| |
|
|
A League MEN |
|
|
|
|
|
| Day |
Date |
Venue |
Opposition |
Result |
F |
A |
Scorers |
Memories |
| Sun |
Nov 21 |
away |
Macarthur |
draw |
1 |
1 |
Hooper (pen) |
Match moved to Newcastle (pitch conditions), rain, Rufer first game as captain, Piscopo tripped in box, Hooper smacked pen down the middle. Piscopo limped off. Ball excellent. Ex-Nix keeper Kurto made some fine saves to deny us. Nix controlled first half, Bulls came back. |
| Sat |
Nov 27 |
'home' |
Central Coast Mrns |
win |
2 |
1 |
Hooper, Sotirio |
Their keeper falls over, Hooper bundles in a close range effort. Laws stuffs up a backpass and gifts the Mariners a goal. Sotirio scores from edge of the box, tucking it through defenders and inside the far post. Old subs on, wins a pen. Waine steps up, Piscopo throws a wobbly about it. Pen saved. Debut for Pennington, replacing captain Rufer. |
| Fri |
Dec 3 |
'home' |
Westn Syd Wandrrs |
loss |
0 |
2 |
|
Controlled quite a bit of the play, had a goal by Josh Laws disallowed for offside. Hemed scored, though the Nix are protesting that he fouled in the lead up and VAR didn't look at it. Sail came up for a late corner and Wanderers broke away to add a second. Fullbacks Elliot and McGarry worked really hard and contributed a lot. |
| Tues |
Dec 7 |
away |
Western United |
win |
1 |
0 |
(B. Waine) |
FFA Cup tie. Very young team, debuts for lots. Fenton cross, Waine excellent header. Captain Sail a couple of good saves. Old and Waine worked hard. Sam Sutton back from injury. |
| Fri |
Dec 10 |
away |
Newcastle Jets |
loss |
0 |
4 |
|
Jets full on attack, Nix didn't cope well with it. Hooper now heading home for three weeks. |
| Tues |
Dec 14 |
away |
Avondale |
win |
4 |
1 |
(Sotirio (2), Waine, L. Prso) |
FFA Cup. Neat pass from Ball puts Sotirio in for a great finish. Waine header puts Sotirio through and he lobs the keeper in superb style. Rufer header turned in by Waine. Avondale man sent off for bad tackle on Fenton. Avondale scored later after pressure. Ball to Elliot to Prso to touch in. |
| Sun |
Dec 19 |
away |
Sydney FC |
loss |
1 |
2 |
Waine |
Poor defence in first half, ball watching for goal. Sail went off injured. Alex Paulsen did well in goal, several saves. Ben Old made impact as sub, volley pounced on by Waine to score goal. |
| Wed |
Dec 22 |
away |
Melbourne City |
pp |
|
|
|
FFA Cup Quarter Final. Postponed. |
| Mon |
Dec 27 |
away |
Central Coast Mrns |
pp |
|
|
|
Covid, postponed. |
| Sat |
Jan 1 |
away |
Adelaide United |
loss |
0 |
4 |
|
Paulsen good in goal. Ref's decisions helped Adelaide. Cheap penalty. Three players including captain Rufer subbed at half time when we were 1 - 0 down. Sotirio out with covid. Hooper couldn't travel to Adelaide having been overseas. Tim Payne showing leadership. |
| Wed |
Jan 5 |
away |
Melbourne City |
win |
0 (4) |
0 (3) |
|
FFA Cup Quarter Final. Missing lots of players with covid. Rufer centre back. City soft pen given, blasted over top. Sotirio header goal ruled out for some foul or other. Fenton butchered a good cross from Sotirio. Pennington and Lwis good in centre midfield. Extra time 0 - 0. Penalties. Paulsen saves 1st one. Waino blasts it in. Laws over the top. Paulsen saves the 3rd one. Fenton's is saved. Rufer's is saved. Sotirio scores. 2 - 2 after five. Lewis scores. Paulsen saves. Pennington scores! We're in the semis! |
| Wed |
Jan 5 |
'home' |
Brisbane Roar |
pp |
|
|
|
|
| Sat |
Jan 8 |
'home' |
Newcastle Jets |
pp |
|
|
|
|
| Sun |
Jan 16 |
away |
Perth Glory |
pp |
|
|
|
|
| Fri |
Jan 21 |
'home' |
Western United |
win |
2 |
1 |
G. Sandoval, Hooper |
Debut for Mexican import Gael Sandoval. He scored after pass from the returning Gary Hooper. Hooper scored after nice pass from skipper Alex Rufer. Western put the pressure on. Some fine saves by Alex Paulsen in goal. Both Hooper and Diamanti blasted good chances over the top. Nix fans, including Ash, pushed around by security for taking their shirts off in the grandstand. Western scored a late goal. |
| Sat |
Jan 29 |
away |
Melbourne Victory |
loss |
1 |
4 |
Hooper |
FFA Cup semi final. Payne and Lewis missing on international duty. 18 year old Finn Surman in centre defence, did well. Nix led -nice Piscopo pass to Hooper, beat keeper one on one. 65 min Victory equalised. Victory brought on some powerful subs, we subbed Surman and Sandoval. Victory scored late goals to blow out score. Rufer and Josh Laws were excellent. |
| Sun |
Feb 6 |
away |
Macarthur |
win |
3 |
1 |
R. Piscopo (pen), Sotirio (2) |
Hooper out -hammy. Sail back in goal. Sutton crashed into, earned pen. Piscopo hit it hard into corner. Sotirio off side could've had two goals. Second half Surman dispossessed - Davila scored against us. Sotirio hit post with delightful lob. Sail a great double save. Sotirio got away to score - keeper Kurto couldn't keep it out, then chipped advancing keeper. Rufer close with nice shot. Old and Van Hattam couldve scored late on. Sutton, Lewis both excellent. |
| Wed |
Feb 9 |
'home' |
Melbourne Victory |
win |
1 |
0 |
Piscopo |
Game behind closed gates as no commercial backer means Nix can't afford to let fans in! Hooper still out. Tight game, both teams playing well. Nix controlling possession for good periods. Wootton debut in defence. David Ball in great form up front. Pounced on a mistake midway through second half, drew the defence, squared to Piscopo to slot home. Sutton and Piscopo combining well. |
| Sat |
Feb 12 |
neutr |
Adelaide United |
draw |
1 |
1 |
Sandoval |
Good football first half, had Adelaide under control. Sandoval calm finish when put through. Rufer shot blocked. Rufer and Lewis commanding the middle. Created some good chances, but didn't convert, shot instead of passing. Tiring after three games in a week, subs weren't effective. Adelaide scored in injury time with header at far post. Ball and Payne both very good. |
| Wed |
Feb 16 |
'home' |
Brisbane Roar |
win |
3 |
0 |
S. Wootton, Sandoval, Piscopo |
Warm, unchanged team despite having four games in 10 days. Lewis hit the post from 20m. Scott Wootton did well to head in a corner at the back post before half time. Sail pulled off a couple of fabulous saves. Roar hit the post with a great shot, but down the other end Sandoval showed him how to curl your shot in. Brilliant. A Sotirio run and cross set up Piscopo who slotted it between defenders. Sub Waino got his 50th appearance (at age 20) and had a couple of late chances. |
| Sat |
Feb 19 |
away |
Sydney FC |
draw |
1 |
1 |
D. Ball |
5th game in 14 days. Sutton fouled repeatedly. Rufer's 100th game. Late in first half David Ball a neat turn in the box and scored. Sydney attacked a lot in second half, but we were dangerous on counter. Neat move saw sub Bobo score for Sydney. Sail pulled off three or four incredible saves, Sutton cleared off the line. Well deserved point. |
| Sun |
Feb 27 |
away |
Westn Syd Wandrrs |
|
|
|
|
POSTPONED (weather, not covid!) |
| Sun |
Mar 6 |
|
Melbourne City |
|
|
|
|
Hooper and Piscopo out. POSTPONED (weather, not covid!) |
| Wed |
Mar 9 |
neut |
Newcastle Jets |
win |
3 |
2 |
Sotirio (pen), Waine, Ball |
Finally get to play again!. Playing on the counter attack. Sotirio got away, fouled, took penalty calmly. Jets equalised as we sat back. Sandoval pass put Waine through and he curled it into the far side of goal. Jet equalised again as we defended deep. Late Sutton run, lovely cross headed in by Ball |
| Sat |
Mar 12 |
away |
Brisbane Roar |
loss |
1 |
2 |
Hooper |
Started poorly, giving ball away. Bad defending saw Roar early headed goal. Nix came back into the game, but Rufer was assisted off with knee injury. Hooper on with 30 to go. Scores, getting a last touch from header tennis following a corner after Lewis had hit the post from free kick and Sotirio muffed the rebound. Roar came back straight after and scored another soft goal. Hooper put a great chance just wide late in the game after a good build up. Our unbeaten streak of 8 comes to an end. |
| Fri |
Mar 18 |
away |
Newcastle Jets |
loss |
0 |
4 |
|
Ball suspended, Old, Waine, Lewis and Sail on international duty, Rufer, Piscopo injured. Do we have a team?? Solid first half. Wootton a goal saving header, Paulsen sat on one shot to keep it out. Second half a couple of good chances then conceeded. Sotirio forced off hamstring. Debuts for Ott and Manuel. Hooper an amazing takedown over his shoulder and then set up for the ineffective Sandoval to shoot. |
| Sat |
Mar 26 |
away |
Perth Glory |
win |
2 |
1 |
Waine, N. Pennington |
Waine delightful stretching volley after Sandoval lob pass. Lewis carried off with badly hurt ankle. Pennington very late winner blasting in a loose ball following a corner. |
| Wed |
Mar 30 |
|
Brisbane Roar |
win |
3 |
0 |
O.g., Waine, B. Old |
Sail made 11 saves as Brisbane peppered us! Old nice stepping in box then blast past keeper. Sutton in centre midfield |
| Sat |
Apr 2 |
'home' |
Melbourne City |
loss |
0 |
6 |
|
Lots of players out injured: Laws, Sotirio, Hooper, Rufer, Lewis, Van Hattam. Payne late back from interational duty. Unlucky own goal off Finn Surman, played very well in first half. Old and McGarry very good. Second half ran out of legs as City brought on international class subs. |
| Tues |
Apr 5 |
away |
Central Coast Mrns |
loss |
0 |
5 |
|
Down to bare bones. McGarry now has covid. Fenton playing left back gave away 2 soft penalties. Sail made half a dozen top saves. Ball did well, but limped off. |
| Sat |
Apr 9 |
away |
Western United |
win |
4 |
1 |
Wootton, Sotirio (2), Sandoval (pen) |
Started defensively, playing on counter attack. Our first corner flicked on by Ball, tapped in by Wootton. Sotirio put through, blasted it home. Pennington fouled, Gael slotted the pen. 3 - 0 up halftime. WU got one back, then Piscopo dribble, found Sotirio who hit it on the turn to score. C. Elliot and F. Surman good in defence. Sail some good saves too. |
| Wed |
Apr 13 |
neutr |
Perth Glory |
win |
1 |
0 |
Sandoval |
Lots of possession, Perth sat back. Played 3 centre defenders again. Sandoval scored after half time, hitting in a deflected shot after a deflected Piscopo ball into the box. Sutton out with covid. McGarry some good runs. |
| Sun |
Apr 17 |
home! |
Central Coast Mrns |
loss |
0 |
4 |
|
In Wellington!! First proper home game for a year, over 18000 attended. Nix did well, controlling for 25 min. Ball had a good shot, saved, then Mariners counter attacked to lead 1 - 0 at half time. Second half same, a Ball header went wide, they counter attacked, another goal 3 min late and all over. A shame for the crowd, who had a good time in the sun anyway. Ball playing each game with pain killer injections. Waine a couple of late chances. |
| Sun |
Apr 24 |
home |
Westn Syd Wandrrs |
win |
1 |
0 |
Waine |
In Auckland, 15,000 attendance. Sotirio played as right wing-back. David Ball terrific. Played one-two with Sandoval then found Waine for tap in. Lots of players slipping over on the slick surface. Ugarkovich slipped when taking penalty for WSW after Pennington handball. Missed. WSW hit the bar twice and pressed all second half but couldn't score. Finn Surman great in defence, Pennington and Ball shone. WSW coach Mark Rudan bowed to the crowd after getting sent off late. |
| Fri |
Apr 29 |
away |
Melbourne Victory |
loss |
1 |
3 |
Sandoval (pen) |
Wet - surface water. Ball and Sotirio out injured. Victory quick break early goal. We had pen by Piscopo saved, then another after he was elbowed in the head. Sandoval took it. Sutton smacked a shot onto the post. 1 - 1 half time. Victory goal disallowed but penalty awarded for earlier handball. Rojas late header to seal it. Hooper got 20 min, first game for ages. Ben Old strong running. Piscopo did well too. |
| Thur |
May 5 |
away |
Westn Syd Wandrrs |
win |
2 |
1 |
S. Sutton, Piscopo |
Sutton smacked in a pass from the injection-laden Ball for first ever Nix goal. Almost had another, drilling a shot against the post, Waine (playing right wingback) turned in rebound but was judged off side. We sat back and defended rest of first half, conceding 75% possession. Hemed scored against us. More counter attacks in second half. Ball to Old, goal ruled out for very unlucky offside. Sail a couple of great saves as both sides went for it. Sandoval hit bar with a wicked free kick. Piscopo on break, cut inside and bent super shot inside far post. Hooper and Piscopo great time wasting for three minutes of the five added on. We're in the finals. |
| Mon |
May 9 |
away |
Melbourne City |
loss |
1 |
2 |
Waine |
Resting some key players, City need to win to take the title, Victory fans there cheering us so their team wins the title... Sutton own goal from a corner after 3 min, then another header from a corner after 10 min. Looks like heading for a hiding. Held out till half time. Lewis back from injury, Piscopo also subbed on half time, revert to 4-2-2-2. Much better. Hooper pass to Waine nice finish. Psicopo winning free kicks. Open game. Maclaren hit the post. |
| Sat |
May 14 |
away |
Western United |
loss |
0 |
1 |
|
Finals knock-out game 3rd v 6th (us). Western scored with a powerful shot at the far post. We pushed hard in second half. Piscopo hit the crossbar with a swirling shot. Finn Surman outstanding in defence. Sub James McGarry had a fine header brilliantly saved by keeper Jamie Young. End of the season. Last game for Hoops. Hopefully we will be back in Welly next season! |
