OMU v Metro 040519

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OMU v Metro 040519

Just Your Average Central Auckland Derby ...

by Jeremy Ruane

Nine goals - five from one player, two more goals disallowed, a missed penalty, seven bookings, one team playing the last twenty minutes with ten players due to injury and an unlisted substitute … it couldn't be any match other than just your average Central Auckland derby!

The most picturesque football ground in Auckland, Mangere Domain, with its glorious vistas looking across towards the city's south-east and the plethora of aircraft on final approach to Auckland's gateway to the world, Jean Batten International Airport, played host to an at times tempestuous duel on May 3, as Onehunga-Mangere United entertained Metro in the Lotto Northern League Second Division.

The visitors have had slightly the better start of the two in the competition this year, and consolidated that on this occasion by prevailing 7-2 in a lively encounter which saw the patience of referee Riley Greenbury tested on numerous occasions, the first of which came to pass in the fourth minute of play.

The official deemed a back-pass to Metro 'keeper Alex McLean had been played as OMU's Ally Gill applied all sorts of pressure in the goalmouth, and while it looked like he had got the last touch, the referee was adamant - indirect free-kick to OMU on the edge of the six-yard box.

The teams duly took up their prescribed places, with Metro's squad gathering en masse on the goal-line, all standing behind McLean, who hurtled out to narrow the angle upon hearing the referee's whistle, only to earn a rebuke and a yellow card for encroachment - OMU hadn't actually touched the ball by this time.

So a re-take was ordered, as a result of which McLean redeemed himself, parrying David Carron's powerful effort to safety to deny "The Mountain Men" an early goal in a match which ultimately proved to be full of them.

The visitors responded via a Leo Shin corner, which Tom Monro met with a full-blooded header which flew inches past the post. But he landed awkwardly, and it wasn't long after that his day was done, a groin injury set to sideline him for a few weeks.

His departure didn't break Metro's rhythm, however, for they took the lead on the quarter hour. Aidan Misquita's early through ball picked out the unchecked run of Leo Shin, who dashed through the inside right channel before thrashing the ball home beyond the diving figure of Brody Turkington.

OMU sought a swift riposte, with McLean tipping Carron's free-kick over the bar before punching Suhail Ali's resulting corner to safety as the ball came out of the sun into the goalmouth.

Fauzul Ahmed then had what he thought was the equaliser disallowed by referee Greenbury, who was well placed to rule he had controlled the ball with his hand prior to poking it home in the 21st minute.

While OMU were complaining, Metro charged downfield, and Alex Cochran wasn't far away with a twenty yard curler, to which the home team responded via Carron's quickly taken free-kick, which caught out McLean but lacked the accuracy to exploit the 'keeper's lack of anticipation.

In the 33rd minute, Metro doubled their lead, although OMU had reason aplenty to feel aggrieved by the goal, given the scorer bundled Henry Muller over en route to scoring it. Referee Greenbury, however, waved play on.

Once Mario Aroca had cast aside the human obstacle in his path, he cut a swathe through the penalty area which left Andrew Annable wrong-footed and Turkington beaten all ends up by a swerving finish - 2-0.

OMU were still grumbling when Cochran met substitute Flynn Letford's cross on the volley. The ball flew narrowly past the far post, but from the newcomer's next involvement, Metro made it 3-0.

Letford linked with Aroca on the right, with the striker working a slick one-two with Walid Omar before leaving Turkington rooted to the spot with a shot which arced past the 'keeper into the far corner of the net - a terrific strike!

Just before half-time, a Charlie Heather twenty-five yarder was grabbed by McLean, while just after the interval, a Heather corner was headed narrowly over the bar by Alex Witteveen, as OMU started to show some stomach for the fight.

And in the 53rd minute, they gained the best encouragement possible by pulling a goal back. Half-time substitute Ravneet Rao fed Ahmed, who worked a one-two with Witteveen in a tight area before thundering a low drive past McLean from the

edge of the area.

3-1, and "The Mountain Men" now had their tails up. Annable spotted McLean off his line soon after and went desperately close to chipping the 'keeper with a shot from the centre circle, while in the 58th minute a beautifully struck volley by Carron left McLean clutching at thin air as it sailed into the net, only for the goal to be ruled out by the offside flag.

Still they pressed on, Carron not far away with another effort on the hour after Ali worked his way down the left, to which Metro responded via a Shin corner which saw Pablo Yackson's shot deflected to safety.

Twenty minutes from time, OMU suffered a major blow when the influential Carron, one of the club's longest-serving players in the Northern League, hobbled off the park with an injury.

To add insult to injury, they hadn't done their paperwork properly pre-match and were unable to replace him, as they had employed both outfield substitutes named on the team card at half-time and only had a reserve goalkeeper to call upon.

While coach Geoff Cooper got his head around a schoolboy error in part of his own making - his post-match on-pitch behaviour towards the match officials in relation to this wasn't a good look from the club's perspective - Metro made the most of facing ten men for the duration, and promptly restored their three-goal advantage.

Letford's throw-in was flicked on by substitute Josh Dayal, and Aroca timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and complete his hat-trick by firing past Turkington - 4-1.

Straight from the kick-off, Dayal promptly made it 5-1, surging through from half-way and riding two tackles before rifling the ball home beyond the luckless Turkington, who urged his team-mates for greater efforts given there were still eighteen minutes to play.

Their response was just what the doctor ordered, Witteveen making it 5-2 three minutes later after beating the offside trap to fully exploit substitute Mark Thompson's through ball.

This didn't please the visitors one iota, and they promptly returned the compliment twelve minutes from time. Aroca dashed through onto Shin's fine pass, rounded Turkington and rolled the ball home - 6-2.

After Shin's inswinging corner had been tipped over the bar by Turkington, Metro wrapped up the scoring eight minutes from time. OMU's coach pleaded in vain with referee Greenbury to restore his team's playing numbers, a distraction the home team didn't need, as it diverted their attention from the throw-in, which Metro used to send Aroca through once more, and he duly netted his fifth goal of the game.

Things could have got worse for OMU soon afterwards, with referee Greenbury pointing to the penalty spot after spotting Annable's foul on Dayal as the striker looked to turn home Aroca's cross. Dayal was all over the penalty like a rash, but hadn't reckoned on Turkington saving the spot-kick - the 'keeper deserved that break after what had gone before.

The home team were soon down to nine, with captain William Burden limping off the park. This called for drastic measures on the bench, and reserve goalkeeper Lance Stubbings cast aside his goalkeeping kit and donned a red shirt for the cause for the final minutes, during which there was a brief gathering of the clans after Yackson found himself in the middle of an OMU sandwich.

Ian Sellar was a central figure in the immediate aftermath, and while he wasn't booked for his part in proceedings, there was a sense of irony, given Metro were 7-2 up, when he was booked for time-wasting in stoppage time.

Ali fired a thirty yarder at McLean soon afterwards, the final act of a lively old Second Division affair atop the mountain. Nine goals, two more disallowed, a missed penalty, administrative blunders … just your average Central Auckland derby!

OMU: Turkington; Burden (Stubbings, 87), Muller (booked, 78), Annable (booked, 84), Ali; Heather, Carron, Ahmed (booked, 83); Gill (Thompson, 46), Witteveen, Kwan (booked, 42) (Rao, 46)

Metro: McLean (booked, 5); Yackson, Squires, Dormer; Monro (Letford, 13), Cochran (Dayal, 63), Misquita, Shin (booked, 30), Sellar (booked, 90); Omar (Chemis, 82), Aroca

Referee: Riley Greenbury

Northern League