» AA2: Round 8 vs. UNSW

» AA2: Round 4 vs. Maccabi Hakoah - May 2, 2010

» AA2: Round 3 vs. Maroubra United - April 25, 2010

» AA2: Round 2 vs. Queens Park FC - April 18, 2010

» AA2: Round 1 vs. Bondi United

» AA4: Glebe Wanderers v Coogee Utd - April 11, 2010

AA2: Round 8 vs. UNSW
Result: Coogee United 3 UNSW 2

With two weeks of torrential rain putting paid to two training sessions and last week's match, the boys from AA2 were raring to get back onto the paddock and show the UNSW upstarts a thing or two in this top of the table clash. All that rain had the pitch looking in remarkable condition, with Heffron offering more grass than a UNSW house party.

It seemed as if a few of those notorious house parties had occurred the night before, with their lads chasing shadows for the first ten minutes as Coogee again started the match strongly. A couple of shots whistled wide of the post or were saved by the UNSW keeper before a tasty looking ball was chipped over the top of the defence by Francis, which was even more tastily chipped over the onrushing keeper by Al for the opening goal of the match. A sensational finish from the veteran and hopefully a glimpse of what is in store for the rest of the season.

UNSW responded strongly to the early setback and began to display the form that showed that it's not all bong parties at the Anzac Parade educational institution. Some tidy lead up play between their wings and strikers led to the first goal, a pretty nice finish into the top corner which gave Chris no chance.

They continued to apply a tonne of pressure and we only managed to keep the scores level by some fantastic scrambling defence by the boys at the back and some great saves by Chris in the cage. However the pressure finally paid off for UNSW, with the UNSW winger whipping in a great cross that was touched in by their striker. 2-1 and Coogee had again fallen behind, with the prospect of another fight back on our hands.

As Bear Grylls always says, it's important in a survival situation like this to keep your spirits up and to keep morale high. The gaffer stopped short of sparking up a fire, but some stirring words were just the tonic to put us in the right frame of mind for the upcoming half. That was until the whistle blew and UNSW came at us with all guns blazing again! They continued to create some great opportunities as we struggled to get out of our half.

However, all that pre season training is definitely bearing fruit as we began to fight our way back into the match and create some chances of our own. This culminated in Coogee winning some corners, which were being dangerously whipped in from either side by Stu. And finally, as they'd been threatening to do all year, one of these corners could only be hopelessly flapped at by the UNSW keeper as it made its way into the net. We'd fought back to 2-2 and were definitely starting to run over the top of the students going into the last 15 minutes.

We continued to make chances, with the longest goal mouth scramble in history culminating in us hitting the bar and UNSW somehow keeping the ball out of the net. Jaz also had a great header cleared off the line from another corner, but it seemed only a matter of time until we'd put one away and kill of the match. This eventually rung true with Diz prodding one away from close range after his initial header was saved.

A well deserved lead for the Black and the White's and we continued to do the business to keep them out for the last ten minutes, chalking up an impressive come from behind victory to rocket us back to the top of the table.

A few standout's during the match with Al doing well up front and as a makeshift central midfielder and the back 4 all performing strongly. Chris also made some crucial saves to keep us in the match in the first half. Well done boys, next stop Barnestoneworth!

- Report by Stuart Edwards

AA2: Round 4 vs. Maccabi Hakoah - May 2, 2010
Result: Coogee Utd 3 v Maccabi Hakoah 0
Goal scorers: Stu Edwards, Francis Joseph and Andy Disley

Centennial Park was the venue for this round 4 clash, as the AA2's looked to continue their undefeated start to their 2010 campaign.

We must have missed the equestrian event that was surely held on the pitch just before kick-off, as there was barely a blade of grass to be seen from end to end. Despite the lack of greenery, it still looked a flat track and the boys were keen to get the ball on the deck and display the passing game we had shown glimpses of in the past 3 rounds. Although, with some sore heads, red eyes (well Adam's anyway) and a distinct liquor odour in the air, even breaking into a jog could have been a challenge.

The first three rounds have been characterised by our strong starts and this week was no different, with Coogee charging out of the gates and applying a tonne of pressure to the Maccabi goal. And, similar to the first 3 rounds, we also struggled to hit the back of the net! Some great chances were being created both through the middle and out wide, as we exploited the space that was being afforded to us across the park.

As Maccabi struggled to get hold of the ball they began to channel Olivia Newton John, with the call going up to "Let's get physical". No they weren't breaking out the leg warmers, just breaking legs, with some horrendous challenges coming in from all directions. A couple of their boys were definitely lucky to get away with just a square lemon, and not the square tomato. However the lads in black and white are no shrinking violets and were giving back as good as they got. Particular mention here to Francis 'The Enforcer' Joseph, who along with Lee 'Shut it Big Nose' Sparkes, got into some fantastic verbal, and at times physical stoushes with the Macca's lads.

While this was going on, Thamer 'Yellow Boots' was quietly pulling the strings in the centre of park, setting up a number of gilt edged chances with some precision passing and vision. After some tidy lead up work through the midfield, one of these through balls ended at the feet of Stu who, under pressure, controlled the bouncing ball on the outside of his foot and smacked the half volley into the top corner from the edge of the 18'. Perhaps the goal of the season so far and with the lanky lad chalking up 3 goals he is looking in ominous form for the rest of the year. I think I can see Stu's head swelling from where I'm writing this so I best move on.

The rest of the half continued with Coogee in the ascendancy and with Maccabi never really threatening. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this continued into the second half, with the old chestnut of Coogee missing chances continuing to rear its ugly head. However, our corners were looking dangerous with Stu whipping in some great balls to the back post.

This paid dividends when 'The Enforcer' was able to outleap the defence and the goalie to nod the ball home from close range. An own goal was it??? I can say with full confidence that Francis definitely managed to get his bald melon to the ball first for his first goal of the year (sorry mate, over 35's, trial matches and fluke goals don't count.)

With the second goal in the bag we dropped off slightly, but not to the level we have in previous weeks. We did allow Maccabi one gift chance, with Al making a tremendous double save from point blank range. From that distance it looked a certain goal and I'm sure I heard the ref blow his whistle for a goal in anticipation, but Al had other ideas. The gaffer could be fighting for his position when he makes his long awaited return from a wrist injury in the next few weeks.

After this scare it was with great relief that we got our 3rd goal late in the second half, sealing the victory. Matty did well down the right side and played a pinpoint pass across the face of goal which Diz happily stroked into the empty net off his sizeable left boot. A couple of other attacks followed as we searched for a fourth, but we were unable get the elusive quartet and the game finished 3-0.

With his heart swelling with pride and emotion, Chris confidently stated that it was the best display of team football in his five years at Coogee. Enough to get the tears welling up! This was our fourth victory on the trot and the momentum is starting to build for the AA2's. Significantly, this was our first clean sheet which perhaps felt almost as good as claiming the 3 points, particularly for Al in the cage and the back four.

Man of the match was Thamer 'yellow boots', who put on a clinic in the middle of the park, with clinical passing, strong tackling and silky skills terrorising the lads from Maccabi.

- Report by Stuart Edwards

AA2: Round 3 vs. Maroubra United - April 25, 2010

Result: Coogee United 2 v Maroubra United 1
Coogee Scorers: Andy Disley, Stuart Edwards

As cries of 'head em up digger' rang out in the pubs and clubs around Australia, the AA2's ran out onto the picturesque Matraville Sports High oval, looking stunning as always with its shin high grass and stone's throw proximity to the lovely Long Bay jail. Considering that it was ANZAC day and with everyone enjoying a day off work on the Monday, it was fantastic to see not only a full team but 5 subs on the bench as well!

With Maroubra triumphant in both meetings between the sides last year, Coogee were keen to make amends and get one back on the 'Bra Boys. This showed in the opening half hour, with Coogee applying tremendous pressure on their defence with some great passing through the middle and out wide. This resulted in the first real chance of the game, with Thamer 'yellow boots' releasing Drew in behind the defence just past the half way line. Unfortunately the keeper pulled off an absolutely tremendous save from the resulting one-on-one, with the big lad from Maroubra getting a boot to the low shot aimed for the bottom corner (Note, it was a tremendous save in my eyes, others may have seen it as a scuffed shot. That's the beauty of writing the report!) Stu also had two similar chances when away on goal, with one well saved by the Maroubra keeper, and the second just running wide of the post.

Coogee continued to push for a goal for the remainder of the half, with Maroubra never really threatening. With so much domination, it was a bit disappointing for the boys to go into the sheds without troubling the scorers.

The second half started much the same as the first, with Coogee continuing to search for that elusive goal. However, it was a different Maroubra side to the one that went in at half time, with some changes made resulting in them knocking the ball around much better than in the first and looking dangerous with a few raids into our penalty area. With the match now more evenly poised, it was with great relief that our token giraffe, Andy Disley, rose unchallenged to head home a wonderful delivery from the corner flag by Matty. The header was Andy's 2000th of the match (some feat considering he had only been on since half time) and was just reward for the other 1999 he won in the middle of the park.

This fired up the boys from the 'Bra and they began to really put pressure on us. Cue the need for some reinforcements, which the referee duly allowed to occur. Unfortunately, he also allowed play to continue with Maroubra switching the ball to their left wing, exploiting the gap left by the substitution. With the defence stretched, their left winger fired home a strike from just inside the 18. Coogee rightly felt a bit miffed by the decision, but the referee decided the goal would stand. 1-1 at the Thunder dome.

If Maroubra were fired up before, now they were a veritable bonfire, with a number of slick passing moves finishing with some well struck shots. Credit must go to Alan here, with some great saves helping to keep the ledger even. At the other end of the pitch, while we were still getting forward at times, we were struggling to really cut up their defence as we had in the first half.

That was until a little piece of brilliance from our yellow booted Saudi Arabian Thamer, who played a fine ball over the top of the defence, picking out the run from Stu. This time Stu made no mistake, placing the ball past the onrushing keeper. 2-1 to Coogee and a frantic final ten minutes was set to ensue, as our tired legs forced us to defend deeply. This allowed them to set up some attacks that kept us as busy as John Terry at a WAGs function, although unlike the English centre back, we didn't let one slip through past the keeper, and thankfully we were able to hold onto to the win.

With three wins from three, the Black and Whites are sitting pretty at the summit of the AA2 competition. It's pleasing to see we still got the win, particularly in some trying circumstances, with Maroubra throwing everything at us in the second half. It will be important for us to take our chances with some more clinical finishing in the coming weeks, to ensure we kill off matches when we are in the ascendancy.

- Report by Stuart Edwards

AA2: Round 2 vs. Queens Park FC - April 18, 2010

Result: Coogee Utd 3 – Queens Park 2
Coogee Scorers: Thamer (White Boots), Ali Ndiaye, Drew Lanyon

As the sun shone brightly on what looked like a regulation U9's sized pitch, the Coogee AA2's were hoping to continue their winning start to the season. With the majority of Queens Park looking as if they were also from the Under 9's, and with them coming off a win last week, it was always going to be a tough day at the office for the Black and White's.

The game started brightly for Coogee, with our midfield adjusting well to the speedy passing required of the small pitch. The best chance of the opening exchanges fell to Stu, (after some tidy lead up work from Matt) who managed to strike a sweet half volley off his left peg, forcing a great save from the QP keeper. A great confidence booster for the attacking midfielder/stand in coach, particularly after being shot down last week in a nasty attack by the Heffron Sniper.

Coogee continued to look dangerous with a number of shots from outside the box, although none really troubled the QP keeper. That all changed when Stu was able to cut the ball back to Thamer (White Boots), who confidently stroked the ball into the onion bag from just outside the 6 yard box. A tidy and well deserved goal for United.

QP continued to play the long ball game in search of an equaliser, which our defence were feeling quite comfortable with, ably backed up by Alan in goals who was confident in coming off his line and showed some great courage in a couple of challenges.

After coping with the long balls and some inspired substitutions by the gaffer, Coogee deservedly went further ahead later in the half. A dinking run through the centre of the park by substitute Thamer (Yellow Boots) resulted in the defence splitting quicker than a hooker's legs on The Golden Mile and the ball somehow making its way via a number of ricochets into the path of the Ali, who despite looking about 45m offside, nestled the pill into the bottom corner.

We seemed to take the foot off the pedal at this point, which allowed a resurgent QP back into the game. Another speculative long ball was pounced on by the speedy QP striker (after Lee unfortunately got a both a shocking bounce and his foot caught in the turf) who made no mistake in shooting past Al, making it 2-1, which it stayed until the break.

The second half started off at a frenetic pace, with both sides knowing that the next goal could decide the match. We started to switch the ball a lot better in this half, and some great passing by the boys in the middle was creating space for both the boys up front and out wide. Unfortunately we continued to spurn some glorious chances and with QP's strikers again causing some problems, the match went into the final 25 minutes with the tension building. It felt like there were more goals in the game, and this proved correct, as Thamer (yellow boots) held the ball up in the middle of the park and managed to play a great pass in behind the defence to Drew, creating a 2 on 1 situation with Ian and the QP sweeper. Seeing Ian in a better position, Drew attempted to put the big fella in on goal. Unfortunately, he mis-kicked it, though through sheer luck it resulted in a perfect 1-2 off the sweeper's arse and he was able to just pip the goalie to the ball and hit the back of the net, putting the Black and White's in a more comfortable position.

That was until Matt thought he would make the last minute a little more interesting and decided a sweetly timed left shin into his own net was the way to do it. In fairness there was little Matty could do, with the ball struck across the box with some venom and with QP strikers lurking at the back post, it was destined to be in the net one or way or the other. Cue a frantic last minute (or seconds according to the geriatric man in charge), but fortunately Coogee were able to hold out and take the three points with a 3-2 victory.

All in all, a see-sawing performance from the AA2's, with some magnificent football interspersed with some less magnificent. In this author's humble opinion however, the good football was definitely an improvement on last week and with 6 points from two games, the season is off to a brilliant start. It will be crucial to carry this momentum into the coming games and begin to kill off games through more clinical finishing.

- Report by Stuart Edwards

AA2: Round 1 vs. Bondi United
Result: Coogee United 2(0) vs Bondi United 1(1) FT(HT)

The Heffron Heist

We'd shuttled, burpied and doggied. Some had spewed, some just keeled over. No it wasn't Chris's bucks; but our gruelling preseason under the tutelage of the Groom to be - A man from the true English school of thought – Running, and lots of it.

And now it was Round 1. Time to begin spending all that 'money in the bank' that we had been putting away. It's true some were in a better 'savings' position than others and thus were ready to spend like a gold digger with an Amex, however it must be said after some strong results in preseason friendlies, the team as a whole was raring to get out on the green stuff.

Coogee dominated early proceedings, with the Stripes keeping hold of the ball well and looking to push wide to take advantage of Bondi's 'less mobile' fullbacks. Both Stu and Thamer (White Boots) were getting into some dangerous positions in the final third and we had what looked like a clear cut penalty decision curiously turned down.

Even more curiously, five minutes later we were then awarded a spot kick, for what looked like a regulation clearance out for a corner by the Bondi defence. Perhaps it was for shirt tugging, perhaps it was for dissent. Alas, as with some other decisions made on the day, we may never know.

Regardless, Stu confidently strode up, and with a mighty swing of his boot, hit it straight into the diving keeper. Bad luck on that one mate. As Graeme was heard to remark at training this week "We now know who is at the bottom of the penalty list... Graeme, closely followed by Stu".

Putting the missed kick behind him, Stu continued to create problems both for Bondi and himself. One rampaging run up the sideline looked to have him away on goal. That was until the notorious Heffron Sniper thought he would throw his weight around, felling the tall lad with a quick pull of the trigger, with not a Bondi player within 5 yards.

I was laughing so hard I can't believe I saw what happened next, with the ref blowing his whistle and awarding him a free kick! I needed a good lie down after such raucous scenes, and perhaps the boys on the park did too, as not longer after an innocuous ball over the top was pounced on by the Bondi striker, who coolly slotted the ball home. 1-0 it stayed at the break, definitely a position the boys did not expect to be in after dominating the half.

This domination continued into the second half, with Coogee creating a number of strong chances, all of which were thwarted by the Bondi custodian, who was having a fantastic game in the cage. However, just as the frustration was growing like a sex-starved teen's, Matt played a delightful square pass to a fast approaching Adam, who from well outside the 18, drilled the ball into the bottom corner. Much like Frannie's midfield bomb in preseason, we expect the centre back to be dining out on this goal for the rest of the year.

It was a well deserved goal for the Black and Whites and we continued to press for the elusive winner. Wave after wave of attacks rained down upon the Bondi goal, which left us a little exposed at the back. Bondi used this to their advantage, as their striker again broke free of our defence and unleashed a rasping drive. Alan correctly calculated that it was hitting the bar, so wisely chose to let it go, setting in motion a stunning counterattack. The rebound was promptly picked up by our defence and played upfield, releasing Stu down the left channel. He cut in, leaving the defence in his wake before curling the ball into the far corner. A great strike, and Coogee finally had the lead all their possession warranted.

"Let's get another one lads!" was the cry as we ran back to the centre circle.

"Not on my watch" was the Ref's reply as he blew time on the first game of the year. A great fight back from a goal down by the boys and winning with the last kick of the ball was a devious steal. Unfortunately for Stu, more people were heard commenting on his first half tumble than the match winning strike!

MOTM was Adam, with a great goal and some strong tackling and solid distribution from the back.

- Report by Stuart Edwards

AA4: Glebe Wanderers v Coogee Utd - April 11, 2010

Glebe Wanderers 2 Coogee United 5
(Ben Rollinson 2, Dave Doorly, Damien Michot, own goal)

Finally after a long boring summer, season 2010 is upon us. And what a way to start, a 5-2 drubbing of a team that gave us 2 of our toughest games last season. Their signing of Neil has obviously been like Liverpool replacing Xabi Alonso with Aquilani!!

The game looked doubtful before kickoff as we were offered a 3nil walkover because they didn't line the field. However due to a summer drought and a hunger for football we decided to play them.

We took the game to them straight from the kickoff with our back 4 barely tested and Paul the Greek in goal having a nice leisurely afternoon. Neil almost scored an own goal with almost his 1st touch of the game, but his header went agonisingly wide. That would have made everyone's day!

The 1st goal was an own goal. Adam broke down the right in an awesome move which started from our defence, swung in a cross, which their defender turned into his own net. 1 nil and the season was off and running.

We didn't have to wait long more for number 2. Our new signing Benny broke into the box, after an absolutely marvellous through ball from me. The keeper came to cut him off but Benny got there 1st, touched the ball past him and dropped like a sack of s***.... Everyone looked to the ref, silence for what seemed like 10minutes apart from our screams, then that beautiful sound of the whistle..... PENALTY!!! Benny stepped up and cooly slotted it into the left corner for his 1st of the season. We went in at half time 2nil up and cruising.

In the second half, the main highlight and possibly the highlight of my 6years so far at Coogee United, was when another new signing Kammo, thought he was playing volleyball and decided to put both hands up and almost catch the ball in our box. Penalty. Their penalty taker cooly stepped up and belted the ball high to the left heading for the top corner... However Paul the Greek had other ideas, dived to his right and tipped the ball just past the post, in what is easily the best save I've seen in park football.

They took the resulting corner and Paul, high on confidence from his save, rushed out and grabbed the ball from mid air. Then he spotted Benny free up front on his own and ran to the edge of his box for a quick kick out to surely put him through. However the ball slapped off their striker's back looped back over Paul, and even an almighty jump of 2inches from Chris on the line, couldn't stop the ball going in.

Zizou chipped in with a brilliant finish, Dave Doorly scored with 'a little help' from a deflection and Benny scored his second, as well as another bad goal for them, due to a shocking back pass from Alfredo the Wog, made it a final score of 5-2.... A great start to the season and hopefully more good results to come...

Also $15 in the beer kitty, due to Kammo's penalty given away, Paul's awesome assist to their striker and Alfie's dodgy back pass!!

Ciao for now

- Report by Mikey