Western Springs took a giant stride towards securing their Lotto Northern Premier Women's League status for next season at a rain-soaked Seddon Fields on August 9, thrashing outgoing champions Glenfield Rovers 5-2 to leave Papakura City on the brink of relegation. The conditions were such at "Hoopsland" that the match was transferred to the number two pitch, on which Tayla O'Brien's first touch inside the first thirty seconds was ponderous in nature, much to the delight of Meaghan Donnelly, who pounced on it and set sail for goal. Nadia Olla was alert to the danger and foiled the early threat, soon after which Glenfield's attacking threat suffered a blow when Helena Kelderman got crunched on half-way, a challenge from which she struggled to recover for the remainder of the match - she certainly wasn't her usual effervescent self, that's for sure. "The Hoops" soon settled into their stride and began to ask some questions of the Rovers rearguard. Jade Morrissey's measured pass sent Rina Hirano in on goal, only for Ashleigh Cox to turn her shot round the far post. From Arisa Takeda's resulting corner, Emma Phelps headed just past the far post, the same upright towards which Cox scampered inside the next sixty seconds as a wayward back-pass from Shania McIntosh sped past her towards the target. The 'keeper retrieved the situation, but was powerless to prevent Springs opening the scoring in the fourteenth minute, after pressure by Sophie Culpan forced a defensive blunder upon which Hirano instantly capitalised, rifling a twenty yard rocket across the diving figure of Cox and into the far corner of the net. But for the exploits of the former New Zealand age grade goalkeeper, "The Hoops" could well have been out of sight inside the next five minutes. Takeda caught Liz Savage in possession and worked a one-two with Rebecca O'Neill before thundering a twenty-five yarder goalwards, only for Cox to turn her shot round the post on the quarter hour. Seconds later, the 'keeper's superb reflex save thwarted Hirano in a one-on-one situation, after the striker had swooped on a Sydney Bultitude blunder. Then Savage committed defensive hari-kari, surging out of defence only to run into trouble in the form of O'Neill. Springs' player-coach won this particular tussle between these former Football Ferns, and instantly sent Hirano racing through the gap which Savage's forward thrust had left in Glenfield's defence. The striker coolly rounded Cox before steering the ball into an empty net - 2-0 with just eighteen minutes gone. The home team were still celebrating when Kate Loye took charge of the midfield and got Rovers on the front foot. Instantly, last season's title-holders came alive, with Loye sending Kelderman scurrying to the by-line, from where she picked out Dayna Stevens with a low cross which the age-grade international executed with aplomb - 2-1. Three minutes had elapsed between those goals, and another three minutes would pass before the net bulged once more. In between times, Cox pulled off a stunning save low to her right to keep out a twenty-five yard free-kick from Takeda, whose resulting corner was handled in the area by a Glenfield defender. Referee Aaron Day was unsighted, but his assistant's signal was his cue to halt proceedings, and after a brief consultation, the penalty spot was pointed to. Up stepped O'Neill - 3-1, and the conclusion of a remarkable eleven minute spell of play which featured four goals and three saves. In comparison to that spell-binding passage of play, the remainder of the first half was somewhat genteel, with Glenfield's desire to reduce the deficit once more evidenced by Loye's twenty-five yard snapshot on the half-hour, which Olla tipped round the post, and a Stevens sizzler three minutes later which careered across the face of goal, after the striker had turned O'Brien to engineer space for the shot. Still the visitors pressed, with Loye feeding Kelderman, who took on all-comers before seeing her shot blocked by O'Brien. Suzy Jung latched onto the rebound, but fired the ball past the post at a time when a Glenfield goal would have given "The Hoops" plenty to contemplate. Instead, it was the home team who fashioned the

last chance of the half, aided by Rovers' rearguard, who collectively had an awful night at the office. To a woman, they owe Cox for getting them out of trouble on numerous occasions in this game, this being one of them, the 'keeper's anticipation of the situation allowing her to intercept Morrissey's through ball before Hirano, who was in hot pursuit, could exploit the situation. Glenfield's defence once more failed them three minutes into the second half, as they failed to deal with a Takeda corner. Morrissey picked up the pieces and promptly let fly, only to see her shot cannon off a team-mate. The rebound fell invitingly towards O'Brien, whose calm finish from fifteen yards left the unsighted Cox helpless to prevent her side from going 4-1 down. Chances at both ends soon followed in a sixty second spell. Takeda sent Hirano down the right in the 53rd minute, and she let fly early, forcing a sprawling save from Cox, who instantly sparked a Rovers counter-attack which culminated in Stevens drawing a fine parried save from Olla. Quite what Cox was thinking five minutes later only she will know. But it was evident to all and sundry what she was thinking immediately afterwards - she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her! The reason for her angst? Cox gathered the ball from a back-pass, began dribbling in her goal area and gravely misjudged the speed at which the fast-closing figure of Hirano was approaching. By the time she came to clear the ball, the striker was on top of her, and Cox's clearance rebounded off Hirano straight into the corner of the net - 5-1, courtesy a goalkeeping howler of the highest order, and Hirano's first hat-trick for "The Hoops" to boot. A second five-goal humbling within a week is not the sort of thing one expects to see the previous season's champions endure, and it was very evident that Stevens, in particular, was far from amused with the situation. There was fire in her eyes as she lashed a 61st minute drive narrowly past the post, and she went closer still two minutes later, drawing a near post save from Olla after Savage and McIntosh had combined to release the striker down the right. Stevens was far from finished, however, and reduced the deficit fifteen minutes from time with a ruthless finish past Olla, who was responsible for creating the opportunity after giving Phelps a hospital pass. The defender hadn't a prayer of preventing Stevens from stripping her of possession, and the striker duly raced on to punish Olla for her poor pass. Buoyed by this, and the arrival of coach Andrew Clay from his paying job, Rovers pressed on in search of a third goal, with Loye's teasing ball in for Kelderman not cleanly gathered by Olla. That would be the penultimate time her goal came under threat, however, for the bulk of the last ten minutes saw Springs striving for a sixth goal, Sophia Dyer leading the charge with multiple thrusts down the left flank. Samara Dullabh blocked a Culpan shot before O'Neill went desperately close to heading home Takeda's resulting 82nd minute corner. Five minutes later, Hirano hammered a twenty-five yard piledriver over Cox, only to see the ball crash off the underside of the crossbar, bounce down and back into the field of play. Only goal-line technology could have determined whether the ball had landed beyond the line, as no-one was in a position to decide either way, and the likelihood of such technology gracing the Premier Women's League … there's more chance of Southport winning the FA Cup! Glenfield came again at the death, with Loye and Kelderman working a short corner which resulted in Jung hooking a close-range effort over the bar from six yards. Stevens then allowed her anger at her team's efforts to get the better of her, taking out an opponent to earn herself the game's lone booking in stoppage time, with the final whistle sounding soon afterwards to the delight of the Springs team, whose destiny is now well and truly theirs to determine. Springs:     Olla; Takeda, O'Brien, Phelps, Dyer; O'Connell (Muru, 82), O'Neill, Uluvili, Culpan (Ahterton, 85); Hirano, Morrissey (Maddren, 71) Glenfield:     Cox; McIntosh (Dullabh, 77), Bultitude, Savage, Strachan; Jung, Oosterhof, Loye; Kelderman, Donnelly (Casas-Clarke, 67), Stevens (booked, 90) Referee:     Aaron Day