3 PAGE NUMBER
PAGE DESCRIPTION
5
UPCOMING CLUB FIXTURES
6
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
7
NRFL MATCH PHOTOS
8&9
NRFL PREMIER SCHEDULE / RESULTS
10 & 11
WOMENS FIRST TEAM LINEUPS
12 & 13
WOMENS MATCH REPORT
16 & 17
NEXT NRFL GAMES
19
PHOTO & TWEET OF THE WEEK
We are back to the beginning next week as the Women’s team play their first game in the 3rd round, while our Men’s team travel to Tauranga.
4 WELCOME TO WAIKATO UNI-COL AFC This weekend marks the start of our Kate Sheppard Cup journey as we host Uni-Col from Hamilton in the 2nd round of the Cup - Uni-Col got to this point with a BYE which is the same as our journey so far, so there is no form guide in the cup for either team. Our visitors were founded in 1960 and their women’s team plays in the WaiBOP WLeague which is the top league in the region. After 7 games this season the Waikato Uni-Col Women’s Premier’s sit in 4th place with 3 wins, 3 draws and a loss. Keep an eye out for Chantal Williams as she sits in 3rd place on the golden boot ladder with 6 goals. For Ellerslie it’s been a fair time since we progressed past the 2nd round in the Cup, in 2003 we made it to the final for the 3rd successive year (having won it in 2001 and lost in 2002). That cup final losing appearance in 2003 remains the last time we made it past the 2nd round, although we came close in 2016 when we narrowly lost 1-0 to Lynn Avon - fingers crossed this is our year to make it to Round 3!! Don’t forget our Men’s First Team have their own cup battle this weekend as they take on reining national league premier’s Auckland City at Kiwitea Street on Saturday at 2pm - games don’t get much tougher than that. Looking at our community teams there looks to be some interesting match ups, including an Ellerslie derby - but team name of the week has to be: East Coast Bays Drum & Bays - that’s for you Rowan! Cheers Tim Adams Chairman
FRONT COVER: (from left) Kate Sheppard Cup BACK COVER: Annabelle and Anita on the press
5 ELLERSLIE TEAM
OPPOSITION
VENUE
DATE
TIME
Ellerslie Diamonds
VS
East Coast Bays Drum & Bays
Michaels Ave #2
02.06
7pm
Ellerslie Colts
VS
Eastern Suburbs Keats
Michaels Ave #1
05.06
3pm
Ellerslie Iguanas
VS
Hibiscus Coast Kiwa
Michaels Ave #2
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie Business Time
VS
Metro FC Football Friends
Phyllis Street #4
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie Deceptively Slow
VS
Auckland United Rangers
Keith Hay Park #8
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie Instituto
VS
Onehunga Sports Honey Badgers Ngahue Reserve
03.06
7:30pm
Ellerslie EPSDS
VS
Western Springs Tevez
Seddon Fields #1
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie Red Ruru’s
VS
Ellerslie AFC ZFFC
Michaels Ave #3
05.06
3pm
Ellerslie ZFFC
VS
Ellerslie Red Ruru’s
Michaels Ave #3
05.06
3pm
Ellerslie Black Ponies
VS
Auckland United Decent
Keith Hay Park #12
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie Bonobos
VS
Western Springs Calendar Boys
Michaels Ave #3
05.06
1:15pm
Ellerslie Sea Dogs
VS
South Auckland Rangers Stranger Rongomai Park #1
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie Red Knights
VS
Waitemata FC Wolves
Michaels Ave #5
05.06
1pm
Ellerslie O35’s Masters
VS
Western Springs Revolution
Michaels Ave #2
05.06
3pm
Ellerslie O40’s Zephyrs
VS
Postponed
Postponed
P/P
P/P
Ellerslie O45’s Metro
VS
Mangere Utd Ba
Centre Park #3
05.06
3pm
Ellerslie O45’s Mustangs
VS
South Auckland Rangers Kiwi
Michaels Ave #5
05.06
3pm
Ellerslie Rebels
VS
West Coast Rangers FC
Huapai Reserve #1
06.06
11am
Ellerslie Red Fury
VS
Waiuku Wolverines
Michaels Ave #1
06.06
11am
Ellerslie Zamantix Roverines
VS
Clendon United Ladies
Mountford Park #1
06.06
12pm
Zamantix Force
VS
No games
Queens Birthday Weekend
Zamantix Return
VS
No games
Queens Birthday Weekend
Zamantix Deuce
VS
No games
Queens Birthday Weekend
AFC Bohemians 1
VS
No games
Queens Birthday Weekend
AFC Bohemians 2
VS
No games
Queens Birthday Weekend
6
7
MATCH PHOTOS Ellerslie vs Western Springs (Reserves) A) B) C) D) E)
Defenders union having a chat at halftime Goalscorer Kez doing her defensive duties Mia sees some old friends in Springs colours Ponies setting up for a corner Grgicevich sisters in the wall
8 ROUND
DATE & TIME
OPPOSITION
1
28.03.21 @ 3pm
Auckland United
Michaels Ave
2-2
2
02.04.21 @ 3pm
Hamilton Wanderers
Porritt Stadium
1-2
3
11.04.21 @ 3pm
Northern Rovers
Michaels Ave
2-3
4
18.04.21 @ 3pm
Eastern Suburbs
Michaels Ave
0-1
5
25.04.21 @ 3pm
Western Springs
Michaels Ave
0-2
6
02.05.21 @ 1pm
Auckland United
Keith Hay Park
3-1
7
09.05.21 @ 3pm
Hamilton Wanderers
Michaels Ave
1-1
8
16.05.21 @ 1pm
Northern Rovers
McFetridge Park
3-1
9
23.05.21 @ TBC
Eastern Suburbs
Madills Farm
1-3
10
30.05.21 @ 3pm
Western Springs
Seddon Fields
0-1
KS1
06.05.21 @ 2pm
Waikato Uni-col
Michaels Ave
11
13.06.21 @ 3pm
Auckland United
Michaels Ave
12
27.06.21 @ 1pm
Hamilton Wanderers
Porritt Stadium
13
04.07.21 @ 3pm
Northern Rovers
Michaels Ave
14
18.07.21 @ 1pm
Eastern Suburbs
Madills Farm
15
25.07.21 @ 3pm
Western Springs
Michaels Ave
16
01.08.21 @ 1pm
Auckland United
Keith Hay Park
17
08.08.21 @ 3pm
Hamilton Wanderers
Michaels Ave
18
15.08.21 @ 1pm
Northern Rovers
McFetridge Park
19
22.08.21 @ 3pm
Eastern Suburbs
Michaels Ave
20
29.08.21 @ 1pm
Western Springs
Seddon Fields
NOTES • Home Reserves games kickoff at 12:45pm on Sundays • Away Reserves games kickoff at 10:30am on Sundays • Fixtures are subject to change - please check
VENUE
NRF Website: www.aucklandfootball.org.nz Lotto NRFL Twitter: @LOTTONRFL Lotto NRFL Facebook: @LOTTONRFL
RESULT
9
ONTENTS
28/05
SCORE
AWAY TEAM
WESTERN SPRINGS AFC
1-0
ELLERSLIE AFC
R.Hirano
30/05
n/a
HOME TEAM
SCORE
AWAY TEAM
NORTHERN ROVERS FC
3-3
HAMILTON WANDERERS AFC
H.Reddy, S.Haering, A.Cook
30/05 Place
HOME TEAM
S.Carpenter, A.Mooar, J.Bremner
HOME TEAM
SCORE
AWAY TEAM
EASTERN SUBURBS AFC
3-1
AUCKLAND UNITED FC
T.O’Brien 2, L.Strachan
P.Catton
Team
PL
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
1
WESTERN SPRINGS AFC
10
8
1
1
23
10
13
25
2
EASTERN SUBURBS AFC
10
5
2
3
18
18
0
17
3
NORTHERN ROVERS FC
10
4
3
3
22
22
0
15
4
AUCKLAND UNITED FC
10
3
2
5
15
16
-1
11
5
ELLERSLIE AFC
10
2
2
6
13
17
-4
8
6
HAMILTON WANDERERS AFC
10
2
2
6
15
23
-8
8
RESERVES
30/05 30/05 30/05 Place
HOME TEAM
SCORE
AWAY TEAM
WESTERN SPRINGS AFC
0-1
ELLERSLIE AFC
HOME TEAM
SCORE
AWAY TEAM
EASTERN SUBURBS AFC
1-4
AUCKLAND UNITED FC
HOME TEAM
SCORE
AWAY TEAM
NORTHERN ROVERS FC
1-1
HAMILTON WANDERERS AFC
Team
PL
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
1
ELLERSLIE AFC
10
7
1
2
25
13
12
22
2
AUCKLAND UNITED FC
10
6
1
3
36
26
10
19
3
HAMILTON WANDERERS AFC
10
5
1
4
20
17
3
16
4
NORTHERN ROVERS FC
10
3
4
3
26
24
2
13
5
WESTERN SPRINGS AFC
10
3
3
4
16
17
-1
12
6
EASTERN SUBURBS AFC
10
0
2
8
9
35
-26
2
10 #
PLAYER NAME
GAMES
1
Erin SIMPERINGHAM
61
4
Leigh AITKEN
48
5
Tayla HAWES
30
6
Kim MESIAS
10
7
Deb TUTTY
171
8
Annabelle PAKIETO
15
9
Kim OOSTERBEEK
35
10
Hollie LEONA
24
11
Anita TRUDGEN
63
15
Courtney ROWSE
13
16
Britney CUNNINGHAM-LEE
18
17
Cat PRETTY
10
CAT PRETTY
18
Lauren MCKENZIE
0
18
Lulu LANCE
0
She was everywhere against Springs, taking shots and marking their best player - superb
19
Maddy MCCORMICK
34
TYPE OF OFFICIAL
TEAM OFFICIALS
21
Holly MARX
10
HEAD COACH
Ryan Shiffman
22
Jemma MCCORMICK
3
ASSIST. COACH
Callum McKenzie
24
Marie GREEN
4
ASSIST. COACH
Mark Thompson
25
Mia GRGICEVICH
5
GK COACH
Nadia Olla
27
Charli COLLARD
36
MANGER
Kevin Green
28
Kat GOW
9
MANAGER
Donna Collard
35
Faith MOA
3
PHYSIO
Kojo Norku
11
ONTENTS
#
PLAYER NAME
1
TYPE OF OFFICIAL
MATCH OFFICIALS
Alejandra JANSEN
REFEREE
Bridget Baker
3
Emma BROWNLIE
AR 1
Caley McNeely
4
Heather PEARSON
AR 2
Courtney Day
6
Ashleigh NGOW
7
Mia RICHMOND
8
Abbie WATSON
9
Chantal WILLIAMS
10
Maggie LEAVER
11
Libby WILLIAMS
12
Kim GOODRICK
13
Trea CORR
14
Petra BATTERS
15
Talia MOSTON
16
Hannah REID
17
Eden HEALEY
19
Maddie HANSEN
20
Sophie DALY
Ref Assessor
n/a
WEBSITE: http://www.unicol.org.nz/ TWITTER: n/a FACEBOOK: facebook.com/UnicolFootball/ INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/waikato_unicol_afc/ TYPE OF OFFICIAL
TEAM OFFICIALS
HEAD COACH
Fawwaz ALI
ASST. COACH
Chloe WAUGH
ASST. COACH
Trea CORR
MANAGER
Nick WARWOOD
GK COACH
12 WOMEN'S FIRST TEAM: LATE GOAL BY LEAGUE LEADERS SINKS PONIES Our Footballing weekend was kicked off by our Women’s First Team taking on Western Springs at Seddon Fields in our first Friday night fixture of the season, a big crowd rocked up to watch what turned out to be a fascinating contest as Springs missing a few players came up against a Ponies team who had been showing a big improvement in this second round and could sense an upset. Ryan Shiffman’s Ponies came into the game on the back of a loss in the #battleofeastauckland last weekend but at pretty much full strength as Maddy McCormick came back into the side and Tayla Hawes had recovered from her knock last weekend. Looking at the Springs team who have been on fire all season who were missing a couple of players in this game, but they have a more than capable bench and the Ponies were not going to take them lightly. It was quickly obvious once the game kicked off that Ellerslie were going to play a bit more direct than the home side, who themselves were concentrating on getting the ball to their playmaker Rina Hirano, who was central to their best moments. Ellerslie’s all action style seemed to bother Springs early on and the home side who have netted an average of 2.3 goals per game initially looked to struggle to break down the Michaels Ave side’s defence. It took all of 10 mins for the game to get it’s first real shot as Rina picked up a loose ball in midfield after a flick on from an Erin Simperingham clearance was picked up and a long shot from well outside the box was fired in by the Japanese star. Erin was alert however and pushed the ball out with a dive to her right and got two strong hands to the ball and pushed it out for a throw in. That action seemed to spur the Ponies into their stride and they immediately threatened with a half chance of their own as Britney got onto a ball over the top by Annabelle and then some neat passing and some lacklustre clearances from Western Springs resulted in Kim Mesias having a shot on the turn from the left side of the box, but her right footed effort just couldn’t curl enough to worry the Springs GK. Leigh Aitken was the next to have a shot, Britney again in the buildup making the most of a ball forward as she robbed the Springs fullback and then checked back and found the Ellerslie #4 about 10 meters outside the box. Leigh’s shot was low and hard and dealt with easily enough by Alisha Perry. From that save Alisha played short and Springs won a free kick at halfway which was taken quickly and Ellerslie struggled to recover as a Springs player helped the ball into the box from the free kick and Rosa Caird got off a powerful left foot shot despite the attention of two defenders from just inside the box – It came at an awkward height for Erin and with the power it was a hard one to handle – she managed to pad it away and Kim Oosterbeek cleaned up to keep the game scoreless. Ellerslie were starting to cede the territory to Springs as they got stuck into their work, but a timely reminder of the danger Ellerslie posed on the break came to fruition when in the 28th min Cat Pretty played a perfect ball over the top of the left back and into Britney’s path – Alisha in goal decided against coming out and hung on her penalty spot as Britney stormed forward
ONTENTS
13
with the ball from the our right flank – however with the cover defence coming across Britney opened up to try and steer the ball past the keeper at the near post and just overcooked it and it ended up going wide. Springs best chance of the game came next as a neat piece of play on the right from Arisa and Rina ended up with the latter putting in a perfect left foot cross which a Springs player in the middle got her head to – but it slipped millimetres past the far post. The half closed out with Springs having a couple more chances without really testing the Ellerslie goalkeeper – so both teams headed for the sheds to get out of the cold weather and have a chat about what they needed to do to break the deadlock. It wasn’t long into the second half that Ellerslie created their best chance of the game so far as a corner floated in by Leigh Aitken was won by Cat Pretty – a looping header that gave the Springs keeper no chance but the woodwork had the final say as the ball struck the corner of the post and crossbar and somehow missed all the players as it dropped into the field of play and spun back out of play for a goal-kick. Cat Pretty having had the smell of a goal went looking for her third of the season as she had the next shot as she took a right footed effort from 12 meters outside the box that was powerfully hit but straight at Alisha who handled the shot well. Springs who had not really got into the second half and potentially had more pressure on them as the league leaders started to press a little more aggressively and they had a great chance from nothing as they intercepted a ball in midfield when Ellerslie were trying to setup a play – the loose ball fell in the path of Arisa Takeda who quickly took a shot as Kim Oosterbeek was closing her down – but her quick and powerful shot was right at the Ellerslie skipper and GK. Springs next chance was a beautiful piece of play which started back at the GK as the looked to play out – a ball to the left back who then played a perfect ball into midfield to Lara Copli who in turn found Sophia Dyer hugging the left touchline – Sophia played a perfect ball into midfield where Rosa Caird had found some space – she checked back and lost her marker and played a left foot pass perfectly weighted between Tayla and Kim to the pacy Dyer who had made a great run. Springs however didn’t have any bodies in the box so Sophia’s cross was picked off by Erin Simperingham much to the relief of the Ponies fans who watch Springs open up the visitors in 4 passes. Cat Pretty was back in the shooting action again soon after as she picked up a loose ball that Springs had attempted to clear, but her looping shot just didn’t have the direction and Alisha was able to pick it up wide of her goal. It was Alisha’s quick roll out to her teammate which ended up with Springs going pretty close to opening the scoring – Sophia Dyer again with the chance but this time she had come inside as the play developed down Springs right hand side and resulted in her picking up a pass infront of her defender on the edge of the box, her low powerful shot to Erin’s right wasn’t quite enough to beat the keeper as she stopped the first effort and got up and dived on the loose ball. Springs were really upping the pressure on the Ponies with multiple shots now coming in from different angles – as you would expect from the league leaders – Ellerslie however were not giving up and Ellerslie had a great chance in the 78th minute as Cat Pretty had another pop from the edge of the area – but her shot was block around the penalty spot mark and Kim Mesias was first to react to the loose ball – she swivelled and her left foot shot was blocked at close range by a Springs player, with the Ponies players in unison along with the Ponies supporters on the balcony all screaming for a handball, however the
14 referee was in close attendance and probably rightfully waived the claims away. Another chance quickly followed for Ellerslie as Britney got free on the left flank and skipped past a tackler only for the ball to pop up – so she gave it a bit of a boot and sent in a perfect up and under towards goal, just inside the 6 yard box – a bomb that any league player would be happy with. The Springs goalkeeper in trying to catch the bomb ran into her own player which sent the ball loose, but credit to Springs as another defender boxed out Jemma while the GK recovered and dived on the loose ball – a couple of scares for the home side in a row.
Not for the first time in this contest Springs had their next chance when Alisha released the ball early and this time long to Rina who controlled the long ball and then set Sophia Dyer free on the left flank, she cut in on Tayla and got off a decent shot which Erin was able to get down and save and chase the loose ball before booting it into touch. The next chance was the fatal one for Ellerslie as Emma Pijnenburg started the move off by getting out of a three person press by the Ellerslie front players, playing a sharp 1-2 with Sophia Dyer and then driving into midfield, before playing a clever reverse pass for another Springs player to run onto. Kim Oosterbeek managed to just intercept but her tackle left the ball free at the top of the box for Rina to pick up but Tayla managed to get in a clean sliding tackle in the box to stop her progress, but the ball was still right there and could only be cleared back to the top of the box where Arisa Takeda looked to get off a shot, but the ball was nicked away from her by a full-on challenge from Kim Mesias – unfortunately the loose ball fell back to the feet of Rina Hirano and her first time shot from close distance was too much for Erin to stop and Springs opened the scoring. For the last 10 minutes Ellerslie threw as much as they could at the home side with Cat Pretty having a couple more shots as Hollie Leona came into the game alongside fellow second half subs Faith Moa and Jemma McCormick. Unfortunately for Ponies fans there was no late scoring drama to be had and Western Springs notched their 8th win from 10 games as we reach the halfway point in the season. Media Picks Woman of the Match: An absolute rock in the midfield and at the heart of everything we did going forward and also had to deal with Springs best player for a lot of the night - our metaphorical hats go off to Cat Pretty.
ONTENTS
15
WOMEN'S RESERVES: PONIES DIG DEEP TO KEEP 1-0 LEAD AND REMAIN TOP OF TABLE Narrowly sitting at the top of the table, the Women’s Reserves knew this fixture was going to be a tough one having drew with Western Springs at home in their last fixture. A few players who had limited minutes during their Friday night First Team duties bolstered the Ponies, adding to the already solid squad of Reserves players. With a team heavy on defenders, it was a welcoming sight to have a few more attacking players join the team. Within the first ten minutes, there were multiple heavy challenges, and with that the precedent of the game was set. Ellerslie took a while to get into the game as they adjusted to the tempo of play. However, in the 27th minute they were able to get the only goal of the match. Hollie Leona was fouled just outside of the box and lined up for the free kick. Her delivery was on target, and the keeper wasn’t able to deal with it safely. After spilling the beans, Kezia Kelly was there to hit the ball home. From here, the intensity ramped up as Springs searched for an equaliser. Goal scorer Kelly, along with Faith Moa, Erin Mattingly and Deb Tutty held strong at the back to deny the constant pressure of the home side, while Lulu Lance provided safe hands between the sticks. Down the other end, Sarah Robinson was dangerous down the left, constantly pressing for the ball and winning it often. Jemma McCormick, Holly Marx and Mia Grgicevich held strong in the middle and slowly began to find their feet in the game, shifting the ball quickly and effectively. Leona, when she wasn’t spending her time on the ground, was trying her best to find the ball at feet. The second half was much like the first, with both teams creating their fair share of attacking opportunities. It was a physical game, and the turf is an unforgiving surface. With the help of a strong bench, Ellerslie were able to see out the game, narrowly holding their lead. In such a close game, the women did well to dig it in and seal the victory. It was a real team effort, and everyone put in 100%. Something that has been impressive from the women is their refusal to concede in tight games. It really shows the character of the squad. The win puts them 3 points above of Auckland United, who they’ll face after a one week Kate Sheppard Cup break. The Ponies only two losses have been to Auckland United, so we’re sure they’ll be hunting for that win that will put them 6 clear of their opponents. Media Picks Woman of the Match: Sarah Robinson: Her work rate was unmatched during the game. She won a lot of balls high up the field with her energetic press and was unlucky to not capitalise on any of the break aways. We're predicting goals from her very soon.
16
17
19 TWEET OF THE WEEK Tweet of the week this week goes to Ellerslie’s Sarah Robinson imagine remembering a topical tweet you made back in mid 2020 I can’t remember what I tweeted last week. Also if you ever want to know what to get Ian Davidson, he seems to like Wasabi
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Much respect to Paul Rutland at Western Springs who really encapsulated the friendly rivalry the two clubs have by putting Ponies on the scoreboard instead of Ellerslie. The team loved it!!
ELLERSLIE ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB
Photo’s supplied by Tim Adams
Michaels Avenue Reserve P.O. Box 11 328
Program Editor
Ellerslie, Auckland 1542
Tim Adams
P: 09 579 8910 E: chairman@ellersliefootball.org.nz W: ellersliefootball.org.nz
facebook.com/EllerslieAFC
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