Magpies (WJSA 8th Grade)
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Back Row (from left) Kody Nowell, Matt Watkin, Roberta Wigglesworth,
Dillon Sankey, Malcolm Raynel (coach).
Front Row (from left) Cullen Tappin, Logan Raynel, Ben Brady, Lawrence
Clothier, Gabriel Venk.
Saturday September 3 Matamata Magpies 1 vs Cambridge Hawks 0
Well what an absolutely awesome game and a great way to end the season!
Magpies had to start well and get on top first in this game, and they
did. Both teams put pressure on each other and it seemed fairly even in
the first 10 minutes.
Some awesome defence, as always, by Roberta Wigelsworth saw goalkeeper
Logan Raynel have a quiet first half. Then a great run up field by Kody
Nowell, past two defenders, followed by a great cross pass to Lawrence
Clothier who was waiting unmarked, saw first goal go to Magpies.
The play then appeared to become more one sided, with Magpies having numerous
attempts at goal, which were unfortunately saved by some great work by
the Cambridge goalkeeper. Ben Brady worked hard on the wing and was unlucky
not to score on a number of occasions. At half time the score was 1-0
to Magpies.
The second half saw Cambridge come out hard, but Magpies stayed in their
positions and worked hard at being first to the ball. Matt Watkin, Dillon
Sankey, Cullen Tappin and Gabe Venk all played extremely well during their
time on the wings and showed some lovely back up defence at one end and
great passes in to the strikers at the other end.
The whole team showed some good passing skills and gave 100%, which made
Coach Malcolm Raynel unable to choose an individual player of the day
at the end and instead giving it to the whole team!
What a great end to the season guys, winning 1-0. You have all played
really well and tried your best. Congratulations – runners up in the 2nd
Division.
A special mention must go to Malcolm Raynel for all the time and effort
he has put into this team. We all thank you, without you the result would
not have been the same.
Saturday August 27 Matamata Magpies 2 vs Hamilton Marist Dragons 1
This was a great game to watch and the fact that it was played on a bigger than normal field didn’t seem to faze the players too much.
Matamata were on attack from the start. A number of runs up field and great passing saw them have numerous shots at goal early on. Hamilton fought back and were soon on attack and having as many shots at goal as Matamata but were denied by some awesome goal keeping work by Logan Raynel.
A shot at goal by Dillon Sankey which deflected off the Hamilton keeper straight to the boot of Matt Watkin saw him score. The first half saw some awesome passing and team work by Matamata. At half time the score was 1-0 to Matamata.
In the second half Matamata took a little while to settle but still showed some more great passing and team positioning. About 10 minutes into the second half, a shot at goal by Hamilton deflected off the keepers head and into the goal, evening up the score.
Matamata dug deep and Kody Nowell, Roberta Wigelsworth and Matt Watkin all had numerous individual runs up field and were unlucky not to score.
But, one of these such runs by Kody saw him score a nice goal past the keeper. Along with some great attacking play there was also some good defence and covering play which helped keep Hamilton from scoring again.
The full time score saw Matamata come away with the win. Player of the day went to Logan Raynel for his great goal keeping work in the first half. Gabe Venk, Matt Watkin, Lawrence Clothier and Roberta Wigelsworth were all rewarded for their efforts as well.
Next week is the last of the competition round with Matamata facing Cambridge away at 10.00am.
Saturday August 20 Matamata Magpies 2 vs Hamilton North Wolves 6
This game started fairly even with both teams showing some good defensive and attacking play. Both teams had numerous shots at goal that were saved by some great goalkeeping by both keepers.
Magpies looked the better team in the first half and it was only a lack of covering defence that allowed Hamilton North to score.
Magpies followed only minutes later with a goal by Lawrence Clothier.
Hamilton North seemed to find another gear and upped the pace, which allowed their striker a number of runs up field, which resulted in two goals.
At half time the score was 3-1 to the visitors.
The second half started much the same as the first with both teams even on attack. Some great defence by Magpies, especially the always reliable Roberta Wigelsworth, stopped a number of runs by Hamilton North, but they eventually wore down the Magpies players, who seemed to slow and lose their way.
Hamilton North’s unstoppable forwards scored three quick goals in the second half with the Magpies lost as to what to do.
Magpies had a last minute burst and a great run up field and pass by Lawrence Clothier saw Matt Watkin have the final say. At full time the score was 6-2 to Hamilton.
Player of the day was awarded to the ever-reliable Roberta Wigelsworth for her great defensive work.
Saturday August 13 Matamata Magpies 0 vs Cambridge Hawks 1
Well what a nail biter, not good for the faint hearted!
Magpies started well, on attack from the start. They had numerous shots at goal but the Cambridge goalkeeper denied them any goals.
About 10 minutes into the game the Cambridge striker made a break up field and a lack of covering defence by Magpies saw Cambridge score. Magpies strung some great passes together and a number of runs up the field but weren’t able to get through the Cambridge defence.
Magpies coach gave a reminder at half time to be first to the ball and keep their positions. The second half saw two fairly even teams throughout with both teams unlucky not to score from corners. The players all tried hard but seemed slightly in disarray at times. The game was eventually won by Cambridge 1-0.
Player of the day went to Ben Brady with Roberta Wigelsworth and Lawrence Clothier being recognised for their efforts throughout the game. Next week Magpies have another home game at 9am against Hamilton North Wolves.
Saturday August 6 Matamata Magpies 5 vs Hamilton Marist Dragons 2
Matamata had a great start to the game and were hard on attack from the start. Looking the dominant team they had numerous shots at goal and were unlucky not to score.
A corner kick from Dillon Sankey back to Ben Brady saw the first goal for Matamata. A few minutes later Roberta Wigelsworth hammered the ball into the air from half way, through the keepers hands and into the goal. The expression on her face was priceless as this was a much wanted and deserved goal.
Some hard running and great passes by Matt Watkin, Ben Brady, Dillon Sankey and Gabe Venk and awesome defence by Roberta Wigelsworth and Lawrence Clothier saw goal keeper Logan Raynel have a quiet first half.
An intercept on pass across the field saw Kody Nowell score with ease. A lapse in defence near the end of the first half by Matamata saw Hamilton get their first goal. At half time the score was 3 – 1 to Matamata.
The second half saw a more even start. Matamata were on attack and a lovely pass from the left wing by Dillon Sankey to Matt Watkin saw him score a fairly uncontested goal. Matamata’s defence was then put to work with Cullen Tappin showing some nice skills in goal.
A corner kick to Hamilton saw them confuse Matamata’s defence slightly which allowed them to score. A run up field from the oppositions goal by Matt Watkin with Lawrence Clothier in support saw Matt score another great goal.
Great work guys (and gal). There was some awesome positional play, passes and team work shown in this game. Final score 5 – 2 to Matamata Magpies.
Player of the day went to Roberta Wigelsworth for her unstoppable hard work in defence (and awesome goal). Gabe Venk, Cullen Tappin and Dillon Sankey were also recognised for continually trying hard.
Saturday July 30 Matamata Magpies 1 vs Hamilton North Wolves 3
The game started slowly with Matamata looking flat. Hamilton took advantage of this and scored a nice goal only minutes into the game.
This seemed to wake Matamata up and they followed, only minutes later, with a lovely goal by Ben Brady over the heads of both the players and the keeper.
It seemed a fairly even game after this, but Hamilton seemed to be the hungrier of the teams, having numerous shots at goal. They were denied any goals by some great goalkeeping work by Logan Raynel.
Just before half time Hamilton dug deep and after some nice teamwork were able to score. Half time score 2 – 1 to Hamilton.
The second half saw a slightly different Matamata team. They tried hard to be first to the ball and strung some nice passes together. Both Matt Watkin and Kody Nowell were unlucky not to score, having numerous shots at goal.
Some excellent defence by Roberta Wigelsworth denied Hamilton any runs early on and some great runs up field by Roberta saw her show some good attacking play as well.
Just before the full time whistle Hamilton scored another lovely goal to make the score 3 – 1 to Hamilton.
Matt Watkin was awarded player of the day for his tireless efforts week after week and Roberta Wigelsworth was recognised for her outstanding defensive (and attacking) game.
Saturday July 9 MATAMATA MAGPIES 9 vs GLENVIEW UNITED THRASHERS 3
What an absolutely awesome game played by Magpies against top of the table Glenview.
The whole team played hard right from the start, putting in 100%. Some great attacking play and by being first to the ball saw Magpies have lots of shots at goal early on. Some great goalkeeping by the Glenview keeper denied Lawrence Clothier and Matt Watkin early goals.
An awesome kick by Ben Brady from the right wing saw him able to get the ball in the back of the net and get him the goal he’s been waiting for all season for.
Glenview had a few individual runs, but excellent goalkeeping again this week by Logan Raynel saw them denied many times. Eventually though Glenview were able to confuse the Magpies defence and score their first goal. Magpies kept fighting back and eventually both Lawrence Clothier and Kody Nowell were rewarded for their efforts, slotting balls into the goal.
At half time the score was 3 – 1 to Magpies.
If you thought in the first half that the Magpies played well, then you were in for a shock, because in the second half they played even better with all the team putting in 110%.
The ever-reliable Roberta Wiggelsworth was great in defence but was often left with three opposition running at her and from these plays Glenview were able to score two easy goals. But Magpies didn’t stop there and never gave up.
Some brilliant runs up field and hard chasing of the ball by Dillon Sankey, Cullen Tappin and Gabriel Venk saw them able to feed the midfield and strikers and it was from here that the Magpies went on a goal scoring frenzy.
Lawrence Clothier was on fire and was able to score three more goals. Kody Nowell chased every loose ball and was also rewarded with another three goals.
Everything seemed to fall into place for the Magpies team in this game and it was great to finally come away with a win, especially of this margin against the top team.
Well done all of you.
Player of the day was awarded to Gabriel Venk for his best performance yet and an achievement award was given to Dillon Sankey for his continued efforts. Ben Brady and Matt Watkin were recognised for their efforts as well. Goal scorers: Ben Brady 1, Lawrence Clothier 4, Kody Nowell 4.
Saturday July 2 Matamata Magpies 1 vs Hillcrest United Tornados 5
With the top teams left to play, this was always going to be a hard game.
With a prematch talk by Coach Malcolm Raynel asking all the players to play their best game yet, Magpies started well. It was a hard and fast game with both teams having shots at goal. Logan Raynel as keeper made some great saves. The game seemed fairly even early on but a break by Hillcrest saw them score first. Magpies, remembering to be first to the ball, hit back with a goal to striker Kody Nowell.
Many great runs up field and shots at goal by Ben Brady, Dillon Sankey, Cullen Tappin and Lawrence Clothier saw the Magpies unlucky not to score again.
Hillcrest were able to score their second goal of the game just before half time which made the half time score 2 – 1 to the Hillcrest team.
A reminder at half time to run hard and chase everything saw the Magpies players dig it in in the second half. They seemed a bit lost early on but soon settled.
The players did as the Coach asked and played their hearts out. But at the end of the day they were beaten by the better team, who were able to score 3 unanswered goals in the second half.
Player of the day went to Dillon Sankey for his tireless effort on the wing. Goal scorer: Kody Nowell.
Saturday June 25 Matamata Magpies 3 vs St Peter Chanel Canons 3
Again the Magpies started the game with some great attacking play. They put pressure on the St Peter Chanel defence early on and had numerous shots at goal which were unfortunate not to go in.
Some great work by Lawrence Clothier saw him score a great goal in the first 5 minutes of the game. Roberta Wigelsworth was her usual reliable self, stopping any runs up field by St Peter Chanel. Magpies positional play was awesome and once they were on attack and again putting pressure on the defence, Lawrence was able to score another great goal.
Some excellent goal keeping by Logan Raynel throughout the first half saw him stop any shots St Peter Chanel had at goal. The half time score was 2 – 0 to Magpies.
Early in the second half Magpies were hard on attack and again applying pressure. Matt Watkins hunted for the ball throughout the game and was finally rewarded with a well-earned and much awaited goal.
Magpies again had numerous shots at goal and Dillon Sankey, Kody Nowell and Cullen Tappin were all unlucky to score. Not unlike last weeks game, Magpies, late in the second half, seemed to tire and lose their way. St Peter Chanel seemed to find a second wind and put pressure on Magpies defence and were able to score two quick goals.
Both teams played well and in the dying minutes a slippery ball went astray from the keepers hands and an own goal was scored making the full time score 3 – 3.
Player of the day went to Logan Raynel for his great goal keeping in the first half and great runs up field as wing in the second half. Goal scorers Lawrence Clothier 2, Matt Watkin.
Saturday June 18 Matamata Magpies 4 vs Hamilton North Wolves 4
Another exciting game this week between two evenly matched teams.
Magpies looked the better team in the first half, hungry for the ball. They were on attack from the start with Matt Watkin hunting for the ball. Numerous shots at goal early on by Magpies were unable to get past the Wolves goalkeeper. Three minutes into the game, after some great passing skills by the Magpies team, Matt was able to score the first goal of the game. Magpies worked hard at their positional play and five minutes before half time Kody Nowell was able to score two quick goals.
The team then seemed to tire and Wolves were allowed to score just before the half time whistle. At half time the score was 3-1 to Magpies.
In the second half Wolves came out hard on attack, but some good defensive play by Ben Brady and Lawrence Clothier disrupted any runs up field. Wolves then turned to shooting from half way and were able to slot a hard ball over the head of the Magpies keeper into the goal. Soon after an own goal by Magpies evened the score to 3-3.
Magpies dug in and some great teamwork on attack saw Dillon Sankey have a couple of shots at goal, which were unlucky not to go in. Logan Raynel had some great runs up the wing and a good pass from him into the centre allowed Kody to score again.
A clearing pass across the goal, which was intercepted by the Wolves striker, allowed them to again even the score. At full time the score was 4-4.
Player of the day was awarded to Ben Brady for his consistent hard work. Goal scorers: Matt Watkin, Kody Nowell 3.
Saturday June 11 MATAMATA MAGPIES 3 vs CAMBRIDGE RAIDERS 5
With the grading round over and Magpies finding themselves in the first division, their first game in the Preliminary round was against a well-drilled Cambridge Raiders team.
The game started hard and fast, but Magpies were steady in their play. Raiders had a few good shots at goal which were saved with some awesome goalkeeping skills by Ben Brady. Magpies defence, led by Roberta Wigelsworth, stopped many runs up field by Raiders, but 5 minutes into the game Raiders found a few holes and were able to score 2 quick goals.
Magpies picked up their game and started to put some great attacking play together. This resulted in Matt Watkin being able to slot a ball past the Raiders keeper and into the goal.
It was a very even game with the ball going up and down the field numerous times. 5 minutes before half time Raiders were able to score again, but Magpies replied straight after with a goal to Kody Nowell. At half time the score was 3 – 2 to Cambridge Raiders.
The Magpie players all lifted their game early in the second half and only 2 minutes in Lawrence Clothier slotted a good hard ball into the air from half way and into the goal. With a few changes being made the Magpies seemed to lose their way for a while and Raiders took advantage of this with some fast play and were able to score another two quick goals which were unlucky to get past Magpies keeper Logan Raynel.
The whole Magpies team played exceptionally well both individually and as a team. Raiders came away the eventual winners but this had been a really exciting game between two really good even teams At full time the score was 5 – 3 to Cambridge Raiders.
Player of the day was awarded to Ben Brady for his great goal keeping skills in the first half and his hard attacking and defensive work in the second half. Goal scorers: Matt Watkin, Kody Nowell, Lawrence Clothier.
Saturday May 28 MATAMATA MAGPIES 6 vs WANDERERS 0
The wet weather didn’t seem to bother the Magpies as they started the game hard and fast. Right from the first whistle they were hard on attack and numerous shots at goal early on by Matt Watkin were unlucky to miss.
About 5 minutes into the game some great team play resulted in the Magpies' first goal by Kody Nowell, who had been subbed on after an injury to Matt. Cullen Tappin did well in goal to stop any attempts Wanderers made in the first half.
Some great runs up the wing by Logan Raynel and Gabriel Venk resulted in the ball entering the goal area numerous times and on one of these occasions Dillon Sankey was able to slot the ball into the goal.
With Matt back on and hunting for the ball, he was rewarded just before the half time whistle when he managed to get one past the keeper and into the goal.
At half time the score was 3-0. A reminder at half time to be first to the ball resulted in Magpies coming back on even more determined.
The first goal in the second half was by Wanderers goalie when a clearing kick went amiss. Pressure on the ball carrier by Ben Brady and Lawrence Clothier saw numerous more attempts at goal by the Magpies which were unfortunate not to go in. Roberta Wigelsworth defended well as always and punted the ball hard up field on a number of occasions to Kody and Matt.
A great attacking run by Matt in the last 10 minutes resulted in him being able to score, and soon after, from some good team play and following some great passes, Kody was able to score another goal.
The whole team played well which made it hard to pick a player of the day, but this was eventually awarded to Kody Nowell. Goal scorers: Kody Nowell, Dillon Sankey, Matt Watkin.
Saturday May 21 MATAMATA MAGPIES 5 vs CLAUDELANDS ROVERS EAGLES 4
The game was hard and fast right from the start. Both teams battled hard for dominance and it seemed to be Claudeland Rovers who won this battle, putting Magpies on defence.
Roberta Wiglesworth again put in some strong defensive tackles, but Claudeland Rovers were still able to score two quick goals in the first 10 minutes. This seemed to motivate the Magpies who in the next 10 minutes worked hard to be first to the ball.
A good individual run by Kody Nowell saw him have a shot at goal which the keeper dropped and some great follow up work allowed Kody to slot the ball into the goal. Magpies were now hard on attack and a great ball across field to Cullen Tappin allowed him to slot it hard into the top of the net. Soon after it was Kody who crossed the ball towards the keeper, who let it slip through his hands into the goal.
At half time the score was 3 - 2 to the Magpies.
A strong motivational talk at half time by Coach Malcolm Raynel saw the Magpies come out in the second half hungry for the ball. There seemed to be more urgency in their play and this, along with some great attacking team play, saw Lawrence Clothier slot two awesome goals within 10 minutes.
Some great work by goalie Gabriel Venk saw Claudeland Rovers robbed of any attempts they made early on in the second half. Forwards Lawrence and Matt Watkin hunted hard for the ball in the second half and were unlucky with numerous attempts at goal.
The Magpies seemed to tire in the last few minutes which allowed Claudeland Rovers to score.
Player of the day was awarded to Lawrence Clothier. Goal scorers: Kody Nowell 2, Cullen Tappin 1, Lawrence Clothier 2.
Saturday May 14 MATAMATA MAGPIES 4 vs MORRINSVILLE BULLDOGS 4
Magpies started the game slowly and took a long time to settle which put them on defence from the start. Some awesome defence by Roberta was not enough unfortunately and the Bulldogs were able to score three quick goals.
The Magpies pulled their socks up and put some good attacking play together. A good pass up field from Dillon to Matt led to the Magpies first goal. The Magpies started to string some great passes together, but a lack of concentration led to the Bulldogs scoring another goal. At half time the score was 4 – 1 to the Morrinsville Bulldogs.
Early on in the second half the Magpies were hard on attack and showed some of the flair that was evident in last week's game. Some great hassling on the ball carrier by Cullen stopped any runs the Bulldogs tried.
Logan had a great game on the wing with numerous runs up field. He slotted some great passes across field into the forwards. Matt hunted continuously for the ball and was rewarded when he slotted one into the goal.
A great improvement in the second half and some great teamwork by the Magpies led to the full time score being 4 – 4.
Player of the day was awarded to Cullen Tappin. Goal scorers: Kody Nowell, Matt Watkin.
Saturday May 7 MATAMATA MAGPIES 7 vs TAMAHERE GUNNERS 0
Being the team's first game of the season, the anticipation was evident. Although the majority of them played together last year, the nerves still appeared as this was their first ever game away from their home ground.
Right from the first whistle the team looked strong on attack and had many shots at goal. Tamahere's goalkeeper did a great job saving numerous attempts by Cullen Tappin.
The first successful goal came from a pass across field by Dillon Sankey to Kody Nowell which was slotted into the goal. Roberta Wigelsworth worked tirelessly at the back and was always reliable in stopping Tamahere's runs at goal.
There were some great passes strung together and it was this that led to the team's second goal. At half time the score was 2-0.
Early in the second half the team was back on attack. Some great hassling by Ben Brady on the ball carrier led Magpies to numerous unsuccessful attempts at goal. Good pressure on the goalkeeper and some great passes by wings Logan Raynel and Gabriel Venk into the centre eventually landed Dillon a couple of goals.
Always eager Matt Watkin pushed up hard on the keeper and this eventually landed him a goal. With Lawrence Clotheir stopping some good runs by Tamahere and pushing the ball forward to attackers Kody and Matt, it was inevitable another goal or two would eventually come.
At full time the score was 7-0. The whole team tried hard and worked well together which showed some great pre-season coaching by Malcolm Raynel was finally paying off.
Player of the day was awarded to Roberta Wigelsworth. Goal scorers: Kody Nowell, Dillon Sankey, Matt Watkin.