Sport is a funny old game. As hackneyed cliches go, it doesn't really get much worse. However, if you're looking for something to sum up the fortunes of Nelson Suburbs, it's a pretty accurate description.
A year ago, the region's premier football team was on top of the world, sweeping all opposition aside and playing in a style not seen in these parts for some time.
Solomon Islands striker Joses Nawo was banging in a goal a match, the defence - led by Mike Bothwell - was impregnable, and the midfield was humming.
They secured the Mainland Premier Football League title with a 7-0 thrashing of Woolston Technical, and the 2-1 Chatham Cup victory against Wellington's Western Suburbs was a dead-set heart-stopper.
Fast forward 12 months and the situation could not be more different.
Suburbs are facing an uphill struggle to avoid the wooden spoon and the embarrassment of playing for their Mainland league survival in a promotion-relegation series against a team from the Christchurch competition.
After Richmond Athletic's relegation last season, the thought of no Nelson representation in the competition does not bear thinking about. Nine players from last year's squad are gone, including Nawo and Bothwell.
This year's team is young and has battled hard, with Simon Gatward-Smith and Todd Marwick stepping up their performances from last season.
Defensively, Suburbs have been solid - in fact, they have the third-best defensive record in the competition and have not lost a game by more than a two-goal margin. However, their real problems have come at the other end of the park, where four draws and four 1-0 losses have highlighted their lack of firepower.read more
