Eastern Suburbs swept to the top of the Lotto Northern Premier Women’s League on Mother’s Day, thumping fellow unbeaten team Three Kings United 5-1 at Madills Farm to edge ahead of reigning champions Glenfield Rovers by a point. The result heralded a special day for both Melanie Gooch and Grace Vincent, who both chalked up goalscoring milestones in the victory, with the former recording her 100th goal in senior women’s club football in a career which began in 2001. Both teams were shorn of Football Ferns players whose selection for the upcoming tour of Australia and China took priority, and it was United who missed their quartet of absentees far more than Suburbs did Sarah Gregorius, their lone contribution to the national cause on this trip. While United looked to impose their passing game on proceedings from the outset, it was the more experienced Suburbs line-up which enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, Marlies Oostdam’s surging run out of defence the trigger for a slide-rule fifth minute pass through a static United rearguard. Only Claudia Crasborn was wise to Anne Ormrod’s movement to meet the pass, and the versatile defender did just enough, in tandem with goalkeeper Jo Kennedy, to frustrate the front-runner. Four minutes later, Toni West sent Gooch galloping down the right, from where she whipped in a cross. Hannah Rishworth headed the ball clear, but only as far as Brittany Dudley-Smith, whose twenty yard volleyed piledriver flew narrowly past Kennedy’s right-hand post. United’s ‘keeper saved at the feet of Ormrod again soon after, but Suburbs’ pressure told in the twelfth minute. Chelsey Wood sent Gooch charging through the offside trap, and although Rishworth came across to cover the threat, the wily striker jinked inside her and rattled home a crisply struck shot from twelve yards. Crasborn sought a swift response with a left-wing raid which culminated in a teasing cross-shot which completely deceived Suburbs goalkeeper Erin Nayler as it arced across the face of goal, but within sixty seconds, the home team were on the attack once again. A slick one-two between Ormrod and Gooch saw the former let fly with a shot which Kennedy opted to hack clear, rather than save it in textbook fashion. The ball dropped kindly for Vincent, whose full-blooded volley was blocked by Tessa Berger. The rebound fell tom Ormrod, who was unable to direct her instinctive strike on target. Suburbs doubled their lead in the 21st minute through an unlikely - and very unlucky - source. Dudley-Smith whipped in a corner to the near post which saw Crasborn leaping to head it to safety, only to look on in horror as the ball skimmed off her head and arced into the top corner of the net by the far post - 2-0, much to the chagrin of the crestfallen defender. The home team looked to press home their advantage straight from the kick-off, Ormrod slipping Gooch through once more. Kennedy saved at her feet on this occasion, and was relieved to see Ormrod mis-read Gooch’s pass in the 27th minute, after the striker had prevailed over Rishworth in a block tackle. United’s inexperienced ‘keeper wasn’t giving her defence a great deal of confidence, and unorthodox saves such as the one made in the 28th minute did little to appease the situation. Sara Lovitz linked with Ormrod to set up Vincent for a twenty-five yarder which the ‘keeper opted to save with her legs, rather than smother. Just as well for her that no-one in a white shirt was following in to capitalise on easy pickings. Kennedy cleared her lines, the ball finding its way to Nadia Pearl. United’s captain pinged a ball forward for thirteen-year-old Martine Puketapu to pursue in the 29th minute, but Wood was always favourite to win the race. She did, heading the ball back towards the advancing Nayler as Puketapu kept up the chase. The ‘keeper handled the ball, but instantly realised she’d made an error of judgement - she was a foot at most outside her penalty area when doing so. Referee Jan-Hendrik Hintz had a decision to make, the key factor being Puketapu’s proximity to the ball when Nayler, the last defender, erred. That made it a goalscoring opportunity, and out came the red card, much to the goalkeeper’s dismay. It presented Suburbs with a problem, given the absence of a reserve ‘keeper on their team card. But Lisa Kemp, no stranger to serving as an emergency custodian twixt the sticks when the need arose at her previous club, Glenfield, stepped up to the plate once more, and after donning both gloves and the number one jersey, proceeded to smother Annalie Longo’s shot which arose from the resulting free-kick. Suburbs looked to make light of their numerical disadvantage straight away, with Vincent curling a twenty-five yarder narrowly past Kennedy’s right-hand post in the 32nd minute.

Jessie Mathews (TKU) chased by Brittany Dudley-Smith (ESubs) Nadia Pearl (TKU) gets her pass away, watched by Toni West (ESubs) Anne Ormrod (ESubs) shields from Michelle Windsor (TKU) Claudia Crasborn (TKU) slips past Chelsey Wood (ESubs) Mariah Meagher (ESubs) wrongfoots Hannah Rishworth (TKU) Maggie Lankshear (ESubs), watched by Rebecca Burrows (TKU) and Chelsey Wood (ESubs)

But United stepped up their game and a real arm-wrestle ensued for the remainder of the half, punctuated only by a Rebecca Tegg’s right-footed eighteen-yarder two minutes prior to the interval which fizzed narrowly past the post. Whatever coach Richard Wilson said to his Suburbs’ charges at half-time is worth bottling, because by the time the hour mark rolled around, the ten women had killed off the game as a contest with a three-goal salvo in twelve minutes. Straight from the kick-off, they put pressure on Crasborn, whose misdirected pass was swooped on by Gooch. She ran on before lashing home a ferocious drive over Kennedy some 38 seconds after the resumption, the cue for her colleagues to engulf their beaming team-mate - this was Gooch’s long-awaited milestone strike, and well worth the wait it was, too. Only a timely Michelle Windsor tackle prevented Ormrod from exploiting an Oostdam ball forward seconds after the goal, while it was Kennedy’s turn to thwart the striker in the 51st minute, after Ormrod and Gooch had worked another one-two. Seconds later, it was 4-0. Vincent fed Dudley-Smith, who took full advantage of the stand-offish nature of United’s defence and surged through the inside right channel into the penalty area. Crasborn careered across to make a despairing challenge, but it came a second too late as the striker let rip a low drive which beat Kennedy all ends up at her near post. United were shell-shocked, and after Kennedy had smothered Ormrod’s latest effort, this time provided by West, Vincent delivered the coup de grace in stunning fashion in the 57th minute. Moving onto a loose ball in midfield, she eyed up Kennedy’s movements and opted to let fly from fully thirty yards, a soaring effort which careered over all-comers before dipping wonderfully into the top far corner of the net - precision personified! 5-0 … and a spectacular way for Vincent to mark the fiftieth goal of her career in senior women’s football. Suburbs’ appetite wasn’t sated, but an uncompromising tackle by Berger on Tegg in the 61st minute left "The Lilywhites" captain writhing in agony - she landed heavily on her knee, and was withdrawn from the fray as a precaution soon afterwards. That signalled a change in the game - suddenly Three Kings’ possession play was de rigeur, with the ten women of Suburbs absorbing the threats their opponents posed, and making life as comfortable as possible for Kemp, who barely had a save to make in the hour she served as the home team’s last line of defence. The stand-in custodian looked on with relief in the 72nd minute as Longo’s twenty yard grasscutter fizzed past her right-hand post, while the combined efforts of West and Mariah Meagher came to her aid two minutes later as the tireless Puketapu threatened after concerted Three Kings approach play. That resulted in a Rebecca Burrows corner, which Suburbs failed to clear. Puketapu prodded the ball goal wards, but Lovitz coolly cleared it off the line, sparking a counter-attack which culminated in Ormrod galloping clear and doing everything but place her shot on target with just Kennedy to beat. Crasborn, who never hid from the challenge despite her prominent role in a couple of Suburbs’ goals, was eager to make amends at the right end of the park during United’s spell of dominance, and let fly on three occasions without giving Kemp undue cause for concern, the last of her efforts featuring the contribution of impressively performed substitute Kristen Molloy. But it was Crasborn’s stirring run down the right which sparked the move which culminated in the visitors enjoying some reward for their contribution to an entertaining encounter in the 89th minute. The speedster’s work was carried on by Jessie Mathews and Puketapu before Longo let fly with an unerring angled drive which arrowed past Kemp into the far corner of the net. 5-1, then, to which Suburbs responded with a late Wood-inspired raid. Her raking ball forward saw Ormrod broach the offside trap and set sail for goal once more, only to be stopped in her tracks by a superbly timed tackle inside the penalty area, the fast-retreating figure of Berger refusing to allow her opponents the pleasure of the game’s last goal. That belonged to Three Kings, but by the time they had scored it, the game had long since concluded as a contest, Suburbs making light of their numerical inferiority to surge to the top of the table in style and leave themselves well placed to enter the second half of the campaign with their destiny well and truly in their own hands. Suburbs:     Nayler (sent off, 29); Wood, West (Steele, 78), Oostdam, Kemp; Vincent, Lovitz, Tegg (Meagher, 67); Ormrod, Gooch (Lankshear, 60), Dudley-Smith Three Kings:     Kennedy; Rishworth, Berger, Windsor (Hayr, 63), Crasborn; Longo, Pearl, Mathews, Kolose (Molloy, 53); Puketapu (Eaton, 89), Burrows Referee:     Jan-Hendrik Hintz