No Training today for all Miniroos, 16 Boys, Div.3 Men, 17 Girls, Div.1 & 2 Ladies.

Club Shorts (New Stock) and Socks Sale

Now moved to 5:30pm to 6:30pm, Thursday 23 March
Hotspurs Canteen Aloysius Park
Shorts $25
Socks $15

Presidents Report

Well the first 2 home rounds have come and gone. With unseasonably hot weather it just hasn’t felt like the start of a season just yet.

Nonetheless, our committee and coaches have yet again done a tremendous job to get the club up and running. The players have shown extraordinary resilience having to train and play in the searing heat, but we have yet again had great results across the board.

Hotspurs have yet again fielded teams in all age groups, including an extra 12 boys team this year being coached by 2 senior men who stepped up when needed in Harry Heath and Kristian Shipard. Our 16 boys are the only team that remains needing a sponsor for this season. They are a ripper team, please see our Sponsorship Prospectus for details to give these fine lads the support they need.

This year marks our 50^th anniversary as the first club in AWFA. We have massive celebrations planned for the weekend of the 29^th and 30^th of July. We will host our co-founders Melrose in the Foundation Cup on Sat the 29^th , followed by a gala dinner celebration at the Commercial Club Albury. Junior Games will be played on the Sunday.

Keep an eye out for details.

This week the club are away at various grounds,  our Div 1 Men will be playing St Pats.

I look forward to seeing you all in round 4 when we host Myrtleford.

#GoSpurs

Brad Howard
President
Albury Hotspurs

Fixtures

Round 3

BYES, 13 Boys and 16 Boys.

*Note, all fixtures are subject to change and you should confirm with your coach and GameDay

Miniroos

Training to continue, Tuesdays 5-6pm
Helpers required for set up from 4:30pm thank you.

Please register ASAP so we can sort out teams for Saturday games, R1 29 April 2023.

Registration is a requirement for attending training, we understand a few come to see if miniroos is a good fit for your child but encourage all to register ASAP thank you.
No child unregistered will be able to play come Saturday game days.

Season 2023 Information

Club Shorts $25 and Socks $15 can be purchased from the canteen 9am-4pm Sundays at Home games March 19, April 2, 16, 23, 30. And 5:30pm to 6:30pm, Thursday 23 March

All Abilities

Next session, Sunday 2 April 11-12pm Lambert park

Match Reports

Div.1 Men

FFA Cup Spurs v Myrtleford, 1-1 full time 4-5 penalties
On Wednesday night we travelled to Melrose park to host Myrtleford in our FFA Cup tie. This was the first game for our new team mate, Jack McGiffen, to have a run with our club. We started the game really well and created many opportunities but couldn’t find the back of the net early. Slowly the game turned into an arm wrestle and Myrtleford scored around the 80th minute. We continued to push and were awarded a penalty in the 89th minute in which Jack slotted and we went to penalties. Unfortunately it wasn’t our night and we missed one and they scored all five. Thanks to Jack for fronting up after travelling halfway around the world and having a day and a half to get ready for the Australian heat! If you see Jack around see hello and stop for a chat and make him feel welcome.

Spurs 1 – United 2
Thanks to everyone who braved the heat to come and support us on Sunday. We unfortunately found ourselves behind 2-0 in the first half. After the half time break we can out a more rejuvenated side and we created more chances, Harry Heath had an excellent shot saved by the keeper and we started to hold on to the ball a little more. Jack McGiffen then earned a fortuitous penalty which he converted and we were back to a goal down. Unfortunately for us we couldn’t find the equaliser but the game opened up a bit with both sides having opportunities. Well done to all of the players who fought hard in oppressive conditions and it is good to see that we were able to work for each other for so long. Thanks to the guys who sat on the bench after the DIV 2 game as well.

Div.1 Women 

Defeated United 7-2
The coach was a little bit emotional prior to the start of the game, but could not be prouder of the efforts from the team on the day.
In ridiculous heat, we have over come years of defeats at the hands of United to have an overwhelmingly dominant performance that sets us up for the season.
Its hard to pinpoint what area of the pitch won us the game, as we won every facet of the game. Under duress, under heat exhaustion, the 7 goals were shared amongst 6 players, and a defender in Alex Ventress was probably the best on ground. This is a great launch for the rest of the season.
There is no better match report than Steve Tervets in the BM

Div.2 Men 

Div.2 Women 

Vs United well it was one hot day for soccer ,our lady’s started a bit slow on Sunday but once found their groove they started playing some good soccer, first gamers Chelsea and Zoe played well. Nat Bella Ingrid and seanna also played awesome. We ended up losing 1-0 but to the girls credit they didn’t give up all game, well done lady’s. Also a big thanks to u17g for filling in cheers.

Div.3 Men 

Over 35s Men

There’s no doubt the heat was an issue on Sunday but both teams had to deal with it. United controlled the match in the early parts of the game and went ahead at 3 minutes. When we did get the ball our passing and thinking let us down and we were soon defending getting caught too high. United got their second after 27 minutes, nothing goalkeeper Butsy could do as the ball was driven into an unmarked player only metres from goal.
To our credit we were much better in the second half showing much more commitment with and without the ball. Eventually we created two to three very promising scoring opportunities but couldn’t take one.
It was a good hitout in trying conditions and as we have many new faces in the squad we’ll start to find our best combinations and formation as we play a few more matches.

Thankyou Garry for being our club ref, and keeping the game very much in your control.

17 Girls  

Under 17 girls won 5 nil v United
Well what an absolute cracking game from the girls. As a whole team the girls pass the ball so well to combine and create exciting goal scoring opportunities.
Our defence line were super strong with not much getting through- they were lead by Captain Alex and supported by El, Sienna, Bianca and Taria.
Our midfield moved the ball forward and put some great crosses in with Daisy communicating to the girls well and Eve, Rylee and MJ all doing a fantastic job. Our forwards
were awesome putting plenty of shots on target and finishing some very nice through balls. Charlotte finished with a hat trick of goals, Ro was super up front and combining nicely with Mya and Molly.
Our super Keeper Sophie kept a clean sheet and distributed the ball well. A huge thankyou to our 14 girls who provided us subs for the game and we welcome Taria to Spurs who played her first game for the club.
Keep up the awesome team work girls!

16 Boys  

16 boys defeated United 11-0 (Sponsor Required)
This team are still finding their feet and what is required to play good football as a team. The boys are lead by Cooper Howard who has a wealth of experience , and the team has gained some fresh players in Aydan Castles who played his miniroos and up to U/12s at Spurs, and David Fweme who has brought some lightening pace to the strikers position. We lost another recruit to a double footed challenge in the first round, and we hope he can recover from his surgery and join us later in the year. This year it is supplemented with some juniors from the U/13 and 14 boys.
The game was ours to dominate and that we did. Goals were well spread and our defence was rock solid.
Well done to Dustin Brailey for busting through the fitness barrier in the midfield. No doubt it’ll pay dividends in weeks to come.
Goals: David Fweme x4, Cooper Howard x 2, Aydan Castles x 2, Murray Diver, Jono Gray-Block , OG

14 Boys  

14 Girls  

Spurs 4 – 0 Wang
A depleted Spurs side made the trip to Wang away from the club for the first time this year. Missing Indy, Em, Isla, Sash and Fruey from the lineup from the previous week we entered the game thinking we might have a challenge on our hands here.
We welcomed Abbey to the club for her first appearance and drafted Roxi from the 12 girls. With so many defensive players missing we changed our formation to ensure we had enough defensive cover. The two Lily’s had the measure of the Wang attack all day with the support of Roxi and Evey. Scar was immense in goal in Em’s absence. Going forward we caused Wang lots of issues particularly out wide with our pace. MJ opened the scoring after the drinks break with a left foot finish in the bottom corner. Izzy was a livewire all game and added to the lead in the second half. Stam scored a brace to make it 4-0. The scoreline suggests a comfortable win but it was a war of attrition.
We will only get stronger with many girls yet to return,
Go Spurs

13 Boys 

Spurs v United
In what can only be described as scorching temperatures for a winter sport we met our biggest rivals from a club point of view in Albury United.
We welcomed Elijah back into the team this week as well as Thomas. Molly Spry made her 13s boys debut and it was remiss of me last week to not mention the 13s debuts of 2 under 11s players in Ryder Reid and Ryan Steele.
We started better than last week and piled on the pressure from the first whistle which resulted in multiple shots on goal and hitting the back of the net on many occasions in the first half.
In games like this it can be easy for the side on top to loose structure and have everyone trying to score and play insular football rather than the team structure that works best. But for us this wasn’t the case, best on ground and the award which has been kindly donated by Bryan Stow from Twin City Tiling went to Ryder Reid who proved his worth 4 goals but even more importantly rewarding the other runners and getting 3 assists, well done young man for taking the step up!
In the 2nd half we took the opportunity to play some players in positions they wouldn’t normally play in and it was great to see them show they can play in multiple positions if the team needs it. Others that benefited from the work rate of the team and got on the score sheet were Julien with 4, Murieann with 2, Mason and Taj with 1 each ending the game 12-0. We have the week off next week so get to training and keep putting in the hard yards.
Ne fear, no ego, no excuses.

12 Boys Black 

Spurs 8-0 Heart
Our under 12 Black squad hosted Wodonga Heart at Lambert. For this cohort of boys they have sung the Spurs song together as a team in Bendigo, Canberra and Griffith representing Hotspurs at junior carnivals, however this was the first time they got to sing it on their home turf and boy did it mean a lot to them.
With some big outs before the game we drafted in some replacements with Mia replacing her brother Cooper in the lineup and Bianca joining her brother Ferdi in the team replacing Max H. Frankie made his debut with the boys his last appearance at one of those said tournaments in Bendigo over 2 years ago.
The team put on an outstanding performance with every player playing a pivotal role. Fizza weighed in with a hattrick, Jazz got 2 as did Ferdi one of which was a Beckhamesque freekick with Koen getting the final goal.
Our defence was outstanding throughout and our two imports for the day gave us a much needed physical presence. Quote of the day comes from the Goog when congratulated on his 3 assists ” I would have got 10 if the boys could put the ball in the net”
Well done boys and girls, good luck in Bendigo next weekend whilst representing AWFA.

12 Girls 

Under 12 girls are off to a flying start this season, winning both their games in round 1 and 2.
The newly formed team consisting of returning and new players to Spurs aged under 9 to under 12 is proving to be super strong in defence, lighting fast in midfield and goal hungry up front.
Round 2 saw the girls take on Wodonga Diamonds at LaTrobe winning 5-0 with Diamonds initially unable to field a full team.
Our girls were also down several players this week leaving very little opportunities for subs in hot conditions but the girls pushed through for the win.
Goals coming this week from Mia x 2, Zoe x 2 and Amarlie.
This week the girls showed improved passing and receiving displayed by a beautiful assist from Amarlie up to Zoe for goal number 4 and a ripper of a pass from Sasha in defence up to Amalie for goal number 5.
Our youngest player Karla and midfielder Bianca gave some great chase this week helping keep the ball in our possession for the majority of the game.
Roxi, Sasha, Lily and Victoria in defence often took on two attacking players and stayed strong to not concede any goals.
Big thanks to Mia and Ivy for playing Goal Keeper this week.
The girls are loving playing together and are looking forward to growing stronger each week under the leadership of our amazing coaches Brad and Scott.
The team would like to say a big thanks to our sponsor Pedders Suspension and Brakes!

12 Boys Yellow

Match reports and newsletter information

Please email all match reports, photos and Hotspurs news to info@alburyhotspurs.com.au by Tuesday morning at 9am.

Fixtures

Sunday, 19 March v Albury United
Ground Duty Team: Over 35s

Aloysius G1

8:30 AM 16 Boys
9:50 AM Div.2 Women
11:20 AM Div.1 Women
1:10 PM Div.2 Men
3:00 PM Div.1 Men

Lambert G1

8:30 AM 17 Girls
9:55 AM Div.3 Men
11:20 AM 13 Boys
12:30 PM Over 35s
1:55 PM 14 Boys

Lambert G3

9:55 AM 12 Boys Black v Heart
11:00 AM All Abilities

AWAY

2:20 PM 14 Girls v Wang at Wangaratta
9:55 AM 12 Boys Gold v Boomer at Glen Park
11:30 AM 12 Girls v Diamonds at LaTrobe Saturday 18 March

*Note, all fixtures are subject to change and you should confirm with your coach and GameDay

Miniroos

Training to continue, Tuesdays 5-6pm
Helpers required for set up from 4:30pm thank you.

Please register ASAP so we can sort out teams for Saturday games, R1 29 April 2023.

Registration is a requirement for attending training, we understand a few come to see if miniroos is a good fit for your child but encourage all to register ASAP thank you.
No child unregistered will be able to play come Saturday game days.

Season 2023 Information

Club Shorts $25 and Socks $15 can be purchased from the canteen 9am-4pm Sundays at Home games March 19, April 2, 16, 23, 30.

Match Reports

Div.1 Men

Had a bye round one.

We kick-off 7:45pm Wednesday 15 March at Melrose park v Myrtleford in the FA Cup. We’d love to see plenty of support there cheering on the lads in our historic 50th season.

Div.1 Women v Diamonds 

No report

Div.2 Men v Heart

No report

Div.2 Women v Wodonga Heart 

Was a great day for soccer, firstly like to welcome everyone back for season 23 and also a big welcome back to Bella Godfrey. This game had everything in it, Wodonga were runners up last year but that did not stop our girls, the way they fought out the whole game was amazing. Wodonga were a very physical team but spurs weren’t taking a backwards step. We had lots of chances but just couldn’t finish them,everyone played well. A big thank u goes to girls who filled in for us when we were short of players (Ava, Daisy, Yasmin, Lily, Bianca , Seanna ). Spurs came out winners 3-1 great result, goal scorers Ava 2, Bella 1.
See everyone this week against United at home cheers

Div.3 Men v Wodonga Heart

This team has come together with a lot of new players joining the club.

We started very positively and dominated the first 20 minutes with some good attacking play, creating some very good opportunities but lacked the quality in front of goals to trouble the scorer.

Unfortunately we were shown how to finish when Heart took the lead with a goal in the first half from only a few opportunities.

The second half was more of a dog fight with both sides lacking shape and consistency, trying to force passes that were never on and in doing so breaking down the play. A long ball over the top caught us napping and the Heart striker was one on one with our keeper. Bailey pulled of a massive save but the rebond fell kindly to the Heart striker who made it 2 nil. A few players lost their heads a little and we must learn from that so we can concentrate on playing good team football.

Over 35s Men

Had a bye round one.

We’ll start our season off at home 12:30pm on Lambert park v Albury United which is always a challenging match.

17 Girls v Wodonga Heart 

What a great start to the season!
All ladies played so well as team, it was great to see. 15 times that ball hit the net with many more attempts from so many. With Sophie also doing great work in goals and the backline keeping Myrtleford scoreless.
Let’s keep it going Spur ladies! 

16 Boys v Wodonga Heart 

No report

14 Boys v Wodonga Heart 

No report

14 Girls v Wodonga Heart 

Our girls faced a newly formed Wodonga Heart side. This team was made up of players from a wonderfully successful girls program Wodonga Heart ran last year. It is great to see Heart in the competition and they will improve each week. We look forward to seeing their progress throughout the season.

Our girls got the job done, 3 points in the bag with bigger things to come next week.

13 Boys v Wodonga Heart

Welcome back for season 2023

It’s was a bloody warm one to kick off the season and the kids put in a solid effort for their first hit out! We welcomed 5 new players to the club and each of them played well in their first outing. 

After conceding a goal in the first 30 seconds the kids dominated play for the rest of the half, Julien had a brace by half time to prove his worth as the greatest French signing the 13s AWFA comp has ever seen. Taj was solid at centre back and after some great advice from the assistant coach he proved he can listen and had a long range shot that was eventually put over the line by Julien for his 2nd. 

At half time Coach Aidan praised the team for their efforts and made special mention of another recruit with Massimo dominating as a CDM. 

The 2nd half was a better start and after knocking on the door multiple times the team was finally rewarded with a goal to Cayde. 

We conceded late in the half to finish with a score of 3-2 and we will be better after the run for sure.

12 Boys Black v Diamonds Black Lost 1-4

Our under 12 boys black team made a trip across the river to play Diamonds black. This team comprises of all under 10 and under 9 players. The team showed great grit and determination battling throughout the game against the bigger opponents. Cooper was outstanding in goals and showed immense bravery throughout. We conceded a goal quickly following a turnover in the middle of the park but quickly levelled things up with a great counter attack and a neat finish from Koen. The game was even for the remainder of the first half with both teams well matched. Unfortunately, just before HT Diamonds nicked a second goal with one of their players showing great pace on the break and a fantastic finish to have us 2-1 down at the break. The boys were asked at HT to keep pushing hard and try to stay in the game but continue to be brave on the ball and take some risks. 

Soon after the break Diamonds got a third goal injuring Cooper in the process, with Max H deputising in goals. We soon started to get some momentum in the game and got on top and had some good chances with Koen and Rorz going close. Diamonds got a fourth goal on the break to make it 4. The boys kept battling hard with Tom, Nash, Fizza and Jazz putting in huge shifts in midfield. Micale, Hunter, Adam (Goog) all made their Sunday football debuts this week. It is an  exciting time for this young group as they begin their journey in under 12s. Their first win is just around the corner no doubt.

12 Girls v Wodonga Heart

No report

12 Boys Gold v Wodonga Heart

No report

Match reports and newsletter information

Please email all match reports, photos and Hotspurs news to info@alburyhotspurs.com.au by Tuesday morning at 9am.