The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
29/04/07
Champs Score Three In Nine To Down Leaders
by Jeremy Ruane
Reigning Northern Premier Women's League champions Three Kings United struck three goals in a nine-minute burst just before the hour mark to see off this season's early leaders, Glenfield Rovers, 4-1 at Keith Hay Park on April 29.
In a lively encounter, which saw the visitors enjoy the edge in the first half, it was United who engineered the first opening, courtesy a wayward pass. Alice Bresnahan was the guilty Rover, and Merissa Smith wasted little time in fully capitalising upon it, racing clear before whipping in a low cross intended for Zoe Thompson.
Rebecca Simpson stepped in to avert the danger on this occasion, a feat she was to repeat on numerous other instances throughout the match - Rovers' defensive lionheart had another busy afternoon at the office, much to her frustration.
Although Rovers, who enjoyed the prevailing wind at their backs in the first spell, enjoyed plenty of possession, it was United's swift counter-attacks which were posing the bigger goal threat in the first half, and another materialised on the quarter hour.
It was a neat move, too. Thompson laid the ball off to Sarah Gibbs, who rolled it precisely down the line into Rebecca Sowden's feet. The midfielder teamed up with Smith to present Gibbs with the chance to cross, but she opted to utilise Betsy Hassett inside her instead. She slipped the ball into Sowden's path, and the flu-ridden play-maker fired a curling twenty-yarder a yard over the bar.
Four minutes later, Smith's lay-off to Annalie Longo saw the youngster lift the ball over the defence for Thompson - who looked offside - to pursue. She latched onto the opportunity with relish, but found a worthy opponent in Simpson, who chased down the striker and foiled the raid well.
Glenfield's first shot in anger took twenty-two minutes to materialise, but was well worth the wait. A delightful interchange of passes was sparked by Jen Kendall, and saw the ball zipped around between Bresnahan, Anna Barlow and Lauren Mathis before Natalie Donze took over and fired a twenty-five yarder at Aroon Clansey.
United's `keeper then foiled Barlow seconds later as she directed a header from a Kendall corner towards the target. Rovers should have engineered more opportunities to test Clansey in the first half, however.
Their downfall was a combination of a wayward final pass and some solid defending - United's Hannah Rishworth and Kristy Hill were well to the fore in quelling numerous promising openings, some of which were presented to Rovers by some decidedly inaccurate and poor quality passes from United players.
The whole-hearted Gibbs, while not the only offender, was well below par in this aspect of her game during the first spell, but United's captain raised her standards noticeably after half-time, before which the home team should have taken the lead.
Rovers failed to clear an Anna Green corner in the 33rd minute, only for the solidly-performed Ashleigh Cox to plunge head-first through a sea of legs to get her hands on the ball as United players hovered menacingly.
Three minutes later, the `keeper was called into action again, just as she had been ten minutes earlier, by Thompson. On the first occasion, the busy figure of Longo surged onto the attack and linked with Smith to present the number nine with a shooting chance which she directed straight at the goalkeeper.
Her second opportunity, nine minutes before half-time, emanated from an unlikely source. Thompson caught Simpson napping, stripped her of the ball and surged into the penalty area, only to shoot straight at Cox once more - cue the sight of a frustrated striker beating the ground, knowing full well she should have done better.
Back came Rovers, Kendall firing in a free-kick which Clansey came hurtling through the crowded penalty area to claim with aplomb. Then it was Mathis' turn to set forth on a surging run, one which saw her evade three challenges before the irresistible force encountered an immovable object - Gibbs' tackle was a beauty!
Unperturbed, the visitors pressed once more, three minutes before the break. Another slick interchange of passes involved Simpson, Cath Porteous, Kendall, Therese Saito, Harriet Steele - this pair combined well down the right in the first half - and Mathis, only for Hill to step in and avert the danger as the last-mentioned's cross sought out Donze.
On the stroke of half-time, Thompson spurned another invitation to score which had been engineered by the enterprise of Longo and Smith. The former, lurking on the left this time, played a neat ball through for the latter to chase, and her cross to the far post was inch-perfect for Thompson, only for the striker to miscue her effort completely, the ball looping into the grateful gloves of Cox.
Half-time saw two substitutions made - one for each side - which were to prove pivotal in turning the game Three Kings' way. The title-holders made a tactical change, introducing Nicole Stratford in a three-pronged attack designed to restrict Saito's forward surges in support of Steele.
Unbeknown to United, Saito's day was at an end, Bridget Armstrong stepping into the full-back's role. But her impact on proceedings was nothing like what Rovers had anticipated.
Even before the newcomers had touched the ball, the home team had served notice of their intentions. Jane Simpson swooped on a wayward pass and sent Smith scurrying through at pace. Her cross, intended for Thompson, was cut out by Rebecca Simpson, who
|
 Harriet Steele (Glenfield) and Sarah Gibbs (TKU)
clash over the ball
 Anna Barlow (Glenfield) having a bad hair day as she evades the clutches of Betsy Hassett (TKU)
 Not a nice sight for a defender, as Cath Porteous (Glenfield) is discovering - Merissa Smith (TKU) in full flight as she cuts inside towards goal
 Hannah Rishworth (TKU) takes on Therese Saito (Glenfield, 12)
 Lauren Mathis (Glenfield) outjumped by Sarah Gibbs (TKU), watched by Harriet Steele (Glenfield)
 Zoe Thompson (TKU) and Rebecca Simpson (Glenfield) lock horns once more
|
could only clear it as far as Green, who side-stepped Barlow before lashing a twenty-five yarder just past the post.
It was a shot across the bows which Rovers didn't heed, for five minutes into the second spell, United opened the scoring. A wayward Donze pass was pounced on by Green, whose first-time through ball sent Stratford racing through a yawning gap in Rovers' rearguard, Armstrong having been caught well out of position. The substitute's cool finish left Cox well beaten.
Donze attempted to make amends for her blemish just two minutes later. Picked out the combination of Barlow and Kendall, she wriggled through three challenges in the penalty area before Rishworth proved one too many for the livewire front-runner, who was soon to be replaced following a hamstring twinge.
But not before United had doubled their advantage, in the 56th minute. Jane Simpson's cross into the penalty area lacked accuracy, Armstrong taking it down neatly and with time aplenty to clear the danger. But as she pondered her options, Stratford stole in on her blindside, stripped her of possession and slotted home via the far post past the stunned figure of Cox.
What Rebecca Simpson must have thought of this blunder probably isn't printable! But it was clearly preying on her mind, for, three minutes later, her wayward pass presented Thompson with possession near half-way.
After releasing Smith at pace down the right, last season's Golden Boot winner stormed downfield towards the far post, where she arrived bang on cue to thrash home a made-to-measure cross on the volley - 3-0, contest over, courtesy a cracking goal in both conception and execution.
United were well in the mood now, only to squander a hatful of chances. Clansey's raking clearance sent Smith scurrying through in the 62nd minute, only for the speedster to fire over the crossbar under pressure from Porteous.
The shooter then turned provider sixty seconds later, Hassett the beneficiary, both of the ball and a generous on-side decision - the performance of referee Renee Silvester and her team can most kindly be compared with a “Works Burger”, i.e. generous helpings of all available ingredients, both good and bad!!
Hassett, on this occasion, shot straight at Cox as Michele Hogg and Rebecca Simpson closed her down. The latter was instrumental in foiling Longo seconds later, after she had embarrassed Porteous in contemptuous fashion - Rovers' midfielder found herself tackling air after falling for a delicious dummy.
Thompson was next to benefit from the absence of an offside flag when Smith put her through in the 69th minute. Cox turned her shot round the near post before beseeching her team-mates to play to the whistle.
United continued to press, so much so that in the 78th minute, only two teal-clad players were in their own half, and one of those was Clansey. Substitute Anne Allen was the other, and she had to scamper across field to provide cover as Rovers launched a swift counter-attack through Steele.
Mathis was steaming up in support of her team-mate, and received a perfectly timed pass to send her surging through on goal with just the `keeper to beat. With Rishworth and Gibbs fast gaining on her, the youngster unleashed an early shot at goal which flew past the diving figure of Clansey but just past the post.
United failed to heed the warning, conceding a corner two minutes later. Kendall's delivery wasn't what she intended, but she certainly wasn't complaining about the outcome, as Mathis made a silk purse from a sow's ear with an awkward steepling twenty-yard volley.
Coming at the angle it did made it a nightmare for any goalkeeper to deal with, and Clansey proved no exception. Longo was back attempting to assist her team-mate, but neither could resolve the situation, the ball ending up in the top corner of the net, much to the delight of Mathis, whose hard-working display fully merited this reward.
It was a short-lived one from Glenfield's perspective, however, for after Gibbs had lashed a twenty-five yarder at Cox, the home team restored their three-goal advantage eight minutes from time.
Smith and Thompson were the instigators of this raid, the former picking out the latter, who laid the ball off to the hat-trick hunting Stratford. She cleverly lured Armstrong out of position before allowing Green to assume possession and send a thirty yard screamer soaring over the head of Cox and into the far corner of the net - 4-1.
United's attempts to score a nap hand foundered on the goalkeeper, who grabbed a goalbound twenty-five yard free-kick from Green in stoppage time, six minutes after thwarting Thompson in a one-on-one situation, Hassett - who missed the target with a close-range header soon afterwards - and Longo having combined with Stratford to open up Rovers' rearguard for their team-mate to attempt to exploit.
She failed to on this occasion, but Thompson and company were pleased with the outcome of this result, one which lifts them about incumbent table-toppers Glenfield into a share of the league lead at the conclusion of this entertaining third round encounter.
United: Clansey; J. Simpson (Allen, 66), Hill, Rishworth, Gibbs; Hassett, Sowden (Stratford, 46), Green, Longo; Smith, Thompson
Glenfield: Cox; Saito (Armstrong, 46), R. Simpson, Hogg; Steele, Kendall, Porteous, Barlow, Bresnahan (Kemp, 58); Donze (Stevenson, 58), Mathis
Referee: Renee Silvester
|