Page 410 - NUAFC EBook

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

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