Mt. Wellington v. Central, 16/4/95

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Almost Perfect!! - "The Best I've Seen This Year!"

by Jeremy Ruane

How do you begin to do justice to a match of this quality? A fantastic game of football, played in the right spirit, with the sport the ultimate winner.

A draw would have been the perfect result to this rip-roaring encounter under the Bill McKinlay Park lights, but, sadly from Central's point of view but certainly not from Mt. Wellington's, perfection, that level of achievement to which we all aspire, did not come to pass on Easter Sunday night, as The Mount came from behind to down their gallant opponents, 2-1.

Central ripped into Mt. Wellington from referee Ian Hiscox's first whistle - that there weren't too many more of these throughout the ninety minutes speaks volumes for the official's contribution to the best match I've seen this year.

The visitors' reward for such enterprise came in the seventh minute. Percy Watson pounced on a Mark Harrison slip and punished the home team in the best way possible, slipping the ball beyond Duncan Martin and into the far corner to open the scoring.

Kevin Fallon's lads, boasting an average age of just 21, were clearly fired up for this one, and proceeded to give their hosts both barrels. Watson and Sean Fallon combined to set up Matthew Vuksich, but he shot wide.

Minutes later, Watson again had the ball, and Mount defenders, under his spell. Jinking this way and that down the left, the Peruvian goalpoacher created space for Aaron Tindall to exploit, only for Martin to pull off a fine save from the youngster's shot.

On the half-hour, after further Central pressure had come to nought, thanks mainly to the efforts of Kara Waetford - inspirational again, Fallon, who enjoyed a marvellous match himself in the targetman role, turned provider, with a vicious low cross across the face of The Mount's goal. But just before Watson could divert the ball home, Alex Metzger stepped in to avert the danger with a timely clearance.

This sparked a Mount riposte, led by Darrin Brown. The man whose four-goal haul at Mt. Maunganui on Good Friday had been overshadowed by other, far less attention-deserving events, looked to equalise with a twenty-yard shot, the culmination of a mazy run of similar distance. But Ross Nicholson, in Central's goal, sprang to his right to turn away the danger in style.

While The Mount went in at the break trailing 1-0, they had begun to flex their muscles, and drew level in the 57th minute. A great goal it was, too. Brown the inspiration again, with Heath McCormack's mercurial finish beating Nicholson's despairing dive, and giving the youngster his first Superclub goal. It's open to debate who was the happier - Heath, or his father, Vic, who celebrated the occasion in the press box with a victory jig and the proud cry of "That's my boy!!"

Back came Central again, and after Nobby Stiles had gone close from a corner, the visitors unleashed the attack of the match most deserving of a goal, in the 64th minute. Fallon's headed clearance of a Mark Atkinson corner fell to Watson, who released the youngest man on the pitch, seventeen-year-old Mathew Urlovic, down the right.

Vuksich, who'd stormed upfield from his own goal-line, was the next recipient of the ball, and his resulting shot was charged down by the alert Duncan Martin, who'd hurtled out of his goal to counter the danger. Vuksich whipped the rebound across the face of goal for Tindall, who seemed certain to score. But where did Danny Ryder come from? His goal-line clearance kept The Mount on level terms.

End-to-end action ensued. Craig Ashton cleared a Fallon header off the line, while, seconds later, a free header from Gary Moore ended up in the one place he hadn't intended the ball to go - Nicholson's hands.

Timely tackles from Jeff Keskic and Thomas White denied the raiding Brown, while yet another marvellous run from Watson, followed by a shot, forced the best from Martin, at his near post.

The Mount then launched the attack which won them the game. A corner from Atkinson was met superbly by Harrison. Nicholson's tip-over matched the quality of the header - superb! "Akers" again from the corner quadrant, short this time, to McCormack. White blocked his shot, but Moore turned on a sixpence to fire the rebound beyond Nicholson and into the far corner - 2-1, with fifteen minutes of riveting action remaining.

Brown could have sewn it up a minute after the goal, but, with Nicholson beaten and the goal gaping, he rolled his left-foot shot barely a foot the wrong side of the far post.

Still Mount pressed for more, with Nicholson pawing away McCormack's angled drive. Seconds later, Atkinson whipped in a low cross which both Brown and McCormack were within inches of reaching. Inside the next ninety seconds, the young Mt. Wellington striker had once again brought about more of the best from Nicholson.

Back came Central for their last charge. But, try as they might, they couldn't find a second chink in Mt. Wellington's defensive armoury, with Waetford, Ryder, Metzger and Simon Hilton all performing their duties like men possessed, aided and abetted most notably by Ashton, Harrison and Moore. The final fling came from Fallon, a volley which flew narrowly wide of Martin's right-hand post with the 'keeper motionless.

Within seconds, this pulsating affair was all over. The Central lads sank to the ground, each player having given his all and then some, for no reward. Contrast this with the beaming smile on Kevin Hagan's face. His players were as drained of energy as their opponents, but they were savouring the sweet taste of victory.

After such a marvellous exhibition of flowing football by both teams, to acknowledge one player's performance ahead of those of his team-mates isn't really fair. While Moore and White - just - were the recipients of the respective awards, there were twenty-five players of the day on show in this game, and for posterity's sake, they are listed below:

Mount: Martin; Hilton, Waetford, Metzger, Ryder; Atkinson, Ashton, Harrison, Moore; Brown, McCormack (Berry, 85)

Central: Nicholson; Spedding, Stiles, White, Mellon; Urlovic (Hickey, 75), Keskic, Vuksich, Tindall; Watson, Fallon

Referee: Ian Hiscox

Northern League