The Football Ferns spurned a glorious chance to record the one hundredth win in the 49-year history of New Zealand's national women's football team on April 9, profligate finishing preventing them from doing anything other than play out a scoreless draw with Thailand at Christchurch's Apollo Projects Stadium. At the same venue three days prior, Jitka Klimkova's side recorded a solid 4-0 victory over the same opponents, in doing so recording a sixth successive win - the first time the Football Ferns have achieved this feat in over 300 internationals. Expectations were understandably high, then, that a seventh consecutive triumph would be recorded in this encounter, one which would bring up a century of wins for the Football Ferns. But Thailand had other ideas, an obstinate rearguard action the foundation of a result which the visiting team celebrated as if they had won come the final whistle, which, in a sense, they had. Indeed, Thailand was the more effective side in the opening quarter hour, enjoying far more possession than had been their privilege in Saturday's encounter. They even threatened Vic Esson's goal, a fourteenth minute move featuring Pichayatida Manowang, Janista Jinantuya, Saowalak Pengngam, Pluemjai Sontisawat and Nualanong Muensri culminating in a teasing Phonphirun Philawan cross-shot which forced NZ's number one into a dive to her right. That was the closest Thailand came to upsetting the apple cart in an attacking sense. But they succeeded in doing so in other areas, particularly defensively and, sadly, in the "dark arts". Gamesmanship, tactical injuries, call it what you will, but the travelling team ensured their medical staff passed their fitness tests on numerous occasions in this encounter, so many times did they have to dash onto the pitch to attend to players who had gone down seemingly injured. The reality was, Thailand was employing every trick in the book as they strove to prevent the Football Ferns from developing momentum in their play. In effect, the visitors were playing to not lose, an approach to the beautiful game which starkly contradicts why it is called thus, and one which this writer abhors. It's not football, and anyone who champions this approach doesn't have the game's best interests at heart. Both teams contesting a football match are obliged, nay, duty-bound to do their level best to entertain those watching. So not only should both teams be playing to win, as opposed to not lose, but they should be looking to win in style, thus giving the gathered throngs a great matchday experience and a reason to want to come back for more. Sadly for the 3503 fans present on this occasion, Thailand didn't come to the party in this regard, their time-wasting antics more than making up for their footballing shortcomings in a match which could have been so different for the Football Ferns had Hannah Wilkinson - a disappointing display against opponents she, with her physical presence, should be dominating - not strayed offside in the build-up to Grace Jale's third minute goal. If that had stood, what followed would likely have been vastly different. Alas … after Thailand had impressed early doors, the natives started to impose themselves upon proceedings, first threatening in the seventeenth minute when Jacqui Hand and Jale teamed up with Catherine Bott on the right. Her cross for Wilkinson was punched off the striker's head by Thai goalkeeper Tiffany Sornpao, with Macey Fraser snatching at her volleyed attempt as the ball dropped towards her, moments before the midfielder saw her cross-shot grabbed by Sornpao following a short corner. The Football Ferns' best chance of the first half came in the 25th minute, and was sparked by captain Ali Riley. Her pass invited Hand to weave through three challenges into the penalty area before letting fly, a shot which Sornpao flew to her left to keep out. The visitors made a botch of clearing their lines following this, paving the way for Malia Steinmetz to pounce on a half-chance and volley narrowly over from the edge of the area. Soon after, a cross-shot from Jale clipped the crossbar as the black-clad Ferns ramped up the pressure in search of the opening goal on a night when their passing wasn't as accurate, incisive and authoritative as it had been when these teams clashed three days ago. While the Ferns were going about their business, frustrations were building as the Thais indulged in their amateur dramatics, forcing frequent stoppages in play. Bott found herself being booked for at least the fifth time on international duty as she yet again let her emotions get the better of her, committing three fouls in ten minutes to earn the ire of referee Rebecca Durcau. Frankly, is someone who boasts such a poor disciplinary record worth persevering with? The other players in the squad manage to keep their heads and go about their duties without persistently resorting to foul means to do so. But Bott's on-field indiscipline - no one has been booked more often while representing the Football Ferns over the past 49 years - at times renders her more of a liability than an asset to a team to which she has contributed now for a decade. Suffice to say, those disciplinary issues could cost Bott her place in the Olympics squad. With only eighteen players to call upon in Paris, coach Jitka Klimkova has to know she can both trust and rely on every player chosen to fulfil their duties without blemish every time they take to the field in what will be a very challenging group. With that in mind, Bott may not be the shoe-in selection that her supporters in mainstream media circles make her out to be. Thailand's captain, Orawan Keereesuwannakul, was forced to leave the fray on a stretcher in the 34th minute, the exact same time that they made a seemingly injury-enforced substitution three days earlier. Genuine? Or tactical? We'll likely never know, but the Thai players' frequent need for treatment was certainly prompting questions of this nature by this stage of proceedings. The Football Ferns' response saw them carve out four openings before half-time, none of which was taken. Bott's 41st minute cross ricocheted off two defenders before Sornpao took charge of proceedings, while Phonphirun Philawan headed clear soon after to prevent Jale from capitalising on a cross from Hand. Bott, finally channelling her aggression in the desired fashion, then stung the gloves of Sornpao

with a twenty-yarder which the 'keeper saved at the foot of her left-hand post, Thailand's number one following up that denial with a double-save, blocking a shot from Hand before recovering to snatch the rebound off the toes of Katie Kitching. Three changes were made at half-time in an effort to lift the Football Ferns out of their malaise, the introduction of Ally Green in an attacking role - she has previously been employed as a fullback for the national team - one which captured the imagination. 'Twas Green who engineered the first openings of the half, her first cross picking out Wilkinson, who directed a header at Sornpao in the 49th minute, the striker then sending a looping header over the bar sixty seconds later, after Green had got the better of Philawan before crossing. Indiah-Paige Riley, another of the half-time introductions, swept past two opponents in the 57th minute as she powered downfield from halfway, then linked with Hand, whose cross went behind Wilkinson. Seconds later, the centre forward was afforded another opportunity, this time via the combined efforts of Bott and Hand, but Sornpao grabbed Wilkinson's tame attempt to break the deadlock. When Supapron Intaraprasit beat Wilkinson in the air to prevent Katie Bowen's fine work from being rewarded with a goal just shy of the hour mark, it summed up the striker's night, and to see her being withdrawn from the fray soon afterwards came as no surprise. Indeed, one wonders if this match marked the last chance to play on home turf for both Wilkinson and Football Ferns captain Ali Riley, two centurions who've given yeoman's service to the silver fern, but for whom the upcoming Olympic Women's Football Tournament represents a likely last hurrah, given the Football Ferns' next major assignment will be the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals. The skipper is already making moves in this regard, recently announcing her engagement to her long-time boyfriend. Fellow stalwart Betsy Hassett has signed up for Mum-To-Be FC, while the most capped New Zealand footballer ever, 166-cap veteran Ria Percival, announced her retirement from international football immediately prior to this fixture, a clear signal that a changing of the guard is very much a happening thing in the not-too-distant future. Doubtless these developments will please a few folk who've bemoaned the lack of fresh faces in this squad over time. But in the final half-hour of this match, the Football Ferns sorely lacked the guile and composure which the "old heads" can bring to the fray, as they repeatedly pounded on the door, only for Thailand to respond in kind - "Not today, thankyou!" Kitching couldn't direct Indiah-Paige Riley's cross on target at full stretch in the 66th minute, while Hand pulled her shot across the face of goal five minutes later after Gabrielle Rennie's neat control combined with Bott's needle-threading pass prised open the Thai defence. Hand was now the central striker, and failed to direct another shot on target in the 74th minute after Riley and Rennie had engineered an opening for her. Sixty seconds later, Steinmetz, Kitching and Green combined to set up Hand, whose header was grabbed by Sornpao. A super 76th minute move by the Football Ferns deserved better reward, given half the team was involved in its execution. The little-troubled Esson got the ball rolling, Bott then bringing Bowen into play. The skipper - she took on the armband duties from Ali Riley for the second spell - led by example with a scintillating run downfield before combining with Rennie to send Indiah-Paige Riley rampaging down the right. Bowen continued her run, and was on hand to receive Riley's cross, only to see her fifteen yard drive flash inches over the bar. Buoyed by this, Bowen threatened again soon after, but not before Sornpao had kept out a twenty-yarder from Green, who landed a volley on the roof of the net to conclude the move launched by the stand-in skipper, who is the likely long-term successor to Ali Riley as Football Ferns captain. There was plenty of effort and endeavour from the Football Ferns as they looked to break the deadlock, but precision and composure were rare bedfellows in the Christchurch night air, and it was those attributes which were most needed, something which Emma Pijnenburg would certainly have added had she been introduced to the fray for her debut - a lost opportunity, this. Rennie lashed a snapshot narrowly past the post from a Riley cross. Hand headed over from eight yards. Rennie couldn't direct her header on target, both chances created by crosses from Green, who combined with Rennie to set up Meikayla Moore, back in black for the first time in fourteen months. She came within inches of earning the freedom of her hometown in stoppage time, stabbing the ball just the wrong side of the upright following a corner. There was still time for two more attacks, however, but Hand slipped at the vital moment in the first of them, while Riley's bid to turn home a Kitching cross came to grief as Sornpao secured a rare clean sheet for Thailand by saving at her feet. Thailand rejoiced as the final whistle sounded, as rare are the occasions when they don't concede on the world stage. Their delight contrasted starkly with the Football Ferns' players, who didn't need to be told they'd let themselves down with their display, particularly with so much expectation having been built up on the back of six successive victories, the last of which was a 4-0 pummelling of Thailand just three days ago. A bad night at the office, and one would suggest a decisive night for a handful of players where their Olympics squad selection hopes are concerned. Coach Jitka Klimkova has to trim her squad to eighteen for the Paris Olympics in three months' time, and results and performances of this nature will greatly influence her selection plans, of that be in no doubt. Football Ferns:     Esson; Bott (booked, 31), Bowen, Bunge (Moore, 62), A. Riley (Foster, 46); Kitching, Steinmetz, Fraser (I. Riley, 46); Hand, Wilkinson (Rennie, 62), Jale (Green, 46) Thailand:     Sornpao; Philawan, Saenkhun, Intaraprasit, Keereesuwannakul (Aupachai, 34); Muensri (Pram-Nak, 77), Sontisawat (Yingsakul, 56), Rodthong, Jinantuya; Pengngam (Mongkoldee, 56), Manowang (Panyosuk, 77) Referee:     Rebecca Durcau (Australia)