Eastern Suburbs handed National Women's Knockout Cup holders Glenfield Rovers their heaviest defeat in a decade at Madills Farm on April 3, highlighting opening round action in the 2016 Lotto Northern Premier Women's League by coming from behind to trounce the North Harbour outfit 6-2. When Glenfield last shipped six goals, "The Lilywhites" were again responsible, prevailing 6-1 at McFetridge Park in a Premier Women's League encounter in July 2006. That Suburbs team, which boasted the likes of Rebecca Tegg, Melanie Gooch, Flora McLeod, Marlies Oostdam, Lily Somerfield, Grace Vincent, Rebecca Brown, Vicki Chong, Natalie Davies, Janet Groves, Sandee Hui, Ginny Tan and Stacey Fraser, was then in its prime. A decade on, and their young successors are nowhere near their peak, yet they had the collective wherewithal to play Glenfield off the park for a lengthy period of this match, to the extent that by the time Rovers coach Andrew Clay made a tactical change to stem the tide, the horse had bolted. Rovers certainly came back into the contest, and in doing so came desperately close to setting up a grandstand finish in the closing stages. But the game-long message of 'simple', conveyed by new Suburbs coach Mauro Donoso, was once more heeded by his young charges, and they rediscovered their verve while holding their nerve to finish the game off in style. The early exchanges were very close - there was very little between these rivals early doors. Suburbs fashioned the first chance, Erinna Wong's sixth minute ball forward being laid off by Grace Jale to Deven Jackson, who instantly released the New Zealand age-grade starlet down the right at pace. Into the penalty area Jale powered, before steering the ball back into the stride of Jackson - hers was a fine display. The goal it merited wasn't forthcoming on this occasion, however, as Kaitlyn Savage got right behind the midfielder's volley. Rovers responded via Estelle Harrison's ball forward three minutes later, which Sonia Bain headed down to Emily Oosterhof. Her shot was blocked by Rebekah Van Dort, who had a whale of a game at the heart of Suburbs' defence, as the ever-dangerous Katie Rood will testify - whenever she received the ball, Van Dort was a stride at most behind her. Rood is a cunning fox inside the eighteen yard box, however, and her predatory instincts are such that she is fast closing in on 150 career goals. Her efforts haven't gone unnoticed by the powers that be, and as a Football Ferns' training squad member, she is a wildcard option up Tony Readings' sleeve, should the riddle of our national team's goalscoring concerns continue to perplex prior to the Olympics. Had she been in Suburbs' colours in this match, you can guarantee she would have gobbled up the opportunity which materialised in the twelfth minute. Moments after Savage had blocked a shot from Jale, Jade Parris delivered a gem of a cross to the far post, where Jackson was ghosting in behind the defence. The midfielder's lobbed effort deceived the 'keeper, and may well have crossed the line behind her before bouncing back into the goalmouth. No-one in a Suburbs shirt was near enough to either claim that it had or capitalise on the loose ball in the goalmouth. Rood would have done both, and emphasised the fact by executing the latter part of that statement to open the scoring at the other end of the park just sixty seconds later. Harrison fizzed a twenty-five yard free-kick low around the wall, deceiving debutant Suburbs' 'keeper Corina Brown. The ball hit the post, rebounded back into the goalmouth, where just one person was following in to capitalise, while all around her looked on. 1-0 Glenfield, Rood's striker's instincts earning her 105th goal in black and yellow. Suburbs took this setback in their stride, and continued to press, with Jackson, Milly Hawkins and Nicole Mettam gradually gaining the upper hand in the midfield battle. The first-mentioned swooped on a loose ball in the twentieth minute, and invited Parris to unleash a twenty yard snapshot on the turn which Savage grabbed greedily. The 'keeper then sparked a Rovers raid which culminated in Brown grabbing a twenty-five yarder piledriver from Maddie Jorgensen. The 'keeper looked on minutes later as Rood rifled a twenty-yarder inches past her right-hand post on receipt of a Stacey Hallford pass. By this time, however, parity had been restored on the scoreboard thanks in part to one of the best passes you will see this season. "It's not about the long ball, or the short ball. It's about the right ball", was a Bob Paisley mantra throughout his managerial reign at Anfield, and in the 23rd minute of this contest, Mettam delivered the last aspect of this in spades. Jacqui Hand was the beneficiary of this seemingly laser-guided pass from half-way, which left the striker with just Harrison for company, and Savage the last line of defence beyond her. The National Women's League Golden Boot winner turned the National Women's Knockout Cup Final MVP this way and that before wrong-footing both Harrison then the 'keeper, Hand stylishly slotting home to level the scores. Game on! From this moment, Suburbs' grip on the game tightened visibly. With Hand, Jale and Parris ever-ready outlets to compliment the industry of Jackson, Mettam and Hawkins in midfield, there was much to like about the home team's performance, unless you were a Glenfield fan. The visitors weren't getting the chance to play. On the occasions an opening did materialise, Van Dort, with new signing Kate Seatter alongside her, wasted little time in slamming the door shut again. So, as a combination of all this, it really came as no surprise when Suburbs took the lead eight minutes before half-time.

Leah Mettam's left-footed passes are misjudged at your peril, as Glenfield found out to their cost on this occasion. The fullback pinged an angled ball forward from half-way inside her own half which found its way through to Jale, in yards of space in the inside-right channel. Barring disasters, there was only ever going to be one outcome in this situation, and there were no disasters from Suburbs' perspective - 2-1, a lead they fully merited, and retained until the interval. After it, Rovers threatened briefly, Harrison and Rood presenting Hallford with a chance with Brown smothered in the 48th minute. Three minutes later, Glenfield were in deep doo-doo - 2-1 had become 4-1 just like that! Van Dort was the instigator of the third goal, intercepting a pass before Jale and Hand wreaked havoc as they worked a double one-two from half-way, the despairing tackle of half-time substitute Grace Evans notwithstanding. Hand hurtled clear of the defence before firing across the diving figure of Savage and in off the far post in the 49th minute. Ninety seconds later, the game was seemingly up for Rovers as Leah Mettam released Parris at pace down the left. This lass boasts a devastating burst of speed and a finish to match, and both were very much in evidence in the next few seconds as she bore down on goal before sending a low drive zooming past Savage into the back of the net. Soon after, Andrew Clay introduced Belinda Van Noorden to the fray, and in doing so changed Glenfield's tactics, switching to three at the back with Harrison and Hallford pushing on down the left in an effort to provide Rood and her new striking partner with the ammunition to endeavour to turn things round. Before they got the chance to fire a shot in anger, however, Suburbs came desperately close to going nap on the hour. Hand and Nicole Mettam combined to send Parris racing away down the left to the by-line, from where she whipped in a cross to the near post which Jale was just two strides away from turning home. Rovers were getting up a head of steam, however, to which Suburbs responded by introducing two of their new signings - Daisy Cleverley and Tayla O'Brien - off the bench in an effort to stem the tide. Before they acclimatised to the pace of the match, however, Glenfield worked an opening via the combination of Claudia Bunge and Emily Oosterhof. Rood was the outlet of their industry, the striker finally escaping the clutches of Van Dort in order to let rip from the edge of the area. The ball sizzled inches past Brown's right-hand post once more. From the resulting goal-kick, Jale released Hand down the right. Jackson was racing through the middle in anticipation of a pass, but it never materialised. Nor did the goal for which Hand hankered, thanks to the advancing figure of Savage. Back came Glenfield. A Hallford corner wasn't cleared, and bounced kindly for Liz Milne to meet with a fulminating volley - how it failed to find the net defied logic, but there were some audible sighs of relief among Suburbs' rearguard when the ball crashed into the wire netting immediately behind the goal seventeen minutes from time. Cleverley led Suburbs' riposte, cleverly evading two challenges on the left before inviting Jackson to shoot, an effort she was unable to direct on target. To this, Rovers responded by piling on even more pressure, Rood leading the charge with a splendid solo raid which saw her outpace all-comers, only to shoot straight at Brown. Seconds later, Milne unleashed another firecracker, this time from twenty yards. The resulting deflection earned the visitors another corner, which Hallford whipped in with venom aplenty, so much, in fact, that Brown's attempt to punch the ball to safety sent it soaring into the roof of the net - 4-2, with eight minutes still to play. Hello, have we got a grandstand finish coming up? Glenfield certainly hoped so, and did their level best to ensure it came about. Ninety seconds later, Van Noorden, new signing Geena Gross and Milne - a brilliant round-the-corner pass which took out two opponents - combined on the right. Van Noorden was the beneficiary of her captain's deft touch, storming forward into Suburbs' half before rewarding Rood's angled run with a pass which allowed the striker to evade a challenge then let fly once more. Once more, however, mere inches came between her and her second goal of the game, Brown once more relieved to see the sphere career past the right side of her far post, when Rood and Rovers would have much preferred to see it fly inside same. Alas for Glenfield, there would be no more chances to save the game, for after Hand and Jale combined to set up O'Brien - the substitute wasn't expecting her team-mate's pass, two goals in as many minutes secured an emphatic victory for Eastern Suburbs. Three minutes from time, O'Brien raced down the left before firing in a low cross. Savage could only parry it … straight into the stride of Jale, who controlled the ball before despatching it into the far corner of the net. 5-2 became 6-2 in the 89th minute. Cleverley released Hand through the inside-right channel, and the striker unerringly despatched her hat-trick strike across Savage and into the far corner of the net to wrap up a stunning victory which could have been bigger still, had Savage not foiled O'Brien in the dying seconds of what was a highly entertaining and hugely enjoyable opening day encounter. Suburbs:     Brown; Wong (Murphy, 65), Seatter, Van Dort, L. Mettam; Hawkins (Cleverley, 63), Jackson, N. Mettam; Hand, Jale, Parris (O'Brien, 63) Glenfield:     Savage; Bunge, Gross, Leather (Van Noorden, 55), Harrison; Oosterhof, Jorgensen, Milne, Hallford; Bain (Evans, 46), Rood Referee:     James Ashford