TA under 23s do the club proud in Cambridge draw
History was made as Te Awamutu AFC travelled with their Under 23 side to Cambridge on Tuesday night in what looked on paper to be a Goliath v David game.
The Cambridge squad competes in the Northern League U23 together, doing extremely well under Joe Gifford while the Te Awamutu troops had two training sessions together with Sean “Stringy” Stringfellow to bring them together for a few key drills.
The underdog mentality definitely came in to play as far as Te Awamutu were concerned, with the message to start with winning 50/50 balls and playing with intent.
It was pretty clear that Gifford told the Cambridge boys the same thing.
Te Awamutu opted for a 3-4-3 formation and, with Te Awamutu going down 1-0 in the first few minute, eyebrows were raised about the formation choice.
After gathering the ball for a number of initial battles which had the large crowd on their toes, Tawhiri Ball broke free and levelled the scores.
The score at halftime was a fair reflection of the match.
Te Awamutu took the time to recharge and think about the areas where they could mount pressure, with throwins often going as far as free kicks thanks to some great throws on both sides of the field.
A clearance from the goal box deflected off a Cambridge player, giving them a slight advantage, and then up stepped Te Awamutu’s Josh Fitzpatrick to level the score at 2-2.
The midfielder was recognised as having an outstanding game by fans on both sides and it was a great way to finish his season.
All the boys who stepped in for Te Awamutu did the club extremely proud and their efforts have been noted within the group.
The Cambridge and Te Awamutu boys relished in the combination and the importance of the event not only for them but football in the Waipa¯ — especially at a time when Te Awamutu are rebuilding their culture as the oldest club with the freshest ideas.
Te Awamutu AFC are planning the Girls and Women’s Have a Go Festival at the Stadium on Armstrong Ave this Saturday (1pm-3pm), where all women and children are invited in a “have a go” approach.
The club also has teams in the Craigs Investments Tournament in Hamilton, while the Storyteller Over 35s head to Northern United to play in a 10-team tournament.