It was sweet revenge for 2010 ASB National Women's Knockout Cup winners Claudelands Rovers at Madills Farm on June 17, as they hit Eastern Suburbs for six to progress to the semi-finals of the 2012 competition. Suburbs ended Rovers' reign at the quarter-final stage of last season's competition at Galloway Park, so the visitors had incentive aplenty to put that wrong to rights when they took to the park for this encounter, and were in rampant form as they administered a 6-1 hiding. It all started going pear-shaped for Suburbs as early as the third minute. Marlies Oostdam's lack of recent match play arising from a knee injury - and well-strapped it was, too - was exposed via an under-hit back-pass at this early stage of proceedings. Helen Collins swooped on the ball in an instant and promptly rounded the stranded Erin Nayler before tucking the ball home into an empty net to leave the home team in early trouble, but with time aplenty in which to get things back on an even keel. "The Lilywhites" sought a swift response, with a ninth minute raid featuring Chelsey Wood, Rebecca Tegg, Renee Leota and Melanie Gooch culminating in a cross which, had Naomi-Beth Carter not grabbed it confidently, would have been turned home by Leota on the far post. Four minutes later, Amanda Rasch, who was given a torrid time by Olivia Chance throughout the first half, robbed the wing wizard of possession on this occasion and sent Jolene Muir tearing down the right. Her cross was cleared to Tegg, who thundered a thirty yarder narrowly past the post. Gooch then rattled the side-netting, upon being released down the left by Harriet Steele, before Rovers began to impose themselves on proceedings, with the imperious Sarah McLaughlin pulling the strings as Chance teased and tormented at will down the left. A slip by Rasch allowed McLaughlin to send Chance careering down that flank in the nineteenth minute. Her cross to the far post found Issy Coombes arriving at pace, and she headed the ball inside to Collins, whose looping header was grabbed under her crossbar by Nayler. Two minutes later, a raking clearance by Carter was headed down by Collins to McLaughlin, who sent the ball through for Chance to chase. Oostdam won the race, but presented the ball to the winger, whose instinctive first-time volley flashed narrowly over Nayler's crossbar. Suburbs responded with their best move so far, Muir and Tegg working a slick one-two which allowed the speedy youngster to tear away down the right once more before whipping in a measured cross to the edge of the goal area. Tegg was arriving on cue, but directed her flying header a foot over the bar - a gilt-edged equalising opportunity. How she and Suburbs were made to pay for that 23rd minute miss. For within three minutes, Rovers had not just doubled but trebled their advantage, and taken the game right away from the home team. McLaughlin held off Evie Millynn in midfield before threading a gem of a ball through for Chance to latch onto. She dashed in behind Rasch and Oostdam, then showed great composure to lure Nayler out of goal before coolly steering the ball beyond the approaching 'keeper to double Claudelands' lead in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, "Macca" got in on the act with one of her trademark twenty-five yarders. Nayler had the shot covered, but the wicked deflection it took off the unfortunate figure of Oostdam left the Junior Ferns' number one scrambling to cover her near post, in vain. 3-0 Claudelands, who were by now imposing their passing game on proceedings in relentless fashion. But in Tegg, Suburbs had a worthy opponent whose flicks and deft back-heels were every bit as pleasing to the purists as Rovers' interchanges. She it was who sent Muir romping down the right in the 28th minute with a splendid pass struck with the outside of her left foot. Carter, seeing the danger, hurtled out of goal, but was powerless to prevent Muir driving a low cross beyond her into the danger zone, where Leota was arriving on cue. So, from Rovers' perspective, was Kate Carlton, who read the danger superbly and denied the striker the chance to pull a goal back, Kylie Jens - back to full fitness again - completing the clearance in what was just Rovers' second game in thirty-five days. Not that you'd have known it given the way they were playing. After Carter had dealt with an Oostdam free-kick struck from just inside Claudelands' half with venom aplenty, Coombes prised open the home team's rearguard with a pass which allowed Collins to let fly. Nayler plunged to her left to smother this effort, but after Leota had curled one past the post at the other

Kylie Jens tackles Jolene Muir Rachel Porteous challenged by Rebecca Tegg Evie Millynn gets her pass away as Libby Williams closes in Olivia Chance flicks the ball on Erin Nayler launches the ball into orbit Helen Collins

end of the park six minutes before half-time, Claudelands quashed any hopes Suburbs harboured of mounting a second half fightback. Picked out by McLaughlin, Collins held off a challenge before finishing confidently past Nayler on the stroke of half-time. And their 4-0 lead could have increased still further seconds before the break. A one-two between McLaughlin and Collins culminated in the former sending Chance through the inside-left channel, from where she lashed an angled drive across the diving figure of Nayler and inches past the far post. Suburbs retreated to the dressing rooms looking somewhat understandably shell-shocked, with damage limitation now their priority. Off came Rasch, with Lisa Kemp entering the fray as part of a tactical reshuffle aimed at stemming the tide, or, more to the point, the in-roads Chance was making seemingly at will down Rovers' left flank. After Tegg had stung Carter's gloves with a twenty yarder, Chance worked a short corner with Alex Shadbolt which saw the winger whip in a dangerous cross. Nayler managed to punch the ball away, but only as far as Collins, whose looping header cleared the crossbar in the 47th minute. Three minutes later, Jens and Collins combined with Libby Williams, with Rovers' two-goal heroine hurtling forward in search of a return ball and the chance to complete her hat-trick. Williams' cross to the far post arced just too far in front of Collins on this occasion. On the hour, Nayler produced unquestionably one of the saves of the season. Williams and Shadbolt combined to send McLaughlin cruising down the right, from where she picked out Collins with a perfectly weighted cross to the far post. On any other occasion, the resulting downward header would have found the net, but Nayler had other ideas, dashing from near post towards far before plunging to her right to somehow scoop Collins' header up and over the bar in a style not dissimilar to that Gordon Banks used to deny Pele in that famous save from the 1970 World Cup Finals clash between Brazil and England - Nayler's stop was every bit as good. But not even England's legendary number one, never mind Suburbs' shot-stopper, could prevent Claudelands going nap in the 64th minute, as Chance brought up her fiftieth goal in Rovers' red in breathtaking fashion. McLaughlin produced yet another superlative pass to unlock Suburbs' rearguard, this one finding Chance on the left. She took on and beat three opponents, the last of whom forced her to run more towards the corner flag than the target. Not that that bothered Chance one iota, for, despite her acute angle, she swivelled to smash a bewildering drive high across the diving figure of Nayler and into the top far corner of the net - a simply stunning finish worthy of an audience far greater in number than this. 5-0 became 5-1 seventeen minutes from time, and there could be no more worthy scorer from Suburbs' perspective. Muir and Leota combined to pick out Tegg, who turned a defender before thundering a shot across Carter and into the bottom far corner of the net. Red rag to a bull stuff, that, for Rovers' response saw the visitors lay siege to Nayler's goal. The 'keeper comfortably dealt with shots from Rachael Porteous and substitute Tessa Leong, before two efforts from Collins cleared her crossbar in as many minutes - the second hit the crossbar of the goal behind that on the main pitch. Next it was McLaughlin's turn to chance her arm again, but Nayler proved equal to that twenty-five yarder, as she was to a Chance cross which was destined for the head of Collins in the 87th minute, Jens, McLaughlin and substitute Roberta Wigglesworth prising open Suburbs' right flank for their talented team-mate. For all her good work, Nayler didn't deserve the fate which befell her in the 88th minute. Dashing out to thwart a McLaughlin drive, the 'keeper spilled the ball, and Wigglesworth pounced instantly. The newcomer rounded the prone 'keeper before unselfishly slipping the ball into the stride of Collins to deliver the coup de grace and complete her hat-trick, not to mention a 6-1 win which more than made amends for Suburbs' 4-2 triumph at Galloway Park at this exact same stage of the competition one year ago. Suburbs:     Nayler; Rasch (Kemp, 46), Verdon, Oostdam, Steele; Millynn, Wood, Tegg; Muir, Leota (Harding, 84), Gooch (McLeod, 70) Claudelands:     Carter; Williams (Leong, 69), Carlton, Shadbolt (Wigglesworth, 77), Jens; Coombes (Hayes, 73), Nixon, McLaughlin, Porteous, Chance; Collins Referee:     Tom Woo