The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home
29/09/96 | 25/04/97 | 06/07/97 | 20/07/97 | 02/10/97 | 03/05/98 | 30/08/98 | 27/09/98 | 25/04/99 | 15/08/99 | 01/09/99 | 14/05/00 | 23/07/00 | 20/08/00 | 06/09/00 | 10/08/03 | 23/05/04 | 01/08/04 | SWANZ Cup 2004 | 14/08/05 | 07/05/06 | 16/07/06 | 10/09/06 | 06/05/07 | 15/07/07 | 25/05/08 | 10/05/09 | 08/07/09 | 19/07/09 | 16/08/09 | 09/09/09 | 16/05/10 | 27/06/10 | 11/4/11 | 24/6/12 | 05/05/13 | 15/05/16 | 26/06/16
06/05/07
Champions Inflict Rare Home Defeat On Arch-Rivals
by Jeremy Ruane
It was as ferociously fought and intense as ever, but the 41st meeting of Lynn-Avon United and Three Kings United, while not matching the quality of football which these titans of the women's game produced in their last duel, saw a wee bit of history made at Ken Maunder Park on May 6, as the current Northern Premier Women's League champions inflicted a 2-0 defeat on their predecessors.
It's the first time Three Kings have won a league fixture at the home of their arch-rivals since the amalgamation of the Eden and Mt. Roskill clubs in the summer of 1997, and in recording this deserved success, they brought to an end a remarkable fifty-four match unbeaten run which Lynn-Avon had amassed at Ken Maunder Park.
Their previous reversal - this was just their eighth since the club first appeared in the 1993 Premier Women's League - saw Ellerslie thump Lynn-Avon 4-1 on May 20, 2001 … yes, almost six years have passed since Vicki Ormond scored the last hat-trick by an opposition player at this venue, a feat which the current scourge of defences in the competition came close to matching in this encounter.
Zoe Thompson is fashioning a prolific personal goalscoring record against Lynn-Avon, one which only her peerless predecessor in Three Kings' number nine shirt, Pernille Andersen, can better.
When with Ellerslie in 2003, she struck twice in a 3-1 Premier Women's League win at Michaels Avenue, and repeated the dose a year later in Three Kings' colours, when Lynn-Avon slumped 3-0 at Keith Hay Park.
After missing the 2005 clashes due to her involvement with the NZ Women's Elite Squad, she repeated her two-goal barrage exactly one year ago in her only league clash against Lynn-Avon in 2006, Three Kings prevailing 3-1 on home turf.
Now, on their arch-rivals' patch, Thompson's latest brace of goals has again emerged as the difference between the teams on the scoreboard, and has put a severe dent in Lynn-Avon's ambitions to win back their long-held crown Three Kings tore from their grasp last season.
Had the home team boasted a clinical finisher of Thompson's calibre, however, it's highly unlikely Lynn-Avon would be languishing in fifth place on the table after this contest, one which has seen Three Kings steal a three-point march on the chasing pack, and a six-point break on their arch-rivals.
Lynn-Avon began like a house on fire, only the offside flag denying Emma Kete a goal against her old club inside the first two minutes, after Sarah Gregorius had engineered the opportunity cleverly.
They rarely let up thereafter. Hayley Moorwood, making light of a knee problem which threatened her remarkable record of never having missed a game through injury, pulled the strings this way and that as Lynn-Avon moved the ball all around the park in bewitching fashion early doors, in an effort to prise open the Hannah Rishworth-inspired Three Kings' rearguard.
For all their enterprise, however, it was the visitors who created the game's first opening, in the ninth minute. Anna Green cleared a wayward cross from Kete downfield which saw Thompson outpace Dana Humby down the left and unleash a twenty-five yarder, prompting a superb one-handed save from Stephanie Puckrin.
Having recovered from her gravity-defying feats, the `keeper, a helicopter pilot by trade, promptly plucked Nicole Stratford's inswinging corner from under the crossbar, and immediately set Lynn-Avon on their attacking way again.
In the sixteenth minute, an opening was provided by Gregorius, who found herself on the receiving end of a cynical challenge from Jane Simpson, for which the defender wasn't even spoken to by referee Jan-Hendrik Hintz - one of very few blemishes by the official in a highly-charged match he generally handled very well.
The resulting free-kick was taken by Humby, but Jenny Bindon dealt capably with it, much like her opposite number did two minutes later, when Thompson swooped on a Moorwood pass intended for Terry McCahill. The striker slipped Stratford through, but Puckrin's anticipation prevented the midfielder from exploiting the opening.
Another Lynn-Avon free-kick, in the 24th minute, saw Ria Percival whip in a gem of a ball towards the far post. Jenny Carlisle rose high to flick it on beyond the far post, where Sam Selwyn was ghosting in beyond all-comers.
It was a difficult heading opportunity, one which she did well to get as close to the target as she did. But Selwyn's day was soon done, a couple of robust challenges knocking the wind from the youngster's sails before the half-hour mark.
Prior to her premature departure, Lynn-Avon had penalty claims turned away by referee Hintz, who ruled a case of ball to hand as the prone figure of Kristy Hill earnestly sought to regain her bearings, Kete's piledriver having brought her to earth.
The resulting corner saw Percival whip in a great ball to the far post, which Moorwood headed down for Gregorius. Cue an almighty goalmouth scramble, which included a smart save by Bindon from Kete, before Hill's cheeky “don't try this at home” back-heel inside her own penalty area allowed Three Kings to avert the danger.
Having weathered the storm, the visitors began to enjoy a few moments of note of their own, although it was the home team who were next to see the whites of the opposing goalkeeper's eyes, ten minutes before the interval. Kete and Gregorius careered downfield, interchanging intelligently before the latter let fly. Bindon's save was a good one, low to her right.
Two minutes before the interval, Simpson sent Merissa Smith scurrying down the right, one of the few occasions the speedster was able to stretch her legs in
|
 Merissa Smith (TKU)
 Hayley Moorwood (LAU)
 Anna Green (TKU)
 Stephanie Puckrin (LAU)
 Jenny Bindon (TKU)
 Jill Gilmore (LAU)
 Ria Percival (LAU) pursued by Hannah Rishworth (TKU)
|
the first half. Her cross to the far post was a gem, but Humby and McCahill combined to avert this threat.
It wasn't over, however, for Sarah Gibbs - a lively performance - gathered the ball and angled a splendidly weighted pass through for Stratford to pounce upon. Puckrin raced off her line quickly to save at the youngster's feet.
Back came Lynn-Avon, Percival's teasing cross from the right luring Bindon out of goal. She managed to paw the ball to safety as it dropped out of the sun, but only as far as the home team's player-coach, Jill Gilmore. Her similarly lofted cross landed neatly for Gregorius to take advantage of, but she was unable to capitalise on the opening.
There had been a couple of stoppages in the first spell, primarily to attend to Gregorius and Selwyn, and the impact of these saw an additional five minutes added to the end of the first half. With ninety seconds of this time still to play, Thompson dealt Lynn-Avon a hammer blow.
Green played the ball forward, but only found Humby, who had the situation under control until she executed her pass back towards Puckrin. It was badly under-hit, and Thompson, who was lurking with intent, swooped on the ball and slipped it past the advancing goalkeeper into the net beyond her to open the scoring.
Whatever was in the half-time team talks of both teams needs bottling, because right from the whistle, the intensity was a notch or three higher again from that seen in the frenetic first half - a phenomenal start to proceedings!
It was full throttle, no holds barred action of the highest order, but hardly surprising when one considers that every single player on the park, at this point in the match, had represented New Zealand on the international stage at senior or age grade level, and were aware that national coaching staff were looking on intently in this massive year for the women's game in this country.
Amazingly, the only opening fashioned in this high octane opening stanza was by Three Kings, in the 49th minute. Gibbs, who relishes these intense contests, buccaneered down the left before sending a probing ball in behind Humby for Thompson to latch onto.
The striker took the ball on in her stride, and with Puckrin racing out of goal, clipped a cunning shot across the advancing `keeper towards the far corner of the net. The ball never reached its target, however, for Puckrin instinctively stuck out her left leg and forced the ball to safety.
Nine minutes later, however, Lynn-Avon's `keeper enjoyed no such fortune, as the Gibbs - Thompson ticket undid the home team's resistance once more, this time mortally.
Again, it was the area in behind Humby and McCahill which Gibbs' probing pass looked to expose, and as the defensive duo hesitated, Thompson said “Thankyou very much”, and showed them a clean pair of heels before burying the ball beyond Puckrin to put Three Kings two goals to the good.
Lynn-Avon instantly signalled a change, the national team's priorities in 2007 taking precedence, as far as the well-being of Moorwood's knee was concerned, over the unlikely prospect of a come-from-behind victory over their arch-rivals in a high-intensity club encounter which had thirty minutes still to play.
The home team sought a swift riposte, but Bindon saved both Percival's twenty-five yard shot on the run in the 63rd minute, and Gregorius' twenty-yarder four minutes later, this arising from Carlisle's clever flick-on of Humby's hoisted free-kick.
Back came Three Kings, Gibbs urging them on by both word and deed. Bursting between two challenges inside Lynn-Avon's half, she picked out Betsy Hassett on the left in the 69th minute, the youngster instantly crossing for Green. Her touch on allowed Rebecca Sowden to unleash a dipping twenty-five yarder which arced a yard over the bar.
End to end action ensued. Percival tested Bindon once more, with the `keeper's clearance downfield the catalyst for Green and Hassett to combine. Puckrin foiled the youngster at her feet.
Lynn-Avon's `keeper then produced another great fingertip save to thwart Thompson's volley, after the goalscorer had been picked out by Smith. The resulting corner, delivered by Green, saw Rishworth climbing high near the far post to power a header a yard over the bar.
The home team responded through the ever-reliable Carlisle, who played in three positions in this match - left back, right midfield and central midfield - without missing a beat along the way. Like the similarly hard-working Gregorius, she deserved some reward from this encounter, but her attempt to get Lynn-Avon back in the contest - a twenty-five yard volley fourteen minutes from time - dipped the wrong side of the bar.
Three minutes later, Simpson under-hit a back-pass towards Bindon which gave Percival a sniff of an opening. But the `keeper cleared well under pressure from her international team-mate, averting Lynn-Avon's last genuine goalscoring threat in the process.
A dangerous inswinging corner from Sowden five minutes from time threatened to increase Three Kings' advantage still further, but the crossbar's intervention meant that Thompson's latest two-goal haul was all that would separate these great rivals on the Ken Maunder Park scoreboard come the final whistle, much to the reigning champions' delight.
Lynn-Avon: Puckrin; Rennie, Humby, McCahill, Carlisle; Percival, Moorwood (Rainbow, 60), Hoyle, Selwyn (Gilmore, 30); Gregorius, Kete (Parkinson, 56)
Three Kings: Bindon; Simpson, Hill, Rishworth, Gibbs; Smith, Hassett, Green, Sowden, Stratford (Longo, 67); Thompson
Referee: Jan-Hendrik Hintz
|