Football: Caversham set to continue in attacking vein

Steve Fleming
Steve Fleming
It knows how to score goals. That has been the secret of Caversham's success in the Chatham Cup this winter.

Coach Steve Fleming's team is expected to continue this attacking style against Ferrymead Bays in the quarterfinals in Christchurch tomorrow.

Caversham has scored 21 goals in three cup ties this season but will face a tougher challenge in Christchurch.

Caversham has used its attacking flare to beat Dunedin Technical 5-1, Mosgiel 8-0 and Roslyn-Wakari 8-2.

Fleming has assembled an exciting young side that combines pace with flair and knows how to hit the net at the business end.

He expects a harder match against Ferrymead which won the Canterbury final when it beat Christchurch Technical 4-3.

This was a significant win because the Christchurch Technical side is the Canterbury United national league team in different colours.

"Ferrymead will not be so easy to break down as the Dunedin teams we have played," Fleming said.

Fleming knows how important it is to keep Dunedin teams prominent in national games because the New Zealand selectors take notice of the results.

"We have got to keep putting Dunedin teams in the limelight so that the national selectors recognise the talent we have in Dunedin," he said.

In recent cup campaigns, Caversham has progressed consistently and last year's 4-3 quarterfinal loss to Three Kings was in extra time in a game that could have gone either way.

Caversham has made two semifinal appearances against Western Suburbs, in 2006 and 2007, and only the lack of tough opposition in southern domestic football stopped it progressing to the final.

A feature of the Caversham display this winter has been its slick passing, genuine pace in attack and the confident commitment of numbers forward.

While Caversham's big strength is its ability to score goals, Fleming said there were "no standout shooters".

"The scoring has been well spread.

It is not just the 11 players on the paddock who are doing the job for us but the 16 members of the squad.

Everyone is kept on their toes."

Key players in the Caversham team are striker Tom Jackson and midfielders Patrick Fleming and Seamus Ryder who are showing the benefits of their time in the United States on sports scholarships.

It has brought back defender Taylor Powers who is a United States citizen attending university in America.

Patrick Fleming has displayed the benefits of his time abroad with his excellent technique, pace and finishing power.

He has the knack of finding space, and making telling passes.

Jackson runs intelligent angles and, as gaps open up, Blair Duncan, and Darren Overton slide through from midfield, and Tim Horner and Jeremy Wild alternate with long-range booming passes.

Ferrymead is an amalgamation of several small clubs and is based at Sumner.

Due to persistent rain in Canterbury that has water-logged Ferrymead's home ground the game may be shifted to New Brighton.

 

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