Auckland City v. Youngheart Manawatu, 18/3/06

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City Just A Point From Title After Downing Manawatu

by Jeremy Ruane

Reigning NZ Community Trust Football Championship title-holders Auckland City scored a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over league leaders Youngheart Manawatu at Kiwitea Street on March 18 to take a two-point lead over the beaten team going into next weekend's final round of premiership action.

The visitors, who have yet to score a win over City, got into their stride quickly in this encounter, Nathan Hill and Campbell Banks combining on the right to create an opening for Commins Menapi in the fourth minute. Manawatu's leading goalscorer played the ball across to the impressive Alick Maemae, whose effort was blocked by the outstanding James Pritchett.

Four minutes later, Maemae wriggled out of the clutches - literally - of Jonathan Perry in the penalty area. Ross Nicholson rescued his team-mate by saving splendidly with his legs, but from the resulting corner, referee Mike Hester, who mixed the weird with the at times downright absurd in his decision-making, pointed to the penalty spot after the ball struck a City defender's hand.

Menapi sent Nicholson the wrong way from the penalty spot, delighting the visitors' small core of travelling supporters in the ninth minute.

This roused the reigning champions, and the South African-born strike force of Keryn Jordan and Grant Young - starting a match together for the first time in seven weeks - wasted little time in reviving their partnership, with the former beating a couple of players before playing a delayed one-two with the latter. Jordan then unleashed a thumping fifteen-yard drive straight at Hayden Englefield.

That twelfth minute incident was followed six minutes later by a poor piece of defending from Sanjay Singh, who gifted possession to Jordan twenty yards out. The league's leading goalscorer hammered the ball towards the target, his drive crashing off the post and off the arm of the stunned figure of Englefield to safety.

Within seconds, City were denied a penalty by referee Hester after Young found his legs taken from under him as he looked to turn and shoot on receipt of a Jordan lay-off. Three minutes later, Paul Seaman charged through onto a Neil Sykes pass, only to be thwarted by the combined efforts of Englefield and Ian Robinson.

The pressure had to tell, however, and in the 25th minute, City scored a deserved equaliser. A quality cross from Pritchett was hooked out to the edge of the penalty area by Adam Cowan, the pick of a defence which generally contained Auckland very effectively.

On this occasion, however, he was looking on in horror, as his clearance picked out Young, who promptly picked out the bottom left-hand corner of Manawatu's net with a fierce volley.

1-1 then, and an enthralling game of nip and tuck ensued, as both defences stood firm in the face of some probing attacks. City's rearguard was disrupted by the premature departure of Perry, with Nick Hyde taking over from him at the heart of the home team's rearguard on the half-hour.

It was the newcomer's poor clearance six minutes before half-time which presented the ever-lively Maemae with a shooting chance. But Greg Uhlmann - at his uncompromising best throughout - was on hand to thwart the effort, and spark a City raid.

It nearly foundered on Young, whose ponderous play in the centre circle saw him caught in possession by Cowan. But Pritchett picked up the pieces to release Jordan with a teasing through ball which just needed a touch from the striker to leave Englefield in no man's land. There was no touch, much to the goalkeeper's glee.

After the well-performed Robinson had tracked the run of Seaman in order to head clear a challenging cross from Sykes, City just failed to break the deadlock with virtually the last kick of the half.

Pritchett was again the architect of the opening, whipping over a deep cross beyond the far post which saw Jonathan Smith successfully challenging Englefield in the air. He was able to direct the ball across goal, where the unmarked Jordan was arriving at full pelt - too fast, in fact, to control and direct the ball on target in the split-second available to him.

Twenty-three seconds after the resumption, Nicholson looked on with some relief as a rasping drive from Benjamin Totori flashed past his right-hand post. It served as a warning shot across the bows for Auckland, who responded via a Pritchett

free-kick. He picked out Smith at the near post, whose looping header arced over Englefield but bounced past the far post to safety.

Two minutes later, Smith's aerial prowess was to the fore again, as he flicked Liam Mulrooney's deep corner down into the path of Jordan. Englefield pulled off a spectacular save to turn his twenty-yard volley over the bar.

Back came Manawatu, who knew that a win in this match would clinch the premiership title for them, and a place in the Oceania Club World Championship play-offs in May. Once again, Totori wriggled free on the right, this time on the hour mark, and picked out Menapi with his cross. Pritchett, however, stepped in once more to maintain parity on the scoreboard.

Four minutes later, City raided again, Nicholson igniting the move with a raking clearance downfield to Jordan. A deft touch to control was followed by an inviting lay-off for Sykes - strong performance - who linked with Seaman to find Pritchett. His deep cross was headed across the face of goal by Young towards Jordan, but once again, Cowan stood firm for the visitors.

After a looping effort from Mulrooney had hit the top of the crossbar - Sykes had provided the opening, Jordan found himself crowded out by the miserly Manawatu rearguard as he looked to pursue a Pritchett pass. Smith swooped, and set up Young for a spectacular volley which flew over the bar.

A minute later, City's pressure finally paid off in a match which was beginning to look as if it would have to be something special to break the deadlock. As moves go, this was - a delightfully intricate passing manoeuvre which left those who subscribe to the theory that Auckland are a long-ball team and nothing more to grudgingly accept that, yes, they can play at ground level as well!

It began on the left flank half-way inside their own half with Sykes and Hyde, with the latter moving into Manawatu's half before threading a pass inside to Seaman. He played a neat one-two with Young, whose return pass into Seaman's feet was met with a first-time through ball into the penalty area.

This rewarded the angled run which Jordan had made, the striker shrugging off his marker before turning to stroke home a stylish shot across Englefield into the far corner of the net.

It was a blow which left Manawatu reeling, and City wasted little time in endeavouring to score a third goal. Young fired wide and over in the next three minutes, while a clever curling effort from Sykes met with the same fate which befell Jordan's volley in the 79th minute following a neat move featuring Sykes, Reg Davani and Young.

Those efforts flew over the crossbar, as did another Young volley seconds later, following good work on the left by Chad Coombes. The visitors weathered the storm, and were then presented with two grand opportunities to level the scores when fouls by Riki Van Steeden and Uhlmann, on Totori and Menapi respectively, resulted in free-kicks being awarded just outside City's penalty area.

Menapi struck both efforts, his second blocked by a seven-strong “wall”, which failed to do its job effectively in the 82nd minute, the Solomon Islander's first effort curling around it and just past the upright, much to the relief of the well-beaten Nicholson.

Those were Manawatu's last chances to draw level, and with time all but up, City's South African connection looked to make the game safe for their team. Jordan danced down the left-hand touchline on receipt of a Coombes pass and picked out the run of Young with his pass.

The striker took the ball round the advancing figure of Englefield, who did enough in his effort to force Young away from the target, and prompt a shot from an ever-decreasing angle into the sidenetting.

Soon after, the final whistle sounded, Manawatu's players slumping to the ground in disappointment as the Auckland players and fans celebrated the fact that they now need a solitary point at cross-town rivals Waitakere United next Sunday to clinch their second successive NZFC premiership crown.

Auckland: Nicholson; Pritchett, Perry (Hyde, 29), Uhlmann, Van Steeden; Mulrooney (booked, 32) (Coombes, 72), Seaman (booked, 30) (Davani, 78), Smith, Sykes; Jordan, Young

Manawatu: Englefield; Hill, Singh, Cowan (booked, 55), Tesar; Banks, Sandbrook, Robinson, Maemae (booked, 41); Menapi (booked, 68), Totori

Referee: Mike Hester

National League