Valiant effort from first team in last game of season
Rollercoaster of a year for the Te Awamutu squad
The Te Awamutu AFC Andrew Townsend First Team travelled to Tauranga to face Pāpāmoa for their final game of the season. It was a game where Te Awamutu needed to lock in a point to secure a spot in the Southern League for next year. The sun was shining and goalkeeper Lorenz Magaard-Romano even flew up from Wellington to see the season through.
Pāpāmoa took the lead but Te Awamutu’s Michael Roberts brought it back to 1-1. Several opportunities were missed and Pāpāmoa took a 2-1 lead.
Te Awamutu threw everything at them in the last five minutes but just couldn’t hit the back of the net, finishing at 2-1.
A valiant effort under the reign of Ian Stringfellow and Joe Gifford to get some points back and build up the team spirit. It’s been a rollercoaster year and the fate of the squad sits with the WaiBOP Football Federation with League One winners Tauranga not able to be promoted due to having a team in the higher league.
Futsal Tournament
On Sunday, three of the senior
teams took to the Futsal Indoor Tournament fundraiser at The Peak in Rototuna.
it was the first run out in the format for several of the boys and the first real run out for social media group The Te Awamutu Dragons.
Despite only one team making it out of the group stages, it was great chance to get the players together. Blue Te Awamutu Matadors, Red Te Awamutu Dragons, ASB Lachie Cotton Kit Te Awamutu Wizards.
Junior
The juniors who entered on Sunday enjoyed their run at Jansen Park with the club able to get more teams to all tournaments this year with backing from 3 Stone Vets.
Craigs Investment Partners, a major sponsor locally, have invested in upskilling the coaches.
The club celebrated its junior prizegiving on Monday night in a jampacked Te Awamutu College Hall.
The stories, acknowledgements and support of the parents and coaches to get these kids through the season was great to hear.
The club has outgrown its facilities, and the main focus of the club will be speaking with council and funders, both trusts and business, to maintain a balanced and forward moving club — an asset to the town and the people in it.
The club now moves into the school holiday programme before summer activities and New Zealand
Football programmes.
Head to teawamutuafc.co.nz for more information.
Over 35
The Te Awamutu AFC Storyteller Eatery & Bar Over 35s are the last Te Awamutu team to play this year.
That’s due to the guidance of coach Jim Grainger and the tenacity of the “Kit Man” John Connor.
The players have put the Over 35 team on the map with themselves and Cambridge being two of the four teams in the WaiBOP Cup and plate finals.
The WaiBop Plate final against Waikato Unicol Veterans will be played at Claudelands AFC — Galloway Park at 12.30pm on Saturday.