Reigning National Women's League champions Eastern Suburbs produced a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Auckland United at Madills Farm on October 1, Nicole Cooper's hat-trick clinching victory for "The Lilywhites", who should have been three goals down inside the first ten minutes. The visitors started like a house on fire, earning a free-kick inside the first minute when Emily Gillion felled Manami Nishio wide on the left, a foul which ultimately forced the Japanese midfielder to be withdrawn from the fray halfway through the first half. Yumi Harashima's pinpoint free-kick picked out Jess Philpot, whose header was headed off the line by Saki Yoshida, the defender plunging forward to do so. But the ball only got as far as Rene Wasi, who walloped home the opening goal with just seventy seconds on the clock. Reeling from that early blow, Suburbs should have conceded twice more from United's next raids. Bree Johnson sent Wasi scampering through in the fourth minute, the Papua New Guinea native roasting Yoshida for pace to leave herself one-on-one with the advancing figure of Bennett, past whom Wasi confidently fired the ball. Alas for the goalscorer, her effort rolled inches wide of Bennett's left-hand post, the opposite upright past which Johnson steered the sphere in the tenth minute after Nishio and Wasi had combined to play in the speedster, who lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper but looked on in dismay as her bid to double Auckland's lead drifted past the upright. Having survived these scares, "The Lilywhites" came storming back, and equalised with their first attack of note in the fourteenth minute. Seconds after Maya Vince had come off second-best in a tussle with Kenya Brooke - the United youngster hobbled off the pitch for treatment, but her day was done - Arya Blackler and Charlotte Wilford-Carroll combined to play the ball across to Brooke, who looked to exploit the space Vince's absence had opened up. Nicole Mettam and Charlotte Lancaster were quickly brought into play, before Aimee Atkins delivered a raking cross beyond the far post to Erinna Wong. Her deft header inside invited Cooper to send a header soaring into the top left-hand corner of Aimee Hall's net - 1-1. Parity prevailed for thirty seconds at most, for, straight from the kick-off, Maisy Dewell pinged a pass through the inside left channel onto which Johnson galloped. This time, she made no mistake, firing past the advancing figure of Bennett and into the far corner of the net to restore United's lead with just fifteen minutes on the clock. Seven minutes later, Suburbs were back on level terms - or were they? A Wilford-Carroll free-kick was ultimately headed home by Yoshida, but referee's assistant Yunjie Diao spotted an offside in the midst of the mayhem, and after lengthy discussions with referee Anna-Marie Keighley, the goal was ruled out, much to the home team's dismay. Back came United, Talisha Green dashing to the by-line before delivering a low cross which caused confusion between Yoshida and Bennett. Johnson was the beneficiary of their dilemma, and after her first shot was blocked, her second attempt looked in for all money until Bennett flew to her left to produce a blinding instinctive save - it was right out of the top drawer. That 27th minute denial was followed three minutes later by a solid save from Hall to thwart Cooper's angled twenty-yarder, after Wilford-Carroll was awarded a free-kick despite appearing to fall over the ball. The very close proximity of Dewell to the scene of the crime prompted referee Keighley to blow her whistle, and prompted a fit of pique - kicking the ball away in frustration - from the Auckland player, whom the referee swiftly pulled into line with some well-chosen words … not quite "No more, Miss Dewell", but the sentiments were very much along

those lines. Hall ensured Auckland retained their advantage until half-time, twice saving from Cooper before the interval, on the latter occasion after some splendid work by Yoshida and Wong on the right. The second spell took a while to get going as the teams renewed their acquaintance with the wicked wind of the west which was sweeping across Madills Farm's open spaces. Suburbs swiftly assumed the ascendancy, but didn't offer a goal threat until the 58th minute, when Yoshida headed over upon being picked out by Mettam's corner to the far post. Three minutes later, Zoe Benson fired over from eight yards before setting up Cooper seconds later. Hall tipped her strike over the bar, prompting a United response in which Green's driving run past three opponents culminated in a pass to Wasi, who got the better of Brooke before inviting Johnson to shoot. Her effort was blocked, and prompted another Suburbs attack, one which culminated in Annie Byrne battering a shot into the side-netting halfway through the second half. Soon after, Johnson's bid to increase Auckland's advantage, ignited by Wasi's through ball, foundered on Yoshida blocking her shot to safety. Cue a flurry of Suburbs chances, with Benson shooting straight at Hall after Byrne and Wilford-Carroll had combined to good effect. Fifteen minutes from time, Cooper rattled the stanchion upon receipt of a cleared Byrne corner, to which United responded through Wasi - a tame effort easily gathered by Bennett which did no justice to Poppy O'Brien's tenacious work down the right twelve minutes from time. "The Lilywhites" levelled the scores for the second time in the match ten minutes from time, and there was no way it wasn't deserved. Byrne's cross picked out Ella Findlay, whose shot was blocked by Philpot. The ball rebounded to Cooper, who instinctively volleyed home from fifteen yards - 2-2, and a grandstand finish on the cards between these two great rivals, whose encounters are invariably laden with goals and goalmouth action. Four minutes from time, the home team completed their comeback, taking the lead in the match for the first time in brilliant fashion. Cooper fed Lancaster, who worked a one-two with Findlay on the right before bursting into the penalty area and wrong-footing Green. That engineered the space for a low cross from the six-times-capped Junior Fern, but her delivery found Cooper with her back to goal, and two defenders in close attendance, with Hall immediately behind. All three Auckland players were completely flummoxed by what happened next, Cooper's instinctive back-heeled finish beating the trio completely, Hall's mad scramble back to try and prevent the ball from rolling over the line in vain - 3-2 Suburbs, who would have had a fourth had Lancaster's stoppage time thirty yarder not flown narrowly past Hall's left-hand post. The reigning champions were victorious, however, digging deep to produce a victory which leaves them as one of just two teams with perfect records after the first two rounds of action in this season's competition. A long way to go yet, of course, but a top-two finish will do Stephen Hoyle's team very nicely in seven weeks' time, as that'll mean a Grand Final berth on 26 November. Suburbs:     Bennett; Blackler, Yoshida, Brooke; Wong (Byrne, 56), Gillion (Findlay, 46), Wilford-Carroll, Mettam, Atkins (Benson, 56); Cooper (Miller, 90), Lancaster Auckland:     Hall; Vince (Brill, 16), MacIntosh, Philpott, Green; Dewell (Canham, 69), Nishio (Rennell, 21), Harashima; O'Brien, Wasi, Johnson Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley PS Whoever dreamt of scheduling this local derby at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon … don't get me started! :-(