SPRING LEAGUE
Match Day Two - The Old Clubhouse
A few late withdrawals left just a few games to be played - a few players already seem to be showing signs of being scared and are coming up with lame excuses like, "I have an exam tomorrow" or "my chronic back injury is still playing up". So it was left to Ben, Costa and Adrian to play each other. Ben was aiming for a draw in his opening game against Costa, but that was blown away in the opening moments with Costa scoring early. A slow procession of goals proceeded with Costa on fire. Ben got better as the game continued, but the result was never in doubt. The second game saw Ben take on Adrian. Again, he conceded an early opening goal but, this time, didn't capitulate, holding on to the 0-1 by half time. A few minutes into the second half he sent a few shockwaves into the league with a beautifully struck long range equaliser against Adrian's complacent defence. This triggered Adrian into action and he managed a couple more goals by full time, Ben happy with only his second ever competitive goal. The final game saw Adrian line up against Costa. Some very dodgy referee calls gave Adrian a few of the chances he converted, while Costa accused Ben of deliberately provoking Adrian by scoring in the previous game. In the end, the match finished 4-1.So the table begins to take a little bit of shape, though many contenders are still to kick off their account. Defending champion, Adrian, has, after just four games, already conceded more goals than he did during the entire 2018 League, showing the improvement of the opposition as they seek to knock him off his perch. With some of the big guns playing their first games in the next couple of weeks, things should start to get interesting.
Match Day One - The Old Clubhouse
The 2019 Spring League kicked off with a handful of matches at The Old Clubhouse. The opening round provided one blockbuster, with father and son - Louis and Vince - facing off against each other. Vince got the upper hand with an early goal but Louis ascended to dominate much of the rest of the half and was rewarded with an equaliser just before half-time. In the second half Vince managed a second which proved to be the winner. There was disappointment that Louis only appealed to the VAR once in the post-match wrap up. Meanwhile, Othniel made his Spring League debut against defending champion, Adrian. Adrian spent no time taking the lead but, after this, Othniel grew into the game and actually lead the shots count at the break. In the second half, Adrian's experience made the difference and he eased to the victory.In the second round of games, Adrian got off to another flyer against Louis, taking an early lead and then piling on the pressure. However, after the opening goal, Louis' 'keeper became a brick wall, repelling shot after shot, much to Adrian's frustration. It wasn't until midway through the second half that Adrian finally found a second. Within a minute, though, Louis had scored with a quick break down the left that found Adrian's 'keeper napping. A third goal came in the dying seconds to ease the pressure for Adrian in what was a tricky match. Meanwhile, Othniel and Vince played out a very boisterous fixture. Vince took an early lead when Othniel stranded his traveling 'keeper, then a second with a delicate shot at an angle that took Othniel by complete surprise. From there, however, Othniel again grew into the game and only his nervous finishing prevented him from the rewards that his many forays into the shooting area deserved.
So after just a few games, the table doesn't give much away. One note, as per League regulations, players on equal points are split based on their head-to-head results, not overall goal difference. In the absence of a head-to-head result this early in the League (noted by the little red dot next to names on the table), simple alphabetical order (first name) is therefore used - the table will begin to sort itself out much more clearly in the coming weeks.
On that note, many thanks to Paul Mercer of Northern Phoenix in Melbourne for the creation of the incredible custom spreadsheet for our League this season.
2019 Western Sydney Subbuteo Spring League
It’s that time of year again. The days are starting to get longer and the chill in the air isn’t so biting. The semis are rolling around in your football season and so you’re looking for something to fill the void once it’s all over. The Western Sydney Subbuteo Spring League is about to swing into action to fill all your footballing needs.Now in its 6th year, the Western Sydney Subbuteo Spring League is open to all players, regardless of age, experience or ability. Registration in the League is free and will automatically earn players membership into Western Sydney Subbuteo for the upcoming table football season (Sep 2019 – Aug 2020).
Games are played weekly during the Spring months, but players will, on average, only need to be available for about 2 of every 3 weeks. About half the games will see us gather at Good Games Bella Vista, while alternate weeks will see us play at a variety of venues around the area. Players can nominate which days of the week work best for them and the draw will be worked out around whatever suits the majority of players, with different days used in different weeks to allow players with other commitments to still compete. If you would like to nominate your place as a venue, and have space for at least 2 pitches, include that in your registration.
A copy of the League rules will be e-mailed to you upon registration. If you'd like to see these before registering, just send an e-mail to Adrian at ajebec at netspace dot net requesting them.
MATCH DAY TWELVE
With the title sorted, the 2018 Spring League is now all about bragging rights on the points table. Which Micallef can finish above the other two? Who will finish higher on the ladder between Steve and Dave? Can Steve catch Paul? Many of those questions came close to being answered on the penultimate match day of the league.
Steve met the Micallef clan for the first time, before taking each of them on in turn. The first round saw him go toe to toe with Vince but, by half time, the only occasion on which he could find the back of the net was about 5 seconds after the half time whistle had sounded. The second half, likewise, remained tight, but Steve finally found the goal with a deft chip, something he'd frustratingly found impossible to do for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, on the other pitch, Leivur and Ray were also locked at 0-0 at half time. The second half saw a flurry of goalmouth action, though, with Ray holding a 3 goal lead with a few seconds on the clock (one of which came from what is becoming Leivur's signature move, stranding his traveling 'keeper!). For the second week in a row, however, Leivur pulled back a consolation goal in the dying seconds with a full team press.
In the second round of games, Leivur and Louis slugged it out without either player being able to land a killer blow. The game finished 0-0 with both players happy with a point. Meanwhile, Ray took the lead in the first half against Steve with a fine goal on the run. Stev dug in and found an equaliser in the second half with an equally fine finish. The spoils were shared with the 1-1 scoreline accurately reflecting the balance of play.
The final round was where things really got interesting. Leivur took a shock lead early in his game against Vince - mostly a shock to himself! Vince responded by settling in, pulling one back by half time and then taking the lead, settling in to his groove. However, Leivur wasn't ready to simply roll over and, before game's end, responded with an equaliser of his own to take another point from the evening. Meanwhile, talk of the Godfather putting him in his place seemed to have rattled Stve on the other pitch. Though carving out a number of chances, he couldn't find the goal and was starting to look a little suspect on the counter. With time almost up in the first half, Louis then really put Steve in his place. knocking the ball just outside the goal area, he took an outrageous shot with a figure from his own half, delicately chipping the ball over Steve's 'keeper and taking the lead to the break. Steve pushed and pushed in the second half, and was finally rewarded with an equaliser half way through the second period. From here, both players carved out more chances, but the scores remained locked. The results meant that Steve could no longer catch Paul, but edged him ahead of Dave. Meanwhile, in the Micallef mini-league, Vince edged his way to the top. 3 points ahead of Ray, Ray has a game in hand but a victory there will leave the two tied, meaning Vince will come out on top due to his victory in their head-to-head result.
Another fine evening with plenty of banter flying and almost as many goals. One more week left in the league for players to scramble for some minor placings.
26.11.18
MATCH DAY ELEVEN
Proceedings were coming to a head leading up to match day eleven, which saw a series of games being played that would decide the title for the season. Adrian had a 3 point lead on Paul M, but Paul had a game in hand. Steve had a whole bunch of games in hand as well, and victory over Paul would give him a chance to finish above last year's champion.
The first round of matches pitted Adrian, playing his final fixture, against Leivur. Leivur's 'keeper was in fine form and, in spite of Adrian carving out a number of chances, kept the scoreboard level for quite a while. One particular fingertip onto the crossbar save was particularly outstanding. Adrian finally went ahead just before half-time and this unsettled Leivure, who conceded another shortly afterwards when Adrian moved quickly and fired off his shot before Leivur had a chance to grab his 'keeper. The second half was more even and the scoreline remained 2-0 at the final whistle. This meant Adrian had earned enough points to take the title. All that needed to be decided was whether he would be sharing this with Paul, or taking it for himself.
In a season highlight game, Paul eased into a 1-0 lead halfway through the first half of his match against Steve. This had the effect of prompting Steve into action and, by midway through the second half he had not one but two goals to his name, sending Paul into a panic. VAR was needed to decide of a third was actually a goal but, ultimately, the two players sportingly agreed to a no-goal ruling. By the final whistle, however, with Paul in full 'Magee Swarm' mode, it didn't matter. Steve held on for a famous victory, handing Adrian the title unopposed.
Paul took his frustrations out on a shell-shocked Leivur in the second round fixture. 1-0 at half time finished at 4-0 as all Paul's experience came through against the player he had recruited to the club earlier in the year.
With both Leivur and Steve having had trouble being available for fixtures earlier in the Spring League, the fact that they were in the same room at the same time meant their showdown was billed as the week's feature match. And the game did not disappoint. Steve took all the early running but, again, Leivur's 'keeper was in brilliant form. In fact, it wasn't until Leivur stranded his traveling 'keeper that Steve finally scored the goal his possession had threatened, though there were some nervous 'doing a Gordy' moments in the lead up. With a minute on the clock before half time, Steve then had an on-the run attempt at goal which was blocked illegally by a moving figure from Leivur. However, the free-flick went the way of Leivur as, in the rapid lead up, Steve had both hands on the pitch. Leivur sent the ensuing free-flick the length of the pitch and slotted home an equaliser with his next flick - his first time into the shooting area in the entire match. With Steve stung, the second half began as a much tighter affair, Steve beginning to play a little nervously and Leivur enjoying some more possession. Then, half-way through the half, disaster struck for Leivur and, in an almost identical situation to the first half, Steve slotted home to an open goal with his 5th flick after Leivur had, again, stranded his travelling 'keeper. Steve then went to a 3-1 lead with 45 seconds left on the clock, to ease his nerves. In response, Leivur through caution to the wind, placed 10 outfield figures along the halfway line for the ensuing kick-off and, 3 flicks later, had buried a second into the back of Steve's goal. Two goals in the final minute after a tense tussle was a fitting finale to a great game.
23.11.18
The first round of matches pitted Adrian, playing his final fixture, against Leivur. Leivur's 'keeper was in fine form and, in spite of Adrian carving out a number of chances, kept the scoreboard level for quite a while. One particular fingertip onto the crossbar save was particularly outstanding. Adrian finally went ahead just before half-time and this unsettled Leivure, who conceded another shortly afterwards when Adrian moved quickly and fired off his shot before Leivur had a chance to grab his 'keeper. The second half was more even and the scoreline remained 2-0 at the final whistle. This meant Adrian had earned enough points to take the title. All that needed to be decided was whether he would be sharing this with Paul, or taking it for himself.
In a season highlight game, Paul eased into a 1-0 lead halfway through the first half of his match against Steve. This had the effect of prompting Steve into action and, by midway through the second half he had not one but two goals to his name, sending Paul into a panic. VAR was needed to decide of a third was actually a goal but, ultimately, the two players sportingly agreed to a no-goal ruling. By the final whistle, however, with Paul in full 'Magee Swarm' mode, it didn't matter. Steve held on for a famous victory, handing Adrian the title unopposed.
Paul took his frustrations out on a shell-shocked Leivur in the second round fixture. 1-0 at half time finished at 4-0 as all Paul's experience came through against the player he had recruited to the club earlier in the year.
With both Leivur and Steve having had trouble being available for fixtures earlier in the Spring League, the fact that they were in the same room at the same time meant their showdown was billed as the week's feature match. And the game did not disappoint. Steve took all the early running but, again, Leivur's 'keeper was in brilliant form. In fact, it wasn't until Leivur stranded his traveling 'keeper that Steve finally scored the goal his possession had threatened, though there were some nervous 'doing a Gordy' moments in the lead up. With a minute on the clock before half time, Steve then had an on-the run attempt at goal which was blocked illegally by a moving figure from Leivur. However, the free-flick went the way of Leivur as, in the rapid lead up, Steve had both hands on the pitch. Leivur sent the ensuing free-flick the length of the pitch and slotted home an equaliser with his next flick - his first time into the shooting area in the entire match. With Steve stung, the second half began as a much tighter affair, Steve beginning to play a little nervously and Leivur enjoying some more possession. Then, half-way through the half, disaster struck for Leivur and, in an almost identical situation to the first half, Steve slotted home to an open goal with his 5th flick after Leivur had, again, stranded his travelling 'keeper. Steve then went to a 3-1 lead with 45 seconds left on the clock, to ease his nerves. In response, Leivur through caution to the wind, placed 10 outfield figures along the halfway line for the ensuing kick-off and, 3 flicks later, had buried a second into the back of Steve's goal. Two goals in the final minute after a tense tussle was a fitting finale to a great game.
23.11.18