FERNWOOD VIPERS 2010 - WEEKLY UPDATES ARCHIVE
 I would like to give a final HUGE ACCOLADE to every Vipers player on your onfield efforts this year - the Vipers kept an absolutely CLEAN SLATE and did not have a single player cautioned for the entire 2010 WPL season!!! To compete at this level without getting even one yellow or red card for the whole season is BRILLIANT and a great credit to all of you as players - you should be VERY PROUD of this extraordinary effort!
BREAKING NEWS!!! Knowing how CONNECTED you all are these days, you have probably all already heard, but if not... Sarah (Richo, alias Duracell) last night won the FFV WOMENS PREMIER LEAGUE 2010 season BEST & FAIREST Gold Medal Award for the Vipers!!! To our very happy surprise, she won by no less than 5 clear votes, polling 21 votes from our 16 matches. While both Sarah and I both agree that individual awards are not really appropriate in a team sport like football, it is still great to see all the years of effort and sacrifice that we have ALL put in to make the Vipers a success finally achieve such a high profile recognition. A HUGE THANX to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has been part of the Vipers over this last 6 years - this could not have happened without you all!!! A special thank you to Maika - the best player I have coached, and a FANTASTIC role-model for every Vipers player. GO VIPERS!!!! Here are some photos from the Gold Medal Night, and also a few more from our Vipers Break-up.
With a number of players missing because of illness and injury, the Vipers were down to a squad of just 17 players for the final round of the 2010 WPL season. Six first team players rotated off the interchange, and Ilona J pulled on the keepers top, to ensure the reserves were able to field a team for this final match. All players rose to the occasion, with Vipers debutante Bianca T shining on the left wing, while Myrid and Emily each capped off welcome returns in midfield with a goal apiece in a satisfying 2-0 win. Unfortunately the Vipers firsts were not able to duplicate this performance, struggling to contain the home side early, whose home ground advantage on the uneven pitch was reflected in two quick goals. While Altona certainly enjoyed the luck of the bounce of the ball throughout the game, their more determined attack on the ball rattled some of the young Vipers players, and they capitalised on a lucky deflection with a 3rd goal before half-time. The Vipers to their great credit really fought back in the 2nd half, with Maika R-H's header off the far-post from a Paige C corner bringing them back into the game. Despite a series of terrific scoring chances, the bobble of the ball and a couple of lucky deflections went the way of the home side, and the game finished with a 3-1 win to Altona.
These results saw both Vipers sides finish the season in 7th place, a fantastic effort considering the difficulties faced by this youthful, travelling Vipers squad. Thanks to the terrific band of loyal supporters we have had throughout this year, and especially to Vik and Feri for their huge contributions. These were my last matches as Vipers coach - after 4 seasons I feel it is time for change, so the players get the chance to broaden their development via exposure to new coaching ideas and directions. A sincere thank you to each and every one of you for the honour and joy I have had experienced in watching you grow as players and people over these wonderful years I have had with the Vipers. I will NEVER forget you all! Although a lack of available players forced the Vipers to forfeit the reserves match, it did mean that we had a totally fresh team for the important away clash against Casey Comets today. A small but very vocal Vipers cheer squad were on hand to encourage the players after the long trip down to Cranbourne, at a typically blustery venue and on a rough pitch on which the Vipers have traditionally struggled to produce anything like their best form. For a pleasant change the sun was out and the breeze was quite light, and the Vipers firsts quickly settled into some quality possession play. Midway through an even first half, a pin-point reverse pass from Paige split the Casey defence and found Catey W-O whose cool far-post finish gave the Vipers a 1-0 lead which they held till half-time. But the Vipers stepped up an extra gear in the second half, dominating all over the field, and Maika R-H's emphatic finish after Sarah R back-headed Paige's corner-kick doubled the Vipers' lead. The pressure on the Casey defence continued to mount and when Sarah R got free in wide left midfield, she spotted Catey's great overlap run on the right finding her with a fabulous diagonal switch-ball. Catey again showed composure and skill to score her second, giving the Vipers an unassailable 3-0 lead. This terrific win and brilliant Vipers team performance takes the Vipers up to 5th position on the WPL ladder, and gives us the chance of finishing the 2010 WPL season in our highest ever position... CONGRATULATIONS on a GREAT EFFORT!!!
The Vipers have a BYE next weekend so the following weekend's Round 18 will be the Vipers' last matches in this year's WPL competition. It is also possible, if the FFV proposal for a new Combined Country Zone Rep team in the WPL goes ahead next year, that R18 could be the LAST VIPERS GAMES EVER!! So it would be great to have every VIPERS player involved in our R18 games on Sun 22nd Aug (11am reserves, 1pm firsts) vs Altona City at HC Kim Reserve in Millers Rd., Altona (Melways 54, K9). For prospective line-ups click here. The Vipers have only two remaining games (both away fixtures) in this year's WPL competition, and it would be nice to finish off with two full line-ups. The last few weekends have been a bit of a struggle numbers-wise, and we only had 6 reserves players in the match today against Preston (we managed a very creditable 1-1 draw despite having only 9 players on the field - the 3 extras all started in the firsts as well). The firsts had a great 4-1 win too! These next 2 weekends may be the last ever for the Vipers, and they will definitely be my last games as Vipers coach (after many challenging, but very enjoyable and rewarding seasons). I know Cranbourne is the longest away trip for the season, but can every player PLEASE chase your team-mates who have been missing over the last week or two and see if you can get them to help us finish off the WPL season with a BANG over these last two rounds?
R16 - Sun 8th Aug (11am reserves, 1pm firsts) vs Casey Comets at Casey Stadium in O'Toole's Rd, Cranbourne (Melways 133, G6) R17 - BYE R18 - Sun 22nd Aug (11am reserves, 1pm firsts) vs Altona City at HC Kim Reserve in Millers Rd., Altona (Melways 54, K9). Please ring, email or sms Feri (54752777, 0419-312349, ferij49@bigpond.com) or myself AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to confirm your availability for the above two rounds. Although both Vipers supporters and players were in unusually short supply, both the Vipers reserves and firsts teams put on great team displays against Preston at BT Connor Reserve today. While the pitch surface was quite rough and dry, the weather was good and both games were played in an excellent spirit. Although only 6 reserves team players were available, 9 of the firsts team rotated through 3 onfield positions to allow the Vipers reserves to play 9 v Preston's 11. Against these odds, the Vipers reserves had their best game for some weeks, Maika putting them 1-0 up before half-time and Preston equalising midway through the 2nd half. The Vipers firsts were not surprisingly well warmed up for the main game, and settled quickly into their stride, putting the Preston defence under sustained pressure. After a few close chances, Paige C's accurate pass found Ilona J who side-stepped the keeper and put the Vipers 1-0 up in the 14th minute. Despite near misses from Jacinta and Catey, the score was unchanged at half-time, but goals to Jackie P (her first in the WPL) and Sarah R in the first 4 minutes of the second half increased the Vipers lead to 3-0. After Catey finished off a great passing move with the Vipers 4th goal (in the 60th minute) a defensive slip gifted Preston a consolation goal in the 79th minute. A well-deserved 4-1 win with Vipers passing and team play back to its very best at times. For photos from the matches, click here.
Another great crowd were there to support the Vipers in their final home matches at Epsom-Huntly for this season. Although both teams produced plenty of excellent and entertaining football in their defensive and build-up play, the Vipers lack of a killer finish in front of goals cost both the reserves and firsts sides. While the visitors capitalised on their relatively few chances during the two matches, the Vipers were unable to do the same, probably reflecting the pressure that playing at this level places on such a young and relatively inexperienced squad. Neither Vipers side got much encouragement from a couple of forgettable refereeing displays, the lack of consistency and failure to penalise repeated tackles from behind and illegal contact only adding to the advantage of older and physically stronger opposition players. With the loss this weekend ending the Vipers chances of finals this year, here's hoping we can consolidate the undoubted individual and team development this year with some strong efforts over the remaining 3 rounds. For photos from the matches, click here. This Sat 31st July we play Preston at BT Connor Reserve (Broadhurst Ave, Reservoir - Melways 18, B2) with 11am and 1pm kick-offs. For provisional team selection details, please click here.
There was a terrific crowd on hand to support the Vipers in their match against Ashburton at Vibert Reserve in Shepparton. No less than seven new Shepparton-based players made their debut in a promising Vipers team performance against the leading WPL reserves side. The match was much closer than the final scoreline suggests, with the Vipers creating many good attacks, and the visitors' score boosted by one unlucky Vipers own-goal. All the new Shepp players contributed, with Anika and Zoe especially the stand-outs. Unfortunately the Vipers firsts conceded a soft early goal, and two further Ashburton goals also from Vipers errors put the visitors 3-0 up before half-time. But the trademark Vipers team spirit kicked in and were unlucky not to get 1 goal back when a shot from Michelle D was just deflected by the Ashburton GK onto the cross-bar. In the second half, the Vipers really fought their way back into the game, and after failing to finish off several great attacks, a goal to Catey raised the pressure on the visitors. Sarah R had a late chance to score a second but only hit the side netting and the game ended with a 3-1 loss. While the young Vipers squad struggled at times to cope with the physical advantage of the Ashburton squad, once again the team refused to give up and fought the game out to the final seconds. For photos from the matches, click here. This coming weekend is our last home fixture, on Sat 27th July at Epsom-Huntly Recreation Reserve (353 Midland Highway, Huntly, between Carson & Sargent Roads, Melways 509 E2 & VicRoads 604 2E) with 1pm and 3pm kick-offs.
The blustery conditions at the uneven Wembley Park pitch made things tough for the Vipers in their away matches against Box Hill on Saturday. Although the reserves put together some good bits of play, with some attractive football and passing sequences, the inability to sustain the level of effort and competitive intensity that WPL football demands saw the home side win comfortably 6-0. The Box Hill senior team put lots of pressure on the young Vipers players, obviously fired up to avoid a repeat of the draw earlier this season. After the Vipers stunned the home side with a brilliant breakaway solo goal from Ilona J, the home side responded with three goals in quick succession. The Vipers fought back with a second goal before half-time, when Sarah R volleyed in an accurate, low driven cross from Catey W-O on the right. The Vipers lifted in the second half, and though Box Hill captain missed a thoroughly undeserved penalty kick, the Vipers created several good attacking moments of their own, including a late chance to sub Tegan M. Against a Box Hill side loaded with NTC and W-League players, the Vipers deserve great credit for the quality of team-play they displayed right to the final whistle. For photos from the matches, click here. Next weekend's game is at Vibert Reserve in Archer St, Shepparton, with 1pm and 3pm kick-offs.
Although the Vipers first team starting line-up was unchanged, a number of Vipers squad members were again unavailable for this away fixture forcing several players to make up the numbers in the Vipers reserves team yet again. Although the pitch surface at South Melbourne's McIvor Reserve was poor, the hosts and home crowd were otherwise very hospitable and the atmosphere for both matches was excellent, both on and off the pitch. Although there were some good passages of play, the Vipers reserves team's performance again lacked intensity and dropped off in the second half, eventually losing 3-0 to the home side. In contrast the Vipers firsts had a terrific and see-sawing encounter with a resurgent South Melbourne side. Paige C's deflected free-kick gave the Vipers a 1-0 lead at half-time, but the home side equalised during a strong period early in the second half. To their credit, the Vipers began to adjust to the difficult pitch conditions later in the game and had the best chances in the final 15 minutes. In the end a 1-1 draw was a fair result for both sides. For more details of both matches, click the following links for photos and match reports.
The Vipers firsts team performance last weekend was again some of the best football we have played, so here's hoping that both our teams can produce their best when we meet South Melbourne away, at McIvor Reserve, Fogarty Avenue, Spotswood (Melways 41, G10) this Sunday. South Melbourne have been on a real winning streak since we last played them so we will need to be at our best.
Several players returned after very positive experiences at the Country C’ships last weekend, meaning that the Vipers had an almost full squad of players from which to field two fresh starting line-ups in both the firsts and reserves this weekend. With Sandringham sitting third on the ladder in both competitions, the Vipers were guaranteed a competitive challenge in both games, and a good crowd of supporters of both clubs were on hand in the pleasant winter warmth to cheer the sides on. After a good first half performance, our youngest ever Vipers reserves team dropped off in the second half, losing 4-0 to Sandringham. The Vipers firsts, however, put on a top-notch performance over the full 90 minutes to win 3-0 in a terrific team effort. For more details of both matches, click the following links for photos and match reports.
With quite a number of players unavailable due to their involvement in the Country C'ships in Albury-Wodonga over the long weekend, the Vipers squad was seriously diminished for the catch-up Round 5 fixture against Heidelberg Utd. With only 16 players all up, the Vipers reserves game unfortunately had to be forfeited, but this also gave a couple of players the chance to enjoy their first start in the senior team. After a good first half performance, our youngest ever Vipers first team struggled to maintain the standard in the second half and ultimately went down to Heidelberg 5-0. There were still many promising signs for the future, a point generously acknowledged after the match by the Heidelberg captain. Click the following link for the match report.
The Vipers returned to Moama for their WPL Round 9 matches against WPL newcomer Altona City. With the Vipers looking to maintain the rising quality of team play they have been putting on the park this season, Altona have also been surprising all the teams who have met them. In the end, it was all level at the end of both the reserves (2-2) and firsts (1-1) games in what were very close contests. For more details of both matches, click the following links for photos and match reports.
After the bruising battle with Casey last weekend, I hope we can all look forward to a more civilised couple of games this saturday against WPL newcomers, Altona City. While the ref and the unsporting opposition made it almost impossible for our reserves team to play decent football, I was absolutely delighted with the Vipers firsts team performance last weekend, as I felt we played some of the best female football I have seen from anyone! Here's hoping that both our teams can give our fans plenty to cheer about at the Moama Rec Reserve off Perricoota Road this Saturday. Altona have given some of the top sides a fair run and should not be underestimated.
The Vipers returned to Epsom-Huntly after a week’s break due to their bye in WPL Round 7, keen to continue the trend of improving team performance levels so far this season. Although the synthetic surface coped with the very wet conditions much better than a typical grass pitch, the weather probably suited the visiting Casey Comets side, who tend to be another of the more physical WPL teams. While the reserves numbers were again boosted by the welcome addition of two new Bendigo-based players, illness forced the omission of Jacinta D from the firsts team line-up, in addition to the three injured players, Alex C, Emily L and Rachael C. Unfortunately, Rachael, who suffered a serious aggravation of her previous knee injury playing for Benalla a few weeks back, looks like she will require surgical reconstruction and so we all send her our sympathy and support for a full recovery in due course. For more details of the the Vipers firsts and reserves matches, click the following links for photos and match reports from these games.
PLEASE NOTE... next weekend, the Vipers have a bye for WPL Round 7, so we can all have a week with no travel to worry about. Our next matches are the following weekend, WPL Round 8, when we have 'home' matches against Casey Comets, on Sat 29th May, 2010, once again at Epsom-Huntly Recreation Reserve. The kick-off times are 1pm (reserves) and 3pm (firsts) as usual, so can ALL players (firsts and reserves) PLEASE be at the ground by 11:30am so we can really give both these two matches our very best. The reserves are currently sitting third on the ladder, and the firsts 5th, with our postponed R5 matches against Heidelberg yet to be played. Let's try and keep this terrific start to the 2010 season going... GO VIPERS!!
After a week’s break due to the postponement of our WPL R5 matches against Heidelberg (till Sun 13Jun’10) because a number of Vipers players were in an FFV State U17 Girls squad camp last weekend, the Vipers returned to Epsom-Huntly to battle the typically combative Preston Lions. Although the round was originally fixtured to be played at Churchill Reserve in Benalla, an administrative mix-up that resulted in that ground not being booked forced the last minute transfer to Epsom-Huntly. While a couple of regular Vipers were unfortunately unable to play as a result, the change did provide some help with a couple of new Bendigo-based players boosting our reserves team numbers, and the welcome return of Maika to the firsts. For more details of the excellent 2-1 reserves win and even better 3-0 win to the Vipers firsts, click the following links for photos and match reports from these games.
We knocked them out of WPL finals last season, and Ashburton got their revenge on sunday. Although the scores sound one-sided, there were many good aspects in both games - we had lots of possession and at times used the ball well with lots of skill and teamwork. While we were both outnumbered and outmuscled, both of these issues can be sorted - with such a young Vipers squad, you will only keep on improving and getting stronger (while most of the Ashburton players have already reached their peak). But we obviously need a bigger squad (in numbers) so can I ask every player to try and recruit a friend to join the Vipers 2010 squad - before the end of this week.
Please also remember, our opposition on the weekend were an experienced, mature squad with a substantial home advantage (their ground, squad size and player age/strength) but they still did not have it all their own way. We all (coach and players) may have more to learn (and positives to keep in mind) in losses like these than in games we win - there is much more to a game than just the the scores - see what YOU can learn from the game, and we all gain next time we get together. Click the following links for photos and match reports from these games. Although not quite as polished as last weekend, the Vipers have pulled off a great double with wins in both the reserves and firsts over WPL visitors South Melbourne. The Vipers Reserves got the day off to a good start with a convincing 3-1 win in the early 11am kickoff game. First half goals to Paige C (a freekick) and Sarah R (breakaway) were followed up by a terrific 2nd half shot from Jackii L. Although the Vipers firsts team dominated possession in the 1pm game, and gave the South Melbourne team (including ex-Vipers, Cricket and Sophie) very few glimpses of goal, the match was ultimately decided by a single goal - a cracking 30m free-kick into the top corner from Sarah R before half-time. Photos and match reports from these games are also available on our reports page via the link below. These results should see the Vipers firsts and reserves both in 5th places on their respective ladders, a great effort at this early stage of the 2010 WPL season. A special thank you to all who helped with the fund-raising efforts throughout the Anzac Day gala at the Tom Flood Reserve today.
I hope everyone is as excited as I am at the prospect of continuing our promising start to the season with another small step up in this sunday's Anzac Day WPL Round 3 games at the Tom Flood Reserve in Bendigo. Although the visiting team, South Melbourne, may not have had the best of starts so far, they have played tough opposition and should not be underestimated (especially since they have 2 ex-Vipers, Cricket and Sophie, helping them out). Strong team performances on sunday would give both the Vipers firsts and reserves the chance to step up their respective ladders, and really give our fantastic home supporters something to cheer about! We are also involved in a big fund-raising effort as part of the Vic Premier League gala, so please be there early and bring along any spare family members to help make it a successful day on and off the park.
What a brilliant effort from every Vipers player against the league heavy-weights Box Hill at Epsom in their WPL R2 matches yesterday! The Vipers reserves displayed their most creative, entertaining and skilful individual and team football to date, scoring a well-deserved 2-1 win, while the Vipers firsts, also cheered on by a vocal crowd of home supporters, dominated the last 20 minutes of their tight match which ended with a confidence-building 0-0 draw. Two very impressive performances in the first two rounds of the 2010 WPL season are testimony to the quality and potential of this great young squad of country players. Well done all!!!
Well done to everyone for the terrific first-up performances in our WPL Round 1 matches on Sunday at Darebin against Sandringham. We've received some very positive comments from a few neutral observors on the creative and entertaining quality of play from both Vipers teams - an excellent start to the season, but one we must all strive to improve upon week by week. Our R2 matches this coming Saturday are our first home games for the year, with an exciting chance to rise to the challenge and once again give WPL heavyweights Box Hill a really competitive encounter. We ran them VERY close both times last season - let's go one better on Saturday.
For all prospective Vipers players for the coming 2010 season, our first training session is from 10:30am till 3:30pm this sunday 28th Feb'10 at the Moama Recreation Reserve, off Perricoota Rd., Moama.
A reminder that it is important to get registered with your local winter club AS SOON AS POSSIBLE if you wish to play for the Vipers in 2010, as the dual registration arrangements depend upon your being already registered for 2010 with a local club. For new, young players, please note that there is an age limit for the WPL - for any players who are not already 15 years old (or turning 15 this year) you will need to apply for an exemption to play WPL (reserves initially). This requires a letter on your behalf, preferably with support from both your parents as well as from a coach (for example, Zone squad coach, or even better, Zone Head Coach, or even better, State Squad coach). The coach needs to comment on your capacity to benefit from and cope safely with participation at WPL level, preferably with comments on your mental, physical, tactical and technical abilities. If you have any Vipers admin/registration questions, please contact Feri Jakab on either 54752777 or 0419-312349 or ferenc@ipstarmail.com.au Given how young our squad is, and how little we get to train as a complete squad (compared to the WPL clubs in Melbourne), players really need to take personal responsibility for much of their pre-season preparation. There is no doubt that the fitter you are, the better you (and your team) will play, the more you will enjoy it, and you will minimize your chances of injury. I have devised a ViperFit training program that requires just 20 minutes 3 times a week (though 4-6x/week is better) to get you football fit fast. If you want more variety, you can also alternate with the FIFA11+ program. If you want to combine the interval training principles with some agility and ball control exercises, try the following 3-7x/week with a ball... Take a ball for a walk (dribble while you walk/jog/run) for 40-60 minutes After a 3-5 minute warmup, try the following interval activities (interval 30 sec's, quick walk/jog 90 sec's to recover)... * Side-skips (10sec slow/long, 10sec medium/high and 10 sec quick/short) - leading with left foot * Side-skips (10sec slow/long, 10sec medium/high and 10 sec quick/short) - leading with right foot * Fast heel-bum kicks (no thigh lift forward) jogging forward * Fast heel-bum kicks jogging backwards * Cariocas (10sec slow/long, 10sec medium/quick and 10 sec fast/short) - leading with left foot * Cariocas (10sec slow/long, 10sec medium/quick and 10 sec fast/short) - leading with right foot * Forward high-skipping (R knee/L hand then L knee/R hand to help drive up higher off the ground) * 3-step zig-zag lunge (with touch-down) - 2 steps (L-R) diagonally to the right then lunge on next R step, touch R hand to outside of R ankle Repeat diagonally to left (2 steps...R-L then lunge on L, touch outside of L ankle with L hand) - repeat for 30 sec's * repeat above but as you lunge, touch the inside of the lunge ankle with opposite hand * repeat lunge exercise as above but walking zig-zag backwards - touching lunge ankle with same hand (15 sec's) then with opposite hand (15 sec's) When you finish try doing some ball juggling for 2min - even a couple of weeks of this routine will make a huge difference to your agility, balance, control and strength. Please contact me if you have any concerns, questions or suggestions. Cheers - GO VIPERS!!! Click HERE for more information about the Vipers 2010 pre-season program.
Hi players - I've just been informed that I've been re-appointed as Head Coach of the Vipers for another year, so I am keenly looking forward to the 2010 WPL season. For those of you who don't already know me, here's a little background on the Vipers Head Coach for 2010 (that's me on the right in the picture above, with ex-Melbourne Victory Brazilian star, Fred). For an overview of my coaching priorities and selection policies for the Vipers from last year (yet to be updated for 2010 after consultation with this year's squad), click here.
A few thoughts on coaching priorities for the Vipers based on observations and discussions with the Vipers Coaches over the last three seasons...
A great off-season program guaranteed to improve your agility, balance, coordination and strength, and reduce your injury risks in future
A guide to effective Core Training from Peak Performance
An alternative (research-based) home ABC (agility-balance-coordination) program
A link to the FFV 2008 WPL Fixture
Peter Richardson (Website Administrator) pwricho@hotkey.net.au |
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