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02/06/96
Same Again For Lynn-Avon
by Jeremy Ruane
Toyota Lynn-Avon United advanced to the third round of the SWANZ Knockout Cup on June 2, 1996, in the same manner they had qualified for round two of the competition.
Their thrilling first round tie with Eden had ended goalless, with Lynn-Avon triumphing 6-5 on penalties. This time, Te Atatu were their opponents, and a goal apiece was the result of about two hours of endeavour, before Lynn-Avon squeaked through 4-3 on spot-kicks.
It was no more than Lynn-Avon deserved, for, despite the bitingly cold down-the-ground wind, which spoilt the Ken Maunder Park match as a spectacle, the home team were the better team on the day.
United took the lead on fourteen minutes. A slow-motion defensive blunder by Jennifer Carlisle let Angela Vujnovich in, and she fairly thumped the ball home past a startled Michelle Townsley to open the scoring.
The goalkeeper was prominent in denying United on several other occasions in the half, most notably from efforts struck by Dana Heiford. But Lynn-Avon, given the wind at their backs, and the fact that Te Atatu were largely penned inside their own half for the first forty-five minutes, should really have taken a greater lead by the time referee Ian Hiscox signalled time.
The old cliche “A game of two halves” seemed likely, but never came about. Lynn-Avon’s approach, particularly in the period immediately after the interval, was commendable, for they had three scoring chances inside the first five minutes of the second spell. Maia Jackman, Vujnovich and Katrina Sharpe all went close, before Te Atatu began to make some headway.
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Gillian Thurlow, the well-performed Melissa Wileman and Amanda Crawford all had chances to equalise before the hour mark, but spurned them, giving Yvonne Vale very little to worry about. Crawford then had a further two attempts, before finding the net in the 69th minute.
But the goal, from a free-kick, was disallowed for offside, as Lyn Pedruco, who was yet again United’s most outstanding player, stepped forward to catch out Carlisle.
Unperturbed, Te Atatu poured forth again, and four minutes later, extracted ample revenge. Wileman strode forward through midfield, with Crawford ahead of her, but well marked, as had been the case throughout, by Alisse Robertson. A sudden dart inside to receive Wileman’s pass left Crawford in space, and she rifled home a twenty-yarder to bring parity to the scoreline.
Vujnovich hit the top of the crossbar before extra time, while Vale pulled off a fine save to foil Thurlow just seconds into the extra twenty minutes, after Kyla Butcher needlessly conceded possession straight from the kick-off.
With no further scoring, and opportunities to do so at a premium - Terry McCahill and Kirsty Samuels can take a bow here - to penalties we went. Crawford saw Vale save the very first shot with her feet. Then at 2-2, McCahill’s spot-kick was gathered, then, inextricably, lost by Townsley.
Somehow, after that, you could tell that it was Lynn-Avon’s day again, and so it proved, as Vale’s save from Francis Davy meant that the hosts didn’t even require a fifth attempt.
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