1997

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1997

City Reign Supreme Again

by Jeremy Ruane

Waitakere City proved themselves the best team in the country once again on April 6, with a convincing 3-1 triumph over Napier City Rovers in the Smokefree National Soccer League Grand Final at Bill McKinlay Park.

Some 4000 specators saw a spectacle in which the greater big-match experience of the defending league champions proved a telling factor in the final outcome. Napier, quite simply, were outclassed.

Yet it could all have been so difference for the blue-and-white army early on. For, after just 82 seconds, City's 'keeper, Grant Schofield, pulled off a super save low to his right to foil Rupert Ryan, the youngster having been put through one-on-one by a measured Martin Akers delivery from the right.

City responded in the sixth minute, inspired by the efforts of their captain, Carl Jorgenson, who had a magnificent game - certainly the best I've seen him play. On the left, he beat two players and cut inside before playing a lovely ball through into Darren McClennan's path. His shot was parried to safety by Mark Paston, but had it found the target, it would not have counted, due to the offside flag.

Four minutes later, however, McClennan and friends were celebrating, thanks to the goalpoaching prowess of Nik Viljoen. Neil Woodhams' cross from the right was headed through by Jorgenson into the young striker's path. His volley saw the ball drop in front of Paston and rear up sharply past the startled 'keeper into the net.

Napier sought a quick reply, with Akers, Warren Gilbertson, Andy Rennie and Eddie Kennedy all going close to levelling the scores, before "The Mac Attack" uncorked an absolute gem of a goal to floor the round-robin phase winners in the 35th minute.

Ten minutes prior, he had been foiled by the retreating Jason New, as Jorgenson picked out the striker's run with a perceptive pass. This time, the same combination linked up by way of a header from Jorgenson into McClennan's path, following a strong run from deep by Viljoen.

Twenty-five yards out from goal, the All White striker quickly assessed his options before opting to pull the trigger. And how! The ball seemed to do everything but talk on its way into the top far corner of Paston's net, with the goalkeeper rooted to his line in sheer admiration of McClennan's second wonder-strike in as many Grand Finals. It really was a snorter!!

The situation now was that if Napier didn't score before half-time, the final would have been all over bar the shouting. But within three minutes of City's second strike, Rovers replied in kind, Ross Goodacre coolly tucking the ball inside Schofield's right-hand upright after Gilbertson had flicked the ball into his path to leave him one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

After the interval, City asserted themselves at a time when Rovers should have been pressing hard for an equaliser. For some reason, though, "The Blues" seemed to lack the initiative and imagination which had seen through to this stage of the competition, so much so that Schofield was not seriously tested throughout the entire half.

Instead, it was Paston who was in the firing line from Waitakere's formidable artillery, and he was found wanting on numerous occasions. The well-performed Kevin Smith, Woodhams and, inevitably, Jorgenson, tried their luck before the clinching goal came in the 61st minute.

Needless to say, Jorgenson was the inspiration from which it took shape, the captain turning defence into attack with some hard, forceful running. Tony Laus found himself in possession on the edge of the penalty area, and whipped in a low cross for Viljoen, which reached him via substitute Geoff Gray.

Viljoen's shot should have been smothered by Paston, but he parried it ... straight to the feet of Gray, who gleefully ran into the welcoming arms of the delighted Waitakere hordes gathered behind the goal.

3-1 it remained, but there could have been more. Smith surged through in the 77th minute, but Paston came to gather, only to spill the ball loose. The lively left flanker was onto it in an instant, and had the presence of mind to fire the sphere goalwards, but was on too tight an angle to further punish the young custodian.

Kennedy cleared off the boot of Laus nine minutes later, following a super run by Kenny Harlock. He shrugged off the attentions of two Napier defenders and somehow kept his feet before delivering a delicious low cross. Viljoen's near post dummy fooled everybody, but just as Laus moved in for the kill, English import Kennedy appeared on the scene to snuff out the opportunity.

Paston's nightmare continued a minute later. New's pass back to the goalkeeper saw Laus accelerate, and the All Whites' second-choice number one was panicked into slicing his attempted clearance. Thanks to Gareth Rowe, however, his blushes were spared on this occasion, as Geoff Gray moved in with the scent of a fourth Waitakere goal very much in his nostrils.

In stoppage time, City pressed yet again. Laus used the overlapping Woodhams to good effect, and his low cross across the face of goal had the imposing Waitakere targetman as its intended destination. Paston stuck out a hand to paw the ball off its trajectory, only, moments later, for Smith and Viljoen to combine on the left.

The latter's pass found the former with his back to goal, but he turned his marker and fired past Paston, only to hit the outside of the post, much to his annoyance. But his smile returned moments later, as Derek Rugg's final whistle confirmed Waitakere's supremacy - again.

City: Schofield; Dawkins (booked, 50) (Fitzpatrick, 75), R. Gray, Lynch; Woodhams, Jorgenson, Harlock (booked, 60), Smith; McClennan (G. Gray, 46), Laus, Viljoen

Rovers: Paston; Birchenough (Brown, 79), Rowe, Rennie (booked, 45), New; Gilbertson, Cotton, Kennedy, Goodacre (Christie, 68); Ryan, Akers (Calder, 85)

Referee: Derek Rugg

National League