We saw a variety of results, and there were plenty of goals scored across the board. Last week our groups concentrated on playing out from the back, and this week the focus will shift to playing through the thirds. It's important that we have clear communication across all our teams regarding the structures and principles we want to see: progression, a focus on possession, comfort in building play, and controlling the tempo of the game.

A special mention goes to our U13s, who continue their excellent form with a 5th consecutive league win and show no signs of slowing down. Additionally, congratulations to William Fullelove, Cooper, Dwen, Zac Le Cheminant, and Alex Tilbury from the U15s, all of whom were selected for the U17 match day squad. We also had Elise Peet and Lizzie Hyatt from the U16s playing for our Women's Reserve Team, Blaze.

I'm looking forward to another busy and exciting week of football.

Tate Macpherson (DoF)

CDL U13 Mixed - Mark Gilchrist & Chris Bailey

Match Report vs Miramar Rangers AFC

ONW U13 came to Te Whaea in a buoyant mood but a well drilled and compact Miramar Rangers stymied ONW’s flowing game for much of the first half. A curling unstoppable strike from outside the box saw Rangers go ahead early in the half. Rangers grew in confidence and started to look likely but good hustle from the ONW goalkeeper and defence contained them well. ONW couldn’t quite get the final pass or shot to stick until late in the half when three slick passes out from our box saw our striker beat their keeper and put us into halftime on level terms. An ONW goal following a sweeping attack and cut back  put us up early in the second half. As Rangers started to chase the game, ONW tightened the screws - pressure at a corner resulted in an OG, a fourth and fifth were quickly added through a high press and some snap finishes in their box. ONW looked like they might lose shape as everyone clambered to get on the scoreboard. But cool heads and slick passing was restored and four more goals quickly followed. FT 9-1.

Next match - Sunday 8th June 10:30am vs Western Suburbs U13 @ Alex Moore 2

CDL U14s Girls - Diarmuid & Daisy Brazendale

Match report vs Island Bay from today's captain, KaylaIn our game today, straight off the bat everyone was pressing hard and staying strong. This ended in a lot of quick turnovers of the ball and we were quite dominant with possession in the first half. When we were going forward the midfielders were giving the forwards amazing passes and most times  something good resulted from it. In our defence everybody stayed strong and used a lot of physicality to get the opposition away from the ball which was very fortunate.  It was a fun game today.

Next match - Sunday 8th June 9am vs Western Suburbs U14 @ Endeavour Park 2

CDL U15 Mixed - Steve Fullelove & Jeremy Young

U15 match report vs Miramar from Captain CooperWe started with kick-off and immediately sent it long. We were looking strong with a few attacks at the beginning, but couldn’t manage to score. It was obvious we were getting out physicaled by Miramar which led to them dominating for the first 20 minutes. We then brought on our subs, and it was clear that Lincoln, Connor, and Ryan were making a big difference in the physical battles. We started to win some challenges, win headers, and finally looked like we had a chance to score. We kept winning promising free kicks around the edge of their box as Mirimar kept pushing our players in the back. Unfortunately nothing came from those chances. Not long after, Miramar scored their first goal from a chip by their striker. We kept playing well, winning free kicks, but sadly still couldn’t score any goals.In the second half, we came out looking strong. We immediately won the ball off kick off and looked like we were the better team. As Jeremy said, the momentum had changed. We took advantage of this and their constant fouling and luckily scored a goal from a build up involving William, Connor, and Alex with Alex getting the goal. After that, it was clear we were playing better than them. We kept the momentum going and created more chances, but unfortunately, none of them ended up being a goal. Near the end of the game, the momentum shifted again with Mirimar now clearly dominating. But we fought hard and managed to  hold them off until the last 10 minutes when Miramar played a ball through and scored on a  break away. We kept fighting until the end but just couldn’t get one back, and we finished with a very close 2-1 loss.

Next match - Sunday 8th June 9am vs Western Suburbs U15 @ Alex Moore Turf

Regional U15 Mixed - Arun Lamb & Oli Davies

Match Report vs  Island Bay United AFC - U15U15 Regionals earned a solid 2–1 win today against Island Bay United. We started with a good tempo and were able to consistently apply pressure and contain IBU in their defensive third. After an IBU clearance, we were rewarded early through Caden’s quick decision to play in behind and Jaivant’s well-timed run(1-0). After conceding soon after(1-1), we reset well and started controlling the game. This was thanks to us regaining our structure, and some strong leadership from Captain Jamie, and voices in our backline. The second goal came from a well-executed transition, where direct forward play and a lovely first time assist from James. O led to Jaivant’s second goal of the match(2-1). In the second half, Island Bay had more possession and challenged our ability to stay structured and connected, but we defended with discipline and managed key spaces well. At times we lost midfield cohesion, when our decisions on the ball didn’t match our movement off of it, but overall we showed good control and awareness. Caden was Player of the Match. He was composed under pressure, made smart choices that helped us play forward and really found his voice today leading with communication.

Match Highlights - https://youtu.be/T8ShMo35Rl8?si=B9CXWb9XSMwgn4PD

Next Match - Sunday 8th 10am vs Petone FC U15 Kōwhai Des Smith Ray White @ Petone Memorial 2

CDL U16 Girls - Kimberly Fiszer & Tate Macpherson

Match Report vs Petone GOL 16th CDL Des Smith Ray White

The girls did very well to compete vs a very physical Petone team. We fell behind early to a lovely worked goal which was played over our backline and finished nicely. We stayed competitive and found our pattern and shape, creating a few chances but failing to capitalise. Unfortunately we then conceded two quick goals, one direct from a corner and the other a scrabble in the box.

Coming into the second halfd 3-0 down is always difficult but the girls had more success in the second half. Ella Hindle scored a couple of brilliant goals, the first a lovely edge of the box finish and the other a free kick. The final score ended 5-2 to Petone but the girls showed be proud of the effort they put in to fight for the full 70 minutes and are continuing to process and develop both as a team & individuals.

POTM - Ella H. A fantastic performance both in front of goal and in her generall play. She never gave the opposition time to settle on the ball and linked well with ehr teammates. 

Next Match - Sunday 8th @ 10:30am vs Wellington United U16 @ Alex Moore Turf

CDL U17 Mixed - Hayden Polyansky & Tate Macpherson

Match Report vs Miramar Rangers AFC U17 CDL

Unfortunately we went down 3-8 to a strong Miramar side, with the halftime score 0-4. We started well, moving the ball around with a little more composure than previous weeks, but struggled to track their third-man runs, giving them time and space around the middle third and edge of the box.Miramar gained momentum, dominated the midfield, and created overloads that led to three more goals before the break. Despite the score, our back line fought hard and made some key stops.After a halftime reset, we came out with good intensity and had some great passages of play. Patrick got us on the board from the penalty spot after Jett was pushed  down in the box. Hugo then scored a brilliant solo effort from outside the area and later added a second from the spot after earning another penalty.As time ticked by we couldn’t close the gap and Miramar added one more late on to finish 3-8. The score didn’t fully reflect the effort and attitude shown by the boys, who kept fighting until the final whistle.

Thanks to the U15s (William Fullelove, Cooper, Dwen, Zac Le Cheminant, and Alex Tilbury)  for their support and making a great contribution on the field when asked to do a job. Also thanks to the Ressies for support through Jordon helping us out.

Next match - Sunday 8th June 12pm vs Western Suburbs U17 @ Alex Moore Turf

Article added: Wednesday 04 June 2025