Northern v Capital 011115

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Capital Punishment, Northern Style

by Jeremy Ruane

Records tumbled on the QBE Stadium Oval on November 1, as Northern Football produced their best performance of the campaign to take the outright lead in the ASB National Women's League by crushing Capital Football 11-2.

The scoreline is Capital's heaviest ever defeat dating back to Wellington's maiden representative fixture in 1973, and eclipses the 10-1 trouncing administered by the NZ U-19s in the 2005 National Women's League competition.

For Northern, meanwhile, this result marks the first occasion any team representing the northernmost federation has recorded a double-figure victory, be it at senior or age-grade level.

And it could have been bigger still had Katie Rood not squandered a golden chance to open the scoring in the fourth minute. Aimee Phillips' passage into Capital's penalty area was crudely curtailed by Tessa McPherson, presenting Rood with the chance to tuck home from twelve yards.

Her penalty was poor, however, presenting Cushla Lichtwark with probably the easiest save she had to make all afternoon - and she had to keep out a fair few more efforts, that's for sure.

Indeed, just sixty seconds later, Rood combined with Tayla O'Brien to present Phillips with a chance at the near post. The 'keeper diverted this shot past the upright, before dealing comfortably with a tame effort from Phillips five minutes later, Jess Innes having provided the pass which saw the striker evade the offside trap.

Rood then combined with Catherine Bott, who was well fired up playing against her home-town federation - hers was a very passionate performance, make no mistake. On this occasion, her cross for Innes was cut out by Lichtwark, but when Innes and Estelle Harrison combined to play in Rood on the quarter-hour, the 'keeper was beaten all ends up by the striker's deft footwork and cool finish.

Once in front, Northern didn't let up. Just sixty seconds later, Innes released Rood through the offside trap, but this time the scorer took the ball too close to Lichtwark, who blocked well at close quarters.

It was 2-0 after nineteen minutes, with O'Brien ramming home a close-range effort after Bott and Rood had combined on the right to prise open a Capital defence in which McPherson was already working double overtime.

The former Young Fern played her heart out for the cause, while at the same time the 22-year-old was trying to guide the youngsters around her, some of whom aren't yet ready for this level of football. Whatever prompted Capital to overlook the experience and nous of the likes of Julia Baldwin and Annie Olssen …

Given their history as twelve-time national champions - Wellington won eight of the first ten National Tournaments, the predecessor to the National Women's League - it is sad to see this long-time force in New Zealand women's football languishing in the lower reaches of the league, with the wooden spoon a very real possibility after this hiding.

Not that Northern cared one iota. They simply kept the hammer down, the pursuit of more goals top of their agenda. Phillips was somehow thwarted by the combined efforts of Lichtwark and Hope Gilchrist in the 22nd minute, after O'Brien and Daisy Cleverley had combined, while the goalkeeper kept out a twenty-five yarder from O'Brien three minutes later.

Both Northern's front-runners were frustrated sixty seconds later. Innes played in Phillips, but Lichtwark blocked at her feet, only for the rebound to roll into Rood's stride. She let fly, only to find McPherson racing back to clear off the line.

Capital's captain denied Rood again seconds later, after Bott had powered down the right past two challenges. From O'Brien's resulting corner, there was only ever going to be one outcome when Bott met the delivery with a close range bullet header in the 27th minute.

Straight from the kick-off, O'Brien caught Lena de Ronde in possession and swiftly invited Innes to thrash home goal number four of the afternoon, to which Capital responded by mustering their first attack of the game.

Francesca Grange unleashed the pace of the pint-sized Michaela Robertson, another who worked tirelessly for the cause for little reward. On this occasion, she breached the offside trap, only to become the latest striker to succumb to one of Tessa Berger's trademark sliding tackles.

Robertson regathered the ball, however, and played

it back to de Ronde, whose lobbed ball forward invited Kennedy Bryant to attempt an audacious back-heeled volley. Erin Nayler looked on as the ball cleared her crossbar.

Northern's response involved twice punishing Capital's poor defending at corners inside the final ten minutes of the half. O'Brien's 34th minute corner was flicked on by Bott and not cleared, prompting Phillips to pounce …

5-0 became 6-0 nine minutes later, the indefatigable Phillips - she gets through a tower of work in her capacity as Northern's first line of defence - heading home from close range as Harrison's corner found its target.

There was no respite after the half-time whistle for the beleaguered visitors. Phillips pounced on a stray de Ronde pass four minutes after the resumption, then powered past McPherson before setting up Rood. Lichtwark superbly parried her shot, then found herself in a right scramble for possession with Phillips, who forced the ball back to Rood, the league's leading markswoman this time making no mistake.

Maggie Jenkins fired Capital's response past the upright as the visitors looked to respond to this goal, but Northern had the scent of blood in their nostrils, and wasted little time in netting an eighth goal, Rood completing her hat-trick in the 52nd minute after Bott's cross was allowed to progress far further than should have been the case.

Capital stunned the natives on the hour by pulling a goal back. The gritty Robertson outpaced Bott, then somehow benefited from Nayler gathering then fumbling the ball at the speedster's feet. Cue a measured cross to Emily Morison, who steered the sphere past the recovering dive of Nayler to put the travelling team on the board.

Having their eight-goal advantage reduced by one seemed to knock Northern off their stride for a few minutes, but only a few. Normal service - the bombardment of Capital's goal - soon resumed, with Cleverley's deft back-heel to Bott the highlight of a 64th minute attack which saw Lichtwark grab Rood's looping header under the bar.

The same trio combined again a minute later, with Rood mistiming her volley, while both Lichtwark and McPherson thwarted Phillips' bid to net a hat-trick fifteen minutes from time, Cleverley again the architect.

Chloe Wilson had been introduced to the fray by this time, and after introducing herself to the game with a crunching tackle, the feisty fullback instigated a 78th minute raid which saw O'Brien evade three opponents before picking out Cleverley with her cross. McPherson came to Capital's rescue once more - this scoreline could have climbed far higher had she not been on top form.

She couldn't keep everything out, however. Nine minutes from time, Lichtwark punched out an O'Brien corner, the ball eventually finding its way to Stacey Hallford. From thirty-five yards out, the substitute promptly let fly, and to her delight the ball ended up nestling in the net - how it was allowed to progress through the crowded penalty area only Capital's defenders can explain.

Heads had begun to drop by this time amongst those wearing yellow, and their mood didn't improve when double figures were amassed in the 83rd minute. Belinda Van Noorden, fresh off the bench, made in-roads down the right before crossing into the goalmouth, where the presence of Phillips, flying in in an effort to complete her hat-trick, distracted Lichtwark enough that she deflected the ball into the net - "oggie".

10-1 became 11-1 three minutes from time, Bott beating a couple before battering a twenty yarder into the net. Van Noorden came desperately close to adding her name to the scoresheet with a headed attempt soon after, but the final word belonged to Capital.

Jayme-Lee Hunter delivered a corner to the far post which Grange met with a header. Corina Brown, Northern's substitute goalkeeper, tipped the ball onto the bar, but the rebound fell kindly to Kaitlin Barrott, whose close-range header prompted an ironic cheer and, soon afterwards, the final whistle, bringing an end to Capital's capitulation at the hands of Northern's rampant record-breakers, 11-2 victors in this encounter.

Northern: Nayler (Brown, 78); Bott, Berger, Stratford, Harrison (C. Wilson, 66); O'Brien, Seatter, Cleverley (Wielenga, 82); Phillips, Rood (Van Noorden, 66), Innes (Hallford, 66)

Capital: Lichtwark; Grange, Gilchrist (Murrihy, 63), McPherson (booked, 3), E. Wilson (Hunt, 46); de Ronde, Bryant (Barrott, 46), Hunter; Robertson, Jenkins, Morison (Strom, 77)

Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley

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