Auckland City v. Team Wellington, 12/4/08

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City's NZFC Reign Ended By Wellington

by Jeremy Ruane

Team Wellington brought to an end Auckland City's three-year reign as Southern Trust NZ Football Championship title-holders at Kiwitea Street on April 12, coming from behind to down the reigning champions 4-3 after extra-time in the NZFC play-off.

That result, the first time Wellington has downed Auckland in thirteen attempts, means that a new name will be engraved on the NZFC trophy for the first time in the competition's four-year history, with the Wellingtonians heading to Auckland once again next Sunday to take on Waitakere United at Douglas Field in the NZFC Grand Final.

Auckland created the first chance of the match, in the fourth minute. Bryan Little's cross picked out Grant Young, who laid the ball back into Ben Sigmund's path. City's captain smashed a twenty-five yarder goalwards, only for Sean Douglas to block the effort. Joel Mathews' attempt to rifle home the rebound was well wayward.

Wellington retorted three minutes later, a neat move featuring Graham Little, Raf de Gregorio and Wiremu Patrick culminating in Luis Corrales fending off team-mate Daniel Ellensohn as both appeared in the City penalty area.

Tamati Williams was alert to the danger, and duly snuffed it out, but Corrales - a lively first half - was soon in the thick of the action again, his twenty-yarder fizzing over the crossbar four minutes later.

Williams' resulting goal-kick was swooped on by Douglas, who linked with di Gregorio to send Ellensohn spearing through the inside-right channel. City's `keeper was on his toes once more, then pawed the ball over the crossbar in the fourteenth minute as the determined Graham Little got in behind Mathews, the ball ricocheting off the striker and heading towards the target at an awkward angle.

In the eighteenth minute, City launched their second raid of note, again down the left. Another Bryan Little cross this time arced beyond Young towards John Niyonsaba, who steered the ball back inside for the South African, whose shot on the turn zoomed wildly over the bar.

Moments later, Little was played in by the charging figure of Keryn Jordan, but Wellington `keeper Phil Imray was equal to his twenty-yarder, seconds prior to producing the save of the game so far.

Ki-Hyung Lee switched play to Mathews, who played a ball through the inside-right channel which Jordan glided onto and, without breaking stride, lashed goalwards on the volley. Imray's reactions were cat-like as he diverted the ball to safety at his near post.

In the 24th minute, Wellington opened the scoring. Corrales' creativity on the right saw him dribble between two challenges before firing over a low cross. It rebounded off Lee back to the Costa Rican, who steered the ball into di Gregorio's path.

George Suri stepped in to deny his attempt, but Mathews' clearance ricocheted off the Solomon Islander straight to Graham Little, who calmly steered the ball home beyond an unsighted Williams to the delight of the small but vocal travelling army.

Auckland sought a swift riposte, but their opponents stood their ground well. Apart from Bryan Little's promptings on the left flank, Stu Jacobs' charges looked very solid, something which cannot be said of Colin Tuaa's side, particularly Lee and Sigmund.

Both kept storming forward to join attacks at the same time, meaning that when the raid broke down, Wellington had this massive gap in which to play, in front of City's rearguard. Little wonder Suri and Greg Uhlmann looked over-run at times.

Talking of the latter, he squandered a great chance to level the scores in the 28th minute. Wellington failed to clear Lee's free-kick, and Imray's punch clear lacked certainty, as well as accuracy. Fortunately for the visitors, it landed at Uhlmann's feet, the defender steering the sphere wide of an untended net from the edge of the penalty area.

After Jordan had seen a twenty-five yard effort deflect to safety, and the largely ineffective figure of Young had been crowded out in the penalty area after Sigmund had caught Darren Cheriton in possession, Williams produced a stunning save to defy Corrales, after di Gregorio had exploited the aforementioned gaping hole to the fullest, prior to bringing Graham Little into play.

The striker's low cross zoomed across the bows of the incoming Ellensohn and arrived in Corrales' stride, only for the unmarked man to be denied inside the six-yard box by the adroit Williams, who parried then smothered the effort at close quarters.

Cue more Auckland raids. Lee warmed Imray's gloves in the 35th minute, while two minutes later, Williams, Bryan Little and Jordan combined to send John Niyonsaba steaming into the penalty area with just Imray to beat. The youngster's first touch failed

him, however, and his resulting shot flew high, wide and anything but handsome!

Wellington spurned a glorious chance to double their advantage two minutes before half-time. Patrick played Ellensohn in on the right, but the striker's attempted lob of Williams was parried by the `keeper. Suri cleared, but only as far as Graham Little, who played in Corrales. Suri recovered to block the striker's effort, with Corrales blazing the rebound over the bar.

The solidly performed Salesh Kumar joined Auckland's next raid, and worked an opening with Jordan which resulted in the defender beating Imray with his shot, but not the side-netting. And a minute before half-time, Bryan Little's deep cross was headed across by Young for Jordan, only for Imray to grab the ball cleanly despite the striker's sturdy challenge.

The second half saw the visitors start brightly, with Graham Little at the heart of a 49th minute raid which featured di Gregorio's cross and a knockdown from half-time substitute Peter Halstead which no-one in a white shirt was anticipating.

With Auckland pushing forward in search of an equaliser, there was plenty of space for Wellington to exploit, and in the next twenty minutes, Little twice spurned chances to increase the visitors' advantage, while di Gregorio lashed a twenty-yarder over the bar as well.

At this point in time, City were playing like a team which didn't appear to have a fourth successive NZFC title in them. They were all over the place shape-wise, and their contribution to the half thus far was best summed up in the 55th minute - an awful sliced drive from Bryan Little which careered wide of the target after Young had picked him out.

Sean Douglas was marshalling Wellington's rearguard superbly in order to deny City's attack space, so much so that it wasn't until the 68th minute that they threatened again. Substitute Cha Goo Yoon's long throw-in was flicked on at the near post by Jordan for Lee, whose acrobatic cleared the crossbar by not a great deal.

Perhaps this lack of attacking penetration lulled Wellington into a false sense of security, because inside the next five minutes, Auckland struck twice to turn the game on its head well and truly.

Twenty minutes from time, substitute Jeff Campbell was on the charge out of defence, and upon playing the ball wide for Jordan, he continued his run forward at a great rate of knots. The South African, meanwhile, fully exploited the gaping hole behind the inexperienced Schaeffers which the lunging fullback afforded him.

Scything into the penalty area, Jordan angled his cross into the goalmouth, presenting Campbell with a tap-in. 1-1 - game on!

And how! Just three minutes later, Young was fouled on the left, and Lee whipped in a free-kick. His fellow Korean, Yoon, met the ball with a flicked header which directed the ball into the far corner of the net - 2-1 Auckland, and Wellington wondering what on earth was going on at this dramatic turn of events.

Cue a riposte from the team from the capital, as they looked to storm one of the foremost citadels in the footballing capital of New Zealand. Halstead and Graham Little both prompted Williams to preserve City's lead in the next five minutes, while the base of the post denied Halstead's shot on the turn in the 79th minute, after Schaeffers and Corrales had linked to good effect on the right.

Auckland scrambled the ball to the seeming safety of a corner, but Cheriton had other ideas on that score. His delivery, deep to the far post, found Douglas lurking with intent. His header inside found Halstead in support, and the Peter Crouch-like spearhead of Wellington's attack could only look on in despair as his effort was cleared off the line by Jeff Campbell.

Halstead didn't have long to wait before his despair turned to delight. Four minutes from time, di Gregorio and Little combined to present the striker with a half-chance, which he turned into a full one upon shrugging off Suri's challenge.

Halstead looked up, picked his spot and from the edge of the penalty area curled home a beauty, the ball arcing around Williams and into the right-hand corner of the keeper's net. 2-2, and extra time seemingly a certainty.

Both teams had chances to win it in the minutes which remained, however. Wellington somehow squandered a four-on-two situation - Suri stood his ground superbly to prevail, while a tame effort from Jordan troubled Imray little as the title-holders looked to snatch victory at the death.

So to the additional thirty minutes, with City in the ascendancy during the first fifteen of those. Lee lashed a thirty-yarder two yards over the top after

the Campbells - Jeff and Sam - had combined with Sigmund.

After di Gregorio had seen his deflected twenty-yard free-kick clear the crossbar by not a lot with Williams stranded, Lee worked a one-two with Young before angling a shot over the bar - the 47-times-capped Korean international should have done better.

In the 98th minute, a wayward headed clearance by the otherwise well-performed Karl Whalen was seized upon by Jordan, who from twenty yards thumped a thunderous volley goalwards which almost embarrassed Imray. Only the post spared the `keeper's blushes.

Two minutes later, referee Peter O'Leary - top display of officiating - had waved away penalty claims arising from Sam Blackburn's volley cannoning off Uhlmann's raised arm inside the area.

Unperturbed, Wellington came again seconds later, via a one-two twixt Little and Halstead, with the Scot playing the return ball wide for Corrales to run onto. He unleashed a 101st minute grasscutter which was arrowing towards the bottom near corner before Williams diverted the effort round the post.

City cleared the corner and stormed downfield, Lee and Jeff Campbell leading the charge. Their combination work presented Jordan with an opening on the right, and after jinking inside two challenges, he clipped the ball towards the top far corner of the net from ten yards out. Had the crossbar been a foot higher, he'd have scored, but 2-2 it remained.

Jordan then lifted another effort over the bar in the final minute of the half, before the teams turned round for, for one team, the final fifteen minutes of football this season. Within two minutes of the resumption, we were given an inkling as to which team that would be.

Corrales' pursuit of Cheriton's 107th minute through ball appeared to be a forlorn cause, until Williams had a Coldplay moment - a rush of blood to the head! The `keeper left referee O'Leary with no option but to point to the penalty spot as he sent the Costa Rican tumbling near the by-line, and Graham Little made the most of the chance, slamming the ball into the roof of the net to give Wellington a 3-2 lead.

With City pressing forward in pursuit of another equaliser, they left themselves open to the counter-attack, and with four minutes remaining, the champions' grip on the NZFC trophy was finally prised loose.

Cheriton's early ball forward sent Halstead haring through an under-manned Auckland rearguard, and the lanky striker kept a cool head to steer his shot beyond Williams and into the far corner of the net to give Wellington a 4-2 lead.

Surely there would be no way back from this for Auckland. Uhlmann certainly didn't think so, if his outburst towards referee O'Leary was anything to go by. Off he trudged upon seeing the game's solitary red card brandished in his direction, leaving City to battle on with ten men.

Corrales twice went close to adding a fifth goal, but as it was, the ten men halved the deficit in the 119th minute. Lee's angled cross was met at the near post by Jordan, whose diving header was spectacularly parried by Imray. Sadly for the `keeper, makeshift striker Suri was on hand to thrash home City's third goal - they couldn't notch another one now, surely?

No, they couldn't, referee O'Leary's final whistle sounding a couple of minutes later to signal the end of their reign as NZFC champions, as Team Wellington booked their place in next Sunday's Grand Final against a Waitakere United side which, ironically, arch-rivals Auckland will be supporting, for once!

A win for the West Aucklanders will clinch City's place in the 2008-9 OFC Champions League, by virtue of their finishing second in the premiership phase of the NZFC, three points ahead of their conquerors in this play-off.

Hence Wellington have all to play for from 2pm at Douglas Field next Sunday, a match in which Waitakere will be chasing the third of four prizes they have targeted this summer.

They have already secured O-League qualification and the National Youth League crown, while the two-legged OFC Champions League final, against Solomon Islands champions Kossa FC, is still to come.

Auckland: Williams; Mathews (S. Campbell, 90), Suri, Uhlmann (sent-off, 117), Kumar (booked, 120); Niyonsaba (Yoon, 43), Lee, Sigmund, B. Little (J. Campbell, 61); Young, Jordan

Wellington: Imray; Schaeffers, Whalen, Douglas, Howe; Cheriton, di Gregorio (booked, 91) (Tinkler, 97), Patrick (Blackburn, 82); Ellensohn (Halstead, 46), G. Little, Corrales (booked, 78)

Referee: Peter O'Leary

National League