Knox Power play valiantly against Gideon's in dramatic Cup Match

Knox Power played hard and won many friends in a classic match against Gideon's Warriors. Our team surprised them as they expected an easy match but couldn't break the deadlock against us. The whole team put in a lot of effort to win the match. Chances for both teams were there to be taken. Daniel Watson saved a penalty after Tyson Busch decided to risk a challenge in the box. Robbie Wibberly put in a good challenge to head clear a ball off the goal line from a corner. Sabi Kooner, James Hamiliton and the hard working Shehan Silva also had chances at their end but neither could break through until the 89th minute when penalty shoot out looked likely. A blocked save fell nicely for a Gideon's player to toe poke the ball into the net. We were disappointed but Mark Watson and our supporters cheered us on and encouraged us to take this performance into the rest of the season to get Knox Power out of relegation.

4-1 Loss to Eastern

Eastern United 4-1 Loss at Milpera
We played our first game of the season at Milpera. Hosting the young players of Eastern Utd we lost 4-1. The first half was very competitive with both of us scoring a goal each. Arun Batra stunned the Eastern crowd with a curved strike from outside the box which left the goal keeper stranded. Unfortunately after the break we lost our way and were unable to create any more chances as Eastern continued to profit from their forays into our half.

Monash CRC 4-1 Loss at Milpera
Back at Milpera we played Monash CRC and went down early with 2 goals before Sabi Kooner was able to pull one back. Unfortunately we let this one get away from us and again went down 4-1. We now look to put the league defeats behind us and focus for the Cup Match this weekend against Gideons.

A solid effort but fell short

After the euphoria of the Cup round we were brought back down to earth with a thump. Berwick had the measure of us during the game and won 4-2. They had key players that we had struggled to contain and whilst we were competitive during the whole match they were able to get the edge on us. Notable events were Aaron Lewis cross (shot) that went in to level the scores before half time and Robbie Wibberly's continual efforts at goal with a deflected shot pounced upon by Ian Vincent. Overall the team is continually improving and that we are growing in confidence with each other and it is showing with our passing play.

Breakthrough! Knox Power 1-0 progress in the President's Cup.

It was special that Knox Power achieved their first win and an important one in the first round of the President's Cup. Drawing against Lilydale in the fixture meant we had a solid chance of being competitive as the past few games had shown improvements within the team.

The match winning goal came early from an excellent weighted pass from Sabi Kooner to James Hamilton. He took possession of it midfield and was under pressure from the last defender. He wasn't fouled but if so a red would certainly been issued and this allowed James to slot the ball past the keeper.

From then on it was a game that was controlled by the midfield, each battling to win possession and press the advantage. As time drew to a close Lilydale mounted more pressure with attacking plays. But our defense worked so well with the midfield that each attack was broken down and allowed goal keeper Danny Wilson his first clean sheet of the campaign.

The supporters and players were so happy at the result that had been achieved from all the hard work shown at training. We now look forward to playing the next opponent in the semi-final home and away tie.

A glimpse of future potential?

The first half was a disaster. Whitehorse FC out played us from the start and they were rewarded by scoring 5 goals. We were all over the place with losing possession too easily and allowing Whitehorse to continually attack our goal end. Everyone was looking forward to half time to have a break from the seemingly endless goal assault. 

At half time, everyone knew what they had to do to improve and went into the second half determined to show our supporters and most importantly ourselves that we were better footballers if we really concentrated on our first touch and passing.

Slowly we started to gain confidence with each other, passing, supporting and sharing the ball around the team. Creating good build up play and were eventually rewarded with a goal that Sabi Kooner was able to finish. Finally we had broken through and scored an important goal for team morale. With renewed confidence that a goal brings. Harj Sohal intelligently placed a long pass into Sabi's path and he broke the offside trap with only the keeper to beat. The inexperienced keeper brought down Sabi and was sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Sabi calmly took the penalty that he had won and slotted it past the replacement keeper. We showed Whitehorse FC that Knox Power won't be the same team next time we meet, we will be competitive and the second half of the season will be our resurrection.

Danny's tough day at the office

7-0 against 10 men Panthers. A below average performance from us with a battered and bruised Danny being the busiest of us all.

This loss was the tipping point for me. The team needs new players and a new outlook. Time to look at rebuilding from the back.

Master Tactician

I feel I am getting closer to cracking the Knox Power team code. I am aiming for stability and consistency from now on with my team selections, these two components have been missing from the team so far due to player availability, fitness and playing time.

I really like designing systems to assist me organise the team. They provide structure and routine that brings confidence to the players. There is nothing worse than feeling flustered and pressured in match conditions. I prefer to have everything prepared beforehand as I don't have much assistance on games days and therefore I know I can make a better decision.

The area that works the hardest each game is the midfield and I have designed a pairing system that matches two players to the formation. During the game two players will partner up in left and right configurations and will take up positions vacated by the previous players when substitutions are made.

My substitution system is based on 22.5min blocks. That way players are allotted an even amount of playing time as our league has a interchange system.

After several weeks and losses, I've decided to start using the traditional 442 formation. I've been trying to avoid using it but in the end I think the players aren't up to the other formations at this stage. So 442 is my baseline and will continue to use this for the remainder of the season.

2-0 loss at Lilydale's farm

Lilydale's ground was more a paddock than a pitch. We were waiting for the cows and sheep to wander through. Jokes were made about whether Seb Braeckevelt was going to be the first of us to get muddy as this was prime slide tackling conditions.

We started well creating some good chances with Andrew Merrall having a powerful shot miss slightly wide of the post. But Lilydale was able to turn the pressure against us and score 2 goals.

At half time, we knew we could get back into the game. The team worked the ball into a great scoring position with a flicked header onto Adam Deveson who coolly went around the goal keeper and finished with a clinical shot.

The opponent's claimed for offside and though the Lilydale linesman had kept the flag down and the referee allowed play to continue. He consulted with the linesman and deemed the goal offside.

We respected the referees decision, even though we felt robbed of an important goal. This event combined with 30 minutes of heavy rain really took the toll on our enthusiasm for this match.

Lilydale controlled the possession and the game became Lilydale's shooting practise. Fromt this moment on Danny Watson became our man of the match. He valiantly made Lilydale work hard in the second half to by making over fifteen saves and winning the muddiest player award from Seb.

It was a game where our passes were poor or players lost the ball. It really showed that we have a lot of hard work still to do to win our first match.

Encouraging improvements despite the scoreline

Our 5-0 loss to Gideons FC doesn't show the effort and enthusiasm that Knox Power had shown during the match. The team continued to be competitive at every stage of the match despite injuries occuring in the second half.

The backline partnership of Tyson Busch and Michael Dunlop anchored by Andrew Merrall was working well and by half time we had only conceded once. Danny Watson returning to goal was impressed with the performance and covering support.

Everyone was uplifted at half time with our best first half performance of the season so far. What was to follow was unfortunate as we suffered with injuries which changed the flow of possession and advantage towards our opponents. We were unable to continue the pressure of the first half and Gideons FC were able to press and break us down over the remaining 45 minutes.

The team showed good spirit throughout the match and it is a credit to them to keep believing despite the results each week. It is character building to suffer losses each week, but the players have been brilliant, giving it their all and not complaining or moaning whilst we aim to understand each others playing style within the squad. 

Thanks to our supporters that come to watch each week, one day soon they will be able to share in the enjoyment of our first league win.

Trying to break through: Glen Eira 4 - Knox 1

Glen Eira had beaten Lilydale 9-2 in Round 1 and I was determined that we would not collapse that easily.

The lessons learnt from Rounds 1 & 2 were applied to changing the formation, from 4-3-2-1 to a 3-5-2 which offered a strong defensive protection and creative attacking options.

The match started well, we had contained them and had not conceded for the first 25mins and were pressing and coming close to getting a goal but it broke down in the final 3rd and unfortunately Glen Eira were able to turn the neutral situation to their advantage and take a 2-0 lead by half time.

After the break with time to reflect on our situation and make player changes, the focus was starting strong and making a positive attacking impact. With that mindset and great passing play, James Backhouse netted a goal and we showed our opposition that we are more than a capable football team.

We continued to attack but Glen Eira was able to absorb all the pressure the team placed on them and countered on the breaks with another 2 goals effectively sealing the match for them.

Michael Dunlop deserves credit for his performance in goals as our reserve keeper. He has responded well to all that I have asked of him this season.

Each week brings new challenges and I feel that we are close to claiming our first win which will improve our confidence and set us up for the rest of the season.

Hard lessons learnt from the 4-0 loss.

Knox Power faced Monash Fiedels at home and were unable to answer their 4 goal haul.

We had trained and prepared well during the week working on our defence using pressure, cover and depth to support each other but when it came to match day we had to learn some hard lessons. 

I had watched our opponents the week before and taken notes on areas that we might be able to focus our attacks and taken my usual formation of 4-2-3-1. Unfortunately, this didn't happen as they had a completely revamped their entire midfield with experienced Scottish players.

Our defence tried holding a high line with Andrew Merrall as a holding midfielder but they used long ball tactics and bypassed him and midfield completely.

At half time I changed formation (4-3-3) to deal with our opponents key players with James Backhouse becoming a defensive midfielder tracking, frustrating and lessening the impact of their attacks. The defence worked together to defend deeper and not leave Danny Watson exposed.

The team instantly became a stronger unit but we were still constantly under pressure. Danny Watson produced great saves in the second half, my preference is that each game he has a quiet one, but when called to action he was there blocking most of their shots.  We did have to camp in our half with the chance of a counter attack the only option to break out.

They were only able to get only one goal from the second half, so we are always learning to adapt to our opponents, but the damage is done by half time so for future games I am changing the formation in an effort to reduce conceding so many goals.

My expectation every week is to have clean sheets and this is not the responsibility of just the defence but from the attack and midfield as well.

I can't fault the effort of the team, the longer we train and play together the results will surely come.

Positives to build from a poor start

A 5-2 loss to Monash CRC on the opening day of the season may look like we were beaten in all areas of the park. But this was far from the case.

Yes, we conceded a few silly goals that should have been stopped from further up the pitch but as the game progressed we started to improve. For a team that has been together 3 weeks and under new management, we were far from disgraced.

The team was under pressure from the start with incorrect details on the venue. As much as we tried to ignore it, we didn't have enough time for a proper warm up or for me to give better team instructions. The referee who also travelled to the wrong location shortened the game to 40 minute halves. I feel that this affected our game mindset.

To score any goals whilst on the back foot is a great achievement. Ryan Dukes' lofted strike from outside the box caught the Monash defence out, with the keeper was rooted to the spot as the ball slotted above his head just under crossbar.

The service given to James Hamilton improved as the game went on and just after half time, his hard work against the Monash defence was rewarded with a low strike as it beat several defenders with his determination and great footwork.

Of special mention, Alistair Hutton has been improving each week in the right wing-back role and through the second half was the creator of some great play. His positioning and awareness from receiving the ball from goalkeeper Daniel Watson is helping our team play out of defence.

On the other side of the pitch Tyson Busch, Arun Batra, Adam Deveson and Tim Lai all combined well with triangle passing play that got the ball into the opponents final third many times.

Areas that need improvement are our first touch, making good passing decisions and defending. So whilst I am disappointed that we were beaten, the foundations of a great team have been set.

Can I be a Football Genius?

Am I able to transition from football (soccer) player to player team manager? Not only do I look after my own actions on a pitch but also have to be aware of 10 others on the pitch and those on the bench.

The success rate hasn't been great in teams organised like this. Will I be able to change this? I hope so. Last year we had a player manager leave mid season and we were relegated.

So why have I decided to take on the seemingly unsuccessful and unrewarding role? Belief and self determination that I can turn it around, become the exception and build a team that can play competitive football.

I've played in teams since I was 10, now 37, I am looking to forward to taking on the new challenge of football management and unlike the the English Premier League Managers, I'm fairly certain I can hold onto my position for the whole season.