2001 Archive Saturday 3 August Reserves finish season 2002 in style Reserves have put in a great performance to beat Miranda in the final game of the season. Narwee started well in terms of pressure and possession but were shocked when Miranda took the lead in basically their first attacking raid of the game. But Narwee responded well and managed to equalise soon after thanks to Michael Bartlett. The score then fluctuated for the remainder of the half when Miranda scored from a penalty and Narwee scored a wonder goal when Martin Hopper volleyed home an unstoppable shot from close range. 2-2 at the break. The second half was an equally tight affair with both teams exchanging goals. Narwee took the lead when Michael Bartlett scored his second, this time from the penalty spot. But Miranda determinedly drew level soon after. The last 20 minutes saw Narwee push forward in numbers and again took the lead when Paul MacBride latched on to a perfect cross to slot the ball past the Miranda keeper. Needing to win the game to make the Finals, Miranda went all out in attack but were consistently repelled by a solid Narwee defence led by Cameron Eccleston. So Narwee held on for an excellent win. Final score: Narwee 4, Miranda 3. First Grade battle strong opponents...and the elements! First Grade have shown great spirit and commitment before eventually succombing to their opponents Miranda, and to the elements. Narwee played one of their best halves against the tough opposition and actually took the lead early in the game through a nice goal on the run from Captain Craig Abrahams. Narwee had more chances to increase the lead but had shots hit the crossbar or fly just wide of the target. Narwee held the lead until the last minute of the half when Miranda equalised. The second half saw things change both on and off the field. About 10 minutes into the half, a hailstorm hit the ground making playing conditions treachorous. During the storm, Miranda, who were keen to continue playing, took the lead after extened periods of pressure. They had snatched the momentum and went on to score 2 more goals to go on and win the game. But Narwee can be encouraged by a solid effort in the first half against a premiership contender in what was certainly a memorable way to finish the season. Final score: Narwee 1, Miranda 4. Saturday 27 July Uneventful day for Reserves Reserves have gone down to St George Rowers in a fairly uneventful game. Rowers scored a goal in each half to win. The Narwee defence played well at times and the midfield put some good passing moves together, but the final pass and shot seemed to breakdown. Narwee keeper Dan Fordyce made some good saves in the second half to restrict the opposition scoring, but the two goals were enough to see Rowers win. Final score: Narwee 0, St George Rowers 2 Understrengthed Narwee succomb to Gymea On a day when Narwee were without 3 key players, First Grade went down to Gymea. With different player combinations and regular players playing somewhat out of position, Narwee struggled at times in the first half. However Narwee had a number of good opportunities to score on several occasions only to see shots fly over the crossbar. Gymea on the other hand were able to convert a number of chances to take a 2 nil lead into half time. Narwee put in a much improved performance in the second half but conceeded a third goal midway through the second half. Narwee managed to score their first through a Darin Ross header but Gymea then responded with their fourth which settled the issue. Narwee scored a bizarre consolation goal late in the game when Daniel Fordyce latched onto a cross from the right and lobbed a speculator towards the goal which the Gymea keeper misjudged. Final score Narwee 2, Gymea 4. Thanks to Simon Fairbanks and Daniel Fordyce for backing-up for us. Saturday 20 July Reserves deserve win but settle for draw Reserve Grade can consider themselves unlucky not to have won the game against St Marks. Narwee took the lead midway through the half thanks to a good team goal which was finished off well by Kynan Ainslie. Narwee had several other chances in the second half to add to their lead but were unable to score. And this was to prove costly when St Marks scored an equaliser in the last 5 minutes. So Narwee proabably deserved to win but a draw wasn't a bad result. Final Score 1-1. Defence rules against St Georges First Grade have played a rare nil all draw against St Georges. Again Narwee probably had the better of play, particularly in the first half but just couldn't score. The best chance came when a rocket volley by Brett McPherson was saved by the keeper. It was a similar story in the second half. Narwee again created a number of chances but the goal remained elusive. Defensively, Narwee were solid and in the end Narwee were able to keep the opposition scoreless for the first time this season to earn a point. Final score 0-0 Saturday 13 July Reserves unable to overcome Salvos Reserves have been unable to build on recent good results by succombing to an improved Salvos team. Narwee looked good in the first half with a good defence and some good passing in midfield despite being without four regular players including two first choice goalkeepers. So Kynan Ainslie and Matt Young did well in sharing the keeping duties. Salvos took the lead midway through the half despite the good play from Narwee but soon after, Narwee equalised when a dangerous Stuart Armour corner was bundled over the goal line. Soon after, Narwee could have taken the lead if a Paul MacBride shot had not hit the crossbar.1-all at the break. The second half saw Salvos add two more goals and go on and win the game. Final score Narwee 1, Salvos 3. Tough afternoon for First Grade First Grade have come against their second premiership contender in 2 weeks against Salvos. The First grade team were also missing 3 players and had players backing-up from the Reserves game. But they also welcomed back Chris Palmer who had been away on holidays and had missed 2 matches. In the first half Narwee found the running and passing game of Salvos hard to combat and indeed, Salvos converted their pressure into 4 goals in the half. Narwee however had a number of shots on goal but couldn't convert. The second half saw Narwee improve well with Salvos only managing to add one goal. Narwee never gave up and created a number chances in the second half. Credit to Kirby Le Maitre and Dave Ross for their efforts in both games and also Tim Hubbell for his resolute defensive effort at left back. FInal score: Narwee 0, Salvos 5 Saturday 6 July Fluctuating fortunes for Reserves In a see-sawing game, Reserves have played a 3-all draw with South Hurstville this week. Narwee welcomed back Paul MacBride for his first match in a month. In this match Narwee were slightly unlucky to fall behind in the early stages when South Hurstville scored from a corner. But Narwee responded well when Jim McGrath scored an excellent goal from a tight angle to equalise. But later South Hurstville regained the lead. The second half again saw both teams battle hard for the points. Narwee managed to equalise again when Michael Bartlett scored a superb left foot goal midway through the half. However Narwee didn't have much time to celebrate as South Hurstville, minutes later retook the lead at the other end. But again Narwee would not lie down and when Michael Bartlett latched-on to a loose ball in the penalty area to volley home his second goal of the game, Narwee had again brought themselves level to earn a deserved point. Final Score: Narwee 3, South Hurstville 3. First Grade compete well with Premiership contenders First grade have put in a commendable performance but were just unable to match South Hurstville in the game. South Hurstville opened the scoring in the early minutes of the game running with the aid of the breeze. Narwee remained confident though and managed to equalise when Craig Abrahams scored nicely on his left foot after good lead up play on the right. However, as in the Reserves game, South Hurstville regained the lead soon after. They may well have scored another if not for a brilliant reaction save by Narwee keeper Geoff Shore. The second half was full of incident which began when the referee awarded Narwee a penalty when a South Hurstville defender was ajudged to have impeded Narwee striker Darin Ross. Darin then cooly converted the penalty to again equalise for Narwee. But from this point, South Hurstville stepped up a gear and scored four goals in quick succession to take a stranglehold on the match. Narwee never gave up though and Dave Ross added a goal and then South Hurstville conceded an own goal, which brought the margin back to just 2 goals. But South Hurstville added another goal late-on to seal victory. Final score. Narwee 4, Sth Hurstville 7 Saturday 29 June Even game sees Reserves share the points Reserve Grade have played a 2-all draw with Cronulla at Gannons Park this week. Narwee ran with the breeze in the first half and took the lead early in the match thanks to a typically classy goal from striker Michael Bartlett. Narwee dominated and looked very impressive at times during the half. However, Cronulla on one of their few attacking raids, managed to equalise. Soon after though, Narwee retook the lead when Martin Hopper tapped home from close range to leave the half time score 2-1. The second half saw Cronulla slowly work themselves into a stronger position in terms of possesion and chances. They subsequently brought themselves level again at 2-2 midway through the half. At that stage the game was up for grabs and Narwee had several guilt-edged chances to claim the win, but were unable to convert. Final score 2-2 First Grade score 2nd win in three First Grade have scored an impressive win over Cronulla for their second win in their last three matches. Narwee had to come from behind in the game after Cronulla took an early lead. This lead was soon wiped off when Matt Worger found himself in the right place at the right time to score from close range. Narwee looked good at times during the half and had several corners and other opportunities, including a Darin Ross header which hit the upright. 1-1 though at half time. The second half saw Narwee take control of the match on the scoreboard and in most other departments as well. The extended pressure was converted into goals in the half with Matt Worger again featuring to add two further goals to his tally for a deserved match hatrick. Nathan Ross also pitched-in with a good opportunist goal for Narwee's fourth. Narwee could have scored several additional goals but were thwarted by the Cronulla keeper on several occasions. But the three goal margin was enough for a comfortable victory. So credit must go to all the First Graders for an excellent, committed and spirited performance. Final score: Narwee 4, Cronulla 1. Saturday 22 June Tight tussle sees Reserves lose narrowly Final Score: Narwee 0, Team Thunder 1 Not Narwee's day in First Grade Final score: Narwee 0, St Bakomious 1 Saturday 15 June Reserves loss hard on the boys Reserves have battled hard against the second placed Arncliffe but were unable to take points from this tight contest. The first half was fairly even with neither team really dominating. However, Arncliffe took the lead midway through the half after a period of pressure. But Narwee could well have equalised after a Michael Bartlett shot from long range flew just over the crossbar. Arncliffe though, could easily have extended their lead if not for a high class save by Narwee keeper, Daniel Fordyce. 1-nil then at half time. The score remained the same for much of the second half, but Narwee then scored a deserved equaliser through a Michael Bartlett piledriver from the edge of the penalty area. As the game looked headed for a draw, there was heartbreak for Narwee when with five minutes to go, Arncliffe scored again to retake the lead and as Narwee heads dropped, Arncliffe added their third in the dying seconds. Final score Narwee 1, Arncliffe 3. First Grade earn great victory First Grade have secured a confidence-building victory over Arncliffe scoring some good goals in the process. The victory in many respects was built on a solid defence lead by Kirby Le Maitre, Damo Chan, Brett McPherson and Tim Hubbell. They effectively neutralised the Arncliffe attacks which gave the rest of the team plenty of confidence. This confidence was further boosted when Narwee took the lead when Darin Ross collected the ball upfront on the left, chipped over a defender before expertly slotting the ball into the top corner for one of the goals of the season. Narwee were buoyant then leading at half time. The second half saw Narwee continue their great effort and they added to their lead via Craig Abrahams' excellent long range goal. Narwee were headed for a comfortable victory before Arncliffe made things interesting by grabbing a goal back about 10 minutes from time. However Narwee withstood the late onslaught and sealed the game through a last minute goal from Simon Kimberley. Final score Narwee 3, Arncliffe 1 Saturday 1 June Reserves push competition leaders Final score: Narwee 1, Mortdale 2 Narrow loss for First Grade Final score Narwee 0, Mortdale 1 Saturday 25 May Reserves suffer first loss in five Reserve Grade have gone down to Miranda in their first loss in five games. Narwee were always chasing the game after Miranda took the lead early in the game and then added a second via a penalty soon after. Narwee responded well when Paul MacBride rifled a shot from the right past the keeper into the top corner of the goal. But Miranda were then awarded another penalty soon after which they converted. Narwee again responded with a great first time volley goal from Matt Young. Miranda unfazed, then went down the other end and scored their fourth. But Narwee also fought back to reduce the margin back to 1 goal through Steve Armytage. The half time score ended 4-3. The second half was not as eventful as the first in terms of goal-scoring but both teams had opportunities to add to their tally but it was only Miranda who were able to convert a chance to clinch victory midway through the second half. So a frustrating afternoon ended in disappointment for Narwee. Final score. Narwee 3, Miranda 5. First Grade battle hard against competition leaders First Grade have put in a spirited performance against competition leaders Miranda. In the first 20 minutes Miranda dominated possession and Narwee found themselves under the pump. The inevitable goal for Miranda came via a header. Soon after they extended their lead when a bullet corner deflected off a Narwee defender into the goal. Narwee could easily have scored as well but for the intervention of the Miranda keeper following an expert header from Craig Abrahams. The second half saw Miranda add two more goals, but Narwee were unlucky to see a Brett McPherson bullet shot cannon off the crossbar. Narwee overall played well enough to make Miranda earn their points. Final score Narwee 0. Miranda 4. Saturday 18 May Reserves dominate against Rowers Reserves have put in another good performance in their convincing victory over St George Rowers. Narwee set up their victory in the first half with four goals. They added three more in the second half for their best win of the season. Goal scorers included Paul MacBride, Michael Bartlett (3), Matt Young, Daniel Fordyce and Stuart Armour. Reserves are now unbeaten in four matches. Final score 7-0 First Grade grab a much-needed point First grade have managed to put in a good performance to earn a point against Gymea. The first half was a bit of a stalemate with niether team able to score, but the second half saw Narwee take the lead midway through the half thanks to a goal by Captain Craig Abrahams. But hopes of a victory were dashed when Gymea equalised about 5 minutes later. In the last 15 minutes Narwee had a few chances to win the game but in the end were happy enough to come away with a draw. So it was a soild team effort particularly in defence. Final score 1-1. Saturday 11 May Reserves now unbeaten in three matches Reserve Grade have extended their unbeaten record to three matches in a somewhat tight and at times controversial match against St Marks. Narwee started well and could easily have taken the lead early in the game, but failed to convert their chances. However, St Marks in one of their attacking raids, managed to take the lead midway through the first half to leave the half time score 1-nil. The second half was filled with incident starting with a deserved Narwee equaliser via Martin Hopper. But soon after, St Marks regained the lead and may have added to it had a shot later-on not hit the post. Narwee rode their luck, and had some good fortune of their own when they were awarded a highly disputed penalty in the final minute of the match. Cameron Eccleston carried the ball into the penalty area and stumbled following a challenge by a St Marks defender. The referee, after much deliberation, awarded a penalty. In basically the last kick-of-the-game, Michael Bartlett converted from the spot to leave the final score 2-2. First Grade improve but points still elusive First Grade have again shown signs of continued improvement this time against St Georges but were unable take points from the match. Narwee welcomed Dave and Darin Ross to the squad. In the first half Narwee played exceptionally well with a solid defence, creative midfield, great passing movements and good team spirit. Narwee dominated field position and created numerous chances but were stunned when St Georges managed to take the lead completely against the run-of-play. But Narwee scored the goal they'd been threatening all half to draw level late in the half through Phil Smith. Spirits were high at half time, and a real belief existed that a win was extremely possible. However in the second half, St George lifted their intensity, gained more of possession, created more chances and scored 3 goals to take a stranglehold on the match. Narwee had a glimmer of hope when they managed to score their second goal via Craig Abrahams in the last 15 minutes, but that was as close as they got. Final score Narwee 2, St Georges 4. Saturday 4 May Reserves put in best display of the season Reserve Grade have put in a good performance to secure their second win of the season, this time against Salvos. The win was effectively set up in the first half. Narwee took the lead early when the Salvos goalkeeper fumbled a corner into the net. Soon after, Michael Bartlett added a couple of classy goals and Glen Balmer, returning from injury contributed a well-placed headed goal. Jim McGrath also scored from close range and Michael then scored again after latching on to a perfect cross from Stuart Armour. Matt Young was also a star in the half playing in goals for the first time, and he, along with the Narwee defence played well. But Matt was powerless to stop a swerving Salvos shot late in the half which left the half time score at 6-1. In the second half, Salvos saw more of possession and created more chances, and added another goal. Narwee were unable to add any further goals to their tally but had done enough in the first half to earn their victory. Final score Narwee 6, Salvos 2 Heartbreak again for First Grade Narwee once again came up against a formidable opponent in the form of the third-placed Salvos team. The signs were ominous early-on for Narwee as Salvos took a decisive 2-nil lead midway through the half. But to their credit, the Narwee boys responded well and managed to reduce the margin following a nice left foot goal from Dave Ross. The half ended in a bang following some rather passionate interplay between members of both teams. In the second half, Narwee were well and truly in the game and managed to hold Salvos at bay until midway through the half when Salvos once again regained their two-goal margin and when they added a fouth soon after, the Narwee resistance had been broken. By the time Salvos scored again from a free kick, the game was effectively over. Final score Narwee 1, Salvos 5 Saturday 27 April Game of contrasting halves for Reserves A remarkable game of soccer against South Hurstville. Narwee dominated the first half and took a seemingly unasailable 5-goal lead through Dave Ross and Daniel Fordyce. The Narwee defence held solid and the midfield were creative. The second half saw a dramatic turnaround with South Hurstville roaring back into the game. The goals began to flow and Narwee nerves began to jangle. Sth Hurstville pushed forward in numbers with fresh substitute players and were able to wipe-off the lead. Narwee managed to hang on desperately via some great saves by Narwee keeper Michael Bartlett and a headed clearance off the goal line by sub Steve Armytage. Final score 5-5. First Grade come up against tough Sth Hurstville Narwee faced their third tough opponent so far this season. This game was effectively won and lost in the first half when Sth Hurstville took a decisive 5-goal lead into half time. Narwee showed some great character and improvement in the second half and showed signs of reducing the deficit. Sth added another goal though before Narwee scored a deserved goal after several minutes of pressure. But the damage had been done in the first half. Final score Narwee 1, Sth Hurstville 6 Thursday 25 April Three goals not quite enough for Reserves Reserves have battled hard before finally going down to last year's Grand Finalists Cronulla. The first half was a rather scrappy affair with Cronulla only taking the lead via a Narwee own goal. Cronulla played well at times in the second half to take a decisive 4-1 lead midway through the half. However Narwee refused to lie down and responded with 2 goals by Darin Ross and Daniel Fordyce to keep the game alive. Narwee had opportunities to level things, but Cronulla gave the knockout blow in the last five minutes to seal the game. Final score, Narwee 3, Cronulla 5 First Grade's roller coaster season continues The roller coaster ride of results for First Grade continued against an improved Cronulla side. The early signs were promising for Narwee in the first 20 minutes when they took the lead via a Steve Armytage penalty. Narwee created more chances including a Tim Hubbell shot which hit the upright. But in the blink of an eye, Narwee found their lead wiped-off and indeed Cronulla took control to take a 3-1 lead into half time. Cronulla continued their domination against a tiring Narwee in the second half and added more goals for a convincing victory. Final score Narwee 1, Cronulla 6. Saturday 20 April Reserves secure hard-fought win Reserves have recorded their first win of the season with a good performance against Team Thunder. The match took a while to settle down with niether team able to dominate. Defensively, Narwee looked solid enough which thwarted any Thunder attacks. Narwee began to settle into their rythym and indeed took the lead through a free-flowing passing movement which began in the defence and ended with an expert headed goal from Dave Ross. 1-nil at the break. The second half saw Team Thunder push forward and they managed to get on the scoresheet to make the game interesting. Soon after though, replacement Steve Armytage continued his rich vein of goal scoring form by adding a second for Narwee. Narwee essentially wrapped-up the match when Simon Fairbanks was pushed in the area for a penalty which was blasted home by Daniel Fordyce. Final score Narwee 3, Team Thunder 1 Two wins on the trot for First Grade First Grade continued their revival with another solid performance against St Bahkomious. The first half was very competitive with both sides creating a number of chances with a tight tussle in midfield evident. As in previous week's Narwee found themselves behind early in the game. However, Narwee equalised when Brett McPherson collected the ball on the edge of the penalty box before finding the net with a well-struck shot. In the shadows of half time, Narwee regained the lead after a fantastic left foot bullet shot flew into the net from Dave Ross for his second goal of the day. 2-1 at half time. Narwee gradually took control of the game in the second half in both defense, midfield and up-front and added 2 more goals including another fine effort from Steve Armytage, and a good headed goal from close range by Darin Ross. Narwee had several chances to add to this lead, but in-the-end had to settle for a satisfactory 4-1 scoreline. First Grade are now building some good momentum as the season progresses. Saturday 13 April Tough day in the heat for Reserves Reserves faced their second tough opponent in two weeks in stiffling conditions at Gannons Park. Narwee had a late change with Daniel Fordyce deputising in goals for Michael Bartlett. And Daniel proved his ability by making several outstanding saves as Arncliffe dominated during the first half. Despite the saves, Arncliffe finally took the lead, midway through the half. 1-nil at half time. The second half started brightly for Narwee with Paul MacBride causing problems for the Arncliffe defence wide on the right and creating more chances. The final touch just remained elusive. Two Arncliffe goals in the second half broke the backs of Narwee and the final score finished Arncliffe 3, Narwee 0. First Grade bounce back in style First Grade have bounced back from last week's defeat by Mortdale with a classy comeback victory against Arncliffe. The game started uncomfortably for Narwee when Arncliffe pushed forward in numbers and managed to take a two goal lead. But the Narwee comeback began when Tim Hubbell was brought down in the box for a penalty. Steve Armytage clinically converted the spot kick. Soon after, Steve was back in the action, when he retrieved a through ball in the penalty area before turning an Arncliffe defender inside-out and slotting the ball expertly passed the keeper. An early contender for goal of the season. Soon after, Narwee scored the goal of the game when Steve again found himself free on the right following a through ball from the right of midfield. He then put in a pinpoint cross which was sidefooted into the net by Craig Abrahams. But soon after Arncliffe equalised to leave the half time score 3-3. The second half saw Narwee dominate Arncliffe at times and created more chances. The score remained deadlocked though until the last ten minutes when Dave Ross found Craig Abrahams in the area and he scored from close range to restore the Narwee lead. Narwee held on in the dying minutes for a really gutsy victory. Narwee 4, Arncliffe 3. Saturday 6 April Reserves put in very credible first performance Narwee fielded what was essentially a brand new team with several new players for the first game against Mortdale. Given this, Narwee played well and indeed had periods of extended pressure against the Mortdale defence in the first half despite conceeding an early goal. Narwee could easily have scored on a number of occasions, particularly when a bullet header from Phil Smith was miraculously saved by the Mortdale keeper. Mortdale soon after added a second goal. The second half saw Mortdale slowly take control with their third, but Narwee held their own nonetheless. The goal that Narwee had been threatening came towards the end of the game when Steve Armytage took the ball into the penalty area before finding Martin Hopper who scored well from close range for his first ever goal for Narwee. Final result Narwee 1, Mortdale 3 Narwee run into a dominant Mortdale side With Narwee still finalising their First Grade squad and missing a number of key players, this was always going to be a tough afternoon against last year's Grand Finalists. But the first half saw Narwee match Mortdale and they could easily have taken the lead after a Simon Kimberley shot was saved well by the Mortdale keeper in the opening minutes. The Narwee defence scrambled well to hold Mortdale at bay which left the half time score at nil-nil. The second half was a different story with Mortdale overwhelming a tiring Narwee team. Mortdale began to dominate all aspects of the game and the goals began to flow at regular intervals.If not for several high-class saves from Narwee keeper Geoff Shore the score could have been greater. Narwee managed to score midway through the second half to reduce the margin via a Mortdale own-goal, but Mortdale finished strongly for an easy win. So Mortdale are deserved favourites for this year's competition, but with the addition of a few more players, there will be better days ahead for the Narwee First Grade team. Final score: Narwee 1, Mortdale 6.