Canterbury United

0 - 0 at HT

Dragon's score after 57 minute to lead 1 - 0, George King the scorer.

FT Hamilton Wanderers 0 Canterbury United 1

Next up away to Hawkes Bay at 4:35 next Sunday (live on Sky) then a weeks break before we are home to Team Wellington on 11 March and then away to Eastern Suburbs on 17 March.

Updated Table:

Today's result Hawkes Bay 1 Canterbury United 2 so means we jump ahead of Eastern Suburbs into third place, but Suburbs now have a game in hand. In the only other games played over the weekend Hamilton Wanderers 1 WeeNixs 2.

No surprises that all the "hardcore fans" calling to sack Willy and the entire squad a few weeks ago have all gone very very quiet lately. Fudging clowns. Please stay forever in your holes.

Only one game this weekend with Eastern Suburbs beating Waitakere 2 - 1 so puts the Dragons back to fourth place on the table:

Canterbury United's final home game is against Team Wellington at English Park next Sunday 11 March at 2pm, then away to Eastern Suburbs on 18 March.

With the head to head ruling being used to determine placings in the table when teams are level on points Canterbury with need to defeat Team Wellington on Sunday as Tee Dubs won 2 - 0 in Wellington while we defeated Eastern Suburbs 3 - 2 at English Park. Auckland City defeated on both encounters this season 

Team Wellington final game is at home to Hamilton Wanderers with Eastern Suburbs away to leaders Auckland City, next Sunday with City then facing WeeNix in their final game.

Semi play-offs is 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3, so plenty of permutations still on the cards. 

Dragons still 3rd as the table this year goes on head to head before goal difference and they beat suburbs 3-2 earlier in the competition.

No in the weird world of NZFootball it does go on head to head but only once all the games have been completed, so at the moment Canterbury are 4th as the league is done on points then goal difference until then

#classicispshandaprem

The Dragons looking to break their record of the most wins on the bounce when the meet Team Wellington at English Park on Sunday.

Current record is five in row, which has had achieved three times - 2006/07, 2012/13 and the current season.

Most consectutive games without defeat is 7 which was set during the 2011/12 season.   

Dragons up to third after scorelee draw with TeeDubs today.

Cannot catch Auckland City now.

In the final round Dragons away to Eastern Suburbs - we need at least a draw to stay ahead of Eastern, Auckland face WeeNix with Team Wellington at home to Hamilton Wanderers, other games Waitakere at home to Tasman and Hawkes Bays hosting Southern.

Round 17 results

Canterbury United 0 Team Wellington 0

Auckland City 1 Eastern Suburbs 0

Waitakere United 1 Hawkes Bay 2

WeeNix 2 Tasman United 3

Southern United 3 Hamilton Wanderers 1

Updated Table

I have never seen a game with so many easy chances to score yet still end 0-0 

Man, what a run of form the Dragons have been in late season !!!

Just beat Eastern Suburbs in Auckland 2-1.

If Hamilton beat Wellington in Wellie tomorrow we get a home semi vs. Wellie

Otherwise an away semi vs. Wellie beckons....

Either way we avoid Auckland City....

Great result. Such a pity we did not pick up a few more points in the early season games to guarantee we have another home game. Roll on the semis!

Willy's post match interview

Canterbury United have an away semi-final against Team Wellington next weekend.

TeeDubs scored winning goal in final minutes on normal time to deny the Dragon of a home semi.

Round 18 Results

Eastern Suburbs 1 Canterbury United 2

Hawkes Bays 1 Southern United 3

WeeNix 0 Auckland 2

TeeDubs 3 Hamilton Wanderers 2 

Waikatere 5 Tasman 3

Final Table

Waitakere has finished above Hawke's Bay. The matches between them were a 3-1 Waitakere victory and 2-1 Hawke's Bay victory so 4-3 overall in favour of Waitakere

You're correct about finishing position, but its because Waitakere only had a -4 goal difference and HBU had -15 the Head to Head only counts in the top 4 (if required)

Kick-off time for the Dragons' semi away to Wellington has been announced as 2 pm Sunday - a change from the 4.35 pm kick-off in the original league schedule.

Live on Sky Sport 3 (ch.53)

First semi Auckland City vs. Eastern Suburbs is 2.30 pm Saturday live on Sky Sport 1 (ch.51)

Both the Dragons and Team Wellington are undefeated in their last seven league games.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/domestic/10...

"Figueira is confident he will have strikers Ross Allen and Hamish Watson available when the team resumes training on Tuesday. Watson missed Sunday's match with a minor niggle, while Allen spent the week in hospital, after picking up an infection following the team's OFC Champions League duties in the Solomon Islands."

Forecast for Sunday ☔️ rain

Team Wellington's captain and star defender Justin Gulley will miss the semi after being called up to the All Whites to replace Storm Roux.

Oh, yeah !!!

http://www.nzfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/60203

Well deserved for Gulley; hope he gets another crack at a pro contract soon too. However I’d be happier to celebrate a Canterbury player’s call up to the men’s national team.  

Great work Stuff football writers for the pre semi-final scribblings today.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/domestic/10...

HT in play-off game and Team Wellington 1 Canterbury United 0

70 gone and TW still leading 1 - nil.

10 to go and no change.

5 to go and still TW 1 Dragons nil

Into 4 mins of added time and still TW 1 CU 0

FT Team Wellington 1 Canterbury United 0

Tough day at the office for both teams. CU could have nicke a draw many times in the 2nd half

Disagree. Allan should slotted the cross ball in the first and Bevin shoulda had a penalty. 3 zip....

Copied from the Canterbury United facebook page:

Not mentioned but the Dragons Player of the Year was awarded to the entire team. 

Congratulations to all the winners at Last night's Canterbury United awards Evening at Sixty6 at the Casino. The award winners are as follows :-

Youth Dragons Awards
Player of the year
Bryon Heath
Player’s player of the year
Samuel Field

Futsal Awards | Pride
Player of the year
Emma Clarke
Player’s player of the year
Macey Fraser

Futsal Awards |Dragons
Player of the year
Matthew Bergin
Player’s player of the year
Matthew Bergin

Football Awards | Pride
Player of the year
Rebecca Lake
Player’s player of the year
Annalie Longo
Developmental player of the year
Tahlia Herman-Watt

Football Awards | Dragons
Developmental player of the year
Seth Clark
Golden Boot
Stephen Hoyle
Player’s player of the year
Cory Mitchell
The personality of the Year
Tom Schwarz

From the Mainland Football and  Canterbury United facebook pages:

Willy Gerdsen Signs For Two More Years

http://www.mainlandfootball.co.nz/newsarticle/6262...

It's goodbye to striker Futa Nakamura who has signed for a club in Kolkata, India.

Not the top league there, just the regional league in Kolkata/West Bengal.

I chatted to Futa after the Cashmere Tech Chatham Cup win vs. Ferrymead on Monday.

He's returning to Japan in July and then heading to India.

When does the Kolkata Football League season finish? Any idea if he's intending to come back for the Handa Premiership?

The Calcutta Football League Premier Division kicks off July 18 and runs until late September.

http://www.goal.com/en-in/news/calcutta-football-l...

In other words, Futa should be available for the Dragons again.