Eastern Suburbs effectively put one hand on the Keith Hay Homes Cup for the first time since 1980 at Galloway Park on 14 July, as they edged reigning champions Claudelands Rovers 2-1 to storm seven points clear at the top of the Lotto Northern Premier Women's League with four rounds remaining. Following her injury-enforced departure at home to Glenfield Rovers a week ago, Claudelands were without the services of Sarah McLaughlin for this match, a situation which will apply until the start of next season, when she has hopefully recovered from ruptured anterior cruciate and medial ligaments, not to mention a dislocated knee cap - no half measures with "Macca", that's for sure! Her presence was missed in the first half in particular by Rovers, for the visitors hit the ground running at Galloway, hemming Claudelands in their own half for large spells of a first half in which Suburbs' game plan was so well employed that the only occasions the league's leading markswoman, Helen Collins, touched the ball were seemingly at kick-offs! Just six minutes into the match, Suburbs fired their first shot in anger, Emily Stotter, Melanie Gooch and Dayna Manak combining to enable Rebecca Tegg to unleash a shot on the turn which flew past Naomi-Beth Carter's right-hand post. It was from the resulting goal-kick that Suburbs took the early lead they coveted. The ball broke for Becky Hawker, who, from twenty yards out, unleashed an absolute peach of a curler, the ball bending around the diving figure of Carter en route to the top far corner of the net - a cracking strike which well and truly set up the contest. Suburbs weren't prepared to settle for that. The league is all they have to play for this season, and unlike previous campaigns, when they have promised much but fallen away in the run-in, this is almost a date with destiny - an "if we don't win it this year, we'll never win it" type scenario. So they kept their foot on the throttle, and continued to dictate terms for the next ten minutes. But a Manak shot was all they had to show for this spell, an effort which Carter was right behind. With Collins being marked out of the game by Chelsey Wood to this point, Rovers had to come up with alternative means of getting back into the contest. Thankfully, in Kate Loye, Kylie Jens and wing wizard Olivia Chance, they were well equipped to do so, and it was via this trio that the bulk of Rovers' attacks came about. They engineered a shooting chance for Rachael Porteous in the eighteenth minute, but the midfielder - not her most wonderful display, although she wasn't alone among those in red in this regard - shot tamely at the target, affording Erin Nayler an easy save. Seconds later, Porteous returned the compliment to Chance, who skipped past Jesse Verdon before lashing a drive narrowly over the bar. The Suburbs defender was caught out of position following the resulting goal-kick, and Issy Coombes looked to exploit the opening in an instant. Cue Chance, who teamed up with Collins to set up Jens for a shot which the fullback sent skidding across the face of goal, only for the retreating figure of Harriet Steele to fleetingly put Suburbs' hearts in mouths as she blasted the ball back in the direction from whence it came as she beat a hasty retreat towards the target. Suburbs were soon on the attack again, via Nayler's free-kick. Tegg got the better of Porteous before working a one-two with Stotter which left the striker primed to shoot. She was prevented from doing so, however, by a superbly timed Jens tackle - this pair had a ding-dong go throughout the first half, their match-up one of the game's individual highlights. The fullback's next attempt to foil Tegg in like manner was less timely, and resulted in a free-kick some twenty-five yards from goal. Tegg let fly, but Carter was right behind this 26th minute. After a splendid recovering tackle by Verdon had denied Chance as she attempted to wriggle through on receipt of Loye's defence-splitting pass, Suburbs doubled their advantage in the 33rd minute. Humby whipped in a gem of a corner which found Wood towering over all-comers inside the six-yard box. From that range, she couldn't miss, and her close-range header left Rovers facing a very steep incline if they were to rescue their title ambitions. Straight from the kick-off, Chance threatened once more, this time having been picked out by Jens. The winger weaved her way into the penalty area before deftly chipping Nayler, only for the ball to narrowly clear the near post. Suburbs responded instantly, Nayler's goal-kick downfield finding its way to Tegg, who was stopped in her tracks by a stunning Kate Carlton tackle. Unperturbed, the visitors pressed again, Manak and Hawker combining to play Tegg in again. This time, she curled a shot around Carlton which left the unsighted Carter beaten all ends up, only for the ball to graze the bar. Six minutes before the interval, referee Nadia Browning contrived her most glaring blemish of the half - there were numerous other incidents which occurred throughout proceedings, as she sought to let play continue as much as possible so momentum would counter anything controversies, but this one was potentially game-changing. Suffice to say, given Claudelands were chasing the game, Chance was the player involved. And she was giving Verdon a dancing lesson in the process, twisting her one way, turning her another, then back again, just

Jess Verdon Eileish Hayes Erin Nayler Olivia Chance Rebecca Tegg Kylie Jens Chelsey Wood

outside the penalty area. All in all, she was generally giving Verdon a giant headache in a fairly confined space, to which the defender reacted by felling her nemesis. Silence. Especially from Miss Browning, from whom not a peep was forthcoming! Play on was the verdict, which stunned Claudelands, players and fans alike. Suburbs saw out the remainder of the half, knowing that they were 45 minutes away from being two wins away from claiming a trophy for which they have been perennial challengers this century, without ever sustaining that challenge right to the end. But if they thought they would repeat their first half exploits, they had another thing coming - a fired-up Claudelands side boasting both a personnel and a tactical change, with the latter in particular paying dividends. Porteous was withdrawn from the fray, with Alex Shadbolt moving into central defence and Eileish Hayes switching to a midfield role, which instantly gave Rovers some bite and menace in the centre of the park to supplement Loye's labourings. Now it was Suburbs' turn to be on the back foot, as Rovers set out from the off to dominate the second spell and dig themselves out of the hole in which they were firmly ensconced. They really went for it, too, with Shadbolt and Jens combining with Collins five minutes into the half. The last-mentioned's cross was cleared by Humby to Hayes, lurking just outside the area, from where she let rip a drive which Nayler tipped round the post in fine style. Two minutes later, Nayler was right behind a Collins shot following a Loye pass, but in the 54th minute, the league's leading markswoman finally found the target, albeit in controversial circumstances. Shadbolt lobbed the ball downfield for Collins to chase, but Humby had a head start and was always favourite to win the race, until a nudge from the striker sent the defender sprawling. Instantly, Suburbs screamed for a foul, and with justification aplenty. But referee Browning again waved play on, and Collins took full advantage. She took on Wood, and found enough space in which to angle a drive between the defender, Harriet Steele, who was coming across in cover, Nayler and her near post - a terrific striker's goal, but should it have been allowed to stand? The referee was in no doubt, though Suburbs will beg to differ. If it was a case of balancing the aforementioned first half blemish, which, in hindsight, could well have been the case … and this in a potential title decider? All in all, not ideal. Nonetheless, the goal stood, and with Rovers now just one behind, they piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser. Katherine Robinson, Libby Williams and Collins combined to play Chance in, only for Nayler to pluck the ball off the winger's toes. And with seventeen minutes left, Nayler stood tall once more, solidly blocking at her near post from substitute Tayla Christensen after Loye, Jens and Collins had linked to good effect on the left. Seconds later, Claudelands went desperately close to leveling the scores. Williams played the ball into Loye, who let rip a dipping twenty-yarder on the turn which arced over the flailing fingertips of Nayler, but hit the top of the bar. Still they pressed. Thirteen minutes from time, Chance set off on a slaloming run through the heart of Suburbs' massed ranks, jinking this way and that before working one-twos with both Loye and Coombes, after which she slipped a pass through for Collins to exploit. The striker promptly unleashed from the edge of the penalty area, only for Nayler, who was hurtling out of goal upon seeing the danger, to block the shot at close quarters. Collins was onto the rebound in an instant, and side-stepped the prone 'keeper, only for Wood to come to Suburbs' rescue with a timely block. Suburbs scrambled the ball clear, and downfield it went, but with purpose, as Tegg was the outlet chosen. In-field she swept, only to be denied by the timely recovering tackle of Jens when in the act of shooting. Once more Claudelands pressed, and once more they met their match in Nayler, the 'keeper grabbing a twenty-five yarder from Hayes after Collins and Shadbolt had directed a Williams corner back to the midfielder. The home team continued to hammer away at Suburbs' rearguard, but Wood, like the New Zealand number one behind her, stood firm, leading the visitors to a hard-earned triumph which was only confirmed in stoppage time, when Christensen volleyed Loye's far post cross past the upright. When the final whistle sounded, the contrasts of delight and despair were instantly evident, Claudelands' downcast looks betraying their worst fears - they had lost their must-win match to opponents who were decidedly upbeat and enjoying the moment, Suburbs knowing that their long-awaited league title is just two victories away from becoming a reality. Claudelands:     Carter; Williams, Carlton, Hayes, Jens; Porteous (Shadbolt, 46), Loye, Coombes; Robinson (Christensen, 63), Collins, Chance Suburbs:     Nayler; Verdon, Humby, Wood, Steele; Stotter, Hill, Manak; Hawker (Tiffen, 82), Tegg, Gooch Referee:     Nadia Browning