WaiBOP United v. Canterbury United, 17/1/15

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WaiBOP Down Dragons In Dramatic Fashion At Death

by Jeremy Ruane

WaiBOP United produced a stirring second half display at John Kerkhof Park on January 17 as they came from behind three times before edging Canterbury United 4-3 in a riveting ASB Premiership encounter.

The home team began brightly as Cambridge hosted its first ASB Premiership game of the season, with Jarrod Young hitting the top of the crossbar direct from a corner in the seventh minute.

Three minutes later, Peter Smith's charges contrived a slick move sparked by Sam O'Regan's ball forward. Federico Marquez latched onto it, then linked with Young, whose dummy opened up the right-hand side of the pitch and the option to switch play to Mark Jones.

He duly received the ball, then returned it to Young, who was steaming up in support. Tom Schwarz had spotted the midfielder's run, however, and the Canterbury stopper stepped in to clear in typically no nonsense fashion.

Marquez then went close with a deflected effort before the game hit something of a dead patch, the visitors' more direct approach foundering on the efforts of WaiBOP's solid rearguard, while the home team's more measured football was unhinged whenever they looked to play a penetrative ball forward.

It was also a little bit willing on WaiBOP's right flank, with Julyan Collett's challenges on Jones twice earning rebukes from referee Chris Kerr, who brandished the yellow card on the second occasion as the fullback became the first of three Cantabrians to earn a mention in despatches for all the wrong reasons.

The visitors finally got their act together as an attacking force in the 27th minute, Mark Peers and Ashley Wellbourn working a neat one-two before the winger skipped a challenge and fired in a cross.

O'Regan headed it clear, but only as far as Aaron Clapham, whose deflected volley was grabbed by Danyon Drake, who didn't get a sniff of Clapham's next effort on goal, which broke the deadlock in the 36th minute.

Latching onto a loose ball in the middle of the park, the All White stampeded downfield, sweeping past two opponents before taking on three inside WaiBOP's penalty area and somehow finding a gap through which to angle a shot wide of Drake and into the far corner - a terrific solo goal.

Straight away, WaiBOP sought to level the scores, but the only thing levelled was Young, on the edge of the penalty area by a challenge deemed acceptable by referee Kerr.

While the home team looked on incredulously, Canterbury careered downfield on the counter-attack, with Tom Boss battering a twenty-five yarder narrowly past Drake's right-hand post.

Three minutes before half-time, it was the visitors' turn to give referee Kerr the evil eye, as Collett went to ground while surging forward. In fairness to the official, he couldn't have been any closer to the action if he'd tried, so had no hesitation in waving play on.

The second half was very much a case of "fasten your seatbelts and hang on!" An equaliser just 37 seconds after kick-off certainly aided the cause in that regard, with WaiBOP launching an attack straight from the kick-off which culminated in Jones picking out the well-performed Wade Molony with a measured cross to the far post.

The midfielder crowned his display with a gem of a curler into the far corner of the net, which was so good that Adam Highfield didn't even bother moving for it - he was beaten all ends up.

The visitors promptly went straight down the other end of the park, with Miles John leading the charge. Drake came racing out to thwart him, but directed his clearance straight to Stu Kelly, whose curling effort from wide on the left struck the side-netting as the home team's 'keeper beat a hasty retreat towards the target.

In the 49th minute, however, Drake was fishing the ball out of his net for a second time as Canterbury restored their advantage. Kelly and Peers combined on the right, and were rewarded for their industry by a supporting run from Wellbourn, who gleefully tucked the ball home into the far corner of the net - 2-1 Dragons.

Stung, WaiBOP responded with a concerted spell of attacking, culminating in a 57th minute opening which came desperately close to levelling the scores again. Jones' cross was blocked, but fullback Fergus Neil was up in support and picked out Marquez with a measured cross which the striker addressed in textbook fashion.

His downward header looked in for all money until, right on the line, Tim Howard look-a-like Highfield got a paw to the ball and flicked it to safety - 'twas a superb denial.

Canterbury squandered a glorious chance to make it 3-1 two minutes later. O'Regan's untimely stumble allowed freshly introduced substitute, new signing Adam Dickinson, to latch onto possession and power into the penalty area. Drake did superbly well to block with his legs.

The danger still wasn't over, for the resulting corner saw Clapham's delivery pick out Tom Schwarz on the far post. His header was cleared off the line by Alexis Varela, his last act of the match.

His replacement, Van Elia, was swiftly involved in the action, and was instrumental in WaiBOP's 65th minute equaliser. Young - cracking game - switched play to the newcomer on the left, with Elia heading the ball down for Jones, who had temporarily switched flanks.

His cross to the near post found Marquez darting in, and his downward header guided the ball into the path of Neil, who calmly steered home a fifteen yarder which was always going away from the flailing fingertips of Highfield - 2-2.

Canterbury growled, stretched their muscles, and roared as Dragons do. Peers delivered a 67th minute corner to the far post which Collett met on the volley, only to see the sphere slam against the crossbar and cannon back into play.

The visitors instantly pressed again, and were gifted the chance to regain the lead from the penalty spot when Dickinson's theatrical dive, following the slightest contact, prompted referee Kerr to point to the twelve yard mark, from where Clapham didn't miss - 3-2 Canterbury, with twenty-one minutes remaining.

WaiBOP regrouped, came again, and kept on coming. Elia roamed down the left from the resumption of play before picking out Young with a cross which the midfielder hit first time on the volley.

Highfield battered it skywards before punching it clear at the second time of asking, but could only look on six minutes later as Canterbury's defenders kept their team's noses in front with some sterling defensive work.

Molony's determination was there for all to see as he outraced Tom Schwarz in their pursuit of a loose ball which the Canterbury defender should have reached first. Molony skipped past his challenger and promptly drilled in a cross which was deflected for a corner.

This ultimately resulted in an almighty goalmouth scramble, with Young and Robbie Greenhalgh both denied by some sterling defensive play, particularly by Tom Schwarz, who blocked Greenhalgh's goalbound piledriver at point blank range.

Again WaiBOP pressed, this time in the 79th minute. Young and Elia combined, the latter running at Canterbury's rearguard and beating a couple before, from the edge of the penalty area, letting fly with a low drive which fizzed narrowly past Highfield's right-hand post.

Their pressure finally paid dividends eight minutes from time. Elia was the architect of the equaliser, working his way in off the left before linking with substitute Reid Drake. He found Jones arriving on the far post, and after the wide man had evaded one challenge, he fair battered it past Highfield from point-blank range - 3-3!!

That set up a grandstand finish, Canterbury initially twice going close to taking the lead for a fourth time through the efforts of both Dickinson and Kelly. Then it was WaiBOP's turn to prompt groans from the 547-strong crowd, Marquez firing across the face of goal having worked a one-two with Reid Drake to engineer the opening.

In the ninetieth minute, the goal the home crowd longed for finally materialised - a dramatic winner for WaiBOP. Marquez and Elia were swiftly on each other's wavelength following the latter's entering the fray, and it was their combination work on the left which paved the way for Neil, racing forward to join the attack, to send Highfield the wrong way with an unerring finish which clinched a 4-3 triumph.

But for Highfield, WaiBOP could have added a couple more prior to the final whistle. The 'keeper denied both Marquez and Elia in the time remaining, but could do nothing to orchestrate a dramatic equaliser which would have stunned the crowd, who celebrated WaiBOP's character-laden come-from-behind win wildly when the final whistle eventually sounded. And who could blame them? Great stuff!

WaiBOP: D. Drake; Neil, Scott, O'Regan, Probert; Young (Kinney, 80), Greenhalgh (R. Drake, 78), Varela (Elia, 61); Jones, Marquez, Molony

Canterbury: Highfield; Terris, D. Schwarz (booked, 73) (Mitchell, 74), T. Schwarz, Collett (booked, 25); Kelly, Clapham, Boss; Peers, Wellbourn (Dickinson, 58), John (Nkoy, 65 (booked, 78))

Referee: Chris Kerr

National League