Presidents Report
It was another big round of home games on Sunday, and it feels like winter has really set in. Lucky for the new Club beanies and hoodies to keep us all warm, they are becoming very popular and look the goods.
A big result was seeing our young Div 1 Ladies team take the full points off the 2019 league champions St Pats. From all reports it was a dominant victory and a real sign of the future of the Ladies game at Spurs.
Over this week we are celebrating our club volunteers. I keep harping on their importance, but this week it’s a National recognition of what volunteers provide to the community.
On Sunday we play our fellow association founders Melrose at Melrose Park. The Div 1 men will be playing a precursor for the Luders/Laramee Cup when we meet again in Round 19, August 8 at home.
Just a reminder for those wishing to attend our world famous trivia night. Follow the links below to book your tables and tickets.
Have a great week and see you all Sunday at Melrose park.
#GoSpurs
Brad Howard
President
Albury Hotspurs
National Volunteer Week
It is very apt that Tony Maher gets this recognition on a Sunday as he really owns it on home games. Tony doesn’t get down to Spurs on many other occasions as he is always kept busy volunteering elsewhere being President of the St Patricks Cricket Club. The fact that he chooses to generously spend the very little amount of spare time he gets cooking chips, serving food and refreshments all day in Hotspurs canteen is really a huge indication of the character of the man. And he’s been doing it for years.
Mahery can often be heard yelling at punters on the Hotspurs Hill who happen to get in the road of him watching his son Harrison playing in the Senior Mens team.
For a bloke who really knows very little about the game, he makes a huge difference to the functioning of our club. We say thanks to you Mahery.
Thrust into the world of voluntary club work (perhaps vicariously through a way to spend more time with her husband), Olivia is Hotspurs Canteen Manager.
With Spurs being the biggest Club in AWFA comes the responsibility of feeding the most members. Olivia has a very busy corporate life outside of Spurs having 2 fulltime jobs, and to take on possibly the most important and consuming role at the club is very selfless indeed. Other clubs have been known to pay their canteen managers but Olivia works for nothing but the smiles on the kids faces as she hands over the bag of lollies and buckets of chips. With the canteen being on Ground 1 and her Olivia’s children Cooper, Harry and Harper playing football on Ground 2, it is indicative of the sacrifice she makes for the club. Hotspurs thanks you Olivia.
Loz has taken on the assistant Miniroos coordinator role at the club over the last 2 years. During the Covid-19 football hiatus, he was instrumental in keeping as many kids as active as possible, setting up scratch matches for all kids who were keen on most weekends. Loz is also one of our Miniroos coaches and gameday coach of 2 sides running back to back. Loz is another that practically lives at the ground and always puts his hand up to help with anything. Thanks Loz.
A thing that separates this gentleman from many other volunteers is that he doesn’t have any kids playing at the club anymore. Another amazing fact about Phil is that this isn’t the only Club that acknowledges his amazing service over the years as he is a Life Member of the Albury City Football Club. Spurs are so grateful for what he has done for us over the years. Amongst other things, Phil has been our liaison with Albury City Council for some time, and was instrumental in gathering grants to assist our Lambert Park light project. Not only this, Phil is quite often the first to open up the ground on a Sunday, serve in the canteen, close the canteen, and then come back on Monday to clean the floors and BBQ. Phil was going to be our floating help for the Bunnings BBQ in January, he ended up working 3 shifts.
If there is ever a model for community engagement, Phil is the man. The list is endless, thanks for everything Phil.
Another long serving selfless club man. Craig has been managing many teams over the years and has now starting his coaching career at Spurs and also at AWFA Representative level. He is often first at the ground and one of the last to leave, making it even more special is that he and his lovely wife Nancy have a lot further to come from, driving in from Corowa. Craig will always be first to put his hand up to do what ever is required at the club, whether that be running the lines during games, or helping with the set-up and pack up. Craig and Nancy also bring out their famous hors d’oeuvres and charcuterie boards on the Hotspurs Hill and also during away games. Well done Craig and family.
Dwayne was perhaps odds on to win our Club Person of the year award last year until the pandemic hit. His huge efforts over the last couple of years are indeed quite broad. Last year he was pivotal in launching our club Sponsorship Prospectus and approached numerous businesses gaining multi-year major sponsors in the process. On top of that , over the last few years Dwayne has been coming down to the club during the week, cleaning the containers and change rooms, preparing balls for Miniroos, washing strips and bibs, and marking the lines on the playing field. He also enjoys giving the President an insurmountable amount of feedback and advice, but with all his efforts, he’s allowed to.
Eliza Day is also an unsung hero of the club and well deserved of recognition. Eliza arranged the entire Miniroos teams strips this year, one of the most hectic times of the year. Placed them in sizes/ colours/ age/ sponsors order and also got the needle out to mend a few until the new batch of Quest Albury strips arrive. Eliza was also instrumental in managing our first Hotspurs Miniroos representative team when they travelled to Bendigo in March.
Trivia Night – Book your ticket
When: Friday 18 th June 2021
Where: Commercial Club ALbury
Time: 7pm start
Cost:
- $25 Adults 19 years and over
- $15 Youths 16-18 years
RSVP: 5:00 PM Wednesday 9th June
Tables of 8-10 people
Book your ticket/s here now
Great prizes. Finger food provided. Drinks at bar prices.
*Donation of Prizes required thank you – can be left at canteen on match/training times.
Fixtures Results Ladders
With the introduction of SportsTG/GameDay all Fixtures, Results and Ladders are now availbe to view under menu…
SEASON 2021>Fixtures Results Ladders>Hotspurs Only or All AWFA
Right click to open in new tab/window
New Club Short
Thanks to sponsors, Beyond Bank Australia and Bonetti’s Pizza & pasta the club shorts and new strips looked fantastic.
#GoSpurs
These are Game Day Shorts, not training shorts!
Current Stock
Limited stock, more comming in a few weeks.
Club happy to exchange size if pair in very good condition.
Additional pair can be purchased $25 each.
*Note registered player yet to recieve a pair have first priorety with stock.
Club Shop
Place your Made to Order club gear ASAP. Cut off date Friday 14 May for mid May delivery. Go to the shop!
Current Stock
Fleece Hoodie $35
K8 x 1, K14 x 1, L10 x 1, M x 1.
(On order K8 x 4, K10 x 4, K12 x 4, K14 x 4, K16 x 4, S x 4, M x 4, L x 4, XL x 2)
Jackets $35
L12 x 1, S x 3, 2XL x 1, 3XL x 1
Polo shirts $30
K8 x 2, K10 x 2, K12 x 2, K14 x 2, S x 1, M x 4, XL x 2
WOW Caps x 5 only $15
Neck Ties x 8 ony $25
Scarves $20
New SPURS pom pom Beanie available from the canteen $20each
Match Reports
Div.1 Men v Twin City Drew 1-1
Another entertaining match involving the senior men. The game did not start well with Twin City being the better team for most of the first half. Spurs were down by a goal at halftime. The second half was a different story with the Spurs playing much better and applying plenty of pressure to our opponents defence. A great goal by David Mporashima got the team back on equal terms, others including Ben Gardiner, Dave Robin and Jacob Schreiber went close to scoring but Spurs could not get a winning goal. This was a much improved performance by the team. Zac Burhop played well in central defense with Kristian Hopwood and James Eggleston having strong games in the midfield. Hopefully we can get a win next week.
Women Div.1 v St Pats Won 4-2
Playing against the reigning league champions is a big ask no matter what league or division you are in, but for our Div 1 team to take the win here was extraordinary considering the average age of the Spurs team is 16.
Spurs took an early lead through some nice lead up play that was beautifully finished by co-captain Lily who is always setting the example on how to play with passion. St Pats fired back mid-way through the half with a long-range strike from their superstar Claire Mahoney. Going into the break at 1-1, Spurs knew they would have to maintain the intensity for the second half to avoid the fade that occurred the previous time these two teams played. So, when Mahoney scored again midway through the second half, you could be forgiven for thinking the young spurs side might be run over again, however you can’t underestimate these girls who have made a habit of winning throughout their junior years. With 20 minutes to go, Spurs turned up the pressure and started to dominate field position and possession. Elisha took on the defence and did everything but score when she rattled the post after leaving the St pats defence in her wake. Not long later, Elisha then found herself with the ball at her feet in the box and calmly slotted the equaliser. A few minutes later, Spurs won a corner, and from the ensuing play, Jess Briggs also received the ball at their feet in the box and a carbon copy finish from Jess, saw Spurs take the lead 3-2. St Pats tried to turn the game again by increasing their work rate, however Spurs wouldn’t concede and once again, the young legs of the Spurs team put the icing on the cake when Mya finished off her fine game by slotting the last goal to give Spurs a “famous” 4-2 victory. Everyone in the team played brilliantly however Grace, Laura and Bella all had stellar games shutting down the dangerous St Pats attack.
Div.2 Men v Twin City Won 5-1
The reserves came back with a vengeance on Sunday to get our 5th win of the season. The team started very well and had an early goal which seemed to settle us into a style of play that was both creative and for long periods of play, in possession of the ball. We still need to concentrate on our defensive effort after turn overs but we are working towards fixing that. The team is certainly more focused on getting into the finals this year and with the determination and effort that they showed on the weekend, they certainly have that goal in their sights. That win has us in 4th position with the trip to Melrose Park this weekend to take on 9th place Melrose.
Women Div.2 v Twin City Won 1-0
The ladies found themselves in for another tight tussle and once again showed the spirit this team is renowned for and found the winner from Steph due to hard work and perseverance. Once again, the girls put their bodies on the line and there were a few sore bodies and heads after the game. Possibly the longest second half in history was played out as the girls desperately tried to hold on for the win. They did hang on despite playing 45 minutes in a 35-minute half! Thanks to Francesco for refereeing the game, it certainly was entertaining. Steph worked really hard up front and deserved her goal, while Georgia and Tash kept their attack at bay. Overall a great team performance.
Over 35s v Twin City Lost 2-8
Not one to remember except for Kel scoring directly from the corner kick. Defensively we were very naive and played into Twin Cities hands by over committing trying to win a ball that wasn’t there to win and then being turned and left on the wrong defensive side. “No nick name” Edoir had a good game in goals as it could’ve been much worse if not for some great saves. Doug rushed back from D3M to join us but even his aggressive determination was to no avail.
Div.3 Men v United Lost 2-4
Hotspurs Div 3 Men were once again second best, following up their recent losses with a 4-2 defeat away to United. This was once again a much-changed Spurs side, with Marcus Cautela and Jacob Godfrey making their first appearances of the season. Two early mistakes on Spurs’ part led to an early 2-0 lead to United, and in spite of being the better team for most of the first half we could only claw back one goal by half time. This pattern continued into the second half, where in spite of the better possession and chances we just couldn’t do enough to put the ball away, while a 30-yard fluke from United sealed the result. Andrew Bonnetti was once again best for Hotspurs, with Maja enjoying the freedom of playing on the wing in the second half, capping his performance off with a curler from outside the box. With St Pats withdrawing from the competition, we are awaiting confirmation of the re-drawn rest of the season.
17 Boys v Twin City Drew 1-1
The freezing temperature at 8:30am meant it took a while for the team to fire up in this game. The first half saw Twin City on top an they took a 1-0 lead into half time.
A bit of a rocket from the coaches at half time got the team firing and they came out in the second half with a different mindset, and quickly got back in the game. It took nearly the entire second half to get on the scoreboard however with Cody picking up the equaliser with only a few minutes remaining. Despite creating several more chances we were unable to get the winner and had to be satisfied with a draw on this occasion. Suri and Reece were once again strong in the back while Seamus had a blinder on the wing.
17 Girls had a bye
.
.
.
15 Boys v Twin City Won 3-2
One of the most heartening wins of the coaches career. This was a great reward for effort. The team showed up after the pandemic break a little out of touch and unfit but has been working hard at training and the steady improvement they have shown over the weeks was rewarded on the weekend with a win over 2nd on the ladder Twin City.
Ben McNay has been finding his feet again after some time away through injury getting the scoring underway, Isaiah Clarke has also been one of the great improvers, tapping in a fine cross from Patrick Mason. It was only a couple of defensive mistakes that gave Twin City a look in. Well done to Tyreece in goals who is growing his game each week, and John Suttie whose speed at the centre half saved us on numerous occasions. A special mention to Alex Blackman who is steadily improving after only learning the game this year. Another big test comes against Melrose this week but Im sure we can put in a grand fight.
Goals: Patrick, Ben, Isaiah.
14 Girls had a bye
.
.
.
13 Boys v Twin City Lost 1-3
The 13’s finally got to take the field against Twin City after a few weeks off. As expected, we took a bit of time in the first half to find our groove again but found ourselves behind before Muireann scored a well-placed goal. For all of our efforts in front of goals we just couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net and it may be something we need to address over the coming weeks. We have had Sam Beeson join us as a new 13’s player and would like to thank Mason, Taj, Elijah, Billy and Muirann for helping us out, manager Nathan for running the line, both of the senior teams for coming to watch and we hope that you Aidan has a speedy recovery from his broken arm. We are currently sitting in 7th position and take on the 4th placed Melrose this weekend.
12 Boys had a bye
–
–
–
12 Girls v Wangaratta Won 7-0
On a lovely afternoon for soccer our girls showed up raring to go. We were the set up team for the day so most of the girls had been around the club a lot of the day, their highlight was walking on with the Senior ladies for their game.
The game started off a mile a minute and we kept getting sucked in to the contest and pulled out of position. With some direction from the sideline the girls reverted back to their structure and this lead to instant success. Pallas who was playing wide on the left found herself in acres of space and took the game on and calmly finished past the keeper to make it 1-0. This was followed quickly with a goal by Mia Harding her first for the club, she becomes the highest scoring Harding at the club with her father Scott still awaiting his first goal after 4 years ?. A further goal by MJ directly from a corner brought us into the break 3-0 up. At HT the girls got very excited to see our Senior ladies come over to support them, some were more excited about the possibility of having some of the Mother’s day Cake that the Senior ladies seemed to be enjoying! We jumped out of the blocks quickly with outstanding finishes by both Stam and Pallas to make it 5-0. Our 6th goal was a familiar combination with Lily N finishing from an MJ corner, I count that as the 6th this season in all competitions from this combination with many more to come I am sure. We saved our best goal until last, Indie who is our outstanding centre half asks every week can I run with the ball, the answer we give is in most situations you need to stick to our structure and try to get the ball out wide and build. This week we gave Indie a little form freedom in the second half and played her in midfield with 10 minutes to go. Her powerful running from midfield was similar to Steven Gerrard, breaking the line a couple of times and almost breaking the net with smashing finish. This was Indie’s first goal for the club and with a finish like that I can see many more coming. We may need to find a new Centre Half.
Well done to the girls on a fabulous win and a big thank you to all our parents and the girls who helped during the day with set up, BBQ, canteen and pack down.
Go Spurs
Match reports and newsletter information
Please email all match reports, photos and Hotspurs news to info@alburyhotspurs.com.au by Tuesday morning at 9am.