NUAFC 1968-2018

2013
When we arrived at our accommodation it was apparent
that this was real international football. Our training pitch was
immaculate and the service from staff made us feel like
professionals.
It was no surprise when we saw the Great Britain Olympic
football team photo of them training on the wall. It really was a
professional environment and was like nothing I had experienced
before.
Our first game was a warm up against a Midlands rep
team. It was only our second day in the country and signs of travel
and jet lag showed. We managed to dominate the game but a lack in
concentration ended the game at a 3-3 draw.
After a few hard-out training sessions it came as a surprise
to us when we got tickets to watch Birmingham vs Leeds at St
Andrews. For me and many of the boys this was the first time we
were going to watch a pro game. This was a great experience and it
ended in a 1-0 win to Birmingham.
Trainings stepped up and a week later we were ready for
our first international vs Scotland.
After taking the lead and going into half time 1-0, we felt
we had full control of the game. It wasn’t until the 90th minute
when a needless foul was given away on the edge of the box and
international quality showed. A Scottish player made no mistake in
picking out the top corner from his free kick and the game ended 1-
1.
The whole team was left disappointed as we were 1
minute away from being the only NZ Schoolboy team to beat
Scotland. The draw however, was still the best result we had ever
achieved which was the positive we took from the game and would
hope to build on.
Next up was the champions of the glorified Centenary
Shield, Northern Ireland. In the Centenary Shield Northern Ireland
won 3 games and drew once with the draw coming against England.
As we were in the changing room the Northern Ireland
men were parading the shield around the little stadium and having
photo’s.
The message from the coach and ex-all white Danny Hay
was very clear. These guys were writing us off already, show them
we are no run -over, give them nothing. The approach was clear
from the start as we were physically dominating 1st and second
balls and the midfield battle.
Two goals before the break was enough for us to secure
NZ’s most glorious victory in the UK. Emotions were running very
high making this the greatest achievement in our footballing lives so
far…
After such a good performance we were granted with our
first day out of the physically and mentally challenging environment
of international football. A day out in Dublin was a good cultural
experience for us all to see how people’s lives are lived differently…
Back to football, our next opponent was the Republic of
Ireland. After coming off a big win we were hungry for more
international success.
The first half was challenging, being played into one of the
strongest winds I have ever played in to. A goal to Ireland from a
cross which caught in the wind and sailed over the goalkeepers head
meant we went into the sheds 1 -0 down, something we had never
had on this tour.
A first half penalty save from our keeper kept the score at
1-0 and provided more hope for the team going out to play with the
wind in the second half. Straight after the break we got one back
through a scrappy long ball, a mix up between the keeper and
centre back resulting in an own goal and the score was back to 1-1.
The game was a midfield battle and a break from Ireland
resulted in another dodgy penalty which was converted this time
and the game ended in a loss for us and a 2-1 win for Ireland. The
air was moody as our first international defeat hit home. A game we
feel robbed by the ref, was one we still had to learn from.
A quick turn around and after a 3½ hour trip to Wales
from our England base we arrived to a dodgy pitch not suitable for a
short passing game. We quickly adjusted and got a breakthrough
when some good team play in the right areas and a cut back was
finished Cooley to put us 1 up.
Only 10 minutes later a corner was headed home to make
it 2-0 to NZ. The second half was similar to the first but our finishing
was poor and pressure was really on when Wales got a goal on the
break with 15 to go.
Determination and hard work for the last 15 meant we
held on to our lead and got another International win making us the
most successful NZ Schoolboy team.
The next day was the one a lot of the boys were looking
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