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Auckland Hit The Ground Running In A-League
by Jeremy Ruane
New Isuzu Ute A-League entity Auckland FC hit the ground running in their maiden fixture in the competition on 19 October, their 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar at GoMedia Mt. Smart Stadium delighting the 24,992 fans present as the city which is New Zealand's home of football welcomed the arrival of a professional football team capable of doing Auckland justice.
The Football Kingz and the short-lived NZ Knights entities both gave New Zealand a taste of the potential of professional football on these shores, but failed to fulfil their potential, the latter operation in particular falling well short of expectations nearly two decades ago.
Since which time Wellington Phoenix has flown the A-League flag for the country, twice going close to winning the competition in that period. Understandably, they've built a following in Auckland during the two decades they've been in existence, but now that an A-League outfit resides in New Zealand's biggest city, those loyalties are about to be severely tested - a sold-out Mt Smart Stadium on this auspicious occasion is testimony to that.
Unlike Wellington, who drew 2-2 with Melbourne Victory at "The Caketin" in their maiden fixture on 26 August 2007, Auckland became just the sixth club in the twenty-year history of the A-League to win their opening fixture, afforded the perfect start with an eighth minute goal from an unlikely source.
Brisbane had enjoyed the better of the initial exchanges, with Thomas Waddingham drawing an early save from Alex Paulsen, but when Auckland captain Hiroki Sakai won the ball and fed Logan Rogerson, the home team's first attack of note promised plenty.
Rogerson, who scored a snorter for the All Whites five days ago in their 4-0 drubbing of Malaysia across town at North Harbour Stadium, immediately scythed inside off the right flank before picking out targetman Guillermo May, who had a fine game leading the line of his new team.
It was his vision which was to the fore on this occasion, a reverse pass beyond Rogerson which split the defence and rewarded Sakai's storming supporting run down the right into yards of space.
Into the penalty area the Japanese international strode before fizzing in a low cross which Harry Van der Saag couldn't avoid turning into his own net - an "oggie" which will forever be part of Auckland FC's history.
The early goal buoyed the fans, who got right in behind their new heroes in the Inter Milan-like kit. Brisbane were up against it from that moment on, and went close to conceding a second goal just five minutes later. Dan Hall sent May racing to the right-hand by-line, from where he delivered a cross which arced narrowly over the head of Jake Brimmer.
Inside the next ten minutes, Paulsen saved from both the impressive Neicer Acosta and Waddingham, while the eye-catchingly-performed Liam Gillion combined well with Francis de Vries down the left before inviting the commanding figure
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of Louis Verstraete to let fly from twenty-five yards, an effort which sizzled narrowly past the post.
Brisbane began to get the upper hand during the second half of the first forty-five minutes, without truly threatening a solid Auckland rearguard in which Nando Pijnaker impressed. After the interval, however, the home team was eager to build on its early advantage.
After Brimmer's free-kick deceived Macklin Freke in the 48th minute, May exploited a poor goal kick seconds later to create merry hell in Brisbane's rearguard with a low cross which Brimmer, sliding in at full stretch, just failed to turn home.
An Acosta free-kick apart, which Paulsen punched to safety, the visitors offered little threat to their hosts, about whom the same cannot be said, thanks in large part to the combination work of de Vries and Gillion down the left. The latter saw a shot blocked around the hour mark, as did Brimmer, while Freke blocked another Gillion effort with his legs in the 64th minute with Rogerson in yards of space on the right.
The locally based All Whites goalscorer maintained his position ten minutes later, and was rewarded with Auckland's second goal. Seconds after Felipe Gallegos and Gillion combined to create an opening for May which was cut out by the alert Ben Warland, Gallegos linked up with de Vries, who delivered a deep cross to the far post.
Arriving on cue was Rogerson, whose unerring first-time finish found the "postage stamp" at the base of Freke's left-hand post - 2-0, to the undisguised delight of "The Port", Auckland's fan base, whose whole-hearted support for their new team rightly didn't entertain drawing attention to themselves - no pathetic "shirts off" nonsense around here, thankyou very much.
Brisbane plugged away in search of a consolation goal - Walid Shour's long-range effort late in the piece was as close as they came to bagging one - but this was Auckland's day, and a third goal very nearly materialised in the dying minutes, Gillion seeing a shot blocked after a rampaging run from substitute Jesse Randall, then rattling the outside of the near post with a stoppage time snapshot.
The sound of the final whistle was met with delight by all present bar those of a Brisbane leaning, and rightly. Professional football is back in New Zealand's home of football, and on the evidence of this opening display, coach Steve Corica's charges aren't here just to make up the numbers. More demanding challenges lie ahead, but for now, this is a result Auckland FC and their fans will savour, and rightly so.
Auckland: Paulsen; Sakai, Hall, Pijnaker, de Vries; Brimmer (Howieson, 69), Verstraete (booked, 59 (Smith, 83)), Gallegos; Rogerson (Randall, 79), May (Mata, 82), Gillion
Brisbane: Freke; Van der Saag (booked, 56 (Hingert, 68)), Shour, Warland, Burke-Gilroy; Halloran, O'Shea, Caletti (Klein, 68), Jelacic (Ozzi, 86); Waddingham (Struick, 68), Acosta (Bility, 81)
Referee: Daniel Elder
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