring high up the field in the first 15 mins, really putting the squeeze on the opposition midfield. What became evident to me, was that the midfield of Maccabi was literally the heart of their team. Without them functioning and dictating play, Maccabi really struggled to find a "plan B".

With Coogee winning a considerable amount of 1st and 2nd ball in the opening 15 mins or so and Mark and Jules doing a tremendous job harassing the backline of Maccabi, we found our opposition startled and vulnerable to the high ball into their box. So, Coogee launched a blitz of high balls.

Shortly after, we were rewarded for our tactic with a well hit cross from Edmond being met with an equally forceful and clinical header from Danny. 1-0 Coogee. Not to be content there (even if we were "uphill" in the 1st half), we continued with the high ball theme and created a number of good chances. We didn't have to wait too long with another ball in from Edmond being met this time by Jules' head (nose) for 2-0.

Following this, Danny entertained the near capacity crowd with some trademark 75 yard speculators which, more often than not, are followed by his trademark, "aaaggggghhhhhh."

After some tenacious work from Mark, Jules found himself with a brace and Coogee were in cruise control at 3-0, before half time. It was a dominant and committed 45 minutes for us.

In the 2nd half, we continued to create chances and by 70 minutes, Mark capped off a fine game by grabbing a deserved goal himself. Great left foot strike from outside the box.

A pleasing aspect of the 2nd half was the contribution made by our substitutes. They each made a telling contribution to the game which is what you like to see from the substitutes. Matty made some good runs getting forward whilst Dom was typically tenacious in midfield. I thought Garth was outstanding when he came on, looked sharp and dangerous when going forward. Good to see Dave get a run under his belt.

We conceded a late penalty, but this did not take the gloss from a fantastic Coogee performance. It was a great team effort.

The football played in the 1st half really reflected the potential in this team. We have got talent in this side but the other side of the equation is "attitude". The committed and dedicated attitude we displayed in the 1st half, is the kind of benchmark we want to reach each week. But as it showed yesterday, it means all players contributing to the cause.

I thought our performance yesterday really showed the beauty of: retaining possession; linking up together (i.e. the 3 v 1 thing I make you do at training is paying off); and winning the 1st and 2nd balls. Everyone was hungry out there which showed the right attitude. Mark got it spot on at half time when he said we "hunted in packs". ...we did.

I have to pay credit to my fellow defenders - together we made Damo's job really easy yesterday. Deano, big Matty and Rob were great in defence. We snuffed out all potential attacks from Maccabi and looked very much in control. Rob - for your first outing, you looked composed on the ball and your distribution was great.

In the middle of the park, I thought Nahjib was at his "general" best, starting all the attacks, linking well with the defence and attack, and winning all the ball in the air. Big Jimmy was excellent on the right. He rarely lost possession and got himself up and down the touch line. Great contributions in the air and combined well with Rob. Danny has played himself into some form at the moment........ the yoga classes are working a treat. Edmond looked good on the park, very busy and was well rewarded with a couple of fine assists.

As for our two front men - the "harassing" and overall work rate of Jules and Mark really stood out They are quickly forming a "Rooney/Tevez" partnership.

Well done lads. I'm really proud of you. What you should take from this game is that there is a lot of potential in this team. But, you can have all the talent in the world and it means nothing if you don't have the right attitude. Yesterday we brought the attitude and the result showed. But having said that, let's take it one game at a time and remind ourselves that it's only Round 2. Our focus now is on 3 points next Sunday.

Just have to pay tribute to Mark and Dean for the warm ups in our first couple of games. They have been great and no doubt play a part in our quick starts. Well done.

- Report by Jase

Sunday 30/03/08
AA5: Queens Park V Coogee United
Queens Park

Result: Queens Park 1 Coogee United 0

Coogee AA5 lined up for their inaugural match against last years champs Queens Park. A no-show by the referee put Coogee in the hands of the opposition.

The queens started stronger but it was hoofs over the top and agricultural long balls that the solid back four of Deano, Scala, Drew and Neil quickly dealt with. Anything that did slip through was ably dealt with up by an imposing Sol. It didn't take long for Coogee to start to express themselves. Playing from the back into the feet of the splendid Tugger / Jarrah combo, who in turn took full advantage of the width offered by Ash and Matty Dale, Coogee's style was definitely easier on the eye of the spectator (thanks Rachel!). Allan and Khan worked tirelessly upfront, making runs and harassing defenders. Allan was unlucky from a far post header. Midfield runners were disappointed when Matt failed to cut back a by line cross. The introduction of Dave and Adam added a quality edge and Coogee topped the first half on points

A surprisingly short first half (anyone else smell a rat?) ended to Drew's relief. A Zidane-esque chunder and he was ready to go again.

The second half descended into a scrappier affair although ironically Coogee crafted out more clear cut chances in this way. The pack was again shuffled although the management may have dropped a card when Coogee started with 10 men. Lessons learnt. A spell of Coogee pressure pinnacled when Dean rose to meet Tugger's near post cross. The bullet header shaved the outside of the post. The away team were unlucky not to lead. Another opportunity went begging when Ash's corner was scrambled off the line by a hapless Queens keeper. Dave, with a stylish Andy Reid-esque pirouette, clipped a beautiful shot goalwards with the outside of his foot and was unlucky to see it saved. Matty Dale should have done better with shots from a couple of quailty lay offs. Jarrah was industrious, riding knee high challenges to craft out opportunities. One of these saw Ash put through clean on goal, only to see his shot saved in fortunate fashion.

Coogee ultimately paid the price of the missing referee. Arriving late from a spot of Game Fishing, Daly got stuck into the fray, only to be rewarded with a dead leg. To add insult to injury, he was then harshly judged to have brought down a Queen in the box. The referee "thought" a foul was committed, so pointed to the spot. In spite of a re-take which again saw Sol go the right way, Queens Park scored.

The bloods had secured a victory of the dodgiest order. Justice? Nowhere to be seen your honours. Coogee's shape fell apart in the ensuing battle to score. But they ultimately ran out of time. Had the game been played in full they would have undoubtedly scored to at last gain a point. Still, they live to fight another day. And with key personnel returning, Coogee's next opposition had better watch out.

MOTM: Dean, who will be enjoying a slap up meal in the Doncaster FOC. An extra incentive to perform!

- Report by Matthew Dale

Sunday 30/03/08
AA1: Coogee United V Queens Park
Heffron Park

Result: Coogee United 1 Queens Park 0

Match Summary v Queens Park (Rangers) 1-0
Week 1 of our campaign saw us at our home ground against QPR. After a few stern words from Trainer Mark before the game, we then got us working around a series of cones before kick-off. Muzza kept everyone guessing on the starting line up for the 1st game of the season, with some suggesting that we was going to revert from the "4-4-2" system he has played in every game he has managed to play. . . . well . . . . . . 4-4-2.

And so he finally decided on an innovative 4-4-2 system 1min 23secs before kick-off.

The first 15 mins saw Coogee adopt the high tempo, pressure high up the park strategy which was something we discussed before kick-off. The first 15 mins was frantic stuff where our objective was to show QPR that we meant business on our home turf. Pleasing aspect of the start (and pretty much throughout the whole game) was our ability to win 1st and 2nd balls. A couple of chances were created, notably Danny flashing his not so trusty left boot onto one over the bar followed up by his turn from 5 yards out which missed to the left.

From the 15-35 min mark, Coogee created quite a few chances after we started to settle on the ball and string together a few passes. Some neat play down the right from Dean, big Jimmy, Jules and Mark saw a couple of chances being created but the finishing touch was not quite there. Understandable - given our first game of the season.

From about 35-40 mins, Coogee finally got the breakthrough that was richly deserved. Danny was on the end of some neat play up the right involving Big Jimmy, to finish off our first goal of the season. 1-0 Coogee.

We went in at half time with a lot of positives to come out of the 1st half. Danny, Mark, Jules were creating havoc going forward and never really allowed their defenders a chance to settle. Najib and Jimmy were dominant in the air and as a result we kept momentum going in our favour through winning a lot of those 1st balls. The defence was solid with big Matty, Jason W and Dean making life for me easy given my first 90 mins since the GF last year.

The second half saw the game open up quite a bit. We had a couple of good chances. From the backline, we saw some great interchanges of passes between our players. It seemed that the "3-1" training drill we have been practicing was put into play on Sunday given the little "triangles" that began to appear. The most notable example was the build up of passes to the "Nahjib" chance. It started from the left deep into our attacking half. After we realised that it was a bit too tight there, we did the right thing and retained possession by bring the ball back to the backline, across the backline to the right and then penetrated down the right flank. 1 beautiful cross by Mark was met by Nahjib but unfortunately he needed to get his head right over the ball to keep it down. Great chance missed, but a precursor to what we want to play in the future more often. Thought Edmond made a great difference to the second half, looked lively and provided a great link between defence and attack. Matt did well in place of Danny.

A couple of great saves by Damien in goals towards the end and some robust defending by the defence (notably the 3 ahead of me) saw us keep our first clean sheet of the season (which pleases me a lot). Damien was very comfortable in goal with both hands and feet.

Just before the final whistle, I thought that the header made by Zizou in the middle of the park (hair going everywhere) was a turning point.

All in all, very satisfying performance first up. Plenty of things to improve on though. Really like the camaraderie and culture we are generating between us. We have a great bunch of blokes this year including our formidable coaching trust. . . . . and Casper.

Good stuff lads!