Free-scoring Waikato-Bay of Plenty striker Helen Collins took full advantage of some sub-standard defending by Auckland Football to lead her side to a 5-2 win in their ASB National Women's League Northern Conference encounter at "The Cage", home of St. Peter's College, on November 11. The mercurial Collins bagged four goals for the visitors - read 61 goals and counting for club and federation in 2012 - on a day Auckland enjoyed the greater share of possession, and created a host of chances, but lacked anyone with the clinical finishing prowess of Collins to convert the plethora of opportunities they created. The first of them came in the second minute, Naomi-Beth Carter blocking a Hannah Kraakman effort before recovering to deny Melanie Gooch, after Steph Skilton had set up the striker upon gathering the rebound. Five minutes later, Carter was to the fore again, racing off her line to save at the feet of Gooch after she had been released by Marlies Oostdam's measured ball over the top, a raid which was followed by four chances in two minutes, as Auckland laid siege to Wai-BOP's goal in search of an early breakthrough. Rachel Head, Lucy Carter and Jessie Mathews interchanged passes in the fourteenth minute before the last-mentioned slipped the ball inside to Skilton, who held off the challenge of Rachel Porteous as she ran on before letting fly from twenty-five yards. Wai-BOP's Carter smothered this effort, but soon found Auckland heading towards her goal again, Rebecca Tegg leading the charge. Her cross parted Gooch's hair, and was eventually cleared by Kylie Jens to Head, whose cross-field ball was latched onto by Kraakman. From twenty-five yards, she unleashed a screamer which Carter only saw when it cannoned back off her right-hand post. And within seconds, Auckland finally had the ball in the net, only for the offside flag to cut short Gooch's celebrations. Bear in mind, all this happened inside two remarkable minutes - it was "blink and you'll miss it" action, and quite how the home team didn't have at least one goal to their name at the conclusion of this brief onslaught beggars belief. Unperturbed, they drew breath, then came again, in the 21st minute. Gooch went on a cross-field run before linking with Kraakman, who checked inside prior to letting rip from twenty-five yards again. This time, the ball cannoned back into play off the crossbar. Cue Jens, who commandeered possession and looked up to see a familiar figure lurking amid a misshapen defence. The fullback pinged the ball forward, over Auckland's defenders, and perfectly into the stride of Collins, who gleefully lobbed the ball over the advancing but stranded figure of Erin Nayler - 1-0 Wai-BOP, a goal completely against the run of play. That 22nd minute effort was followed five minutes later by a second goal for the visitors, and again it was Collins who led the celebrations. This time round, Michelle Windsor played a dreadful back-pass in between her fellow defenders and Nayler, who could do little to prevent Collins swooping on the sphere and steering home a first-time drive from just outside the penalty area - 2-0. Auckland were shell-shocked, and after Kraakman had sent one curling past the far post, Collins came close to notching a ten-minute hat-trick. Again, Jens was the supplier, her header forward inviting the striker to reprise her "fox in a hen-house" routine once more as nervous defenders struggled to react. On this occasion, Collins' first-time shot narrowly cleared Nayler's crossbar, an effort which stirred the home team into life once more. Tegg led the charge, eventually getting the better of both Kate Carlton - she had a terrific game - and Eilish Hayes before unleashing a shot at Carter's near post. Wai-BOP's custodian comfortably fielded this 33rd minute effort, and was better tested by Skilton's drive seconds later, which prompted a fingertip save over the crossbar. The resulting corner wasn't cleared by Waikato-BOP, prompting Tegg to charge through a couple of challenges as she powered into the penalty area. Carter blocked Auckland's captain at close quarters, with Hayes' clearance seeing the danger switch instantly to the other end of the park, where Collins rampaged down the right before cutting inside and letting fly. Nayler pawed the ball to safety, her first save of the match coming nine minutes before half-time. Cue a string of Auckland corners, as they pressed to get back into the contest. Lucy Carter picked out Skilton with a 37th minute delivery which allowed the recipient to send a header bulleting towards the top corner of the net. Naomi-Beth Carter launched herself to her left and pawed the ball out, with Jens and Carlton in close attendance. Seconds later, the visitors scrambled clear a couple of teasing Oostdam corners, the last of which prompted a right royal goalmouth scramble before Carter finally got her hands on the sphere to steady growing Wai-BOP nerves. These were eased immeasurably on the stroke of half-time, Collins completing her hat-trick to leave the visitors 3-0 up and cruising. The goal-hungry front-runner took on and worked her way through three nerve-racked challenges before thrashing her drive across the advancing Nayler and in off the far post. There's not a lot you can say to a team which has done everything but score in the first forty-five minutes, yet finds itself trailing by three goals. There was certainly something which could be said about the defensive effort, mind - it simply wasn't good enough for this

Kylie Jens Lucy Carter tangles with Issy Coombes Michelle Windsor evades Helen Collins Marlies Oostdam Jesse Mathews Jess Verdon Rachel Head

level of football, with certainly two and arguably all three goals conceded having been avoidable. Waikato-BOP, for some strange reason, didn't mind this one iota, and looked to further press home their advantage following the resumption of play. Nayler was untroubled by Collins' early efforts, however. With just five minutes of second half action having been played, Auckland was afforded a gilt-edged chance to get back into the contest by referee Helen Mallon, who pointed to the penalty spot after Tegg and Jens collided in the area, although it certainly didn't look like a foul - if anything, it was a case of two fully committed players coming together. Tegg was winded, but for Jens, it was the end of her afternoon and NWL season, knee ligament damage the diagnosis after she hobbled off the pitch upon receiving treatment. One of Wai-BOP's lynchpins in both defence and attack, the twenty-year-old has endured more than her fair share of injury setbacks during her career to date, and it's hoped her absence this time round will be brief - Kylie Jens' skill set enhances any match in which she plays. As Jens headed for the bench, she looked back to see Tegg sending the spot-kick blazing over the bar and into Mountain Road. The striker went close twice more either side of the hour mark, lashing one past the post upon receipt of a Skilton pass, before controlling a Kraakman cross and turning Carlton, only to find Carter on hand to save at close quarters. Tegg's frustration at her inability to score was becoming increasingly evident. And for the third game running, an opponent ended up bearing the brunt of it. Oostdam knocked the ball over the top in the 64th minute, and, unaware that she had been flagged offside, away Tegg went in hot pursuit. Carter dashed out and saved at her feet, but emerged with more than just the ball for her troubles - Tegg left an unwelcome calling card after clattering into the custodian, who was left nursing a shin injury and was unable to take any goal kicks for the remainder of the contest. It's sad to see an undoubtedly talented player, in this case one with a lethal left foot and an enviable goalscoring record, reaching that stage in their career when their finest attributes aren't quite what they were, and they're having to cope with the frustration that undoubtedly brings about. In her case, Tegg is doing herself no favours by undermining her ability with a reckless element which, frankly, endangers opponents. Both Emma Taylor (U17s) and Tessa Berger (Northern) have been left nursing wounds following challenges by Tegg in the last two weeks, and now both Jens and Carter are coping with their unwanted souvenirs from a player who isn't doing justice to the Auckland captaincy by indulging in such intimidating tactics. You're a better player than we've seen in each of these incidents, Rebecca Tegg. It's a wonder you haven't been booked for any of them! Don't lower your standards, lass - you're lowering the standards of the women's game when you do, and that's not acceptable to anyone. Having served her a brickbat, cue the bouquet - Tegg's 70th minute close-range finish finally got Auckland on the board, seconds after Oostdam and Mathews had combined to present the striker with another opportunity which Carter tipped round the post. Now 3-1 down, Auckland fancied their chances of reducing the deficit still further, and in the next four minutes both Skilton and Kraakman went close to doing just that - the former's angled effort fizzed inches past the far post, with Tegg just a stride away from turning the ball home. Nayler hadn't seen too much action in recent times, but made up for it with a stunning save she had no right to make in the 77th minute to deny Porteous at point-blank range, after Jess Clark made in-roads down the right. The Junior Ferns' custodian then turned a Clark effort round the post two minutes later, but from the resulting corner, the ball was cleared to Emma Baker, who unleashed a twenty-five yard grass-cutting screamer which flew past the unsighted figure of Nayler and in by the base of her right-hand post. 4-1 swiftly became 5-1 eight minutes from time, and it was classic route one stuff! Carter hoisted the ball downfield, and after a solitary bounce, the unmarked figure of Collins haunted Auckland once more, pouncing to lob the ball over the stranded figure of Nayler and into the far corner of the net. Nayler nearly blotted her copybook five minutes from time. A dreadful clearance by the 'keeper landed straight at the feet of Clark, whose first-time shot only just missed the far post, much to the 'keeper's relief. And there was scant consolation for the rest of her team-mates too, when Skilton, by now playing in a front-running role, beat Carter all ends up with an absolute bullet to wrap up the scoring, following Kirstyn Oldfield's strong break down the right. There was still time for Tegg to force a parried save from Carter, the rebound of which Kraakman turned past the post in stoppage time, but the honours were with Waikato-Bay of Plenty, who gave their opponents an object lesson in the art of taking your chances. Had Auckland done so, this would have been some goal-fest! Auckland:     Nayler; Head, Windsor, Verdon, Oostdam (Strickland, 87); Mathews, Skilton, Carter (Henry, 89), Kraakman (Oldfield, 87); Gooch (Robert, 71), Tegg Wai-BOP:     Carter; Baker, Carlton, Hayes, Jens (Phillips, 53); Clark (Grieg, 89), Porteous, Coombes, Williams (O'Connell, 89); Golding (Robinson, 75), Collins Referee:     Helen Mallon