Wellington Olympic AFC

2023 RESULTS:

R1: 1/4 - v Seatoun Win: 5-3 Goalscorers: Bevan Smith x3; Kristen Ellis; Stu Coats

R2: 22/4 - v UHFC Saints Win: 4-2 Goalscorers: Reece Brooks; Michael Leach; Stu Coats; Bevan Smith

R3: 29/3 - v Porirua City Co-Op Loss: 1-5 Goalscorers: Stu Coats

R4: 6/5 - v UHFC Marauders Draw: 3-3 Goalscorers: Bevan Smith x3

R5: 13/5 - v UHFC RJs Draw: 4-4 Goalscorers: Bevan Smith x3; Mark Bruce

R6: 20/5 - v Naenae Dragons Loss: 0-3 GAME DEFAULTED

R7: 27/5 - v NW Fiji Win: 7-5 Goalscorers: Michael Leach x 3: Stu Coats x2; Bevan Smith; Mark Bruce

After two weeks of Masters Division 2, the Olympic TFTs sit proudly in 2^nd place, kept from the top spot only by goal difference. They defeated Seatoun 5-3 and Upper Hutt Saints 4-2. Both games have followed a pattern: TFTs start slowly but somehow take an early lead. They then rest on their laurels and allow the other team to draw level and eventually pull ahead. TFTs regroup, re-take the lead, and then win going away.

The reasons for this pattern are currently unknown. Could it be superior fitness? Is it greater skill finally telling in the end? The person writing this plays centre midfield, so would tell you that it’s due to the midfield gaining control of the game. The rest of the team, who don’t get to write this, might disagree. Whatever the reason, as the season progresses the team needs to work on the start of the game; if only to make their lives easier.

Bevan Smith currently leads the goalscoring charts with 4, followed by Stuart Coats with 2 and a bevy of players on 1.

If you are reading this and qualify for Masters, and you’d like to join the team then please get in contact with management. The TFT squad is currently stretched thin with injuries and family commitments so could do with some more players to keep our undefeated start to the season rolling.

Since the last report it has been a tough few weeks for TFT Masters.

Week 3 saw a depleted squad head to Whitby to play Porirua Co-op. With the bare 11 players the TFTs needed to have a good start in order to get a result. Unfortunately they conceded in the first 5 minutes. Things went downhill from there, with some in-game injuries making it even harder. A 5-1 loss.

The next week Upper Hutt Marauders, who at the time were the top of the table, visited. The TFTs were still light on players but put in a much better effort. 1-1 at half time, 3-3 at full time and, in the end, were unlucky not to win the game.

Week 5 saw the final leg of the first round Upper Hutt trilogy, with RJ’s coming to Wellington (yes, this means that TFT have to go to Upper Hutt three times in the second half of the season. A fun quirk of the draw.) The TFT’s had one of their stronger squads for the game and they needed every single one of those players as, again, there were a number of injuries during the game. The perils of aging. 1-1 at halftime, but halfway through the second half, Olympic were 2-4 down. They showed great heart and resilience to get it back to 4-4 at the end of the game.

So only two points from a possible 9 over the last three weeks. Fortunately Masters 2 is a very tight competition this year so the TFTs are 5^th on goal difference, equal on points with the second placed side. All to play for as the season progresses. Hats off to Bevan Smith, who’s scoring goals for fun. His current tally for the season is 10 from 4 games played – excellent work.

Olympic TFTs vs North Wellington Fiji, Saturday 27 May, Nairnville Park

Final score: TFT 7, NW 5

TFT’s had another good win on Saturday in what turned out to be atrocious conditions.

At kick-off the weather was okay. The Nairnville pitch had a few rough areas in it, but overall not too bad. As the game progressed and the rain came in everything deteriorated, including the standard of defending (as indicated by the score).

NW Fiji started the game well, belying their position on the bottom of the league. TFT were reduced to a few counter-attacks. Eventually the pressure told; an excellent diagonal through-ball catching the TFT defence out. From this point on it was all Olympic. Bevan Smith found a niche down the left wing that proved to be unstoppable and he provided assists for the 4 TFT goals. The first was a low drilled shot from Mark Bruce, then Mike Leach completed a first half hat-trick with a well-taken near post finish, an excellent header and a striker’s poach from a goalmouth scramble. NW clawed one goal back just before half-time with strong header from a corner.

The weather had started to pack up and the game lost structure in the second half. Olympic had the better of the play but conceded a counter-attack goal. TFT should probably have scored more, but it wasn’t until Stuart Coats struck a couple from long range that they were able to turn their dominance into a convincing scoreline. NW scored from a contentious penalty, Bevan Smith got the goal that his overall play deserved, and then NW got a cheap goal right at the end to make the final score 7-5.

Masters 2 is proving a tight competition this year, so it was good to get the full three points.

As at 28 May, it is still TFTs' Masters 2 player, Bevan Smith, who continues to lead as Olympic's leading goalscorer with 11 goals to his name.

Scoring in all but one round of the season so far, Bevan has already scored three hattricks - the only Olympic member to do so - and two singles, in only five appearances.

Capital Premier's Oli Davies is on 10 goals in eight appearances with Jett Dunn from Olympic 4ths sitting on 8 goals over seven appearances. Central League's Jack-Henry Sinclair and Hamish Watson also sit on 8 goals over eight appearances.

Bevan's first appeared in the Olympic colours in 2017 scoring 80 goals in the last six seasons and is on a mission to make this year one to be remembered.