Ellerslie U19 2017
It was a reasonably young Ellerslie team that went to Napier where teams from around the country compete for the honour of top NZ U19 club team. It’s tightly contested, with clubs vying for a spot on the grid. These days you have to win the satellite tournament for the opportunity to compete in the main event the following year.
Sam was one of the few true U19’s in the Ellerslie squad, with the majority of the team coming from Denny’s age-group team. So despite their youngish age, it was a tight team who had played a lot together, and had great team chemistry. More importantly, there was depth in the squad, which meant almost every time someone came off the bench they kicked the game up a notch. And more importantly, the squad was well managed, and everyone got good game time, which showed deep into matches and deep into the tournament as other teams struggled from having exhausted their stars.
In the first round we played Lower Hutt, where despite scoring early, and dominating possession, we went to the break 1-1, and scored quite late in the second to notch up a win.
Ellerslie v Onehunga
Round two pitted Ellerslie against perennial foes Onehunga, who seem to have been their kryptonite on past occasions. Not so this time, as our ironclad defence held their impressive strike force at bay, allowing our attack to poach a couple of goals. This included a screamer from Denny who had to step back and hit the ball with his weak foot.
The third game of the first day saw our boys take on Waterside Karori – another Wellington team. Several of the key play-makers were rested for the game, but that didn’t stop the team posting another comfortable 2-0 win.
The first match on day 2 was the real test of Ellerslie’s competitiveness. They were playing Birkenhead, who had won the U17’s back-to-back in 2015 & 16. Almost off the starting whistle, Ellerslie took the lead, after a great run down the wing from Sho whose centre found Tom Durkin for a tap in from the top of the 6 yard box. They took the game to Birko and were unlucky not to convert a couple more goals, but in the last play before full time they coughed up a penalty for a careless tackle in the box, and the game ended a draw.
Sam goes aerial against Manurewa
With one game each to play, Ellerslie and Birkenhead were locked on equal points but Ellerslie were ahead on goal difference. A win would be enough to go through in first place, and an emphatic win would assure us of the spot.
Tawa were mathematically out of the tournament after this game, and lacked any real fight as Ellerslie pounded in four goals, including one from the fullback and one from the first string keeper, both of whom were playing in the forward line at the time. This gave us the psychological edge of topping our pool moving into the quarter-finals.
Any thoughts that our quarterfinal would be easy quickly evaporated, as a strong and composed Manurewa team put in an ominous performance. This team had not been scored on during pool play. Despite several strong goal-scoring opportunities, we failed to convert, and with the scores locked on 0-0, the game went into extra time.
Denny eventually broke the deadlock in a move he started and finished. He won the ball in the air on half way, feeding Rowan who carried it to the corner before knocking it across the face of the goal to a fast-charging Denny for a back post tap in. And he featured again with a well-judged corner, finding Dylan Horgan in front of the box who nodded the ball into the net, securing the win for Ellerslie.
Sam goes up to block a Wanderers strike
By day three the field had been whittled down from 24 teams to just four, representing a cross-section of NZ football. Cashmere (from Christchurch) played Olympic (from Wellington), while we took on Wanderers from Hamilton, who had eliminated Birkenhead in their quarter-final.
Wanderers was another team with a big reputation, but also apparently quite mercurial. They never really recovered from their defensive error when Allan McBride intercepted a back pass to the keeper and chipped the ball into the open goal. When he knocked in a second at the start of the second half, their game fell apart, and the 4-0 scoreline to Ellerslie was really a bit flattering.
Sam and Denny hold the trophy after the final
The finals proved to be the best match of the tournament, although the first half was decidedly shaky. Ellerslie were outplayed, and went to the break trailing 0-2. But the tide turned in the second half, and Ellerslie quickly pegged back the two goals. As the clock ticked town, it was looking like the game was heading for extra time. But yet again, Ellerslie’s bench proved decisive. Denny had just come on and was lurking just outside the box while the Wellington defense dallied with the ball. Sensing his moment he stepped across a defender to disposses him, before turning and (with seemingly all the time in the world) firing a ball across the face of the goal finding the side netting just inside the back post for the winning goal.
So Ellerslie now add a NZ U19 title to their trophy cabinet right alongside their 2014 U17 trophy. And Sam goes down in the record books as the only player to played on both teams for Ellerslie.
For the full video highlights, check out this link:
lotto u19 playlist
