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04Mar23
Brisbane Pinch Point From Dominant Wellington
by Jeremy Ruane
A superbly taken strike by Shea Connors ten minutes from time pinched a point for Brisbane Roar as they held a dominant Wellington Phoenix side to a 1-1 draw in their Liberty A-League clash at Sky Stadium on 4 March, a match watched by 2574 fans.
The home team was the better side throughout this encounter, but throughout the season have struggled to find the net, something which wouldn't be the case were Connors sporting a yellow-and-black-striped shirt rather than the comparatively drab grey garment which the visitors wore in this encounter.
She was afforded few chances to shine on this occasion, so well did Wellington play, but whenever the opportunity availed itself, she was a proper menace, a defensive terroriser whose pace, poise and purposeful play had one wishing she was a Kiwi.
Connors would solve a lot of the Football Ferns' current attacking concerns, make no mistake, and is the sort of player who Wellington should be looking to recruit to provide an outlet for all their industry and endeavour, and to supplement their greatest attacking strength, set-piece routines.
Michaela Foster's fifth minute corner picked out Grace Wisnewski. Her header inside was cleared as far as Michaela Robertson, who drilled the ball back into the danger zone. This time, Jamilla Rankin's clearance bore fruit, unleashing Connors at pace down the left. Her cross was cut out by the fast-retreating figure of Marisa van der Meer, who had beat a hasty path downfield, having been in the thick of the action in Brisbane's penalty area.
A Foster cross zoomed across the face of Hensley Hancuff's goal soon after as Wellington continued their bright start, although there were a few alarm bells ringing in the home team's camp nonetheless, with Kate Taylor the player all too often pressing the button to trigger them.
Four times in the first fifteen minutes, she either found the touchline when looking to play a simple pass to a team-mate, or dropped a team-mate in it by playing a pass to them when they had at least two opponents in close proximity, prompting a swift turnover of possession.
As well as these blunders, a totally unnecessary risk was taken in the eighteenth minute, with Taylor this time on the receiving end of matters. Van der Meer came close to being the villain of the piece, playing the ball across the top of her penalty area to her fellow central defender, a pass which the lunging figure of Connors only just failed to intercept. Had she done so …
Four minutes later, another blemish took place, this time in a Wellington attack. Betsy Hassett won possession on the right and invited Ava Pritchard to set sail towards goal, with Milly Clegg in support on the left.
Pritchard scooted clear of the covering defenders, but then played a pass which was nigh on impossible for Clegg to latch onto, even were she jet-heeled. It was an easy gather for Hancuff, and concluded a promising attack in dispiriting fashion.
Avoidable errors, these, each one, the sort which shouldn't be occurring, and simply MUST be eradicated from individual's performances, particularly at this level of the game and higher. No excuses. Such displays of mediocrity and poor option-taking are both unacceptable and intolerable. Better is expected, and not just from the individuals spotlighted above - all have room to improve.
Amidst these coach-killing moments, a Robertson raid was foiled by Ayesha Norrie, who unleashed Indiah-Paige Riley down the left. Her progress was curtailed by Mackenzie Barry, who put in her usual formidable shift despite playing in a less familiar right-back role.
Wellington cast aside these shortcomings by taking the lead in the 26th minute, and needless to say, it was via a set-piece. Riley's reckless foul on Barry - rightly booked by referee Anna-Marie Keighley - was punished in the best possible manner, Foster's delivery to the far post inviting a powerful headed finish from van der Meer which Hancuff was still diving for when the ball was rebounding off the back of the net.
The goal gave the home team a massive confidence boost, and they came close to doubling their advantage within four minutes. Barry picked out Hassett, who set off on an angled cross-field run before bringing Clegg into play. She clipped it inside to Chloe Knott, whose deft flick goalwards was fumbled round the post by Hancuff.
The ever-present threat of Connors was in the spotlight again in the 34th minute. She set off on a swashbuckling run from halfway into the penalty area, where, despite Barry's pressure, she unleashed an angled drive which drew a solid smothered save to her left by Brianna Edwards.
She swiftly sparked a counter-attack in which Hassett and Clegg were central figures. Securing possession near the left-hand touchline, the long-serving Football Fern sent the age-grade international storming down the left, from where she pulled the ball back into the stride of Pritchard. Her first-time shot flew past the post.
Foster then sent Clegg stampeding down the left, the striker stood up Kajsa Lind, making Brisbane's Swedish defender look like a bad investment before Norrie spared her team-mate's blushes with a fine covering tackle near the by-line.
Unperturbed, Wellington pressed again in the 38th minute, this time down the opposite flank, where Barry sent Robertson rocketing past all-comers. Her first-time cross picked out Hassett, who touched it on to Clegg. She wrong-footed two opponents before letting fly, drawing a fine save low to her right by Hancuff, the 'keeper turning the ball round the post, having seen the shot late.
Foster fired a shot across Brisbane's bows - more accurately, a twenty-five yarder which thundered over the crossbar - within seconds of the second half starting, prompting a response by Connors which underlined the danger she posed.
Outmuscling van der Meer on the left near the touchline, she motored goalwards before taking on and beating Taylor, then swerving past Foster, before curling a snot narrowly past the far post in the 49th minute.
From the resulting goal kick, the home team retorted, Knott - her best game in a Wellington shirt - unleashing a sumptuous through ball which allowed Robertson to hit the turbo button and whip in a cross which flew inches over the head of the flying figure of Pritchard. Hancuff punched the ball out, allowing Robertson to regather possession and return the ball to Knott, whose set up Wisnewski for a twenty-five yard effort which flew narrowly over the bar.
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Brisbane responded via Sharn Freier, whose teasing cross through the corridor of uncertainty had Edwards in all sorts of bother, the 'keeper's uncertainty evident in the way she fumbled the ball round the far post.
Wellington survived the resulting corner, and next threatened in the 64th minute, when Knott again punched the ticket which sent Robertson careering clear. Three opponents were left in her slipstream before she opted to pass, rather than shoot. Hassett was caught flat-footed by this development, and did well to even fashion a shot which flew past the far post - the pint-sized speedster should have gone for goal herself.
Knott was causing Brisbane all sorts of problems with her passing, and another exquisite delivery sent Clegg dashing down the left into the penalty area, where she rounded Holly McQueen before picking out Wisnewski, whose neat control preceded a fiercely struck volley which flew inches past the diving Hancuff's right-hand post.
The visitors responded with a rare shot at goal, Hollie Palmer pulling the trigger from distance. Edwards was little troubled by this development, but was grateful to see Knott preventing Palmer from making in-roads through the inside left channel soon afterwards, the skipper's covering run cutting off any prospect of Connors being picked out on the other side of the pitch.
The architect of this threat on goal was Norrie, who, frankly, shouldn't have been on the park at this stage of proceedings. In the 53rd minute, she was fouled by Hassett on halfway, but responded by striking the offender's head in retaliation, an action either not seen or ignored by referee Keighley.
Concerningly, it wasn't picked up by the Video Assistant Referee either. This was what would constitute a clear and obvious error in VAR terms, prompting an upgrade of the yellow card to a red one, and the subsequent dismissal of the offender. It's not just players who have to up their game where in-game errors are concerned …
In between Brisbane's attacks, Robertson led another Wellington raid, and should have doubled their lead. With Hancuff caught out of position, a precise lob was well and truly on, but the speedster's shot was of the low variety. It was also off-target - Brisbane breathed again.
They were still trailing, however, and the introduction of Paige Satchell to the fray did nothing to ease their hopes of conceding a second. Her pace was first unleashed in the 73rd minute, and a couple of opponents later she invited Wisnewski to let fly once more.
Hancuff grabbed her curling effort, and was perfectly placed to deny Taylor's six-yard header, from a pinpoint Foster cross, soon afterwards, having pawed out an Emma Rolston cross in between times, with the flying figure of Hassett jumping in vain to meet it and head home.
Fifteen minutes from time, Connors once more was afforded the chance to create merry hell, and duly obliged with a driving run past three opponents. Edwards smothered her shot, then looked on as Knott inspired a couple more Wellington raids at the other end of the park.
Intercepting a clearance, the skipper promptly brought Robertson into play. Her cross picked out Hassett, whose volley deflected to safety off Palmer. Seconds later, Knott was in command again, this time inviting Satchell to penetrate Brisbane's defences via the opposite flank. She eventually found space for a shot, one which Hancuff saved low to her right.
With ten minutes remaining, the world caved in on Wellington's hopes of claiming all three points from a match they thoroughly deserved to win. It was Norrie, who shouldn't have been on the pitch, who was the architect of their demise, her pass from halfway through the inside right channel allowing Connors to get on her bike once more.
On this occasion she outpaced the covering defenders before delivering a crushing blow to Wellington's growing confidence by drilling a shot across Edwards and unerringly into the far corner of the net - 1-1.
With the home team still recovering from this body blow, Brisbane moved in for the kill. Palmer lashed a twenty-five yarder on the turn narrowly over the bar, while in the 85th minute, Connors held off two players on the edge of the area before turning Foster and letting fly.
Edwards was right behind this effort, and looked on with relief in stoppage time as a Connors cross, intended for the incoming figure of Palmer, was headed clear by Barry, who had featured at the other end of the park seconds earlier.
After Knott and Rolston had combined to set up Hassett for a twenty-five yard chip which Hancuff grabbed greedily beneath her crossbar, Barry picked out Rolston with a pass which the most prolific goalscorer in New Zealand's age-grade international history controlled beautifully before lashing a shot towards goal. Hancuff smothered the attempt, with Satchell, racing in to tuck home any spillages, having to hurdle the 'keeper to avoid a collision.
Wellington continued to press for a late winner, Foster next to inspire an attack with a pass down the left which sent Hassett hurtling to the by-line. Her cross narrowly missed being converted by both Rolston and Robertson - both were a stride away from where they needed to be to capitalise on the opportunity.
Back came Brisbane - that woman yet again! Foster's vital covering challenge curtailed Connors' on this occasion - she was in on goal otherwise. Thankfully, it was the last time the visitors' goalscorer would feature in a contest which saw Wellington twice go close to winning it deep in the ten minutes of stoppage time required.
Knott was involved on both occasions, sending a ball through for Satchell to exploit with her pace initially. Hancuff anticipated this well, however, dashing out of her penalty area to clear the danger.
It materialised again soon after, Foster picking out the unmarked figure of Knott with a free-kick. The captain's cross was punched out by Hancuff, the final act of a thrilling encounter from which Wellington deserved so much more than the solitary point Connors' late leveller afforded them.
Wellington: Edwards; Barry, van der Meer, Taylor (Whinham, 84), Foster; Knott, Hassett, Wisnewski; Robertson, Pritchard (Rolston, 61), Clegg (Satchell, 69)
Brisbane: Hancuff; Rasschaert (Levin, 88), Lind, Rankin, Kramer; Norrie (booked, 53), Davern (McQueen, 58), Palmer; Riley (booked, 25) (Stephenson, 88), Connors, Freier (Robbine, 66)
Referee: Anna-Marie Keighley
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