Under grey skies at KC Stadium the Kookynie Kickers held visiting St Pauli (Hamburg) soccer team to a lucky draw before a record crowd of several locals and a busload of German fans.
In the 35th minute KK striker Ben Goldfield’s random rebound off St Pauli’s broken goal post opened the score (KK’s first goal in three seasons). Play swung wildly as the visitors struggled with local conditions – a dog chasing the ball and the local supporter indulging a time-honoured Kookynie tradition of tripping opposition players on the sideline. However Ivan Klasnost managed to avoid all obstacles, scoring an equalizer in the 78th minute.
Under drizzling rain extra time was suspended and both teams retired to the pub, where the back bar filled with players & fans and refrains of ‘You Never Walk Alone’ (St Pauli’s club song).
OTHER SPORTS NEWS: RUGBY
Wallabies players O’Connor, Cooper & Valentine were fined for “engaging in a food fight” at the team hotel, but it didn’t stop them defeating Les Bleus by a comfortable margin on Saturday.
In the French tradition of gracious defeat coach Monsieur Traille explained: “As we saw, we have no gas, no more strength. It’s a hard end to the season, but we expected that.”
To show that food-throwing Wallabies should be worried by their wussy image, Italian rugby captain Sergio Parisse was suspended for eye-gouging during his team’s loss against NZ in Christchurch yesterday. Now that’s ‘la bella figura’!
KOOKYNIE COURIER 