NZ Secondary Schools Tour to Austria

Thursday 20th March

The boys had their first introduction to European Football on Tuesday Night.  With an 8:00 PM KO it was new for many if not all of them.  With the snow having cleared during the day it was a calm and beautiful night for football (about 3-5 degrees).  Unfortunately we did not get off to the ideal start against the St. Gallen U18 side. They are currently placed 6th in the all Swiss U18 league so we new we were in for a battle. We conceded two goals within the first 2 minutes and were stunned by the movement and pace.  This sparked the boys and they clawed their way into the game with hard work, commitment and energy.  They challenged well for possession and as they got used to the artificial surface started to put sequences of passes together.  We looked menacing from set pieces with quality delivery into dangerous areas.  The boys showed great commitment and a real physical presence for the rest of the half and we finished strongly going into the break still 2-0 down.  The second half saw the remainder of the squad taking the park as planned.  The pace of the game continued to be high with the boys now getting the feel for it and starting to get more of the ball and create a series of half chances.  St Gillen scored a third after breaking quickly after clearing from one of our free kicks.

Final result 3-0 loss but it was a creditable performance from the boys only 2 �  days together.  Combinations are starting to form as players get used to each other, the level up in pace and movement. 

They have spent the day preparing for tomorrows game against another side that just drew 4-4 with st Gillen.  Another late KO means that by the time we get back from the game it will be very late. 

The team was playing the highly successful Vorarlberg academy side which in previous tournaments had reached the finals.  The lads were still in with a chance of making the final so had everything to play for.  They settled well into their work and created a couple of chances which unsettled the home team.  Menacing from set pieces, the New Zealanders  seized their opportunity just before the stroke of half time with good delivery from Jack Salter into the danger area and Joel Wiechern got in front of his marker to power his header home.  The home side started more aggressively in the second half but the New Zealanders soaked up the pressure and went further ahead from another set piece with Salter again the provider but this time Matt Smith aggressively overpowering his marker to head the ball in at the near post.  A third opportunity fell to Wiechern which would have made him equal top goal scorer but it came of the inside of the post and rolled along the line, keeper beaten only to be lashed out by the far post defender.  An outstanding 2-0 score line.  This meant the Kiwis finished third in the round robin and far exceeding all expectations with such quality opposition.

In the final game against the USA for 3rd and 4th tired legs�, injuries and aching bodies took their toll with the Kiwis not able to maintain their hi intensity, competitive pressing all round the part.  This allowed the USA team to score two easy first half goals to finish the game off.

The tour has been an outstanding success for the players and team.  We have received further invitations and this has paved the way for more young New Zealanders to broaden their football horizons and play at the highest level.

Sunday 23rd March

Superior opposition, injuries and tired players combined to give New Zealand a pointless second day at the European Youth Cup in Bludenz. The team lost 1-0 to Stuttgart in the first game and 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the second but still have an outside chance of making the first/second playoff depending on results tomorrow.

 The team got off to a slow start against Stuttgart struggling to find a passing rhythm against a slick Stuttgart team. Matters got worse when Rene Aafjes was sent off after 15 minutes for a foul on the edge of the box and from the resulting penalty the Stuttgart captain slotted home the rebound from an excellent Stefan Marinovich save. Despite being outplayed for the rest of the game the New Zealand team showed great courage and commitment to defend resolutely and remain in the game until the final whistle. Stuttgart had an excellent chance to seal the game but missed their second penalty with their player blasting the ball over the crossbar. Excellent defensive performances came from Marinovich, Wallace and Williams-Grey.

 Unfortunately the sustained defensive effort took its toll for the next game versus Zagreb and despite making full use of the bench, the team struggled to gain ascendency against an imposing Croatian team. The players looked lethargic and compounded matters by passing the badly in the critical midfield area thus having to defend for long periods. Once again the kiwi spirit came through as they defended stoically especially at set pieces where the Zagreb team had a huge height advantage. The goal came late in the first half as a Dinamo player got behind the New Zealand defence.

 Currently sitting third on the table, tomorrows� early game�s will decide if the young New Zealanders will make the final or play off for 5th and 6th.  The with a lot at stake, the New Zealanders  play the Vorarlberg academy team which will decide final round robin positions before the playoffs.

Saturday 22 March

New Zealand secondary schools football had an outstanding day at the European Youth Cup in Bludenz today.  The early game was against a USA zone selection side who are part the USA�s preparation for the 2012 Olympics.  Overcoming early nerves, both teams created chances and started to play well patterned football.  The Young NZ side dominated in the air and their physical presence began to unsettle their opponents.  With captain Nick Branch dominating at the back the lads started to construct chances which saw Chris Fernando hit the bar from a set piece.  NZ looked menacing every time they could get the big men forward but were lucky on two occasions from free kicks where they failed to track the outside man..  With 10 minutes left and some of the lads fading, coach Jacques Vercauteren started to ring the changes and they paid immediate dividends.  Kelly Martin was released in behind the fullback after a nice interplay with Simon King  and he lashed a scorching strike towards the far post which took a handy deflection.  Under pressure for the remaining time, the boys hung in for a well deserved win.  The teams pressure around the park was a telling factor with the midfield of Salter, Cain, Smith, Wiechern and Neson giving the USA side little room to link with their front men.  Full backs Paterson and Wallace tackled and tracked well while delivering quality ball into the danger area.  Bennetto up front covered a lot of ground and worked well to try to hold onto the ball into feet.  A great start for the boys.  NZ Sec Schools 1�USA 0

One hour later the boys had to take the field again this time against the Turkish European team.  All the players in this side have been identified by the scouting system as the best players of Turkish descent from outside of turkey but in Europe.   The game started with the Turkish side stringing together nice passes but not penetrating or creating any real difficulties.   At the other end the NZ teams was creating half chances, delivering quality set pieces and putting pressure on the opposition so they turned the ball over.  This resulted in the boys breaking on a cuple of occasions only to be thwarted by the keeper or the last man with a timely tackle.  However it finally took its toll when Jack Salter was released overlapping on the right and his shot was could only be parried twards Joel Wiechern who had got goal side of his mad to finish the rebound.  Soon after it was two nil with Scott Wallace hitting a scorcher through the Turkish wall.  Minutes later Smith was set free down the left only to be brought down inside the box and he clmly stood up and slotted the resulting penalty to make it 3-0 at half time.  In a state of shock the Turkish team came out firing and tried out muscle the boys.  To the teams credit the just got stronger and soacked up all that was thrown at them.  Again the changes came as players tired and this effected the shape.  The boys who came on really lifted the team, who were down to ten players frot eh remaining minutes.  The teams shape was much better in the second game as they played with more balance and combinations continued to develop.  A great result.

 A great ay for all the lads who worked extremely hard for the results

 Tomorrow see the team take on  VFB Stuttgart and Dinamo Zagreb

...and these tours are also about developing talent for the future be it to league or national level and also these players career potential wherever  that may lie.  Dont knock it...good to see some results as well.  They will boost confidence.