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01/08/04
Three Kings Inflict Rare Defeat On Lynn-Avon
by Jeremy Ruane
Defeat and Lynn-Avon United’s Premier Women’s team are decidedly rare bed-fellows. Indeed, between the opening day of the 1993 season and the end of July, 2004, they have been on the wrong end of the scoreline on just nineteen occasions, a tally which includes one penalty shoot-out defeat.
Make that twenty occasions.
For on August 1, arch-rivals Three Kings United handed their nemesis their first defeat in a twenty-nine match sequence dating back to June 29, 2003, and just the eleventh league defeat in their twelve-year history, when inflicting upon Lynn-Avon a 3-0 hiding at Keith Hay Park in their Northern Premier Women’s League encounter.
It’s little wonder the team which has made the Premier Women’s League championship its own this century found the bitter taste of defeat hard to swallow come the final whistle. For since their defeat in the 2001 Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup Final by Ellerslie, they had chalked up fifty-two wins and four draws in a fifty-seven match sequence going into this fixture - whichever way you look at it, that’s a staggering record.
But this was to be Three Kings’ day, and while they cannot overhaul their nemesis in the league - this win, coupled with their 2-0 default victory over Whangarei next week puts them level on points with Lynn-Avon, but the competition’s only champions this century have a game in hand over their arch-rivals, plus a superior goal difference, which means the silverware will stay at Ken Maunder Park for another summer - they will take an enormous amount of satisfaction from this confidence-boosting victory.
The only team to hand Lynn-Avon a 3-0 towelling previously was Three Kings’ outstanding 1998 combination, for whom Pernille Andersen, Beth Clark and Jane Simpson did the damage on May 3 of that year. Lynn-Avon have suffered other defeats by three-goal margins, but in a grand total of 231 league and cup games since their inception, this is just the seventeenth occasion they have drawn a blank.
Of all days to do it! Not that Three Kings minded one iota. They were well up for this humdinger of a match, which quickly developed into a no-holds-barred intensely fought battle royal between two teams who, amongst other reasons, were hell-bent on giving their respective US scholarship students, Priscilla Duncan (Three Kings) and Hayley Moorwood (Lynn-Avon), a winning send-off.
The home team was further boosted by the return from injury of their charismatic captain, Maia Jackman, which meant that, for the first time since the days of that crack 1998 unit, Three Kings could field a four-strong midfield comprised entirely of full New Zealand internationals.
Lynn-Avon still held the edge in terms of full internationals on the park, however - six played five, and it was the visitors who threatened first in this hard-fought affair, Dana Heiford releasing the outstanding Ria Percival down the right with a peach of a pass just ninety seconds into the match. Her cross to the far post sought out Amber Hearn, but Jackman’s covering run thwarted this opportunity.
The danger wasn’t over for Three Kings, however, as a sliced Sarah Gibbs clearance seconds later cannoned off Moorwood straight to Hearn, who stung the gloves of Three Kings ‘keeper, Wendy Horneman, from twenty yards.
The home team’s first raid of any consequence produced the opening goal of the game - the perfect start for Three Kings, and the perfect catalyst for the game as a spectacle, thus ensuring the three hundred-strong crowd of a match which would go on to live up to its billing.
Gibbs threw the ball in to Zoe Thompson, whose return pass allowed her team-mate to deliver the proverbial goalkeeper’s nightmare of a cross for Ashleigh Cox to deal with. As the ball dropped from a great height right under the angle of post and crossbar, she failed to do so adequately, parrying the ball skywards and over the line before Jennifer Carlisle’s despairing attempt to clear succeeded only in driving the ball into the net.
Back came Lynn-Avon, this being just the fourth goal they’d conceded this season. Vicki Rainbow’s eleventh minute free-kick arced deliciously in behind Three Kings’ rearguard for Hearn to latch onto, and her twenty-yard drive fizzed narrowly past the far post with Horneman beaten.
Three Kings responded, Jackman - dominant in the air, Duncan, Rebecca Sowden and the lively Sarah Ropati leading the charge, but Lynn-Avon held firm, responding with another raid in the sixteenth minute which culminated in a miscued clearance by Kim Rowney falling to Hearn. She delivered a lovely cross to the far post, where Moorwood slid in but could not direct the ball on target.
The intensity and commitment on show was immense, with neither team prepared to yield. Challenges were uncompromising, but malice was non-existent, as both combinations thrust and parried in the best traditions of a heavyweight boxing bout.
Percival was providing penetration aplenty down the right for the visitors, who were victims of a couple of decidedly close offside calls as they sought to prise open Three Kings’ back-line, but Dana Humby and the quite superb Hannah Rishworth held things together, and slowly but surely, the home side worked their way off the ropes and into the centre of the ring.
In the 33rd minute, Duncan was thwarted by the visitors’ best performer, Kirsty Yallop, near the corner flag, but Gibbs was backing her team-mate up, and pounced to send another teasing cross into the danger zone. This time, Terry McCahill struggled to deal with it, the ball falling perfectly for Ropati to lash a shot goalwards from ten yards. Cox saved well, low to her right by the post.
Lynn-Avon’s response saw Yallop release Percival down the right, the youngster outpacing Gibbs on this occasion. Rishworth came across to cover, but couldn’t prevent a teasing cross-shot giving Horneman cause for concern.
Back came Three Kings, with Jackman marauding down the right. Her cross picked out Gibbs, who laid the ball back for Duncan. One evaded opponent later, she let fly, but shot
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but shot straight at Cox four minutes before the interval.
Cue another Lynn-Avon thrust, the last raid by either side in an enthralling first half. Michele Keinzley - a decidedly quiet game by her standards - sent Moorwood haring away down the wing, her cross from the right seeing Horneman flapping like the proverbial windmill. The ball missed its intended target, Hearn, by not a lot, and the sound of Hengo Sioneloto’s half-time whistle soon after brought a brief respite from the battle.
Trailing by a goal, Lynn-Avon came out breathing fire in the early stages of the second spell, but all they had to show for their attacking efforts was a rasping Hearn drive which Horneman dealt with at her near post, after Rainbow and Moorwood - a delightful lay-off - had combined to create the opening for the league’s leading goalscorer in the 47th minute.
On the hour, Three Kings came close to doubling their advantage. Duncan - a super game - set off on another rampaging run through Lynn-Avon’s midfield. Two challenges later, she played the ball wide to Jackman, who was giving Carlisle a torrid time in the latest edition of the personal duels these women’s soccer warriors have fought over the course of the last decade.
After rounding her opponent, Three Kings’ captain whipped in a low cross intended for Thompson. The striker was too far from it, however, but no-one was following in for the home team - crucially, as it happened, as Cox fumbled the ball, forcing Melissa Ray into a desperation clearance as her ‘keeper struggled to recover the situation.
Three minutes later, Rebecca Parkinson took a free-kick from twenty-five yards on the angle, and hit a peach of a shot over the wall but against the crossbar. McCahill was unable to capitalise as a stunned-looking Horneman realised how close Lynn-Avon had come to levelling the scores.
Three Kings rampaged downfield, forcing a corner. Gibbs’ delivery picked out the unmarked Sowden, whose header, which a confident Cox would have taken comfortably, had to be hooked off the line by Rainbow, as the visitors’ number one hesitated on this occasion.
Seconds later, she raced off her line to save well at the feet of Gibbs, after Sowden and Jackman had teamed up to engineer an opportunity for their national team colleague. But Cox was given no chance in the 66th minute by a fine piece of finishing, as Three Kings doubled their advantage.
Winning possession on the left, Gibbs played the ball inside to Sowden, who looked up and threaded a defence-splitting pass into the path of Thompson. The striker took the ball in her stride before lashing a first-time shot across the advancing Cox and in by the far post - 2-0, and Three Kings celebrated in fine style, the scent of victory now firmly in their nostrils.
Three minutes later, Thompson was in again, this time down the left. Three Kings’ leading goalscorer completely outfoxed Rainbow inside Lynn-Avon’s penalty area, only to undo all her good work by firing into the side-netting, as Humby - what was she doing that far forward? - came screaming in on the far post anticipating a low cross.
Now two goals down, Lynn-Avon were looking at the proverbial mountain to climb, but they kept going in their quest to ascend this obstacle. But their failure to score in the 71st minute must surely have signalled that their quest to become the first team since the legendary 1987 Eden side to win every match they played in a single season was beyond them.
An inexplicable blunder by Horneman was pounced on by Yallop - due reward for her pressure on the goalkeeper. The midfielder directed a cross into the goalmouth, and there loomed Parkinson, with the goal at her mercy. But Rishworth came from nowhere to produce a stunning goal-saving tackle virtually on the line to spare her team-mate’s blushes, Humby completing the clearance to the combined gasps, cheers and groans of the masses.
Still Lynn-Avon pressed, Parkinson taking another free-kick two minutes later, awarded for Rowney naughtily clipping the ankles of Hearn - the only occasion in the entire match which saw referee Sioneloto having need to speak to a player from either side. (Male players, please take note - if the girls can do it …!!)
The substitute’s effort was grabbed by Horneman, who was called upon twice within thirty seconds thirteen minutes from time, as Moorwood sought to give Lynn-Avon the lifeline they so desperately sought.
On the first occasion, McCahill released the midfielder, but Horneman hurtled out of her penalty area to clear the danger. Rainbow picked up the pieces and sent Moorwood forward once more, but the time she took to line up the shot gave Three Kings’ custodian the opportunity to recover her position, and save what proved to be Lynn-Avon’s last noteworthy effort on goal.
For the last ten minutes were largely dominated by Three Kings, particularly after the hammer blow they delivered in the eightieth minute to finally kill off the threat posed by the reigning champions in this match. Dribbling out of defence, Ray was caught in possession by Jackman, who whipped the ball away to Gibbs in an instant.
The midfielder’s first-time pass sent Thompson racing through a chasm normally occupied by Ray and McCahill, both of whom had been caught out of position. Carlisle came across in a desperate attempt to cover the threat, and Cox raced out of goal, but Thompson squeezed the ball home between them to wrap up this gripping contest, and give Three Kings a 3-0 win their individual and collective performances fully merited over a Lynn-Avon combination which, as the statistics suggest, will bounce back from this rare reversal sooner rather than later.
Three Kings: Horneman; Rennie, Humby, Rishworth, Rowney (Dale); Jackman, Sowden, Duncan, Gibbs; Thompson, Ropati
Lynn-Avon: Cox; Rainbow, McCahill, Ray, Carlisle (Robertson); Percival, Heiford (Bowker), Yallop, Moorwood; Hearn (Parkinson), Keinzley
Referee: Hengo Sioneloto
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