Tuncurry-Forster Football Club

Round 1 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Lansdowne

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks hosted the Lansdowne Lions and came away with a hard fought 3-2 victory. The Hawks welcomed a host of bright, keen, eager faces into the lineup to assist the familiar old faces.

The Hawks started the game at breakneck speed and piled immediate pressure onto the Lions defence. This enthusiastic running paid dividends when a passing interchange from Ian Redman to Stu Ireland found a storming Al May who scorched the turf with a shot that left the keeper clutching at thin air. This was followed up shortly afterwards when Ireland stole the ball from a dithering defender and laid on a square ball to debutant Craig Gibson who showed great composure to control and then hit the back of the net. This seemed to shake a lethargic Lions team into action and all of a sudden the Hawks found themselves under pressure. Some decisive defending from Dave Hardy, Evan Reid and Kane along with some brilliant goal keeping from Kale McCarthy defused numerous attacking raids, but eventually the Lions were rewarded for their efforts with a well constructed goal that moved the score to 2-1. The Hawks struck again before half time when Josh Bellamy showed great skill to beat a number of defenders before rocketing a swerving shot into the goal.

The second half was a see-sawing affair as the warm afternoon and lack of pre season training began to take its toll on most players. McCarthy made a number of critical saves to keep the Hawks in front, and the second Lions goal was the result of a cruel deflection. Redman had the opportunity to seal the victory after receiving a glorious through ball from Carlos Arellano, however he had to watch in disbelief as the keeper flung himself horizontal to the ground to deny the goal. The final 10 minutes were tough for coach Chapman as the Lions threw everything at the Hawks, but the lads hung in to record a sweet victory.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote went to Kale McCarthy, while Dave Hardy picked up the Coach’s award.

Round 4 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Cundletown Jets

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks travelled to Cundletown on a hot, May afternoon only to go down 2-1 in a nail biting game.

The top of the table Jets found themselves in a tougher match than they were anticipating and the game flowed from end to end for the first half an hour. The Hawks were finding plenty of space down the wide channels with Glen Bryant, Scott Dornan and Paul Chipperfield causing havoc whenever they got into space. Kane showed great determination in the right back position and inspired those around him with a nonstop effort. The Jets opened the scoring when their midfielder was allowed to run unchallenged until he fired a shot that looked to be going wide, but took a fortuitous bounce and snuck inside the far post. This buoyed the Cundletown team and they began to dominate in the middle of the park. One of their attacking raids was punctuated by a fine cross that was met by an equally fine header from a Tuncurry defender that startled keeper Brad Murray as it squeezed past him. The Hawks remained upbeat and felt that if they were able to score the next goal, the contest would be wide open.

The Hawks dominated the majority of the second half with Paul Chipperfield causing all sorts of problems for the Jets defence before finishing a well constructed goal that had the opposition well and truly rattled. Mitch Clarke, along with Chipperfield and Murray was a call up from the YD1s and provided some quality ball during the second half. The father and son combination of Paul and Evan Reid also caused plenty of problems for the Jets while Al May must have wondered how he had angered the football Gods when he did everything except hit the back of the net. The Tigers looked well on top when the ref blew an early whistle when one of the older Jets players totally lost his composure after being made to look foolish by young Chipperfield.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote went to Paul Chipperfield while the coach’s award went to Kane.

Round 7 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Bulahdelah Bullets

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks travelled to Bulahdelah to play the Bullets on an overcast afternoon and returned home with a share of the points after a tough 2-2 draw.

After a disappointing performance the previous week the Hawks had prepared well for the contest against a young, skilful Bullets team. The Hawks had the better of the early going, with a greater share of possession through the midfield which allowed them to use their wide players to stretch the opposition defence. Despite this territorial advantage they were caught out on the counter attack, when the Bula boys pounced on an easy turnover and in the twinkling of an eye their young midfielder was knocking the ball past keeper Scott White into the bottom corner to claim a 1-0 lead. The Hawks took a little while to recover from this setback, but they were back in the game after a scorching run from Glenn Bryant from his wide position, resulted in a free kick when he was fouled just outside the penalty area. Josh Bellamy drove the free kick low and hard into the goal mouth where Stu Ireland met the ball with a flick that caught the keeper going the wrong way to equal the score at 1-1.

After the break the Hawks continued to apply the pressure and before too long they were rewarded with a penalty after Al May was pushed off the ball as he jumped for a header. May took possession of the ball and confidently struck it past the keeper to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. As the Hawks tired, keeper White was called onto make numerous saves, while Hosti Schmerleib made tackle after tackle to keep the marauding Bullets at bay. Redo Redman and Stu Ireland worked tirelessly to fulfil their defensive duties, but it was to no avail as the Bullets broke down the right before a series of passes found an unmarked winger who slotted neatly past the helpless goalkeeper. It was end to end action until the final whistle as both teams desperately tried to find a winner.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote went unanimously to Scott White while the coach’s award went to Glenn Bryant.

Round 2 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Taree Jaguars

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks travelled to Taree to take on the Jaguars on a hard, bumpy pitch that was always going to be difficult to play football on. The Hawks finished 4-2 down in a very tight match.

Taree started the game aggressively and the Hawks were down by 2 goals in the blink of an eye. Once the Tuncurry boys sorted out their defensive roles, the tide slowly turned and they went from being on the back foot to creating problems for the Taree defence. Redo Redman powered the midfield with a typical high energy performance, while Gibbo Gibson and Carlos Maradonna found some combinations up front that had the opposition on the back foot. The pressure finally resulted in a Jaguars defender giving a short pass to his keeper who had no choice but to pick up and concede an indirect free kick. Hosti Schmerleib’s powerful strike rebounded off the wall and as he prepared to shoot again the keeper pushed him to the ground leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot for a direct penalty. Stu Ireland calmly stepped forward and gave the keeper no chance with a powerful drive. At half time the game was evenly poised at 2-1.

The Hawks started well in the second half and applied significant pressure through accurate passing and determined running, with Kale McCarthy and Josh Bellamy playing some wonderful football in attack and defence. As a result of this pressure Scott Dornan found himself on the end of a cross that was too difficult for the keeper to handle and he steadied and slammed the ball into the net to level the scores. The game was all action from here on in, with the Hawks young debutant keeper, Nathan Bonicci, making some outstanding saves that belied his young age. As is often the case in tight games the balance swung Taree’s way when the referee adjudged a deflection off Redo’s nose as having made contact with his arm and a direct penalty was awarded and was duly converted. As the Hawks threw everything they had into attack, the Jaguars caught them on the counter attack to seal a 4-2 victory.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote was shared between Kale McCarthy and Josh Bellamy.

Round 6 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Pacific Palms

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks hosted the Pacific Palms Cougars on a cold afternoon and were able to graft an ugly 2-0 victory.

The Hawks started strongly and applied some early pressure through accurate passing and movement off the ball. The defence was well marshaled by Dave Hardy and he was ably assisted by ‘Big Kev’ Watt, who played a barnstorming match. It was Josh Bellamy who broke the deadlock when he was released into space by a fine ball through from Glenno Bryant and calmly slotted into the top corner out of the keeper’s reach. The Hawks then seemed to stray from the game plan, with their control and passing dropping from fair to poor.

The second half didn’t bring any noticeable improvement, with far too many players taking the difficult option when the easy pass would have been more beneficial to the team. It was again a piece of Josh Bellamy skill that created the second goal as he weaved through the defence and slotted into the top right corner to ease the growing concern of the coaching staff. The Hawks will continue to struggle while they fail to execute the basics of the game. They now face a road trip to Bulahdelah to take on the Bullets in what could be a pivotal game for their season. The team was helped out by Matt Scarff, Scott White and Paul Chipperfield from the YD1s.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote went to Josh Bellamy.

Round 9 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Moorland Devils

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks travelled to Moorland and returned with a 4-1 victory in the record books.

The field was very heavy underfoot and bumpy despite the covering of grass. It took the Hawks until midway through the first half to adapt to the conditions and at that point they were 1-0 down after a Devils cross found unmarked players queuing at the far post to score. This seemed to jolt the Tuncurry players into action as they found more desperation in defence and more control in attack. They leveled the score when Stu Ireland drove a free kick to the far post where Allan May rose above his marker to head into the net.

The Hawks took control of the match in the second half and their accurate passing saw the Moorland players doing a lot of chasing. Craig ‘Riverdance’ Gibson ran onto a through ball and as he strode into the penalty area he was brought to the ground and after the ref checked the location of the divot he had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. May stepped forward and drove the ball into the net to give the Hawks the lead. The result was sealed shortly afterwards when James Coleman used an undetermined body part to poke the ball over the line after a goal mouth scramble. Carlos Maradonna weaved his samba magic as he beat player after player before unloading to Josh Bellamy who duly struck home the final goal of the game. Despite the goal scoring spree the victory was built upon solid defence with Dave Hardy and Evan Reid locking up the centre while Kevin Watt, Matt Scarff and Stu Ireland kept the flanks secure.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote went to Stu Ireland

Round 10 Bellevue Hotel  Hawks  Vs Pacific Palms Panthers

The Tuncurry Forster Hawks hosted the Palms Panthers and were able to grind out a tense 2-2 draw.

The Panthers quickly settled into an up tempo passing game and they stretched the Hawks across the width of the park. The Hawks stuck resolutely to the defensive pattern and the Palms were largely restricted to firing in long range shots. Gibbo Gibson kept the opposition defence busy and he was at his best when he controlled the ball and fed his support players. Al May and Redo Redman worked tirelessly in central midfield, while Glenn Bryant caused all sorts of problems with his strong running out wide. The Panthers broke the deadlock when a wayward clearance fell to the feet of a midfielder who drilled it into the net from long range. The Hawks were satisfied to go to the break just one goal down.

Big Kev Watt, Dave Hardy and Evan Reid were looking solid defensively despite the pressure from the opposition forwards and midfield. The Hawks startled the Panthers when a long range free kick caused havoc at the back post before Josh Bellamy fired home the equalizer. The game suddenly lifted in intensity with the Hawks sniffing an upset. The Palms however, regained the ascendency when they were awarded a penalty which they duly converted. In the final minutes Stu Ireland and Paul Reid worked a neat one-two through the legs of a defender before Ireland fired in a cross which Bryant ran onto and struck a well timed drive past the keeper to lock the final score at 2-2.

The Bellevue Hotel players’ player vote went Glenn Bryant.