1-0 and I missed the goal!!!

Upper Hutt City 1 Seatoun 0
Women's Central League
Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt
Sunday 19th June 2016
Attendance about 50

So my plan of visiting all Wellington clubs at least once this season is getting there slowly. Although it is likely to be over 2 seasons now, as currently having a job where your employers idea of flexibility is you being available to work whenever they want you to, it hasn't been easy!

So having picked Miramar Rangers v Western Suburbs in the Men's Central League as the game of the weekend, I was unable to get time off on Saturday to go (and it sounded like a good one Miramar winning 3-2 in the last minute after Wests had fought back from 2-0 down). So instead I found myself at Upper Hutt City again. This isn't a bad thing, being a Dundee United fan, how can you not like a club that plays in Orange and Black! Also Upper Hutt City's Women's Central League team is a pretty good one. 

The news this week, that Palmerston North club Valeron Wanderers, had withdrawn from the league (and folded as a club) had a silver lining for Upper Hutt City as with Valeron's results expunged, it sees Upper Hutt City back into 2nd place just 3 points behind leaders Wellington United.

They were up against last season's champions, Seatoun, who despite winning the league by 5 points last season, have struggled this season and after the Valeron situation find themselves in 5th place with just 1 win and 1 draw.

Despite traveling to Upper Hutt for work I still managed to misjudge the time it takes and arrived 5 minutes after the game had kicked off and found that Upper Hutt City were 1-0 up through a goal from Emma Main.


The 1st half was played almost entirely in the Seatoun half, I had been told that Seatoun had lost a couple of players from last season but looking at the team it didn't look too much different from the one I remember seeing last season, they may have lost a striker or 2 though as when they did manage to get the ball into the Upper Hutt half and near goal they were largely ineffective and never tested Cushla Litchwark, in the City goal.

 
 Upper Hutt City had plenty of possession but never created that many chances, they did have one great chance when the number 12 cut across the penalty area but unfortunately hit it straight into the advancing Seatoun keeper. Despite not that many clear goal scoring chances being created by either team in the first half there was still some nice football played and great touches from both teams.

In the 2nd half as the weather was threatening to pack in, from a spectators point of view the football did, Upper Hutt City seemingly happy to contain Seatoun and not really push for any further goals, while Seatoun failed to pose any real threat and never really looked like getting an equaliser and the game finished 1-0 to Upper Hutt City (and I missed the only goal!)

Seatoun are still a talented and skillful team who just seem to have lost their way this season. Upper Hutt City deserved the win and are locked in a 3 way battle for the league title with Wellington United & Palmerston North Marist, but if they are going to come out on top in this they really need to start converting their possession into more goals.


For more Photos I took from the game Click this link





Comments

Post a Comment