Western Springs v. Bay Olympic 080815

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Records Tumble As "Hoops" Humiliate Bumbling Bay

by Jeremy Ruane

It's not often a single result prompts the rewriting of club records for both combatants in this day and age, but it was necessary after the biggest win of the season in the Lotto Northern Premier League was recorded at Seddon Fields on August 8.

Western Springs wiped the floor with Bay Olympic in emphatic fashion, an 11-1 humiliation which is the first double-figure scoreline recorded in this division since Tauranga City United trounced Hamilton Wanderers 10-0 in 2000.

(This season's 10-0 thrashing of Waitakere City by Three Kings United is currently under review by the Northern League's Appeals Committee, and given there is Northern League precedent for retrospective points deductions to be made for the fielding of ineligible players in multiple fixtures by a team, this result, and others, may yet change).

For "The Hoops", it's the club's biggest league win since the merger, at the end of the 1988 season, of the Grey Lynn and Pt. Chevalier clubs. As for Bay, this is the heaviest defeat suffered by the club's first team in its entire history, covering the National and Northern League days of Blockhouse Bay and, since the merger with Green Bay-Titirangi in 1998, Bay Olympic. This also includes Chatham Cup records.

Where to start! Bay themselves are probably still wondering, because they didn't turn up for the first ten minutes of this match, and by the time they did get on the scoresheet - Soheb Sheik's free-kick wasn't cleared, and Jared Colligan swooped to conquer from close range in the 22nd minute - the horse had long since bolted.

When you get an opening goal just 56 seconds into the contest, the odds on it being the only one you'll see in a match are fairly lengthy. This one was a scorcher, and set the tone for the evening.

Liam Mulrooney played a short corner to Sam Burfoot, lurking near the edge of the penalty area. Without breaking stride, he unleashed a sumptuous strike with the outside of his right foot which streaked into the top near corner of Mackenzie Waite's goal - 1-0.

Within seconds, Springs should have doubled their lead, Myer Crane skying one from the edge of the penalty area after Bay, playing into the setting sun, lost possession in their defensive third.

The home team didn't have too long to wait to make amends for this miss. In the sixth minute, Arnold Kochasira stormed past two opponents as he careered down the left flank before flighting an exquisite cross to the far post. Nikolai Berry, ghosting in to meet it, couldn't miss from four yards - 2-0.

And then there were three, two minutes later. The 1978 Genesis album's title was far from music to Bay's ears, however, Crane playing a slick one-two with the impressive George Debenham before scything past a couple of tame challenges and planting a twenty-yarder in the top corner with such force that Waite didn't even attempt to stop it.

And so nearly four in the tenth minute. Some delightful possession play on the right by "The Hoops", featuring Crane, Debenham and Berry, culminated in Crane crossing to the far post where Josh Gair was arriving on cue. His looping header arced over Waite but crashed against the top of the crossbar.

Bay finally crossed the half-way line in an attacking sense two minutes later, and earned a free-kick on the left. Colligan lined it up, and hit a fulminating twenty-five yarder over the defensive wall and barely a foot over the angle of near post and bar.

Close, but not close enough. And as the visitors discovered, it was akin to waving a red rag at a bull, for Springs simply stormed down the other end and made it 4-0, and this after just thirteen minutes, if you please!

Adam MacDonald's goal kick sent Berry buccaneering down the right at a speed with which Bay's defenders couldn't cope. Upon cutting inside, he let fly, only to see Waite produce a super parried save to deny him. Unfortunately for the 'keeper, Debenham was following in …

Bay's goal, described earlier, was next, but seemed to most an early consolation strike - already, some of their ranks had gone missing in action, although it's not a charge which can be laid at the feet of Dino Botica, who worked his socks off in vain for the cause.

A couple of his better credentialed team-mates would do well to follow his example in future, rather than play on reputation and the memories of past glories. As the saying goes, you're only as good as your last result. And this one's a howler!

Upset at having conceded, Springs responded by effectively setting up camp in Bay's half. Gair galloped down the left past three beleaguered Bay men in the 23rd minute before picking out Crane with a lovely cross.

His downward header bounced inches past the post, while Waite was right behind a rasping drive from Berry - does that make this shot a raspBerry? (Sorry, couldn't resist!) - two minutes later, before parrying a Kochasira shot as Springs lay siege to Bay's goal.

The 'keeper's cause wasn't aided by Ian Hogg passing the rebound back to his 'keeper, and the instant Waite handled it, referee Chris Wolken correctly called an indirect free-kick on the edge of the goal area. Crane's subsequent shot was cleared off the line by Stewart Mackay.

On the half-hour, lovely approach play involving Mulrooney, Burfoot, Jono Quinn and Debenham deserved better fate than to see Kochasira's piledriver fly past the far post, while Bay were lucky to stave off a fifth goal two minutes later, as "The Hoops" launched another enterprising raid.

Maurie Wasi linked with Burfoot, who released the overlapping Quinn down the left on a fifty yard run. Upon entering nosebleed territory, the fullback brought Debenham into play, and the midfielder duly let fly from fifteen yards. Waite blocked this shot, then looked on as Hogg blocked Burfoot's attempt to batter home the rebound.

Ten minutes before half-time, Debenham and Berry worked a neat one-two which saw the scorer of Springs' most recent goal dash into the penalty area. Debenham's touch wasn't his best, however, but nor was referee Wolken's decision to point to the penalty spot as he went down over the diving figure of Waite.

The 'keeper was incensed at the outcome, and the sight of a yellow card being brandished before him did little to calm his temper. A swing on the crossbar helped get rid of some pent-up frustration, but fishing the ball out of the net for a fifth time after Crane potted the resulting penalty left Waite stewing once more.

That 36th minute strike was followed by a by now rare occurrence - a Bay attack of consequence, one which earned a corner. Stephen Ashby-Peckham's delivery picked out the head of Mackay, who guided his angled effort past the far post.

Back came Springs instantly. MacDonald's raking clearance downfield found Bay all at sea in defence once more, so much so that Berry was left with an empty net into which he duly buried the ball - 6-1.

How that scoreline remained unchanged three minutes later beggars belief! Patrick Bowen's ball forward allowed Berry and Debenham to combine once more, with Bay's pedestrian rearguard being

rudely exposed by the in-full-flight figure of Kochasira, who raced through to leave himself one-on-one with Waite.

The 'keeper looked on with relief as the speedster sent a glorious chance soaring over the bar from twelve yards, while Mulrooney sent one sizzling past the post from eight yards further back two minutes later.

Bay mustered the final attack of the half on the stroke of half-time, with another Ashby-Peckham corner the outcome. This delivery wasn't cleared, but Colligan's attempt to strike again from close range was this time thwarted by the combination of MacDonald and Wasi, whose hefty clearance brought the half to a close.

If Bay were hoping that the first forty-five minutes would be as bad as it got, Burfoot had a wee surprise in store for them - one of those audacious attempts on goal direct from the kick-off which rarely comes off, but on this occasion, did.

Given the way the visitors were playing, however, such a goal shouldn't have come as a surprise. It did to many patrons, though, many of them missing the events of the first six seconds of the half.

For their benefit … referee Wolken blew his whistle to get things under way. Crane passed to Burfoot, who simply let rip from the half-way line. Waite wasn't paying enough attention, but will be from now on whenever a kick-off takes place - a lesson learnt the hard way!

Bay introduced two substitutes at half-time, one of whom was swift to make an impression. Jordan Hunter and Ken Yamamoto combined for the rangy figure of Dylan Tait to send a shot narrowly past the post from ten yards in the 48th minute.

Normal service - as far as "Hoops" fans were concerned - soon resumed. Burfoot's attempts to be the first player to complete a hat-trick in the match came to nought over the course of the next four minutes.

A twenty-five yard free-kick was easily saved by Waite, who looked on moments later as Burfoot's sharp rising drive narrowly cleared his crossbar after a slick move which featured Crane, Quinn and Mulrooney.

On a night best forgotten by Olympians, their team's fortunes were summed up on three occasions in this half, the first of them coming in the 59th minute. Mulrooney passed the ball back to MacDonald, who decided to be a bit cheeky as Hunter bore down on him and outsmarted the striker with some deft footwork.

The 'keeper then drove his clearance straight at Yamamoto, off whom the ball ricocheted for a Springs throw-in. On another occasion, either Bay striker would have surely been celebrating a goal. MacDonald's luck was definitely in - he probably won this week's Lotto draw as well!

The only team celebrating goals in this game was the home side, and in the 62nd minute, the cheers and applause were cascading down from the balcony once more as the scoreline increased to 8-1.

Kochasira broke up a Bay move in midfield and promptly raced through in tandem with Crane, who took over proceedings and drew the defence towards him before squaring for Berry, who thrashed home his hat-trick strike into the far corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Crane was denied his treble by the offside flag three minutes later, before the second of Bay's "what might have been" moments materialised in the 67th minute. James Pritchett's corner was met by Hogg, whose fine near post header, on another night, would surely have gone in.

On this occasion, Quinn, the smallest player on the park, headed off the line to spark a Springs pace-laden counter-attack which resulted in yet another goal. Crane released Debenham down the left, and his low cross to the far post found Berry arriving on cue to roll the ball home - 9-1, with 22 minutes still to play.

Six of those minutes had elapsed when Crane completed his hat-trick, and brought up double figures on the scoreboard. Debenham was once more the architect, a slide-rule through ball allowing the marksman to race through Bay's static rearguard and let fly. Waite partially blocked the effort, but didn't get enough on the ball to prevent goal number ten from crossing the line.

The sight of Luke Jorgensen trudging off sixty seconds later, having committed his second bookable offence of the evening, left Bay even further in the mire, a situation which not even Waite's save from Berry, nor Debenham's near miss after commencing and concluding a move which also featured the four-goal marksman, could enhance.

After Harrison Brown went close with a long-range effort for the visitors, Springs swept downfield eight minutes from time and rubbed further salt into Bay's wounds - 11-1. Crane carved open Bay's left flank before picking out Berry, who picked out the bottom far corner with aplomb.

There was still time for Yamamoto to go close for Bay, before the last of those three moments which might have been came to pass a minute from time. Tait's brilliant run past four opponents put the visitors' substitute in on goal, and from fifteen yards he unleashed a thumping drive which had MacDonald beaten all ends up, only to crash off the inside of the far post back into play - it was that sort of night for Bay.

Just prior to that effort, Waite had saved from Bowen after Brown had thwarted Berry, while seconds after Tait's near miss, the tireless figure of Botica prevented substitute Rossi Nkoy from getting in on the act with a desperate clearance in the shadows of the full-time whistle.

It sounded soon afterwards, referee Wolken taking pity on Bay by neglecting to add any time on to either half. Only Botica and Tait, and Yamamoto at a push, of those clad in blue, can hold their heads high and say they truly did justice to the shirt in this match. The rest … oh dear! A bumbling display deserving of the humiliating scoreline which resulted.

How starkly their efforts contrasted with "The Hoops", many of whom were right on top of their game. Five-goal Berry; hat-trick man Crane; the ever-alert Burfoot, whose strikes inside the first sixty seconds of each half set the tone of the entire match; Gair, in both defence and attack; the pacy Kochasira; the industrious Quinn; wily Wasi; and, for this writer, the pick of them all - Debenham, who ran the show in midfield.

From Springs' perspective, this 11-1 rout was probably as good as it gets - as close to a complete team performance as you're ever likely to see at this level. And a historic one to boot - a record-breaking display which, given the quality of the home team's football at times, was a pleasure to watch. Unless you were a Bay fan, of course!

Springs: MacDonald; Bowen, Wasi, Gair, Quinn; Berry, Mulrooney (J. Debenham, 62), Burfoot (Sellar, 53), Kochasira (Nkoy, 68); Crane (booked, 78), G. Debenham

Bay: Waite (booked, 35); Jorgensen (booked, 43, 75 - sent off), Mackay, Hogg, Brown; Yamamoto, Pritchett, Botica, Sheik (Tait, 46); Colligan (Hunter, 46), Ashby-Peckham (Thomas, 68)

Referee: Chris Wolken

Northern League