Stratford tightens grip on trophy
■ The McDonald Stratford Soccer Team beat KP Joinery Waitara 3-1 at the weekend — tightening the team’s grip on the Division Two Trophy.
In a game that started off with both teams equal throughout the first half, Stratford took control of the second. A blistering left foot strike from Jason Rowland gave Stratford their first goal shortly after the second half kickoff, the tipping point they needed. From then on the traffic was mostly one way. The mid-field combination of Dan White, Chris Hamlin, and David Chadwick worked overtime either stifling a Waitara movement or setting up a Stratford strike.
Three minutes after the first goal Hamlin tucked in a sweet cross finished by White, giving them a second. Hamlin continued with a cross shot from outside the
18 yard box just floating over the keepers fingers into the top right corner. The game looked wrapped up at 3-0 but Waitara showed they weren’t a push over and in the last minute their striker finished off a high cross across Stratford’s goal beating keeper Cook.
■ The Tungsten Legal Stratford Women’s Soccer Team had the best game of the season so far — a draw against Peringa United.
With a full team of players, Stratford were finally able to show what they were capable of holding a very capable Peringa scoreless in the first half while putting them under pressure with some strong attacking plays.
The combination of Samantha McGhie and Brooke Stewart was a powerful force that broke through the Peringa defence time and time again only to be stalled at the last. With the confidence they had built in the first half, Stratford came out firing in the second. Running onto a through ball minutes after kick off, McGhie drove the ball into the net giving Stratford the lead for the first time all season. A desperate battle ensued and for every attack that Peringa brought forward Stratford returned and were unlucky not to find the net on a couple of occasions.
With only eight minutes left on the clock Stratford were fending off yet another corner from Peringa.
The cross sailed over the box and found a Peringa player who was able to chip it just past Stratford’s keeper levelling the score.
A frenzied resurgence by Stratford in the dying minutes almost brought them the decider but in the end they had to settle with a 1-1 score line.
■ Next week the McDonald Stratford Men play 4U Computer Services Hawera at Swansea Road Park, 12.45pm. The Tungsten Legal Women play Inglewood at Karo Park on Sunday, 10.30am.
■ In the youth leagues, the Aitkens Transport Stratford U18 took on FDMC Baptists in the first round of the U18 Knock Out Cup, winning 5-0.
It was a game that Stratford could not take for granted as FDMC had shown what ability they had when they played last holding Stratford to a draw. But Stratford had come a long way and continued to deliver the same solid football that they showed the previous week.
Moving the ball confidently around the field, linking up, and developing strong plays whether in defence or on attack seemed to come more naturally as Stratford displayed what team work was about. Chris Hamlin put Stratford on the board delivering two goals in the first half, giving them a measure of security but FDMC had the same scoring ability and continued to harass the Stratford defence. Having had the wind advantage in the first half, Stratford were concerned that FDMC would come back strong and they would be on the back foot. But Hamlin quelled that fear quickly putting a third goal away. Isaac Burroughs added to that with a scorching strike from the edge of the box and Hamlin added a fourth goal in the last quarter. Stratford will now go on to the semifinals. ■ The Stratford Dairymaster U15 Soccer Team won their round of the knock out through default and also go on to the semifinals.