Mt. Wellington v. Central United, 26/7/97

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Has There Ever Been A Finish Quite Like This One?

by Jeremy Ruane

With six minutes remaining in their Bluebird Premier League clash at Bill McKinlay Park on July 26, Central United held a 2-1 lead over Mt. Wellington, and were on course to record their first-ever win at the venue.

Come the final whistle some eight minutes later, however, Central were absolutely shellshocked, Mt. Wellington were ecstatic, and I wasn't the only one who was gobsmacked!! Mt. Wellington 5, Central United 2 - has there ever been a finish quite like this one??!!

There are only three games I can recall seeing which had a finish even more dramatic than that witnessed in this encounter. The first is the 1979 FA Cup Final, when Arsenal, 2-0 up with four minutes left, eventually won 3-2. The other two? How could anyone go past the "Kings of the Castle" thrillers - for the uninitiated, I refer to both the 1995-6 and 1996-7 versions of Liverpool 4, Newcastle United 3!!

The match itself began in fairly dramatic fashion, with Billy Harris opening the scoring in the eleventh minute, stroking home into an empty net after rounding Nigel Kelly on receipt of a through ball from Michael Loftus. With Central needing to win to keep alive their own title hopes, this set the match up perfectly.

The Mount, seeking an early equaliser, were getting in round the back too often for Central's liking, with both Leigh Kenyon and Nick Hyde making the most of their opportunities in this area of the park. But David Spedding made timely interventions to foil Sean Armstrong twice in as many minutes following crosses from this pair, while a Jeff Campbell free-kick in the 24th minute whistled inches over the top.

Kelly's wild lunge at the ball four minutes later, as the outstanding Terry Torrens raced through onto the two of a one-two with Harris, did not make for pretty viewing. That he missed the sphere completely made it downright embarrassing for the goalkeeper. Thankfully for him, Torrens was not able to penetrate the defensive barrier which quickly formed between himself and the target, and the home team breathed easy.

They breathed easier still in the 32nd minute, the time in which Armstrong netted the equaliser. Hyde crossed from the right, and Campbell judged the bounce on the far post to perfection before touching the ball inside for the scorer to steer his shot past Peter Evans and into the far corner of the net.

Only a couple of the eleven previous encounters between these two teams have failed to live up to expectations, and at 1-1, tonight's duel was nicely poised, Mt. Wellington's at times wayward passing notwithstanding. Central, for their part, were playing some super flowing football, and when they hit the front right on half-time, it was into a deserved lead they went.

Evans had saved from Paul Marshall (yes, that Paul Marshall!), while Paul Bunbury and Heath McCormack had both gone close before the interval. But Central showed them the way to goal with a lovely move.

Ivan Vicelich went on a buccaneering run which took him past a handful of opponents. He played the ball wide for Scott Farrington, whose cross from the right was tailor-made for Sean Bell, Unmarked on the far post, the youngster showed the class of a veteran to head across Kelly into the far corner of the net - 2-1.

The second half saw Central take the game to The Mount, and chances aplenty duly came their way. Kelly saved from Vicelich' Farrington fired across the face of goal when through; Vicelich, on receipt of a deft Farrington pass, unleashed a first-time volley past the advancing Kelly but also past the post, albeit just!

This trio of opportunities came in an eight-minute spell before the hour mark passed. After both goalkeepers had respectively denied shots from Hyde and Vicelich, Matt Fowler looked to get in on the act, his teasing cross too good for Kelly, but too good for his team-mates as well - another chance gone begging!!

The Mount, for the majority of the second half, were a distinct second best. It was time for the home team to roll their sleeves up if they wanted to get anything out of this game, and the introduction of Sheik Sahib to the fray twenty minutes from time was to prove the catalyst for their most unlikely comeback.

The striker is largely an unknown quantity at this level, but Central found out to their cost exactly what he's capable of in twelve whirlwind final minutes. A spectacular Evans save from James Paterson in the 79th minute was followed by Sahib being denied by Greg Uhlmann's timely tackle. The substitute switched the ball to Hyde in the 84th minute, only for Evans to again produce a top stop.

The equaliser came in the 85th minute. Kenyon the architect, Campbell the deft finish, coolly clipping the ball over Evans for 2-2. Which, two minutes later, became 3-2 to The Mount. Sascha Viertal - what was he doing that far forward? - crossed from the left with Sahib his prime target. Spedding intervened, only to slice the ball into his own net.

Torrens, in inspirational form for the visitors, was not going to give up the points without a fight, and hammered a shot goalwards in the 89th minute which cannoned to safety off Andy Berry. The Mount worked the ball forward, with Paterson crossing from the left, Sahib again the target. This time the ball reached him, but not before Spedding had been beaten all ends up by a wicked bounce. A glancing header from the substitute saw the ball spin in off the far post - 4-2.

The home team weren't finished, however, and surged forward again. Campbell and Kenyon, still full of running, played a one-two which sent the former scooting through Central's by now bewildered rearguard and on towards goal, Evans the last obstacle. The 'keeper was comfortably evaded, and Campbell calmly claimed his second, Mount's fifth, with the last kick of the game.

5-2 to the home team, but they scarcely deserved it. Nor did Central. But their chance for revenge is just a couple of weeks away - if this match is anything to go by, the upcoming Chatham Cup semi-final clash should be a humdinger!

Northern League