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23/09/01
Ellerslie Fightback Not Enough To Deny Lynn-Avon Title
by Jeremy Ruane
A stirring first half fightback by Ellerslie, after Lynn-Avon United had, at one stage, threatened to overwhelm their championship rivals, was not enough to deny the defending champions consecutive Northern Regional Women’s League title successes when the sides drew 2-2 at Ken Maunder Park on September 23.
Lynn-Avon started like the proverbial house on fire, the defeat inflicted upon them by Ellerslie in the Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup Final just eight days before providing more than enough motivation for the defending champions to set about the business of winning the title again.
Within twelve minutes, they led 2-0. Amanda Crawford pounced on a loose ball in the eighth minute and fed it wide to Jennifer Carlisle before turning and setting off in search of a return cross. When it came, it was a beauty, a pinpoint delivery onto the prolific markswoman’s head. Crawford’s downward header squirmed under Stephanie Puckrin’s dive, and Lynn-Avon were on their way.
Four minutes later, the league leaders doubled their advantage. Crawford and Rachel Doody combined to create an opening for Angela Vujnovich, who took full advantage of Ellerslie’s hesitant defending to sweep the ball home into Puckrin’s bottom left-hand corner from twenty yards for what proved to be the goal which won her the Northern Regional Women’s League’s Top Goalscorer award.
Ellerslie were all at sea, their motivation clearly lacking after their success of a week ago. Their cause wasn’t aided greatly by Puckrin’s departure from the fray, some fifteen minutes after saving at the feet of Vujnovich. She received treatment for a knock to the head at the time of the incident, but when she started going nobbly-kneed in the 35th minute, it brought an end to her day’s duties. Vicki Rainbow took over the goalkeeper’s jersey.
By this time, Ellerslie had started to come back into the contest, sparked by a nineteenth minute Margot Bowker-led raid. Flora McLeod was up in support of her team-mate, but Bowker kept possession, seemingly for too long.
Once Maia Jackman loomed up on her right, however, Bowker slipped the ball into the path of her team-mate, who let fly with a dipping drive which hit the crossbar. Yvonne Vale thwarted McLeod’s attempts to snaffle the rebound.
Vale then plucked a Jackman header from under the crossbar following a Bowker corner on the half-hour, before the course of the game did a complete about-face in the five minutes before half-time.
Priscilla Duncan made the most of a Kirsty Yallop blunder to send the ball forward to McLeod, whose touch for Bowker invited the striker to let fly from twenty yards. Vale didn’t move as the ball seared past her, and what at one stage seemed like being a veritable procession for Lynn-Avon was now very much anybody’s game.
Right on half-time, Ellerslie, who needed to win this match to force the three outstanding Northern Regional Women’s League Championship matches to be played, drew level.
It was virtually a carbon copy of the goal which won Ellerslie the Knockout Cup a week ago - Dana Humby’s corner flew beyond the incoming Jackman to Sue Taylor, who was coming in behind her, and powered home the header.
Only this time, Lynn-Avon were screaming blue murder at referee Santi Vega for a foul on Vale which prevented the goalkeeper from having a chance to make a save. The referee, whose overall performance did not endear him to either side - four bookings, including two for dissent, one of which came about in the last minute following an officiating error! - waved the home team’s appeals away, and the teams went to the break at 2-2.
The second half started with a hiss and a roar, then slowly petered out to end with a bit of a whimper. Amber Hearn and Crawford both went close for Lynn-Avon inside the first four minutes of the half, the latter being denied by Rainbow, who saved at her feet.
Ellerslie missed a great chance to take the lead in the 54th minute. Zoe Albon and Duncan combined to send Jackman surging past Hayley Moorwood and Terry McCahill on the right. The speedster got to the byline before pulling back a cross which was a virtual invitation to score, and would have almost certainly been put away by McLeod, had she not overrun it.
Back came Lynn-Avon, who had seemingly legitimate claims for a penalty denied them in the 56th minute. Crawford’s surging run saw her getting in a header on goal, after Doody’s cross from the right had been parried skywards by Rainbow.
Humby blocked the header, and it was then all on for young and old as the trio scrambled after the loose ball in the goalmouth. In her eagerness to retrieve the situation, Rainbow appeared to push Crawford out of the way, but referee Vega again ruled in favour of the visiting team, and Ellerslie breathed again.
From here on in, the game went rather flat - it needed a goal, or something similarly inspirational, to prevent it from drifting to its conclusion. Despite Duncan’s promptings, and Lily Somerfield’s long-range volleyed attempt ten minutes from time, which Vale needed two bites to keep out, such inspiration wasn’t forthcoming from Ellerslie, which suited Lynn-Avon just fine.
For a draw was sufficient for them to clinch the championship, and while Vujnovich and Hayley Moorwood both went close to clinching victory for the league leaders outright, the final whistle brought great delight to Gary Jenkins’ team, champions again.
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