HEAD FIRST: Anthony Amer and Phillip Pratt go for the ball. 260915WCSMFOOTBALL3
TWO fantastic Saturday matches capped off a wonderful season of local football. The Athletic Weekenders claimed the Charity Bowl with an upset 2-1 victory over the City Thirsties, while Castlecliff St Anthony's bested the City Hammers in their Charity Plate final with a hard-fought 3-2 win.
The Weekenders may have been pegged as the underdogs in the Charity Bowl final at Wembley Park, but it was clear they weren't going to let that hamper them as they took the game to the Division 2 champions from the first whistle.
The Weekenders opened the scoring, with cries of jubilation ringing out from the strong supporter base on the sidelines.
It wasn't long until the Thirsties found their stride though, but it was clear they were severely missing some of the pace and ruthlessness in the attacking third that had them rise to the top of the second division this season.
The scoreline could well have blown out to a larger one quickly had it not been for a superb effort between the sticks for Thirsties keeper David Purvis, showing what it means to put your body on the line for the team, blocking several goal-bound shots.
The Thirsties themselves soon burst back into the match, claiming a goal, only to have the Weekenders grab back a vital goal to keep their noses ahead.
As the game wore on, it appeared the Weekenders were controlling the play, with the likes of Ross Kinnerley forcing the Thirsties defence into overdrive to keep the game within their reach. The Thirsties seemed to run out of ideas as they pushed towards goal in an effort to force extra time, but to no avail.
The win for the Athletic Weekenders was well-earned, and gave the club their only silverware for the season, to the delight of the team and club members who turned up to show their support.
With the Bowl final settled, a large crowd gathered around the embankments and in the grandstand overlooking the main ground at Wembley for the Plate final between Castlecliff St Anthony's and the City Hammers.
The game was always going to be a close one, with both sides boasting potent attacking pairings which have troubled opposition defences in the closing rounds, while having strong defensive lines.
It was St Anthony's who struck first, with the Rev Fr Louis Bocholtz swooping in and clinically getting himself an early brace to put the Hammers under pressure if they were to climb back into the game.
And it was not long until Hammers did. It was a fairly innocuous strike fumbled through the legs of a Saints defender that took a deflection along the way before trickling past the keeper, to bring the game to 2-1.
The goal seemed to lift City, as they continued to press, but it was the seaside Saints who pushed the scoreline back out again, giving the Hammers a big job to do with the final whistle closing in.
As time wound down and pressure mounted on the Hammers, it was Jake Lockett who stepped up to be the provider for the City team yet again, and found the back of the net after utilising his pace to beat the defender and send the ball sailing into the goal.
But the late effort was not enough, with the final whistle sounding and the large supporter base for the St Anthony's parish team erupting with jubilation as the side claimed their second title for the season - marking their place as one of the dominant teams in the local competition.
The two close-fought matches brought to an end what has been a successful and enjoyable season for Wanganui football at all levels of the game.
While our premier sides were not able to claim any titles in their respective divisions, it was great to be able to see how the youthful products of our region are growing, supported by a core group of club stalwarts and senior experience.
With junior and youth football being a passion of mine, it's still a firmly held desire to see our region leave behind its club rivalries from local football, and present a unified front when we take our teams out of town.
The pathways exist for our youth to continue growing in the game locally, in the men's and women's versions of the game.
Yet the dilution of talent being split between clubs often leaves me wondering what could be; if our region could unify for competitions outside of our region and give our young players a higher goal to aim for - a chance to represent our region and do us all proud.