Sat 20th June vs Waimkak B at Hillsborough Domain; 2-3 Loss.
Another heart breaker for the Spurs side. We had a few players away sick so had a team of 11 ready to take on the top side in our grade. We started well and both sides had opportunities in the first half.
Despite some distractions from the opposition coach we kept to our game plan and went into the lead after 20 minutes thanks to a good goal by Matt Scott. Waimak equalised soon after when they chipped our keeper. We went to the break with the score 1-1.

The second half was even with both sides struggling in the muddy and slippery conditions. Waimak got an early goal, however we didn't give up and pressed on trying to get an equaliser. We managed to do this with a well taken goal to Sam Young.With less than 10 minutes to go a draw was looking likely. Unfortunately, for the second time this season, we conceded a late goal. A goal mouth scramble saw them pounce on the loose ball to score the winner. We didn't give up though and had a chance to get the equaliser in the last minute, but the shot went wide. This was a tough game, against the top side, played in great spirits by both sides. We pushed them all the way, and all of the Spurs side played well. Jamin Dodge was named player of the day for his good work on defence.

Thanks to Mehdi's dad, Phillepe for refereeing half a game. It was a shame that this was spoiled by some comments and questioning of his decisions by the opposition coach....never mind!

Sat 13th June; vs St Albans Shirley; 2 - 1 Win
2 wins in a row....a first for the season! The first half was evenly matched with both sides having chances.
Midway through the half, Matt Scott got a break down the left side. He fired in a great shot which went over the keeper and into the top right corner. Soon afterwards Thomas Mc Saveney found himself on a break and he too slotted a great goal to put Spurs up 2 nil at the break.

A half time pep talk was needed to keep the boys focussed and not drop our gaurd. As expected, St Albans came out firing and we went a little quiet on attack. We had a couple of chances, but the majority of the play came from St Albans. They were able to score from a well taken free kick, which caught our keeper (Matt Kent) off his line. Matt had a great game though and kept us ahead with some excellent saves.
Apart from Simon, who went off with an injured/bruised arm in the last 10 minutes, the main casualty was the coach who aged about 10 years in the last 5 minutes as the boys held their nerve for a well deserved win. Jamin Dodge led the backs well and Mehdi Gerbeaux had an outstanding game as sweeper, covering lot of ground and making some crucial tackles. Player of the day went to Liam Kingsman who listened to the coach (and his mum) and stuck to his opposite like glue for most of the second half. Well Done !

Sat 6th June; vs Parklands Gold; 4 - 1 Win.
Our first win for a while and well earned by all acounts. With the coach away for the day our Referee and Co-coach Darcy took the team. Thanks go to Mhedi's father who helped out with the refereeing so Darcy could concentrate on the coaching. We were ahead 2 - 1 at half time with goals to Judah and Sam. We played well in the second half and with goals to Quinn and Thomas we got a well timed win. The boys played together as a team and kept their shape. Simon Prakesh played well at the back and was named player of the day.

Sat 30th May: Tech 2, STAC 4
The team was looking forward to getting back onto the field after missing both games the previous weekend due to the bad weather. St Andrews scored first which put us on the back foot. The boys then settled down and started to compete, however the same old habits were starting to creep back in. The boys went quiet,started hesitating, holding off tackles and not really going for the 50 - 50 ball. This resulted in a lot of possession being given away to St Andrews, who started putting a few shots on goal. We kept them out thanks to some good defence and some great goal keeping from Matt Kent.Matt Scott played well on the left and set up a couple of chances, one of which was converted by Thomas McSaveney, so we went into the break at 1-1.

We started the 2nd half well, with Matt Scott just missing a great chance to put us 2-1 up. Soon after this the boys began dropping off the pace, allowing St Andrews most of the possession and territory. This soon began to tell and they converted the possession into goals - 3 of them. Whilst we finished well, with a great goal to Sam Young in the last minute of the game, we missed a great opportunity to do better and move up the ladder. Matthew Scott was named Player of the day for his good work up the left side of the field.

We are playing well in patches, but then we tend to drift off, allowing teams to get away from us. The boys are going to have to start competing for the 50 - 50 ball, communicate with each other and start holding onto the ball and Sat 30th Maypassing to each other for the whole 70 minutes if they want to stay up in this grade.

Saturday 16th: Tech Spurs 2, Medbury Red 11
The team warmed up well and looked ready to play. Who would have guessed the shocker that followed.
Medbury started well and we were 2 goals down inside the first 10 minutes. The team looked flat and had little or no shape. Despite plenty of encouragement from the sidelines the boys couldn't turn things around.
We managed to pull one goal back with a grood break away goal to Matt Scott, but Medbury came straight back and by half time were leading 5 -1.

A good talk at half time and some geeing up lasted about 5 minutes into the 2nd half, until Medbury scored again. At that point the boys heads dropped and we were gone. We went quiet and looked like a team just going through the motions. Medbury made the most of this and scored 5 more goals. The only consolation for Spurs was a late goal to Thomas McSaveney, which showed that on the rare occasion when we did go on the attack, we could score goals. Hard to pick what went wrong on the day. This was a completely different side to that which pushed Papanui last week. The disappointing thing for me was not that we lost the game, it was the way in which we lost... we simply gave up. As a result of the performance - there was no player of the day award. Now that this game is out of the way we will be training twice as hard to turn our season around.

Sunday 10th May: Woolston Technical 1, Papanui Redwood 2
Papanui Redwood (who top the ladder) came out all guns blazing. They had several opportunities in the first half, but due to a combination of bad luck, (2 shots hit the woodwork) some poor shooting and some great goal keeping by Matthew Kent, they weren't able to convert their chances and the frustration was starting to show. Papanui scored first soon after the restart. Despite the set back, Spurs stuck at it and were soon rewarded with a great goal to Matthew Scott. With full time looming , a hard fought draw looked likely, however Papanui scored a great goal with only minutes to go.

Despite the loss, the boys played really well and there were some encouraging signs for the coming weeks.
Mehdi Gerbaux (Sweeper) was named player of the Day.

Thanks to all of the parents who turned out in what were cold and miserable conditions. Thanks also go out to Paul for assisting with the coaching and to Darcy for refereeing our games each week and for his input into the team.

Saturday 9th May: Woolston Technical 2, Coastal Spirit 4
A mixed game for Spurs. Honours were even at half time with the score 2 all. Matthew Scott scored Spurs first goal, followed by Sam Young who scored his first goal for the team. The team had a few positional changes in the 2nd half and we went a bit quiet, conceding 2 quick goals. While the boys tried hard to peg back the deficit , the game ended 4-2. The coaches positional selections had an impact on the team shape and consistency, so it was a valuable lesson learned. Sam Young was named Player of the day.

Sat 2nd May: Woolston Tech 3, ChCh United 3
Another exciting game with plenty of opportunities for both sides in the first half, which ended scoreless.
In the 2nd half Christchurch United scored first. We equalised soon after through a penalty goal to Quinn Johnson.

United went ahead again after our keeper was caught wrong footed.We equalised again after some great work down the right flank by Thomas McSaveney who made a great pass into the centre where Matthew Scott was waiting.

ChCh United went ahead for the 3rd time, late in the match after they finished off a breakaway move up field.With only a few minutes to go Spurs were hot on the attack and with the coaching yelling for them to take a shot, Quinn Johnson nailed the equaliser from outside the penalty area.

It was an exciting game to watch, with excellent support and encouragement for both sides from the sidelines. The draw was a fair result as both sides were evenly matched. I was especially proud of the way the Spurs team didn’t give up, coming from behind on 3 occasions to earn the draw. They all played well and Matthew Kent, (Goal keeper) was named Player of the Day.

Sunday 26th. Tech Spurs 5, Avon United C 0; at Hillsborough Domain
The team got off to a great start, making the most of their chances and by half time we were up 5 nil, with goals to Jacob, Thomas, Quinn and Matthew Scott (a double). We went a little quiet in the 2nd half as the bigger field and a lack of match fitness started to show. The 2nd half was very even though, with both sides missing opportunities to score.

The match ended with Spurs winning 5 - 0, a great first up result. The boys did a great job and were justifiably pleased with their efforts. Jacob Kempt had an excellent game in the midfield and ran for almost the entire 70 minutes. His efforts saw him named Player of the day. I think the whole team played well considering how long the full squad has been training together.

It was great to see all of the parents and family turn out to support the team. Particular thanks go out to Darcy for his coaching input and for refereeing the game, to Shane for the game day photos and to the team manager Tania.