Mainland Premier League (Part 1)

Mainland Premier League

Nelson Suburbs	9	21
Western	7	12
Woolston Technical	5	12
Ferrymead Bays	9	10
Burnside	8	9
Nomads United	8	8
Halswell United	8	8
Christchurch United	8	7

Anyone else support a team in the Mainland league? Nelson Suburbs are looking pretty decent this year, but will be without influencial striker Sam Ayers who is heading off overseas. Might be hard for them to score goals now, he was their best threat on attack and was equal leading goal scorer.
The obvious replacement is Nayland College striker Gagame Feni who is from the Solomon Islands but because he's only 17 he's not allowed to play under FIFA's rule that overseas players must be 18. Surely when he's over here getting an education and it's completely amatuer that he should be allowed to play. He's one of the best strikers at secondary school level in the country.

Never heard that rule before.

I have a brother playing for tech, so my chch loyalties lie with them. the team last year was quality.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/sport/3719110/Suburbs-refuse-to-back-down


Because he can't play Mainland football he's been playing first division and his team were docked all their points for playing him. The points have now been given back, but he still can't play for the top side. He had been training Canterbury's NZFC side but couldn't play for them either.
Luis Garcia2010-06-09 20:08:44

Yes, they were the best team in MPL last season.
I reckon they would have won the South Island play offs only the regular keeper had his thumb broken by a reserve team player at training two days before the semi.

They have been lucky this year in a couple of games and have had a few injuries in recent weeks.
They could go on to win the MPL as they have an advantage at the moment.

well dunedin concentrates all it's good players into 2 clubs, or 3 if you include some of the youth players at roslyn. But it effectively makes it a 2 horse race. Half the teams in Footballsouth Premier League would be in 2nd tier football in Christchurch. Mainland league has its talent more widespread which makes the league more exciting. Anyone can beat anyone. And given the talent Tech had last year (Batty, Lancaster, Kamo, Adam Cowen, James Price etc) they'd have every chance of beating Cavy or Tech.

Nelson Suburbs	9	21
Western	7	12
Woolston Technical	5	12
Ferrymead Bays	9	10
Burnside	8	9
Nomads United	8	8
Halswell United	8	8
Christchurch United	8	7

Allowing for games in hand it looks like a two horse race to me, maybe 3 if you include the young Western side.

Both Nelson and Western are very young but are my pick for the top two at the end of the year. Western have the advantage of University players.. Nelson on the other hand have six players still at college, the youngest being 15. the good players tend to leave to Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin for Uni, or just better opportunities as we've seen with U17 keeper Coey Turipa moving to Miramar. Nelson is a great breeding ground for players, many of which would be capable of playing NZFC level but being stuck in Nelson doesn't help.

Nelson suburbs for NZFC!

[/QUOTE]

Both Nelson and Western are very young but are my pick for the top two at the end of the year. Western have the advantage of University players.. Nelson on the other hand have six players still at college, the youngest being 15. the good players tend to leave to Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin for Uni, or just better opportunities as we've seen with U17 keeper Coey Turipa moving to Miramar. Nelson is a great breeding ground for players, many of which would be capable of playing NZFC level but being stuck in Nelson doesn't help.

Nelson suburbs for NZFC!
[/QUOTE] Agreed there have been some great players come from Nelson and Saxton Field is great set-up.

It's just a shame because an NZFC team would keep players in Nelson. The likes of Tom Lancaster might have stayed in Nelson if he had the same opportunities, and then the four NZ age grade players Coey Turipa, Adam Smith, Alex Ridsdale and Matt Shaw.

Nelson Suburbs 3 - Christchurch United 1

Adam Smith set up the first two goals, scored by Billy Scott and Hamish Lewis. Nayland College's Solomon Island striker Jerry Donga scored the final goal for Suburbs.

hasn't woolston got most of the canty team..But they still cant win?

What teams are going to the U19 club nationals

What are you talking about? They've won 8 out of 9 games with one draw against Nelsen who are equal top with Woolston. Although Woolston have two games in hand.

New Zealand U20 goalkeeper Coey Turipa has moved back to Nelsen Suburbs for the rest of the season due to the departure of Eddie Newman.

Halswell have gone well and truly downhill since making the Chatham Cup Semi's and coming 2nd in the league a few years back. *sigh* As a side note though our Wimmins are into the National Cup Semi's this year after a 3-1 win over Roslyn

Keith Grosvenor (sp ?) still playing ?

No. Funny enough he left the very next year for Burnside. Rumor has it he was offered an expenses paid trip to Oz. Not sure how reliable that is though.

So he still plays for Burnside ?

How about Kevin Clarke, still involved ?

Not sure if he still plays for Burnside or not tbh. Don't know Kevin Clarke. I only really know one guy in the 1st team these days and only 'cause he was a mate in school. I play in Pressies B which is equivalent to Div 8 due to work commitments (and general sh*tness at the top level). 

Kevin used to be involved in Admin and played Masters I think.

After doing a bit of research he was club President at some stage in the 90s. I didn't join Halswell until 2000 at youth level.

Greg Draper playing for Ferrymead this season

Old news

draper at bays is very old news!
how did the weekends result shape up?
and congrats bays on getting through to the quarter finals of the chatam cup. would love a diamonds v bays semi final!

I'm a Suburbs supporter, it was the first time Ferrymead have travelled up here this season so I didn't know Draper was in the squad until it was mentioned the Nelsen Mail. Obviously those in Christchurch would have known that this far in to the competition. Just pointing it out for those outside of the league.

Suburbs beat Ferrymead 3-1 today, Suburbs goals came from Brandon Kay, Casper Aengari and an own goal. Not sure who scored Ferrymeads one though. Was a bit of a messy one when Suburbs couldn't clear the ball after a few saves by Coey Turipa weren't held on to and instead fell to a Ferrymead player. Draper looked very average.Luis Garcia2010-07-11 17:28:34

Well bugger me Halswell actually won a game this season. Emphatically too 5-1 over Western.

Woolston beat Nelsen 2-1 which puts them nine clear at the top of the table. Title is theres to lose now.

Results aren't up on sportingpulse yet, normally they're up by lunch time.

The league title looks to be going the way off Woolston Technical.
They have played several of the last few games without Andy Pitman who was at the World Cup and Tom Batty who is in England.
After a bit of a blip in the Chatham Cup going out to Halswell in the first round they've come back strong.

The bigger interest now is which club goes down with it being an automatic
drop and no play offs as previous years.
Perm any one from four at the present time. Bays 1 nil win over Nomads at the weekend gives them a gap on the bottom teams.

With Richmond top of the Nelsen first div do they get a playoff to come back in to the Mainland League? Or is it automatically just another Christchurch team?

think they will play winner of div 1 (christchurch)  in a playoff to go straight back up, could be wrong though, just what i've heard. make sense though, otherwise unfair, although i think the winner of the Nelsen league will have to be financially able to compete in the mainland league because of the extensive travelling that will take place playing in the mainland league

Yes they will play a playoff against the winner of Div 1 (likely to be Coastal Spirit). Why anyone apart from Richmond would want them back in the league is beyond me, considering the disaster with money and not winning a game in a season and a half is beyond me. Could mean four trips to Nelsen for a CHCH team in a season.

Given how close Coastal have come in recent seasons to going back up they'll be tough to beat anyway.

What was the deal with Richmond back then. I heard they had some Abramovich equivalent, did he go bust or something?

Yes it was similar to Abramovich in terms of dirty money. Internal Affairs investigation against their backer took him away.