Seals season ends in victorious style

The Nelson Suburbs Seals have closed out the division one football competition with one of their most memorable wins of the season.

The 2016 champions, who clinched back-to-back league titles on the weekend, beat FreshChoice Richmond Athletic 4-0 at Jubilee Park in their final game on Wednesday night, all of the goals coming in an entertaining final 25-minute blitz.

Shifting goalkeeper Brett Yates to the outfield was a daring but inspired decision by player-coach Brendan Hodgson, the custodian nodding in the opening goal with his first touch as a right-midfielder on the 65th minute mark.

The flood gates opened from there with Dylan Wells scoring from the penalty spot just five minutes later before Davi Maciel and Alex Coles added to the rout.

The result, which reverses their 2-0 loss from earlier in the season, sees the Seals end the campaign on 34 points, two more than last year, having won 11 of their 14 games, drawing one and losing just twice.

The Seals scored 34 goals and conceded just 12 across 14 games – the watertight defence proving key once again after conceding only nine last year.

Attention now turns to the Price Charity Cup knockout tournament with the Seals handed a tough opening round fixture, facing division one runners-up, the Marlborough Mariners, at A&P Park in Blenheim on Saturday.

In the other games, Richmond host Nelson College at Jubilee Park, Sprig & Fern Tahuna will meet FC Nelson at the Tahunanui Playing Fields, and Pomeroy’s Wakefield face Nelson Suburbs reserves at the Wakefield Domain.

The three Nelson games kick off at 3pm.