Mikaela Bouwmeester (nee Boxall) capped off an outstanding individual display with the only goal of the game at Michaels Avenue on November 4, as Central Football scored a rare National Women's League victory when downing bottom-placed Ellerslie 1-0 to leave the beaten team still searching for their first point of the campaign. "The Ponies" only have themselves to blame on this occasion, however. They enjoyed the lion's share of possession throughout this encounter, but largely lacked the imagination, inventiveness, inspiration and instinctiveness to change the game. So much of Ellerslie's play was predictable, and Central was clearly well versed in the contents of "The Ponies"' playbook. They were also lively attackers. Within seconds of Kat Gow's thirty yard lob flying inches past Leonie Heck's left-hand post, the visitors were on the rampage through Ruby-Aroha Gurnick, whose driving run down the left resulted in a pass to Bouwmeester, whose first shot was blocked. Her second deflected safely through the Petra Wedlake. Back came "The Ponies", and after Heck had pawed away a cross from Gow after Cat Pretty, Abby Wright and Leigh Aitken had linked up on the right, the home team squandered a gilt-edged chance to take the lead in the tenth minute. Wright sent Gow haring through on goal, but Heck superbly blocked the striker's effort in this one-on-one situation, one in which a more artful finish, as opposed to the power option taken, would likely have gained far greater reward. Central responded via an unlikely source. Pretty, who departed the fray at half-time to attend a wedding (! - in the football season? Do me a favour!), deftly weaved her way out of two challenges outside her penalty area, only to cheaply concede possession. Lizzie Ingham said "Thanks very much!" and promptly let fly, only to see Wedlake turn her twenty-five yarder round the post. The goalkeeper then grabbed a volley from McKenna Chittenden which materialised from the resulting corner, to which Ellerslie responded with a corner of their own, Wright's sixteenth minute inswinger being hooked out from beneath the bar by Gurnick, who was covering the far post area. Gurnick it was who would feature prominently in the game's lone goal, which came about in the nineteenth minute. Swooping on a loose ball on the left flank, she struck a first-time pass in behind the defence, the sort which allows Bouwmeester to raise merry hell. Sure enough, she did just that, finishing with aplomb beyond Wedlake to give the visitors the advantage in a genuine six-pointer between the teams occupying ninth and tenth places on the table. From this point on, Ellerslie lost their way, the goal rocking their confidence, which was further affected by Central thwarting their progress at every turn. The home team can't be accused of not trying, but it just wasn't happening for them, and their efforts throughout the remainder of the half were best summed up by Pretty's tame effort four minutes before the break, prompting the midfield general to berate herself, having done all the hard work to set up the chance. Ellerslie weren't alone in having an off-day at the office in this match. Referee Lindsey Robinson made her fair share of weird and far from wonderful decisions, arguably the worst of which was a blatant shirt-pull by Wright as Gurnick raced onto Bouwmeester's through ball on the stroke of half-time. The Central player carried on and fired wide, but

NZ Football's Referee Development Manager certainly didn't set her peers and subjects a great example in allowing this incident to go unchecked. In another game, be it played here or abroad, you'll see the same thing handled differently - free-kick, yellow card … wherefore art thou, consistency? Central started the second spell brightly, Gurnick thundering a twenty-yarder narrowly past the post within a minute of play resuming. Four minutes later, Ellerslie were denied an equaliser by the offside flag, much to the disappointment of half-time substitute Cilla Fa'afua. Back came the visitors, Tayla Hawes' casual play in central defence punished by Saskia Pelham, who caught "The Ponies"' defensive stalwart in possession on the edge of her penalty area. Hawes recovered brilliantly to avert the goal threat, and a sheepish apology to Wedlake swiftly followed. Central came close to doubling their advantage in the 58th minute. Charlotte Noakes combined with Gurnick, whose cross picked out the head of Bouwmeester. Her deft glancing header was pawed out by Wedlake, who did well to recover the loose ball before the fast-closing figure of Maddison Hughes could turn it home and kill off the contest. Because Ellerslie were giving the distinct impression that they had played all their cards and had no more aces in the pack! Britney Cunningham-Lee, in particular, was well contained. Central simply shepherded her onto her left foot, prompting the striker to seek support, which wasn't always forthcoming - this instant loss of attacking momentum was frequently repeated, and rewarded a well-disciplined defensive effort time and again. After Wedlake had thwarted a Bouwmeester free-kick from the edge of the penalty area, "The Ponies" enjoyed a glimmer of hope when Fa'afua sent Gow through on goal once more. Heck hurtled out of her penalty area to clear the danger, one of a handful of occasions in the half at most when her services were called upon. If there was going to be another goal, it increasingly looked like it would be scored by the team in green. Fifteen minutes from time, Anita Trudgen's timely challenge prevented Bouwmeester from wriggling through the defence, while Wedlake was on hand three minutes later to prevent Hughes from latching onto Noakes' through ball. Ellerslie's custodian was called upon once more soon afterwards, denying Bouwmeester  after the striker had weaved past two opponents. That was ten minutes from time. Five minutes later, exactly the same thing occurred - Bouwmeester beats two, pulls the trigger, Wedlake saves "The Ponies"' bacon once more. Substitute Lilly Dowsing looked to pile on the agony for the home team in the dying minutes, doing Courtney Beale a treat before gliding past Kimberley Oosterbeek, only to shoot narrowly past the far post. But the damage had long been inflicted on Ellerslie in this contest, Bouwmeester's goal enough to earn Central a rare National Women's League victory, and almost certainly leave the home team with an unwanted souvenir from their maiden NWL campaign - the wooden spoon! Ellerslie:     Wedlake; Wright (Beale, 82), Oosterbeek, Hawes, Trudgen; Pretty (Fa'afua, 46), Leona, Aitken, James (Davison, 82); Gow, Cunningham-Lee Central:     Heck; Newlyn (Swinbanks, 90), MacNee, Chittenden, Thomas; Pelham, Noakes (Ishimoto, 90), Ingham; Hughes, Bouwmeester, Gurnick (Dowsing, 82) Referee:     Lindsey Robinson