Waitakere City v. Central United, 30/3/96

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Passion-Filled Encounter Throws League Race Wide Open

by Jeremy Ruane

Passion and intensity are two words rarely associated with the playing of soccer in New Zealand, but the 1200-odd folk who barrelled down the North-West Motorway to Fred Taylor Park on March 30 were treated to an encounter where those two attributes were very much in evidence for the entire ninety minutes.

There was plenty of feeling when Waitakere City and Central United clashed, and with good reason. It was the first time Danny Hay and Ivan Vicelich had returned to the club where they began their careers, while other circumstances included one versus two in the Smokefree National Soccer League, the locking of horns of the competition's two in-form teams, and the clash of playing styles - City's tried-and-trusted 4-4-2 versus United's more modern 3-5-2 format.

Arguably the biggest factor, however, was the increasingly intense rivalry developing between the clubs. Waitakere have been the "new kids on the block" since their formation in 1988. But they have had a challenger for that mantle in Central since 1993, the year the Kiwitea Street club first rose to prominence on the national scene via the Superclub competition.

In that time, there have been nine clashes between the two clubs at premier level. City have won seven of them, the others having been drawn. Central had scored just four goals against Waitakere prior to this game, Keith Pritchett's charges rattling home twenty-six in reply.

Most people thought match number ten would follow suit. Soccer New Zealand's Chief Executive, Bill MacGowan, for instance, boldly picked a four-goal haul for the defending National League, Superclub and Chatham Cup champions. Any takers for Central? Only the faithful, it seemed.

Their faith, on this occasion, was not misplaced. Waitakere City 0, Central United 2. And, it must be said, a thoroughly deserved two at that. So often fixtures of this magnitude turn out to be real fizzers. This one, thankfully, wasn't.

Waitakere had two clear-cut scoring chances in the scoreless first spell, both headers. Steve Cain's third minute effort was tipped over the top by Brett McMurdoch, while Rodger Gray's powerful effort, from a Neil Harlock corner, was just inches away.

Central had double that number of opportunities in the same period. Fred de Jong fired wide after a tidy five-man move in the thirteenth minute, and the same player could only gape in amazement at the sight of Grant Schofield pulling off a stunning reflex save to keep out his 24th minute glancing header, after Hoani Edwards had delivered a pinpoint free-kick from the right.

Schofield was again the hero four minutes from the break, saving at Sean Fallon's feet after the striker had combined to good effect with the vibrant Billy Harris. The rebound fell the way of de Jong, but his goalbound effort struck the by now prone Fallon, and was cleared to safety.

Thomas Edge and Darren McClennan had been allowed very little space in the first spell by their former Waitakere team-mates, Hay and Vicelich. The latter, in particular, was having a magnificent game, winning everything that came his way in the air, and still finding time to involve himself in Central's attacks. Noah Hickey, too, had a game to remember for similar reasons.

The home team were noticeably more competitive in the initial stages of the second half, with McClennan and Edge finally engineering some space in which to create a couple of opportunities for themselves, around the hour mark.

The former drilled in a low, fast cross from the right which Edge, arriving on the far post, just failed to reach, while McClennan chanced his arm himself three minutes later, only for McMurdoch to produce a full-length, fingertip save to divert the ball to safety. In between times, the goalkeeper had denied Cain once again.

Central were by no means out of it, as a 59th minute raid hinted. De Jong and Harris orchestrated it, with the latter delivering an inviting cross to the far post, where Lane somehow contrived to head the ball over the bar, when scoring appeared to be the easier option.

The game got the goal it merited in the 68th minute. De Jong's turn and shot cannoned off Cain for a corner. This was partially cleared, but the ball found its way back to Vicelich, still forward from the set-piece.

He played a clever little ball into Lane, who was brought to earth inside the penalty area by Ryan Dawkins. Up stepped Hay, Central's captain, to take his second penalty in as many weeks. He slammed home the spot-kick against his old club, and made this writer very happy at the same time - guess who had the Golden Goal ticket, much to Bert's annoyance!! (Danny, the next round's on me, old son!!)

Within two minutes, it was 2-0. Lane was again brought down by Dawkins, this time just outside the penalty area. De Jong, Harris, Edwards and Thomas White all fancied their chances from straight out in front, with Edwards drawing the shortest straw - his lot was the dummy run! White stepped forward and whipped the ball round the wall and into the opposite corner of the net to that which Schofield was covering. 2-0, and how Central celebrated, on and off the pitch!

Kevin Fallon was, by now, jumping up and down like a schoolboy who'd just found a winning first division Lotto ticket lying in the street! His antics didn't go down too well with some folk - a couple of prominent personalities aired their views to his face immediately after the final whistle, as Central's coach calmly signed a youngster's autograph book!

Lane almost made it 3-0 in the 77th minute, Dawkins clearing his header off the line after Fallon had broken down the right, drawn Schofield out of goal and fired over a cross.

Five minutes remained when Hay climbed all over Edge, and referee Derek Rugg, who issued eight yellow cards when fewer than half that number seemed justified to the sideline eyes around the ground, had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.

Cain stepped forward in an attempt to secure City a lifeline from which to launch a late siege on Central's goal, but he blazed the ball wide of the target, sparking off victory celebrations among the sizable Central contingent present, as the race for the championship was blown wide open.

At the final whistle, Central's President, Ivan Vuksich, made a bee-line for Kevin Fallon, and it was a toss-up as to who was the happier of the two! There was even an attempt made to chair the coach off the pitch!! Though this failed, Central's faithful following certainly made it known to all present just how much this victory meant to them - surely the Kiwitea Street club's finest hour to date.

National League