AHJSA Match Reports

Today was Wet....... and Muddy....... And Cold...... And really fun for the whole team. Smiles all round as the team took on Stirling in much less than ideal conditions. The boys battled with Extra obstacles that they had not really had so far this season. Struggling to stay upright & having fun sliding around on the water soaked pitch.

The first half saw Stirling off to a fast start. Billy as goalkeeper being bombarded with multiple shots on goal. As our defence lined up to try and hold out an enthusiastic Stirling. Odin, Morgan Ethan defending our line under great pressure. Eventually a breakaway goal from Archer saw us hit the scoreboard.

The second half Freddy Stepped up and seemed to be the ball magnet on the pitch. Shooting the ball out to Hard running efforts by Adam & Mitch who were working together to get the ball down the line & into attack. Eddie worked hard to put himself in great positioning for some centring plays & a few shots on goal. Stirling still came hard, Odin in the goals was also pitted with numerous shots. All round efforts by the whole team Working hard in defence making things really tough for the opposition in very difficult conditions.

Today was Wet....... and Muddy....... And Cold...... And really fun for the whole team. Smiles all round as the team took on Stirling in much less than ideal conditions. The boys battled with Extra obstacles that they had not really had so far this season. Struggling to stay upright & having fun sliding around on the water soaked pitch.
The first half saw Stirling off to a fast start. Billy as goalkeeper being bombarded with multiple shots on goal. As our defence lined up to try and hold out an enthusiastic Stirling. Odin, Morgan and Ethan defending our line under great pressure. Eventually a breakaway goal from Archer saw us hit the scoreboard.
The second half Freddy Stepped up and seemed to be the ball magnet on the pitch. Shooting the ball out to Hard running efforts by Adam & Mitch who were working together to get the ball down the line & into attack. Eddie worked hard to put himself in great positioning for some centring plays & a few shots on goal. Stirling still came hard, Odin in the goals was also pitted with numerous shots.
All round efforts by the whole team Working hard in defence making things really tough for the opposition in very difficult conditions.

Under 8

Hahndorf vs Woodside White

A break in the clouds welcomed us at Woodside on a wet wintry day as we crossed our fingers the patch of blue sky and glimpse of sunshine would stay for the game. It did not. The players took the pitch (swamp? Mud pit?) and quickly learnt that the soggy ground meant the biggest of kicks barely travelled. Some great early attempts at goals by Miles Hennessy and Michael Griggs were thwarted by the mud, stopping the ball in its tracks. Kealan Atkinson and Eric Jager put up a good defence with Sam Gardner (and the mud) saving Woodside’s attempts at goals. Harris Parkyn and Hamish Glynn got some great intercepts and were pushing the ball forward really well, with great control despite the conditions. Hennessy took the ball right to the top of the box and managed to kick hard enough to just get over into the goals!

The second half saw Jager make some great saves in goals, with Atkinson and Glynn both getting some excellent blocks getting the ball away from Woodside and back towards Hahndorf’s end. Angus Clifton was playing well in the midfield - both in stopping Woodside and pushing the ball back down the pitch. Hahndorf managed to bring the ball all the way forward to finish with Griggs delivering another goal. Both teams did really well under tricky conditions, adjusting their play to overcome the challenges.

U8s Hahndorf vs Woodside White

A break in the clouds welcomed us at Woodside on a wet wintry day as we crossed our fingers the patch of blue sky and glimpse of sunshine would stay for the game. It did not. The players took the pitch (swamp? Mud pit?) and quickly learnt that the soggy ground meant the biggest of kicks barely travelled.

Some great early attempts at goals by Miles Hennessy and Michael Griggs were thwarted by the mud, stopping the ball in its tracks. Kealan Atkinson and Eric Jager put up a good defence with Sam Gardner (and the mud) saving Woodside’s attempts at goals.

Harris Parkyn and Hamish Glynn got some great intercepts and were pushing the ball forward really well, with great control despite the conditions. Hennessy took the ball right to the top of the box and managed to kick hard enough to just get over into the goals!

The second half saw Jager make some great saves in goals, with Atkinson and Glynn both getting some excellent blocks getting the ball away from Woodside and back towards Hahndorf’s end. Angus Clifton was playing well in the midfield - both in stopping Woodside and pushing the ball back down the pitch.

Hahndorf managed to bring the ball all the way forward to finish with Griggs delivering another goal. Both teams did really well under tricky conditions, adjusting their play to overcome the challenges.

Under 9

From the moment the athletes ran on the field, down came rain and reluctantly never gave up. The rain didn’t deter the boys though, their spirits were high, even though they were soaked through within just minutes of the whistle blowing. Nico Moran put on the orange shirt and stood proud and strong in the goals for the first half. Fancy footwork by Danny Morgan and Jasper Christou kept the ball moving around allowing Levi Neumann to move forward, strike and score a magnificent goal in such tough weather conditions. The wet ball and soggy ground didn’t stop Josh Blain with his powerful left kicks, together with Carter Hartley’s superb defence, helped Moran In goals keeping the opponents goalless in the first half.

Jak Skinner came out in the 2nd half and gave everything for a great shot at goals just narrowly missing. Mason Saywell took the tough position in goals, and through many attempts by Mt Barker, managed to keep them goalless for the game. Neumann, Christou and Moran proved to be a problem for Mt Barker, moving the ball past them and keeping the ball in Hahndorf's attacking position. Any balls that made it through the power house were quickly defended by Skinner, Carter and Morgan. The game ended with Hahndorf being too strong for Mt Barker.

It was a fabulous effort by both clubs, and a special thanks to the coaches and referees running around in the rain with their teams getting drenched to the bones. Its days like these that create the best memories.

Round 13                     Mt Barker United Blue vs Woodside u9

It was a special day, with the game to be played under lights at the Summit Sport Centre, Mt Barker. Anticipation of the match had been building all week, with kid’s excitement building about what a night game might be.  They arrived early, gates locked, hopes and dreams held at bay. Finally, the gates opened and kids ran wild onto the pitch like a pack of wildebeests running across the Serengeti. (Sorry it’s the concussion.)  

The game got started with clear skies overhead, with Woodside taking the first kick.  Mt Barker pressed early, with Woodside’s defence under pressure.  Suddenly there was a turnover and the ball rocketed down to the Woodside scoring end, but was blocked by the Barker goalie.  No fear, Woodside turned it over again and the next shot sailed into the back of the net.  Only 5 minutes in and Woodside were in front.

The pitch at the Summit had newfound space, with the girls up the front making good position and some excellent passing to the top of goal.  Defence were supporting, pressing forward and passing brilliantly to create opportunities but the whistle blew and it was 1-0 at the break.

With a new goalie, fresh legs & teeming rain for the second half, Woodside came out firing. Despite pressure from Mt Barker, the opportunities were flowing for Woodside.  More fabulous teamwork resulted in a brilliant opportunity that was put away for a first goal for a player who always works hard.  That opened the floodgates and it wasn’t long before a beautiful ball was chipped in over the keeper’s head, with the score now at 3-0.  Play continued with Mt Barker giving it everything they had, but the young defender playing up front for the evening had discovered she rather liked kicking goals, and popped another one through.  Mt Barker refused to give up and were able to sneak one past the keeper. With the score at 4-1 and the game nearly over, Woodside’s new Striker decided she needed to get a hattrick. Another perfect pass to the top of the box set up the perfect chance and she nailed it.  The rain cleared, the smiles were big, the final whistle blew and the singing was magnificent.  Well done Woodside, the teamwork tonight created a wonderful result, with everybody playing their part.  Final score 5-1.

When our U10s reach the (surely inevitable?) stage where they are in contention for places in their respective national teams, they will find themselves playing with players who are adversaries any other Saturday. England’s goal-scorers in their triumphant Euro 22 final team were Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly of Manchester United and Manchester City respectively – players who, after the joy they experienced on the pitch together at the weekend, will go back to being bitter rivals at club level when the regular season starts. On the flipside, Lina Magull, who scored in the final for die Fußballnationalmannschaft der Frauen, was pitted against Georgia Stanway, her future teammate at Bayern Munich.

It is fair to say that the aforementioned superstars of the game are unlikely to experience the full joy of Saturday’s noon kick off with our U10s. Their elevated status, playing in front of crowds of 90-odd thousand people, mean that they are unlikely ever to deal with the amount of mud that our U10s encountered. It wasn’t clear that we would even be able to get a game as a 9.30am pitch inspection indicated that there was a lot of mud on the modified pitch. A further pitch inspection at 11.30am revealed that there was still a lot of mud on the modified pitch, as well as a lot of mud everywhere else. Even the bits of pitch that looked like grass were actually just mud with a cunning disguise. Fortunately for the ground staff, our kids significantly reduced the amount of mud on the pitch by taking it home on their boots, socks, faces and in their hair.

Despite the difficult conditions our kids had a load of fun and emulated the "national team" experience playing in different configurations with some of their teammates and some players from the red team. There were several moments that looked awfully like football, albeit with a bit more mud. Even the ref, who is renowned for his grumpy demeanor, was persuaded to let the teams play an extra few minutes before calling time on the whole thing, just because of how much joy was out on the pitch.

Back to normal next Saturday with the blue team facing Stirling Districts in the noon kick-off at Woodside and the red team have an early start with a 9am kick-off at Birdwood. Having said that, “normal” might be a bit of a stretch because about 20 percent of the modified pitch is currently in various laundries and on back doorsteps around Woodside. “Blue” and “Red” might even be a bit of a stretch at this point – it’s probably safer to say that Woodside U10 Brown will back this coming weekend…

Hahndorf met Torrens Valley on a very soggy pitch, which saw many players revelling in the chance to get as muddy as possible.

Hahndorf began the game with strong offence and several shots at goal from forwards Patrick Freer and Lachlan Gardner, all of which were strongly defended by the Torrens Valley goal keeper. Hahndorf scored a goal in the first half after a lovely corner kick from Freer gave Rowan Gilroy a clear shot. At this point, Torrens Valley stepped up and the Hahndorf defence line of Pearl Beesley, Eli Parkyn and Luc Russack-Putallaz were kept busy. Beesley was particularly strong in the role, with some impressive jockeying of the ball, keeping the opposition on their toes.

Goalkeeper, Jack Gaskin saw more of the ball as the game progressed and defended well, but Torrens Valley replied soon after with a goal of their own and Hahndorf saw some lovely passing in defence from Beesley and Alice Cannavo. Cohen Whinfield managed to intercept several balls and pass strongly to the Hahndorf forwards.

Hahndorf were able to regain control of the ball and Ashon Broabent-Shaw scored another goal from a corner kick.

The second half saw an energised Torrens Valley putting on the pressure and the two teams were kept on their toes (or their knees!) in the very slippery, muddy conditions. Russack-Putallaz did a great job in his first ever spot at goalie. Hugo Curtis and Gaskin made some early attempts at goal and Parkyn in defence, displayed some impressive tackling skills in the mud.

In the end the game was very evenly matched and both teams showed great sportsmanship, assisting the opposition when they inevitably slipped or fell during play. Thanks to Torrens Valley for a great match.

BREAKING: Upon their return from Birmingham, the Australian swim team made a shock appearance at Pine Avenue, mistaking it for an Aquatics Centre...
After the Dolphins had packed up and left, Mt Barker Red and Hahndorf rocked up to the Magpies' home ground to lock horns in the U12 top-of-the-table clash.
The first half was a tumultuous tussle for territory; Hahndorf was missing a few key players, but for the most part managed to keep the Reds at bay. Barker did manage to strike once in the opening half, though; a marauding midfielder lashed a shot from the edge of the box to take the early lead.
1-0 to the visitors at half time, and it was increasingly evident that the weather was having an effect on the gameplay. The Reds strikers are typically prolific at overcoming opponents with lightning speed and dazzling footwork. Hahndorf has also been known to score heavily from similar methods. however, the muddy wasteland would nullify this tactic, and both teams had to adapt.
The Magpies were the first to find a solution: the Barker defence was all but impenetrable when challenged on the ground; but the kicking power of the Hahndorf keeper allowed aerial passes to sail and skid over the Reds' defensive wall, gifting the striped strikers a chance. Despite some incredible saves by the Barker keeper, Hahndorf equaliased within 10 minutes of the half.
The Magpies were swooping, but the Reds weren't done with yet. Airborne through balls out of the midfield gave the Barker forwards a chance, and in the 42nd minute, a burst of speed and a selfless cross led to the visitors second goal, kicked by a rising star from close range. The Reds were determined to extend their lead, and by the 47th minute, they had goaled twice more, putting the result beyond doubt.
As the whistle blew to end the contest, both teams shook hands at the close of the third and final hard-fought match between the sides in Season 2022.
The visitors celebrated their victory, and players from both sides were then unified in their joy of a post-game belly-slide in the mud. In other news, there has been an unprecedented rise in laundry detergent sales since Saturday morning...

U13 blue returned to Woodside this week for our 2nd tussle of the seasons against Murray Bridge Blue. 

They say football is a winter sport and the pitch resembled what can best be described as a muddy/boggy wonderland in which visible blades of grass through the mud could probably be counted on one hand.

As players entered the pitch proper many sank deep into the bog reducing their height by several inches much like the horse Artax from A Never Ending Story as he disappeared to his eventual demise. 

Still the whistle blew starting what was to be a great game for the Warriors. 

Playing in trying conditions the warriors held their formations well and controlled the gameplay with some exceptional passing, marking and communication. 

Through balls galore began breaching the valiant Murray Bridge defence with the likes of Dean,Thomas, Ashton and Tye peppering the goals. 

Whilst the Murray Bridge keeper made numerous saves, by shear weight of shots on goal Ashton bent one around the keeper after a majestic pass from lukas to make it 1-0.  

Heads held high Murray Bridge levelled the score shortly after putting pressure back on the warriors to respond. 

Stepping up when needed and as a result of some Stella team collaboration Tye put the warriors back in front with a special weighted shot past the keeper. 

A seesawing remainder of the second half in balmy conditions ended with a half time whistle of 2-2.

Cold, wet but full of motivation the warriors started where they left off in the first half. William had 2 cracks on goal in the first 5 mins, James stood tall In defence when needed and ever reliable Lillian, Ava, Mitchell and Hamish stopped numerous certain goals with 1 percenters. 

The Warriors continued to pepper the goals from all angles. Thomas and Jackson tried to seal the game with some brilliant play however a tie was looking imminent. 

Enter a sublime through ball straight down the middle to a running on Ashton who bamboozled the defence and the keeper to give us our third win for the season with just minutes remaining in the game. 

Some terrific sportsmanship was on display from both sides today & both sides should be proud of their achievements in terrible playing conditions.

Onwards and upwards next week.

After weeklong rain the teams were blessed with a fine day. The Summit’s synthetic pitch encouraged a fast pace from the start, and an early through ball from Stirling putting Ruby Tully into the clear to score at the 6-minute mark. Stung by the early goal Mount Barker lifted to put Stirling under sustained pressure. It didn’t take long before the withering effort paid off with Caleana Fenwick slotting Mt Barker’s first at 12 minutes. The game continued at pace with the midfields locked a tight battle as it ebbed and flowed, but mostly in Stirling’s half. Despite several breakaway attacks from Stirling, Mt Barker’s defence was up to task, and then returned the ball to their midfield to once again apply pressure. Reward followed with another goal to Mt Barker’s Maeve McAvaney 5 minutes before half time. Stirling bolstered defence and saw out the remaining time with the score unchanged.

The second half saw Stirling now running with the slight breeze. Five minutes in, showing great acceleration Zora Huang broke clear, sprinted forward with the ball, and then finished in fine style to level the scores. Re-energised, Stirling then managed to flip the tables and lock Mt Barker into their half for most of the half. Despite many good pushes forward Mt Barker’s defence repelled and repelled leaving Stirling empty handed. In return Mt Barker made several good attacks but a re-organised Stirling defence never let these into the 18-yard box and soon returned the ball for more pressure. With only 5 minutes remaining Jess Verryt grasped a moment of clear air to slot Stirling’s 3rd , and the game’s final goal. At the final whistle Stirling certainly deserved the win but Mt Barker were unlucky not hold it to a draw in a tooth and nail battle between the two sides.