England v Rest of the World Cricket Match.
Sunday 1st February 1pm, Easton Park.
Forget Wanderers v Racing, this is the biggest match of the season.
The position of captain for each side is open so if you are interested please get in touch with Tommy Mac.
Christmas Drinks and Gee Gees
Friday 19th December- Horses racing at Harold Park
Live harness racing at Harold Park, Glebe.
Should be a good night - you can exchange $10 to get $30 worth of tokens for beer and food etc.
We’re going to meet at the Harold Park Hotel opposite the entrance at 6:30pm. Entrance is a bargain $8 only. Harold Park will be closing soon so this is a good chance to experience it while you can. Players, partners, wives, old ladies (Dean Davis’s), friends…all welcome. If coming from the city the light rail stops at Jubilee Park which is 5 mins walk to Harold Park.
http://www.haroldpark.com.au/paceway/index.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/bar-reviews/harold-park-hotel/2007/07/24/1185043076773.html
The Wanderers are looking for new players for the upcoming season. We are a social but competitive club and if you are interested Training/Trials will commence Feb 09.
Check back for details in the new year.
The final game of the season was some three weeks in the making, and the delay combined with unseasonable heat (damn you global warming!!) conspired to rob this encounter of much of its venom. The 8 hour drive out to watch the game didnt really endear the fans either.
The stadium seemed like an interesting place to be, although is it really a football game without flares to enjoy it? The pitch was not in a great state however, which was not surprising given how late in the season it was.
Play started slowly from both side given the temperatures at kickoff were hovering in mid 30’s. The warmups were not helped when the Wanderers only brought one ball, and no water bottles. Oops.
It was the Tigers that were playing the conditions better and they had much the better of the early exchanges as muted as they were. The early pressure finally told when the tigers slotted home the first goal, although it was not the first shot. Brandon, as is often the case, was best Wanderer on the park and had made a string of fine saves before he was left hanging with little he could do as the Tigers player had a clear shot on goal.
The score remained at 1-0 into the break as the players escaped from the heat briefly. Things didnt not improve much in the second half either, despite the crowd having some witty reparte with a Tigers player who was the spitting image of a younger more dynamic Morris Iemma.
A flurry of attacking raids from the Tigers ushered in the second half and again some fine saves from Brandon saw the score hit 2-0 in what was a match winner lead in the conditions. From there the Tigers shut it down and gave nothing to the Wanderers. Some late subsitutions gave the Wanderers a little more spark but not enough to trouble the scorers.
And so as the season wound to a close, the final thing missing was for Andy Corlett to make his prerequisite trip to hospital. Another cynical foul like those meted out to Ryan in previous encounters saw Andy cruelly trying to injure a Tigers players elbow with his head. Suffice to say that the elbow came of better and Andy’s head did its best to stain the grass of Edensor Park with blood.
As with the Reserves the previous week it was a disappointing way to end the season, a season that had delivered so much. Winning the league on points was by far the best acheivement for the Firsts in recent memory and some of the games this year will live on in Wanderers folk lore for years to come. Both encounters with the Tigers during the regular season and the barnstorming semi-final win against the Golden Stars were entertainment of the highest order will not be soon forgotten…
As we gear up for the mighty clash of the titans tomorrow at Edensor Park (2.30pm), lets us reflect on what we have lost this year….
The inane weather in Sydney again conspired to ruin what could have been an outstanding day of football. After exceptional unseasonal warmth the day before, finals day saw the heavens opened once more and deluged Lambert Park with sheets of water.
For better or worse play still went underway, and the Reserves having watched the previous game in driving rain hit the park in what was blinding sunshine ( a strange occurrence on this topsy-turvy day ). However as you can imagine the pitch had not faired well and the conditions were heavy at best. This did not bode well for a great game of football given the wide expanses of space that Lambert Park has.
The Wanderers started the game quite brightly however and were matching the Tigers all across the park and even had the better of some early exchanges with JP providing some excellent touches. The Tigers struck first with a strongly taken freekick just outside the Wanderers box. This was somewhat against the run of play, and with some momentum the Wanderers struck back short after. A gliding run down the right hand side by Matty Friend brought the ball into the box, and after stepping past one defender he layed off to Gav Harmon who duly passed it on to the Gunn for a tap in. It was a strong goal and gave the Wanderers some much needed spark heading into the half.
A stirring speech from Ian and the coaching staff seemed to fall on deaf ears however as the second half started in the worst possible fashion. A looping through-ball from the Tigers backs found one of their forwards who shrugged off a defender and the advancing keeper to take he score to 2-1. Back on their heels the Wanderers had to fight to survive as the Tigers began attacking in waves. It was only some desperate defending from all and sundry that kept the scoreline intact.
With some twenty minutes left Ian rung the changes and brought on Trev and the Engine to try and find that spark to take this thing into extra time. Tommy had one excellent chance late in the game where he got great purchase on a shot only to have it smartly saved by the keeper. And that was that…. the Tigers picking up a victory to cap a strong debut season from them.
Not the way the Wanderers wanted to see the season end…
As the disappointment set in, so did the rain. In what can only be described as a tropical downpour Lambert Park was quickly turned into a lagoon and play halted. After a quick inspection there was little choice but to postpone the remaining games, and the Wanderers v Tigers extravaganza would have to wait another week for its thrilling final chapter.
The second attempt to have the greatest day of football the world has seen is on this Sunday at Lambert Park in Leichhardt. So come one come all, 11.00am for the Reserves and 3.00pm for the Firsts both playing the Leichhardt Tigers.
Sadly the extreme weather Sydney experienced from Thursday evening through to Saturday crueled the chance to hold the Father’s Day Extravaganza! Scores of disappointed football fans were forced to actually spend time with their families… pining to watch the Wanderers no doubt.
So currently the finals day has been rescheduled for this coming Sunday….. stay tuned for further updates.
If you are looking for an exciting way to spend your Father’s Day, why not make your way down to Lambert Park in Leichhardt for what is shaping to be a cracking day of football. Both the Reserve and First grades from the Wanderers will be pitched into battle with the redoubtable Leichhardt Tigers, a local derby of some interest.
The Reserves have showed some promise against the Tigers this season, with a tight 1-1 draw to open their encounters. The return leg was not so kind with a strong 3-1 win to the Tigers, but the Wanderers always get up for a big game…
The Firsts are a different story, having put together two of the finer games of football seen in some time to take the season encounters to 2-0 with a resounding 6-1 score line. Of course finals football is a completely different beast but if they can surely capture some of that earlier magic we should be in for a sparkling game.
So come one come all, there is plenty of seating, both on the sunny hill and in the stands, and a family friendly carnival atmosphere. Reserves kickoff at 11.00am and the Firsts at 3.00pm this Sunday.
With an electric atmosphere still coursing through players and spectators alike, the First took the park ready to do battle with the Golden Stars. The Golden Stars were the second ranked team from the Gill Conference and from past meetings had a strong reputation for hard athletic play but the Wanderers as winners of the Walker Conference were more than ready for the challenge.
The first half started well for both teams, testing out their opposing players, but each defense held firm. Dave Patterson was particularly strong in the middle of the park matching stride for stride with his speedy marker, but neither team could find much space to work with. This trend continued through towards the half time break, till a strong run of play saw the Golden Stars take a 1-0 lead. A turnover near the top of the Wanderers box saw a Stars midfielder break through a couple of strong tackles before roofing a shot from close range leaving Brandon with little chance for a save.
Still despite being a goal down the Wanderers had little cause for concern, they were matching up to the physical Golden Stars and just needed to continue there play and all were certain the goals would come. So as the second wound its way along the Wanderers started to play like the division champions team they were, with the deft passing and slick movement in the front third a particular highlight. Adam, Ryan, and Luke were having great games up front creating and tracking down the ball. The Golden Stars though held firm for a long time and as the time ticked away it was not looking good for the Wanderers…
In what was just about the final play in regular time, Adam pushed down the left hand flank and whipped in a ball that found a waiting Ryan on the far post. The header was not great, by his standards, but he got enough on it to sneak it in past the right post to equalise the game and send this thriller into extra time. The post goal celebration from Ryan was one of unabashed enthusiasm and his extensive collection of sideline WAG and well wishers nearly spilled their white wine spritzers in the chaos of it all.
And so began two periods of extra time to decide the fate of the Firsts, would they be joining the Reserves in what was gathering shape as the Fathers Day extravaganza at Lambert Park? By this time Beachy and Gav Harmon had joined the fray and were starting to take on the Stars. The pace of the match continued frentically and the Stars managed to get some clear chances on goal, and it was only some top drawer keeping from Brandon (quickly firming as the players player of the year) that kept the Wanderers in the game.
The first period of extra time ended with no addition to the score, and the second was quickly taking on the same appearance. The whispers on the sideline was this thing was headed to penalties, and it was hard to argue otherwise as both teams did not give an inch. That was until an ill timed challenge opened the door …. just a little for the Wanderers.
Adam took the ball and setup his free kick just outside the box on the left hand side of the field. The Stars had set a big wall in front of him, but that mattered little. In came a finely weighted ball that left the keeper for dead, but grazed the crossbar thankfully going straight to the feet of a waiting Beachy who knocked home the game winner mere seconds before the end of the game. The place lit up with raucous celebrations from the Wanderers and as the game played out the last few moments one of the classics was in the books as a Wanderers win!
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