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13/05/07
As Comprehensive As It Gets!
by Jeremy Ruane
The much-anticipated clash of the last remaining unbeaten teams in the Northern Premier Women's League, at Keith Hay Park on Mother's Day, was expected to be a decidedly closely fought affair between two of the most promising young teams in the women's game in this country.
Instead, reigning champions Three Kings United ruthlessly dismantled their Western Springs opponents, producing a performance which was as comprehensive as it gets - the 3-0 scoreline flattered “The Hoops”, who, quite simply, weren't given the chance to get into the game.
Right from the first whistle, United's intensity, desire and sheer hunger for victory was clearly evident. Fifty-fifty challenges often turned into sixty-forty confrontations in their favour, which left Springs to feed on scraps.
These were rarely utilised accurately - indeed, you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times the Manson Property Developments-sponsored side threatened Three Kings' goal.
That's largely due to the efforts of Betsy Hassett - her finest performance in teal and blue without question, Rebecca Sowden and Anna Green, who completely dominated midfield, the air of authority which they exuded in this key area of the park forcing Springs into a tactical rethink after just half-an-hour.
It was too little, too late, however, for the horse had long since bolted. Indeed, it was champing at the bit as early as the third minute. For this was the moment when United carved Springs wide open, and suggested that they were well and truly in the mood.
Kristy Hill, complete with day-glow red boots, picked out Merissa Smith with a pass which the youngster surged onto. A slick one-two with Zoe Thompson on the edge of the penalty area saw Smith power into the box and let fly with a rasping drive which swerved towards Pam Yates' top near corner. The `keeper tipped the ball onto the post and grabbed the rebound.
Yates was afforded no such chance six minutes later, when Three Kings took the lead. Sarah Gibbs pounced on a loose ball before picking out Thompson with a peach of a pass which caught the Springs' defence square. The striker instinctively let fly, and a twenty yard volley sailed past the stranded figure of Yates into the far corner of the net - a cracking finish!
Within seventy seconds, United were rampaging again. Smith got the better of Priscilla Duncan in a challenge and fed the ball to Anna Green, whose slide-rule pass sent Thompson haring through once more. Yates raced off her line to save at the feet of her international colleague.
Two minutes later, the natives were restless yet again. Hassett linked with Jane Simpson, who shrugged off the challenge of Rosie White and steered the ball into Smith's feet wide on the touchline.
The youngster stood up Jessie Verdon and skipped round her before chipping a cross over Yates and towards the far post. Nicole Stratford was hurtling in, but not quickly enough to get on the end of it on this occasion.
Springs' first attack took nineteen minutes to materialise, and arose from a Maia Jackman free-kick. Her delivery from deep wasn't cleared, with Simpson forced to volley past her own upright for a corner.
This was cleared by Hannah Rishworth, and downfield United roamed once more, Hassett heading the charge. Smith and Green were brought into play, the latter lashing a twenty-five yarder across the face of goal - a range-finder for what was to come!
Back came Springs, Leah Tagaloa getting the better of Gibbs on the right before finding Hill hindering her progress. Turning back, the striker spotted Helen Collins in support, and slipped a measured pass into her stride which allowed the NZ U-20 international to unleash a curling twenty-yard effort which arced just past the far post.
United's response was prompted by Jackman, who at times gave the impression she was still playing for Three Kings - a number of her passes found their way to her former team-mates. The one she made in the 23rd minute picked out Hassett on half-way, and the midfielder hesitated not in releasing Stratford down the left.
With Jackman in hot pursuit endeavouring to make up for her error, the youngster fired in an early cross which found Smith lurking with intent. She turned the ball back into Sowden's path, and after evading a challenge, she lashed a twenty-yarder wide of the target.
Four minutes later, Three Kings doubled their advantage, their goalscoring ace doing the damage once again. As with the first goal, its instigator was Gibbs, who won possession with a no-nonsense challenge on half-way before slipping the ball to Stratford.
She picked out Thompson with her pass, the striker racing through before clipping the ball over the diving figure of Yates then hurdling the prone goalkeeper prior to sliding the ball home as Verdon looked to save the day for Springs.
The visitors' coaching duo, Jose Figueira and Paul Temple, realised that if they didn't do something drastic, and swiftly at that, their hopes of avoiding just their second defeat on the road in two seasons would be as good as over by half-time. Cue a tactical change, with Sarah Nelson sacrificed to accommodate Chelsey Wood in midfield.
While she was getting up to speed, United weaved their incisive play once more, Stratford and Hassett leading the way. Smith was the beneficiary of their enterprise, although she still had plenty to do. Three opponents were left in her wake as she cut in from the left before letting fly with a near post drive which Yates battered away to safety, the ball clearing the incoming Thompson by not a great deal.
Wood's presence in midfield helped to stabilise
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 Merissa Smith (TKU) takes on Jessie Verdon (Springs)
 Rebecca Sowden (TKU) controls the ball on her chest
 Rosie White (Springs) finds Jane Simpson (TKU) blocking her progress towards goal
 Zoe Thompson (TKU) lays the ball off as Maia Jackman (Springs) challenges
 Sarah Gibbs (TKU) assesses her options as Poppy Binning (Springs) gives chase
 Rebecca Sowden (TKU) gives Nadia Pearl (Springs) the slip
 Abby Erceg (Springs) clears as Rebecca Sowden (TKU) closes in
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Springs' structure, but two minutes before half-time, the visitors should have found themselves three goals down - the miss of the season so far was at hand!
Jenny Bindon, whose role in this game was more spectator than spectacular, such was the dominance of her team-mates, sparked this raid with a raking clearance. Sowden, who won every aerial duel going in midfield, was unchallenged in flicking the ball on to Smith, who ran at the retreating Springs rearguard.
After evading two challenges, she slipped Thompson through the inside right channel. Initially thwarted by Duncan's challenge, the striker quickly regained possession and whipped a cross to the far post. Arriving on cue were Hassett and Stratford, with daylight for company and the goal at their mercy.
The latter took charge, and opted for the grand finish rather than the bland one … the ball was last seen heading towards the second cut of rough on the adjoining course's fourteenth hole, narrowly avoiding a couple of unsuspecting Sunday hackers en route!!
From the resulting goal-kick, Annabelle Bramwell sent Collins spearing through the inside right channel, just Bindon between her and a goal which, on the stroke of half-time, could have changed the entire complexion of the match. The goalkeeper wasn't tested, however, as Hill hurtled across to get between striker and ball and thwart the danger - a great piece of covering defensive work.
The second half saw Springs attack straight from the kick-off, Duncan, Poppy Binning and Tagaloa combining to present White with a chance which she sliced wide of the mark.
United's response? An attacking blitzkrieg - five shots on goal in as many minutes just before the hour mark. Gibbs' cross-shot was well grabbed by Yates, who had Jackman to thank seconds later as the defender blocked to safety a twenty-five yarder from Sowden.
The midfielder's subsequent corner was a beauty - a vicious in-swinger which had Yates twisting every which way in the goalmouth before she managed to paw the ball away.
The goalkeeper's involvement with this incident wasn't over yet, however, for the resulting clearance was pounced on by Hassett, who, after evading two challenges, slipped Smith through the middle. Yates raced off her line to save bravely at the striker's feet.
Unperturbed, United surged forward yet again, Sowden leading the way. A through ball to Thompson would have put the game's sole markswoman to date one-on-one with Yates, but the midfielder opted for Stratford, who had Gibbs steaming up outside her on the overlap.
A touch into the fullback's path saw a twenty-yarder career fly narrowly past the far post, which was accompanied by a groan of despair from the shooter.
Springs had barely warmed the gloves of Bindon in this match, but in the 64th minute, the substitute showed her team-mates the route to goal. Swooping on a loose ball in midfield, Wood surged forward and let fly from thirty yards, her dipping effort beating Bindon all ends up, only to cannon down off the underside of the bar and back into play, with Tagaloa unable to capitalise on the rebound.
That was the striker's last act of the match, with Jackman taking her place in attack as Springs went for broke. United's response was to introduce Annalie Longo for the last twenty minutes, and she wasted little time in weaving her wizardry in tandem with Hassett - as if Springs' rearguard hadn't endured enough problems for one game!
They stood their ground until the 76th minute, when a fortuitous ricochet off the never-say-die Binning saw Gibbs' through ball reach its intended target, Thompson. Yates was off her line in a flash, and blocked superbly at close quarters to prevent the striker from completing her hat-trick.
Three minutes later, the `keeper was given no chance whatsoever by a goal which came straight out of John Arne Riise's long-range shooting manual. Hassett and Longo teased and tormented on the edge of the penalty area until former team-mate Abby Erceg stepped into put an end to their high-jinks.
Her clearance landed some thirty-five yards out from goal, on a spot which Green, having read the trajectory of the ball, was anticipating. She moved onto it and unleashed an absolute screamer of a half-volley, the ball a blur until it crashed into the top left-hand corner of Yates' net - simply unstoppable!!
With that emphatic coup de grace, Springs' heads dropped, although Jackman kept chasing a lost cause. After a collision with Bindon, however, she was left nursing her already injured knee - with international duty commencing in a fortnight, the sight of NZ women's soccer's most charismatic character hobbling through the final minutes was not one which this thoroughly entertaining encounter merited.
Five minutes from time, Springs somehow survived as their rampant opponents sought a fourth goal. Gibbs lashed in a volley which Erceg hooked out, only as far as Longo. Her delightful curling effort left Yates flailing in vain as it hit the bar, then ricocheted off the `keeper away from the target. Homing in on the ball was Thompson, who hit the post from a tight angle as both Yates and Erceg looked to cover the goal.
3-0 was Three Kings' lot, however, the reigning champions' comprehensive team performance deserving of a bigger winning margin over a Springs combination which, with a couple of exceptions - Yates, Binning and Bramwell - failed to front on the day, and suffered the consequences.
TKU: Bindon; Simpson (Allen, 80), Hill, Rishworth, Gibbs; Hassett, Sowden, Green; Smith (Longo, 71), Thompson, Stratford (Cox, 80)
Springs: Yates; Binning, Jackman, Nelson (Wood, 32), Verdon; Duncan, Erceg, Bramwell; Tagaloa (Pearl, 66), Collins, White
Referee: Harold Duimstra
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