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29/06/08
Kete And Hearn Star As Lynn-Avon Sink Suburbs
by Jeremy Ruane
A first half hat-trick from Emma Kete inspired Lynn-Avon United to a 5-0 victory over Eastern Suburbs in their National Women's Knockout Cup tie on June 29, as the perennial cup contenders gained sweet revenge for being ousted from the cup by the same opposition exactly one year ago.
Suburbs ended Lynn-Avon's five-year reign as cup holders at this stage of the competition last season, so when they were paired together for the sixth time in seven years, you didn't need to be Einstein to know that the home team would be keen to put to rights that reversal.
But come kick-off time in a tie transferred to Olympic Park - and which only went ahead following a pitch inspection from referee Pat Barrett - it was the visitors who were up and running from the outset, and they dominated the opening stages.
Indeed, Suburbs could have been a goal to the good inside the first four minutes. Jo Rombouts and Flora McLeod to play Rebecca Tegg in on goal, only for the fit-again striker to be denied by Ashleigh Cox's save at her feet.
Lynn-Avon looked rusty - a second successive season of disrupted league and cup fixtures is making life very challenging for the game's foremost women's clubs, make no mistake. But with their very first attack, they took the lead against the run of play.
Central to this sixth minute raid, and much more which followed, was Amber Hearn, who was outstanding in the target-man role at the heart of United's attack. Her technical prowess, close control and quality lay-offs brought an array of team-mates into play throughout proceedings, and were a treat for the connoisseurs to savour - classic centre-forward play in the best traditions of the role.
On this occasion, Vicki Rainbow was the beneficiary of Hearn's ball mastery. The midfielder swept the ball across to Kirsty Yallop, whose twenty yard drive ricocheted off a defender perfectly into the path of Emma Kete, who lashed home from ten yards before a stunned Ginny Tan had a chance to react.
Suburbs were rocked by this blow - United hadn't even looked like scoring in the early exchanges - and were still picking up the pieces when the home team threatened again on the quarter hour. Terry McCahill caught Stacey Fraser in possession in the centre circle, and played the ball towards Hearn.
The striker's clever dummy opened Suburbs' defence up, and allowed Emma Kete's darting run in behind her team-mate to prove highly effective, as it sent her racing into the penalty area. Only a timely Allysha Johnson tackle saved Suburbs on this occasion.
After Hearn had warmed Tan's gloves with a thirty-yarder, fellow goalscoring machine Tegg came desperately close to replying in kind in the nineteenth minute. Played through by Rombouts, she swept past McCahill before unleashing an explosive twenty-five yard volley on the run.
Ashleigh Cox barely moved, United's `keeper looking on in horror then relief as the ball arced over her and crashed against the crossbar before bouncing to safety - a genuine let-off for Lynn-Avon.
They came back instantly, Dana Humby picking out Hearn, who turned and supplied Kete with a neat pass to pursue. The striker did so, outmuscling Mariah Meagher in the process before firing wide from the edge of the area as Johnson closed in for the kill.
After Fraser had embarrassed Yallop and let fly from twenty yards, Humby ignited another United attack, this time with the aid of an untimely slip by Oostdam. This allowed Kete to scamper away down the right, but Sandee Hui and Johnson combined to curtail her progress on this occasion.
It was the start of a period of sustained pressure which ultimately shattered Suburbs' cup aspirations for another year. Soon after, Hearn, Humby, Gregorius and Kete combined, with the last-mentioned's cross finding both Hearn and Katie Hoyle totally unmarked in the centre of the penalty area. Tan dealt with the situation superbly - terrific goalkeeping.
She wasn't so fortunate when the next opening materialised, in the 28th minute. Again, Kete exposed Suburbs' defensive shortcomings which found Hoyle with just her shadow for company in the penalty area. The midfielder let fly, only for Tan to parry the effort. But Hoyle was onto the rebound in a flash, and buried the game's second goal high into the net.
With Suburbs on the ropes, United moved in for the kill, Hearn their tormentor-in-chief. Some lovely technique on the half-hour allowed Hoyle to fizz a pass across for Gregorius, who raced in behind the retreating Suburbs rearguard before hoisting a delicious hanging cross into the goalmouth.
It was too good for all-comers, but found Hearn homing in on the far post. With a split-second to size up the opportunity, she steered a side-footed effort towards the target, but cringed as the ball hit the side-netting beside the base of the post inside which she was aiming.
Unperturbed, Hearn was soon in charge of proceedings again, with another delightful display of close control ten minutes before half-time. Johnson clattered into the back of her, ending the lesson abruptly. Yallop swiftly administered another, her quickly taken free-kick ricocheting off the too-slowly-gathering defensive wall and into the path of Kete - 3-0.
Suburbs sought a swift reply, with Yumi Nguyen and Rombouts combining to put McLeod in on the left. Her cross lacked conviction, however, and provided easy pickings for Cox, who promptly hoisted the ball downfield, you-know-who the target.
Hearn's touch was exquisite, instantly sending Kete careering through Suburbs' rattled rearguard. She lured Tan out of goal but, with her hat-trick beckoning,
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 Marlies Oostdam keeps a wary eye on Amber Hearn
 Katie Hoyle in full flight
 Jenny Carlisle shields from Brittany Dudley-Smith
 Amber Hearn watched by Yumi Nguyen
 Rebecca Tegg
 Vicki Rainbow
 Stacey Fraser
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steered her effort wide of the post.
Three minutes later, Cox played the ball down the right. Gregorius flicked it on into Kete's path, allowing her to outpace Johnson. Hui thwarted her progress this time round, but there was no stopping the hat-trick hunter two minutes later.
The fourth goal stemmed from some fine defensive work by McCahill, who read a Suburbs raid superbly and broke it up with the minimum of fuss before feeding Yallop. Hoyle was swiftly brought into play, and her pass sent Kete scurrying through with just Tan to beat, something the striker did with guile and style aplenty, her class finish making the scoreline 4-0, and effectively killing off the tie before the half-time whistle.
Before it was blown, Kete squandered a glorious chance after a neat one-two with Yallop, opting for power rather than placement when subtlety and finesse were required. And with virtually the last kick of the half, Yallop stung Tan's gloves from twenty yards after Hoyle and Kete had combined on the left.
Suburbs coach Richard Wilson spelled out a few home truths for his side during the half-time break, and they emerged to produce a highly competitive second half display much more in keeping with what all-comers had been anticipating from the outset.
The horse had, of course, long since bolted, but Suburbs can be well proud of their second half efforts, for which they deserved some reward. Luck was not in their camp this year, however, with just about every ricochet and awkward bounce going Lynn-Avon's way throughout the match.
A classic instance of this came straight from the kick-off, as a rough bounce saw Suburbs concede possession almost instantly. Lynn-Avon swept downfield, with Hoyle shooting tamely at Tan just twenty seconds after the resumption.
Back came the visitors, Tegg copping a McCahill header flush in the eye, with the ricochet being swooped on by Melanie Gooch. She played Nguyen in, and her twenty-yarder warmed Cox's gloves.
United responded via Kete on the right. Her near post cross picked out Gregorius, but Oostdam was on hand to deny her, only to look on in horror as Hearn swooped on the loose ball. Tan saved superbly at close quarters to deny the striker the goal her display richly merited.
Ten minutes into the second half, Hearn's beautifully weighted pass sent Kete careering through with just Tan to beat. The `keeper's anticipation of the situation was super - she raced out of her area and denied Kete, aided and abetted by the retreating figure of Johnson.
Suburbs responded via a neat move involving Tegg, Gooch and Nguyen, who worked an opening on the edge of the United penalty area. Tegg slipped Gooch into the box with her pass, but Sam Selwyn's well-timed tackle thwarted that opportunity.
A flurry of substitutions from both teams followed, with one of the newcomers, United's Becky Burrows, being denied by Tan within two minutes of coming on, after Gregorius, Hoyle and Hearn had prised open Suburbs defence once more.
Another, Kelly Drummond, came close to making it 5-0 in the 67th minute. Hoyle's cross to Hearn saw the game's outstanding creative force contrive an opening for her young team-mate, who found Tan up to the task once more.
Eighteen minutes from time, Suburbs came close to breaking the second half deadlock. Hui played the ball forward to Nguyen, whose pass wide allowed Meagher to rampage down the right. Her cross to the near post saw Tegg dart in ahead of Cox, but the striker was unable to direct her header on target.
Four minutes later, the visitors attacked down the opposite flank, with fourteen-year-old newcomer Brittany Dudley-Smith setting up a crossing opportunity for Oostdam. Suburbs' captain didn't disappoint, picking out substitute Rebecca Brown with a gem of a first-time delivery. How the U-17 international contrived to direct her effort at Cox with the goal at her mercy, only she will know.
After Tan had foiled both Gregorius and Hearn - both were beneficiaries of Hoyle crosses, Oostdam and Dudley-Smith combined neatly down the left, the one-two allowing the Football Ferns star - like Tegg, just back from an ACL injury - to whip in a virtual invitation to score.
The sight of the ball arrowing through the heart of Lynn-Avon's goalmouth was met with despair by Suburbs' supporters, whose frustration at the absence of any white shirts in the penalty area was palpable.
It was even more so in the 89th minute, as Lynn-Avon wrapped up the tie with the game's fifth and final goal. Inevitably, Hearn was involved, gathering the ball on the left before switching it to the rampaging figure of Gregorius, whose hard running at the Suburbs rearguard throughout the half had gained little reward.
Until now. With Johnson and Oostdam beating a contrasting retreat to thwart her progress, Gregorius checked her charge, and promptly spotted a gaping hole between Tan and her right-hand post.
Combining power with placement, she picked out a beauty from twenty-five yards, steering the ball in by the foot of the post to wrap up a 5-0 victory for Lynn-Avon, who avenged last season's cup defeat by Eastern Suburbs in some style.
Lynn-Avon: Cox; Carlisle, Humby, McCahill, Selwyn; Gregorius, Yallop (Burrows, 63), Rainbow, Hoyle; Kete (Drummond, 60), Hearn
Suburbs: Tan; Meagher, Hui, Johnson, Oostdam; Nguyen, Fraser (Dudley-Smith, 65), Rombouts, McLeod (Brown, 56); Gooch, Tegg
Referee: Pat Barrett
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