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Yep, back again. After dodging the Covid wave earlier this year, The Clean Sheet was finally struck down by the virus last week as a second wave sweeps New Zealand. Certainly it was a little rougher than the “mild head cold” several people on the twittersphere were quick to inform me I had. No doubt it will be running through the region’s football squads as well — stay safe, everyone.
A timely win over Coastal Spirit propelled Green Island out of the relegation scrap at the bottom of the table. It faces one of the toughest trips in the Southern League as it looks to back that up tomorrow, playing Cashmere Technical in Christchurch. Mosgiel has a crunch game, as it hosts Selwyn in a bottom-of-the-table clash at Memorial Park at 12.30pm tomorrow. Later in the afternoon, the Dunedin City Royals host Nelson Suburbs at Logan Park Turf, in a rematch of their Chatham Cup match two weeks ago, at 3pm.
It is fantastic to see the inception of the Women’s South Island Championship, which began last weekend. The series pits the top two Southern teams — the Royals and Roslyn-Wakari — against Mainland’s two top finishers, Cashmere Technical and Coastal Spirit. That should give the Royals some much-needed higher-level competition — their record in all competitions this year is 98 goals scored and three conceded. They were pushed, but ultimately beat Roslyn 2-1, last weekend. Cashmere Tech looms for the Royals at Logan Park Turf at noon on Sunday, while Roslyn will face Coastal Spirit straight after in a double-header.
We have crossed the one-year mark until the Women’s World Cup. Perhaps that still feels a wee way off, but when the countdown becomes months and weeks, rather than years, the excitement levels certainly begin to perk up.
jeff.cheshire@odt.co.nz
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