Claudelands Rovers bid adieu to Olivia Chance in style at Madills Farm on July 8, strolling to a 4-0 win over Eastern Suburbs on a gorgeous mid-winter's afternoon to edge ever closer to their maiden Lotto Northern Premier Women's League title. Rovers' final goal was their 100th of their league campaign, a feat last realised by the brilliant Three Kings United team which achieved the milestone in both the 1997 and 1998 campaigns. Their first of the match came in just the fifth minute of play. Sarah McLaughlin's short corner found Kylie Jens lurking unmarked just inside the penalty area, and the fullback fired a first-time fifteen yarder at the target which the diving Erin Nayler got her fingertips to, but was unable to keep out. It triggered a barrage of efforts on Suburbs' goal in the next ten minutes. Chance sent player-coach Helen Collins careering down the left in the seventh minute, and after evading two challenges she whipped in a wicked cross which Holly Patterson met on the volley. Her effort lacked the power to test Nayler, unlike Collins' attempt on goal three minutes later. Released down the left by Jens, she scythed inside Amanda Rasch before letting fly, only to be denied by the 'keeper's full-length diving save which enabled her to tip the ball around her near post. McLaughlin's resulting corner wasn't cleared adequately by Suburbs' shell-shocked rearguard, and the resulting lobbed effort from Collins was grabbed under her crossbar by Nayler as Rachael Porteous raced in, attempting to beat the 'keeper to the ball. McLaughlin was in the mood in this match, and enjoyed an outstanding second half in particular. But the goal her efforts merited was denied her in the thirteenth minute by a stunning save from Nayler, who flung herself to her right to tip the ball to safety after the midfielder had swooped on a loose ball and let rip from thirty yards out. Suburbs hadn't even been in the contest in the first twenty minutes, but earned a corner from their first attack. Little did anyone know that Rasch's 22nd minute delivery would result in a goal at the other end of the park just thirty seconds later! Chance brought the ball out of her penalty area and raced up-field before releasing Patterson, lurking in between defenders in the centre circle. She raced through before calmly picking her spot beyond the stranded figure of Nayler - 2-0, a devastating counter-attack from which Suburbs were destined not to recover. They tried to, and no-one in white did more than captain Rebecca Tegg in this regard, but they found themselves up against opponents playing with a level of confidence borne of an unbeaten run and an unshakeable level of self-belief. You need to have everyone operating at the very peak of their powers when up against opponents boasting that recipe, but too many Suburbs outfielders weren't performing to the standards they are capable of. Just as well for them that Nayler was in fine form - she kept them in the contest! Another outstanding save by the Football Ferns' stand-by goalkeeper for the Olympics campaign came to pass in the 28th minute, Patterson the player denied after Chance and Jens had carved open Suburbs' right-flank with a wonderful double one-two. But not even Nayler could prevent Rovers extending their advantage still further in the 36th minute. Porteous and Collins combined to play Chance in through the inside-left channel, and the wing wizard capped off her final appearance for Claudelands in fitting fashion, placing her 53rd goal in Rovers' red beyond Nayler and into the net right next to the base of the far post - 3-0. A quickly taken free-kick from just outside the penalty area by McLaughlin on the stroke of half-time could have seen Rovers heading to the dressing rooms with a four-goal advantage had it not flashed narrowly past the post, while immediately after the interval, Nayler was twice called upon to keep the score down, as the visitors prised open their rivals' rearguard seemingly at will. Collins rampaged down the left and into the penalty area just eighty seconds after the resumption, only for Nayler to deny her with a near post save, while the 'keeper dived bravely at the feet of the league's leading scorer three minutes later, following a delightful interchange of passes which saw Collins, Issy Coombes, Patterson and McLaughlin combining to unhinge Suburbs' defence. Suburbs were a more competitive combination

Melanie Gooch shields from Issy Coombes Evie Millynn wrongfoots Holly Patterson Lisa Kemp Olivia Chance and Kylie Jens dominate down the left Jolene Muir

throughout the second spell, particularly when Tegg added her presence to the midfield battle in which Evie Millynn was striving manfully to make in-roads for "The Lilywhites" benefit. Their best move of the half came six minutes into it, Millynn, Tegg and the hard-working Dayna Manak combining to present Melanie Gooch with a chance which, like so many other Suburbs attempts in this half, cleared the crossbar - Naomi-Beth Carter went through the entire match without having to make a save of consequence. Unlike her opposite number, Nayler again coming to Suburbs' rescue in the 58th minute after McLaughlin had picked out Chance with a peach of a pass down the left which invited the winger to round Jess Verdon and let fly. Nayler tipped this effort over the bar, but could do nothing to prevent Claudelands clocking up a century of league goals for the season on the hour mark. Chelsey Wood - by her standards, a poor game - was caught in possession just inside Rovers' half by Chance, who instantly linked with Collins on the left. She played the ball inside to Patterson, whose precise pass into the stride of Coombes allowed the substitute - she replaced the injured Holly Nixon in the first half - the time and space in which to set herself up for a calm finish beyond Nayler - 4-0. Straight from the kick-off, Gooch and Tegg - the old firm - rampaged downfield, with the former getting to the by-line before picking out the latter with a near post cross which Tegg volleyed narrowly wide of the target. Millynn then swooped on a stray pass from the otherwise impressive Jens in the 64th minute, but was unable to direct her opportunity on target from a tight angle, while a succession of long-range attempts from Tegg cleared Carter's crossbar over the course of the next fifteen minutes, as Suburbs sought to earn themselves a bit of respectability on the scoreboard. A triple substitution half-way through the second spell also contributed to their recovery, with Lisa Kemp's industry, energy and drive instantly giving the home team an outlet on the left which had been sorely missed. But her forays down the flank too often foundered on a lack of supporting runs from her team-mates, a statement which summarises one of the key differences between these teams in this match - Rovers' players always had options when in possession. After Raima Harding's effort, on receipt of a Flora McLeod pass, had been blocked by Jens in the 79th minute, Marlies Oostdam's resulting corner cleared all-comers, and was gathered by Rasch. She played the ball back to Kemp, whose inch-perfect cross invited Tegg to hook a volley goalwards which only just cleared the crossbar. It was Suburbs' last chance, and while Rovers had one more up their sleeve - Patterson sent a header flashing past the far post on receipt of a delightfully flighted cross from McLaughlin - it was the opportunity they contrived in the 65th minute which was deserving of better fate. Chance, as has been the case in so many of Claudelands attacks during the three seasons in which she has graced this team, was the instigator, but it was McLaughlin who was the heart and soul of this move, one which saw her lob the ball through for Collins, who linked with Patterson to set up McLaughlin for a curling, dipping, left-footed twenty-five yard effort which had the beating of Nayler, but not the crossbar. The rebound was pounced on by Collins, for whom, incredibly, this was the first match this season in which she has failed to find the net. Unable to shoot herself on this occasion, she promptly set up Patterson, whose close-range effort was blocked to safety by Oostdam. That was Claudelands' last genuine goalscoring opportunity in the match, but they had done more than enough to put Suburbs to the sword for the third time this season, meaning Olivia Chance could head to South Florida University safe in the knowledge that she had contributed well to what will almost certainly be a maiden NPWL championship triumph for her team - the title is just four wins away. Suburbs:     Nayler; Verdon, Rasch, Oostdam, Steele (Kemp, 69); Millynn, Wood, Manak (McLeod, 69); Muir (Harding, 69), Tegg, Gooch Claudelands:     Carter; Williams, Carlton, Hayes, Jens; Porteous (O'Connell, 78), McLaughlin, Nixon (Coombes, 25); Patterson, Collins, Chance Referee:     Chris Wolken