Capital Football came from three goals down after twenty-one minutes to hold Waikato-Bay of Plenty to a 3-3 draw in a captivating yet windswept ASB National Women's League clash at Porritt Stadium on 18 October. The home team were all over the visitors like a rash early doors, and required just three minutes to open the scoring. Issy Coombes, Kate Loye and Tayla Christensen combined to create an overlap which Paige Satchell exploited to the full, confidently firing home past Cushla Lichtwark from eight yards. Seven minutes later, Loye and Coombes linked up to release Christensen through Capital's rearguard - the statuesque striker was offside when the ball was played, but it was missed by referee's assistant Hilary Osborne. The four-times-capped Young Ferns international powered into the penalty area, but found Football Ferns' number three 'keeper, Lichtwark, to be more than a match for her on this occasion, the tall custodian saving at the striker's feet. Lichtwark stood no chance in the seventeenth minute when Waikato-BOP doubled their lead. A pensive Mikaela Hunt - she had a horror first half, so much so that she was substituted at the interval - was caught in possession by Satchell on the edge of the penalty area, from where the speedster swiftly slotted home her second goal of the game. Four minutes later, a rout appeared to be on the cards, as WaiBOP went three-up. Loye fired in a corner to the far post where Coombes took full advantage of a Capital rearguard which was all over the place marking-wise to head home unchallenged. If Capital were to ave any hope of getting something from this match, they had to score next, and duly did in the 23rd minute. An untimely stumble by Kate Carlton was pounced on by Maggie Jenkins, who picked out Emma Main with her cross. The Young Ferns striker spotted Ashleigh McNaughton off her line and exquisitely lobbed the former Junior Ferns goalkeeper to drag her side back into the contest, although the way things had gone to this point, it looked to be a goal of consolatory value only. WaiBOP continued to press, with Keri O'Connell lobbing one over the defence for Satchell and Christensen to exploit at pace. Lichtwark came out of her area to head the bouncing ball to safety, but mis-timed her effort, giving Satchell an empty net into which to stash the sphere. But there was to be no hat-trick for the Young Ferns starlet, a desperate goal-line clearance by Katie Barrott denying the winger in the 27th minute of a contest in which Capital was starting to get a foothold. Only a splendid block tackle by Tiana Hill stopped Jenkins in her tracks five minutes later, as the visitors started to attack, with the WaiBOP fullback promptly turning defence into attack with a pass which invited Tessa Leong to evade a challenge and let rip as she cut in off the left flank. The ball flashed a foot over the bar on this occasion, but from the resulting goal-kick, Hunt gifted possession to Christensen, who was thwarted in fine fashion by Lichtwark seconds later, the 'keeper reacting smartly to save the day for Capital - a goal here would almost certainly have seen the visitors kiss goodbye to any prospects of points from this match. Six minutes before half-time, O'Connell again won the ball in midfield, and this time played a one-two with Christensen before working her way into the penalty area. Lichtwark raced out once more, but O'Connell dinked the ball beyond her. Racing into meet it was Satchell and Tessa McPherson, who had a terrific game at the heart of Capital's rearguard, given she had to keep an eye on both Hunt and Barrott, who got a bit stroppy with Satchell at one stage, earning herself a stern rebuke from referee Anna-Marie Keighley for her behaviour. McPherson cleared the danger on this occasion, at the expense of a corner, the aftermath of which saw Satchell and Christensen combine on the right. The latter's cross to the near post found Leong getting in front of Hunt and Lichtwark, but the striker was unable to turn the threat into a fourth WaiBOP goal, eventually firing over on the turn from ten yards. Had she scored, that would have made the scoreline 4-1, but when the teams headed for the dressing rooms at half-time, Waikato-Bay of Plenty's advantage was just one goal, courtesy a stunning strike on the stroke of the interval. Main and Barrott linked up in midfield, with the

feisty fullback delivering a cross-field ball which sat up perfectly for Jenkins to unleash a peach of a volley from tweny-five yards which sailed over McNaughton and into the net behind her - 3-2 WaiBOP, with all to play for in the second spell. Capital introduced two new players at half-time, with Hunt and Kennedy Bryant paying the price for the visitors' indifferent first half showing. But it was WaiBOP's prolonged substitution which was the talking point for much of the half. Local starlet Leanna Ryan was introduced off the bench in place of Helen Talbot, who was swiftly returned to the action when it was found that Ryan's name was on the starting line-up on the team sheet - O'Connell had started in place of her. What to do? The advice received was that Ryan would be eligible to enter the fray sporting the playing kit of one of the other substitutes. Cue the bizarre - and, for both players involved, embarrassing - sight of both Ryan and Katherine Robinson - the sacrificial lamb in this episode - swapping their shirts and shorts, then swapping them again after it was deemed by referee's assessor Neil Fox that Ryan could take to the field in her original playing attire. Suffice to say someone in the home team's management should be offering both players a very sheepish apology and a decent-sized floral bouquet apiece for the embarrassing situation both Ryan and Robinson endured in good spirit. While the playing kit debacle was taking place side-line, WaiBOP were going all out in search of a fourth goal which would surely kill off Capital's challenge. Christensen thought she'd scored it in the 62nd minute, only for the offside flag to intervene. Seconds later, the striker saw her snapshot on the turn turned round the post by Lichtwark, seconds after the 'keeper had blocked a Loye effort at close quarters as WaiBOP turned the screw. With Ryan now added to the mix, the home team concerted their attacking efforts. In the 68th minute, the substitute rounded Lichtwark outside the penalty area before picking out Christensen with an acute angled curling cross from near the by-line. The striker's celebrations, after gleefully heading home into an empty net, were cut short once more - this time, the ball had curled out of play before curling back in to the goalmouth, much to the despair of Christensen, whose performance throughout the rest of the match suggested this latest setback had somehow affected her confidence - she went off the boil big-time. The final twenty minutes were helter skelter in nature, with both teams going all out for another goal - WaiBOP a certain winner, Capital an elusive equaliser. It was the visitors who struck gold nine minutes from time, Jayme-Lee Hunter battering a bouncing twenty-five yarder past the startled figure of McNaughton, who looked on in horror as the ball found its way into the bottom left-hand corner of her net - 3-3. Two minutes later, the visitors almost won the match. Substitute Lena de Ronde picked out Jenkins, who turned her marker before unleashing a wind-assisted effort which flew inches past the right-hand post of McNaughton, whose despairing dive was in vain. By this stage, the wind was well in the sails of the Wellingtonians, and such was its strength that a brief halt to play came about, ASB advertising hoardings having been blown off their mountings onto the playing surface - the league's sponsors certainly had the field covered today! The end-to-end nature of the latter stages continued, with both teams now targeting a late winner. It wasn't to be, however, with Loye's thirty yarder being saved by Lichtwark before the 'keeper directed a Christensen effort across the face of goal, Satchell a stride short of turning the loose ball home into the gaping goal. Capital came close to clinching a remarkable come-from-behind win in the shadows of the full-time whistle, and would have done so but for the timely intervention of Carlton, who stepped in where angels fear to tread in order to deny Main, just as she threatened to clinch victory for the visitors, whose fightback from three goals down to hold Waikato-Bay of Plenty to a 3-3 draw said much about their character and resolve. WaiBOP:     McNaughton; Carlton, Talbot (Ryan, 63), Hayes, Hill; Coombes, O'Connell (Coleman, 70), Loye; Satchell, Christensen, Leong Capital:     Lichtwark; Grange, Hunt (Gilchrist, 46), McPherson, Barrott; Bryant (de Ronde, 46), Murrihy (Strom, 79), Hunter; Robertson, Main, Jenkins Referee:     Anna-Marie Keighley