Eastern Suburbs celebrated their Lotto Northern Premier Women's League championship success in style at Madills Farm on August 11, trouncing Fencibles United 8-1 on a day individual goalscoring milestones were realised by all three of the team's longest-serving members. "The Lilywhites" got off to the ideal start, opening the scoring after just 36 seconds. Flora McLeod, Suburbs' captain for the day, caught Alison Wintle in possession and swiftly worked a one-two with Rebecca Tegg. McLeod then collided with Alex Eastwood, who landed awkwardly as a result, and had to be replaced soon after. The long-serving Suburbs star, however, carried on before picking out Katie Hoyle with a cross which the marauding midfielder stabbed home past Alex Vernon, who was to have a decidedly busy first half. Within ninety seconds, Fencibles' goalkeeper had thwarted Melanie Gooch's chipped effort, then saved bravely at the feet of Tegg three minutes later, after Harriet Steele had linked with Gooch to slip a pass into the stride of one of the most prolific markswomen in the league's history. There was no respite from Suburbs, with Hoyle in imperious form in the early stages of a match which saw the home team playing into a gusty south-westerly. The Football Ferns midfield general picked out Tegg with a sixth minute pass from half-way which put the striker in on goal again. On this occasion, Tegg's touch failed her, allowing the ever-alert Vernon to block at her feet. The ball spilled loose to Gooch, who couldn't believe her eyes as she fired wide of an open goal from the edge of the penalty area, her despair at squandering this golden chance to score the 100th Northern Premier Women's League goal of her career evident for all to see. Unperturbed, Suburbs pressed on, with Steele leading the charge down the left in the ninth minute. Sarah Blyde and Dani Vulinovich,  who form a solid combination down Fencibles' right flank, eventually forced Steele to check back, but that only brought Hoyle into play again. The ball was swiftly switched to Tegg, who controlled neatly on her chest before unleashing a volley on the turn which flew straight at Vernon, who denied this and a rasping Gooch effort from the edge of the penalty area seconds later. Gooch and McLeod went close again soon after, before Vernon tipped over a driven twenty-five yarder from Hoyle in the sixteenth minute. This was cleared for a throw-in, which Steele directed into Hoyle's stride. She surged past three opponents before Vernon foiled her progress, only for the keeper to see the ball spill loose into the stride of McLeod, who gleefully tapped in the fiftieth goal of her career. 2-0 after seventeen minutes became 3-0 four minutes later. Hoyle was again the architect, her through ball, following a cleared corner, allowing Tegg to beat the offside trap before cruising into the penalty area and stroking the sphere into the goalmouth, where Kristy Hill gleefully rammed it home. Fencibles were more than a little shell-shocked by the blitzkrieg, and but for the efforts of Vernon during this spell, things could have been embarrassing. The 'keeper blocked at the feet of Tegg as Hoyle played her through once more in the 27th minute, then recovered quickly to prevent Gooch from pouncing on the rebound. Vernon then denied McLeod at close quarters moments later, before grabbing a Tegg cross intended for Gooch in the 33rd minute after Hoyle had again opened up United's overworked rearguard. Nine minutes before half-time, Suburbs increased their lead to 4-0. Chelsey Wood linked with Hill and Hoyle to bring McLeod into the match again, and she made in-roads in-field before sending the overlapping figure of Jess Verdon down the right. The fullback's cross picked out Tegg, who expertly volleyed home. Soon afterwards, Vernon and McLeod combined on the right, with the latter evading a challenge before seeking out Tegg in the goalmouth. Vernon had other ideas, though, and bravely foiled the free-scoring front-runner once more. After a terrific run down the left by Steele which left Blyde, Vulinovich and Makere Pohe in her wake, Hoyle switched play to McLeod, who fired wide of Vernon's near post four minutes before Fencibles offered their first attacking threat of the game. It came on the stroke of half-time, and was sparked by a Vulinovich interception. Blyde took over, then brought Hannah Wall into play. Her defence-splitting pass allowed Steph Trowill to scamper clear on the right and unleash a low drive which fizzed narrowly past Erin Nayler's right-hand post. Suburbs were swiftly into their stride in the second spell, with a terrific corner from Tegg five minutes into the half causing all sorts of chaos in Fencibles' penalty area. McLeod, Gooch, Hill and Verdon were all in the vicinity, but none was able to convert this golden opportunity.

Melanie Gooch Rachel Cooper Rebecca Tegg Hannah Wall Katie Hoyle Hayley Bilk

The home team didn't have long to wait to make amends - about sixty seconds, in fact. Hoyle's through ball was pursued by Gooch, but Vernon was always favourite to win that particular race … until she dived over it! Gooch was wrong-footed by this development, and had to hurdle the prone goalkeeper in order to regain the opportunity to score a special goal in her career. But by the time she landed, Vulinovich had smoothly stepped in and swept the goal-bound sphere to safety from under the shadows of her crossbar. Eight minutes into the second spell, Suburbs went nap, with Tegg leading the celebrations again, but this time for a significant reason. Emily Stotter spread play wide to McLeod, who got the better of Rachel Cooper before picking out Hoyle with her cross. The midfielder flicked it onto Tegg, who nonchalantly turned home the 250th goal of her career, a tally mustered by a select few in the history of New Zealand women's football. Suburbs were still celebrating this achievement when Fencibles came roaring back at them straight from the kick-off through Trowill. Her charging run earned a corner, which she fired towards a spot somewhere near the penalty area. Wall met it perfectly, her fifteen yard header soaring over all-comers and into the net beyond the stunned figure of Nayler, who had barely had a thing to do all game to this point. The champions weren't best pleased at having conceded this goal, so they looked to restore their five-goal advantage in fairly short order. In the 61st minute, they did so, and the goal drew the biggest cheer of the day. Gooch has scored in every Northern Premier Women's League season since making her debut in 2001. But she has been sitting on 99 competition goals for the past seven weeks, and in the nervous nineties since the start of last season, leaving one to wonder if she would ever join the exclusive group of players who have scored a century of goals in the country's foremost women's club league competition. The wait is now over. Dana Humby sparked off the move, linking with Stotter, whose pass through to Tegg only reached the hat-trick-hunting striker via a deflection. Tegg's shot ricocheted off Vernon straight to Gooch, who gleefully prodded the ball home and was almost instantly engulfed by her team-mates. 6-1 became 7-1 sixty seconds later. And what a stunning strike this was - a simply unstoppable twenty-five yard volley on the run from the rampaging figure of Tegg which fair thundered into the top far corner of the net to complete the 25th hat-trick of her career in some style. You could have forgiven Fencibles for throwing in the towel at this point, but the effervescent figure of Wall continued to strive for a second goal for a team which, to be blunt, wouldn't have come anywhere near qualifying for the Championship phase of the competition without their inspirational number nine. A slalom run down the left saw her get the better of three opponents, with the skill employed to beat Hill particularly eye-catching. It enabled Wall to get to the by-line and fire over a cross to the far post where Trowill was arriving on cue, only to see her volley clear the crossbar by a foot at most in the 72nd minute. Three minutes later, Verdon and Hill teamed up with Tegg to present Gooch and Leanne Tiffen with the chance to score, but Cooper and Wintle, between them, were able to contain the Suburbs duo on this occasion. Gooch then played the ball wide to Tiffen, and her inch-perfect 83rd minute cross saw Tegg's header fly inches over the bar - it was desperately close, but sixty seconds later, the prolific markswoman was celebrating her fourth goal of the game, Tegg calmly rolling the ball home past Vernon after Stotter and Hoyle - with a stirring driving run - had unhinged Fencibles once more. Stotter came desperately close to making it 9-1 two minutes from time, but the final act of the match saw Nayler produce her first save of the contest, a stoppage time plunge to her left to deny Wall's low drive, after the midfielder had dashed onto Hayley Bilk's pass. 8-1 was Suburbs' lot, however, a result which edged them to within ninety minutes of recording the club's first unbeaten season in this competition since 1979. That is for the future - there are goalscoring milestones for three of their stalwarts to celebrate thanks to this emphatic victory, and the newly crowned champions have been doing their fair share of that this week. Deservedly so. Suburbs:     Nayler; Verdon, Humby (Manak, 66), Wood, Steele; Hoyle, Hill, Stotter; McLeod (Tiffen, 66), Tegg, Gooch Fencibles:     Vernon; Vulinovich, Pohe, Eastwood (Rowse, 18), Cooper; Wall, Fuller (Hull, 88), Wintle; Blyde, Trowill, Posimani (Bilk, 60) Referee:     Chris Wolken