Goals Galore In Epic Battle Of Mounts by Jeremy Ruane Phoenix Fabrics Mt. Albert-Ponsonby and Mt. Wellington produced a goal-laden epic at Anderson Park on May 29, with the visitors getting up at the death to deservedly win the Winfield Superclub encounter 4-3, in front of a 500-plus crowd. In their four previous encounters at Superclub level, both teams have always succeeded in producing a memorable match, which is a great credit to both clubs. Sunday's duel continued this fine tradition. Mt Wellington took the game to their hosts from the outset, but it was MAP who opened the scoring in the eleventh minute, through their prolific marksman, Mark Cossey. He and Robbie Allen worked an opening on the left, but the move seemed destined to break down when Mount's Sascha Viertal intervened. However, the defender hesitated, and only cleared the ball as far as Cossey. The northern region's leading goalscorer gratefully accepted the chance, and whipped his shot home beyond the wrong-footed Mark Bowen. Within ten minutes, The Mount drew level in style. Erik Larsen - an outstanding display - began and ended the move, but it was the two link-ups with Viertal in between times which created the opening. With MAP spread-eagled, Larsen ran on and rifled home, under pressure from Heath Dickenson. The Mount's Lee Green and MAP debutant Sean Fallon - his first game for the club since joining from England's premier football club, Liverpool - traded efforts, before the home side took the lead again a minute before half-time. A cracking goal it was, too. Fallon was at the heart of it, but he saw his shot blocked. The ball fell to Allen, who played the ball wide for the unmarked Cossey. His driven effort arrowed into the bottom far corner of the net to put MAP 2-1 up, and left watching Auckland coach, Ron Armstrong, wondering why he'd left Cossey out of his eighteen-strong representative squad. Patrons were still returning to their places after half-time when The Mount levelled again, in the 46th minute. Larsen was again central to it, this time sending Simon Hilton away down the left. His cross deceived MAP goalkeeper Bruce Williams, and Nick Hyde gleefully stepped up to thump the ball into the roof of the net. From here on in, it was all on. Hyde and Altan Ramadan went close for the visitors, with Allen and Cossey reciprocating for MAP. The latter's effort was turned away spectacularly by Bowen for a corner. Hoani Edwards took it, and used the prevailing wind to great effect, with the ball curling straight into the net, over bemused Mt. Wellington defenders, in the 68th minute. 3-2, but not for long. Six minutes later, it was all-square again. Larsen found himself in space on the left. His cross left Williams floundering, and Ramadan slotted home into the gaping net. With eight minutes remaining, the visitors finally grabbed the lead. Larsen's ball into the penalty box caught the MAP defence off-guard, and Craig Ashton scrambled the ball home from close-in. Could there be more goals in store? Sadly, for MAP, no, although it wasn't for the want of trying. Bowen saved from Gary Moore, then pulled off a splendid full-length diving save to prevent Alex Metzger's goalbound header from crossing the line, just moments from the end of this epic battle of the Mounts.