Bay Olympic v. Tauranga City United, 7/8/04

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Bay Back On Top After Nine-Goal Thriller

by Jeremy Ruane

Bay Olympic, despite the handicaps of trailing twice inside the first seven minutes, and finishing the match with ten men, scored a dramatic 5-4 victory over Tauranga City United at Olympic Park on August 7 to return once more to the top of the Northern Premier League.

The home team were still mentally in the dressing rooms when Tauranga charged downfield from the kick-off, and a quickly taken free-kick afforded Clinton Boyle acres of space on the left flank, from where he picked out the unmarked Jindrich Hahn in the penalty area. The striker controlled neatly before placing the ball wide of Scott Bishop to open the scoring after just fifty-two seconds.

It took Bay all of five minutes to wipe out the deficit. A superb throw-out by Bishop to the half-way mark sent Davani racing into Tauranga’s half, before the Papua New Guinea international angled a delightful pass into the path of Elliott Dye. The striker thrashed the ball past the advancing Mark Fulcher to level the scores in the sixth minute.

But straight from the kick off, the visitors regained the lead. And how! A short corner saw Kevin Manville pick up the ball and deliver a deep cross beyond the penalty area. Boyle arrived bang on cue and from twenty-five yards, he sent an absolute piledriver of a volley thundering into the back of the net to give Tauranga a 2-1 lead just seven minutes into play - sit back and relax, folks, the roller-coaster ride’s only just starting!!

Bay were wondering what had hit them, and while they were gathering their wits, seventh-placed Tauranga threatened to run riot. But for Bishop blocking another Boyle bullet, and a timely tackle from Liam Mulrooney thwarting Manville after the outstanding Hahn had caused more mayhem in Bay’s backline, the visitors could have been over the hill and far away.

Instead, they found themselves back on level terms in the twentieth minute. After Davani had directed a James Pritchett cross narrowly past the near post, the home team were awarded a corner, from which Mulrooney scored direct - straight in, no messing, with blue-clad defenders all looking at each other rather sheepishly while searching for an excuse for their collective schoolboy error!

Now it was Tauranga’s turn to play like stunned mullets, as Bay forced the issue for the first time in the match. Jake Butler got insufficient contact on a Dye cross to threaten the goal, despite beating Fulcher in the air, while on the half-hour, a teasing cross from Andrew Dixon proved to be just too far ahead of the incoming Dye to reach as Bay sought a second equaliser.

But the visitors weathered this storm, and responded with attempts for a third goal. Sakdy Phommahaxay nearly turned a teasing Sam Wilkinson cross into his own net in the 32nd minute, after the midfielder had tormented Dixon after linking well with Hahn.

Three minutes later, a clearance downfield by Grant Cooper sent Colin Gardyne spearing away down the right. Tauranga’s leading goalscorer charged into the penalty, luring all and sundry across in cover, before directing a low pass into the path of Boyle. With the goal at his mercy, he looked certain to net his second of the game, but sliced the ball wide of an unguarded net.

How the visitors were made to pay for that blunder, because from the resulting goal-kick, Bay rampaged downfield and took the lead for the first time in the match. Pritchett checked his run down the right, cut inside and crossed left-footed into the goalmouth. It completely wrong-footed the Tauranga defence, and almost undid Dye, but the striker quickly recovered to swivel on the edge of the six-yard box and drive the ball home past the helpless Fulcher.

Back came the visitors, Gardyne leading the charge two minutes after the goal as an attack-laden half which no-one (apart from the coaches) wanted to end drew towards its inevitable conclusion. The striker again carved inside from the right and let fly, but Bishop thwarted him with a fingertip save which sent the ball careering across the face of goal and beyond the far post for a corner.

United were unable to convert this, nor was Mulrooney able to direct the last chance of the half into the net on the stroke of half-time, his twenty-five yard effort whistling over the bar.

As so often happens following first half goal-fests, the second spell was a considerably tighter affair, with both defences making amends for their first half failings. There were just four noteworthy openings in

the first twenty-five minutes of the second half - a stark contrast to the first forty-five minutes’ thrills and spills.

Fulcher, the former Onehunga Sports goalkeeper, punched off the head of Davani in the 52nd minute after Dixon and Nathan Christie had combined on the right, while a fine reflex save from Bishop on the hour mark thwarted Gardyne’s close range effort, after Manville had sent the striker racing through Bay’s back-line.

Tauranga were denied a penalty in the 62nd minute when Thompson’s ponderous defending put his team under pressure, but the resulting clearance sent Pritchett thundering down the left at pace, the visitors’ defence at sixes and sevens. But the former Football Kingz flier didn’t back himself when it mattered, and a great chance to secure a two-goal cushion for the home team went begging.

They were gifted another opportunity to do so eighteen minutes from time by referee Sam Narayan, whose display was the epitome of inconsistency, to put it mildly - he had a horror day at the office!!

Dye barrelled down the right, Davani ahead of him and Butler providing the lone supporting run from midfield. The first-mentioned played the ball into the danger zone, where his team-mates converged on the ball, along with a couple of Tauranga defenders, one of whom inadvertently collided with Davani as they went for the ball.

Butler got possession, and eventually fired a shot, which was blocked. At this, the whistle sounded, and general amazement ensued at the sight of the referee pointing to the penalty spot. Tauranga were furious, understandably so, but the spot-kick was awarded for what was deemed to be a foul on Davani. Up stepped Mulrooney, but Fulcher saved his shot, only for the ball to spin off the luckless ‘keeper and into the net by the opposite goalpost.

Finding themselves 4-2 down as a result of both bad luck and bad judgement, Tauranga were a wee bit dumbfounded for the next ten minutes, during which time Bay came close to scoring twice more. But Butler directed a tame shot at Fulcher after Thompson’s through ball, while Davani and Thompson contrived a super one-two on the left which sent the latter spearing goalwards. His angled low cross was turned over the crossbar by the hastily retreating Cooper.

Thompson’s next contribution to the match proved to be his last, as he was adjudged to have deliberately handled the ball in the penalty area by referee Narayan. Having already booked the defender in the first half, the official took offence to Thompson’s protests, and issued another yellow card, followed by a red one.

Down to ten men for the last six minutes of the contest, Bay found their lead reduced, too, as Boyle sent Bishop the wrong way from the penalty spot to set up a grandstand finish, with Tauranga trailing 4-3.

After Cole Tinkler had directed a tame header at Bishop, the visitors were trailing 5-3, as Davani clinched the points with an absolute peach of a goal. Forced wide by the challenges of Cooper and Fulcher, the striker found himself on the goal-line near the point where the penalty area line joins it. What to do?

Simple - curl it into the net from the most oblique of angles. And he did just that, the despairing attempts of Tinkler to head the inswinging shot off the line proving in vain, as one of the most remarkable goals of the season, struck on the very stroke of the ninety minute mark, ensured Bay Olympic of another Saturday evening on top of the Premier League table.

But the drama wasn’t over, for ninety seconds after Davani had made the lead seemingly unassailable, Tauranga came storming back with another stunning strike, this time a blistering twenty-five yard snorter from substitute James Leong which sailed past Bishop into the far corner of the net - 5-4. Surely there weren’t more goals to come?

There weren’t, for there was barely time to kick off before referee Narayan blew the final whistle to bring a quite dramatic encounter to a close, Bay’s twelfth win in their last fourteen matches ensuring the pressure is kept on title rivals Central United for at least another week.

Bay: Bishop; Dixon, Christie, Phommahaxay (booked, 75), Thompson (booked, 17, 84 - sent-off); Pritchett, Mulrooney, Judd, Butler, Dye; Davani

Tauranga: Fulcher; Taylor, Cooper (booked, 59), Tinkler; Hahn, Mayne, Wilkinson, Mayhew (Wakelin, 52); Manville (Leong, 64), Gardyne, Boyle

Referee: Sam Narayan

Northern League