Claudelands Rovers striker Jackie Pretswell turned eighteen last Monday, and scored herself a belated birthday at Galloway Park on September 14, her two-goal haul late in Rovers' clash with Three Kings United enough to clinch the Golden Boot for 2008. And her efforts ultimately clinched third place for Rovers at the expense of dethroned Lotto Northern Premier Women's League champions Three Kings United, whose raw combination ultimately succumbed 4-2 to the home team, a result which means Rovers finish ahead of United by a solitary goal, with the teams concluding their respective campaigns level on seventeen points. Two largely young teams took to the park for the final match in what, for a competition comprising 72 matches, has been a drawn-out season for all clubs involved. United's line-up was particularly raw, with just five regular first-team players who wanted to play taking to the field. The youngsters who made up the numbers gave their all and then some for United's cause, and held their own for about an hour before Rovers' greater fitness levels started to tell. Not surprisingly, the home team began the brighter of the two, with Sian O'Donnell's crunching tackle on Sarah Gibbs stopping the fullback in her tracks, and allowing the Rovers player to set sail downfield at a great rate of knots before slipping the ball into Pretswell's path. Her curling seventh minute effort was spectacularly saved by Aroon Clansey, who flung herself to her right to deny the Golden Boot chaser. Seven minutes later, Kylie Jens sent a shot fizzing past the post after Katherine Robinson - for this writer, a surprise absentee from the Chile-bound Junior Ferns (NZ U-20s) squad - had retrieved a loose ball and set up the opportunity for the fullback with whom she has formed such a great understanding throughout what has been an impressive season by Claudelands' standards, as their best finish since 19?? testifies. After Nikki Wenzlick's timely tackle had denied Lauren Murray in the act of shooting, after the striker had cut a swathe along the by-line, United opened the scoring from an eighteenth minute corner. Nicole Stratford's delivery wasn't cleared, forcing O'Donnell to hook the ball off the line. Tessa Berger was onto it in an instant and sent a close-range header crashing against the crossbar, with the sphere dropping down to Murray. Her hooked effort was going narrowly wide until Cayne Schooley's desperate attempt to avert the danger saw her slice the ball into her own net. This gave Three Kings' confidence a huge boost, and their youngsters proceeded to match Claudelands stride for stride in a twenty-minute spell during which there was a genuine arm wrestle for superiority, with United edging ahead on points come referee Glen House's half-time whistle. That this was so was due to creating four openings in the last ten minutes of the half. Courtney Noble sparked the first of them, playing the ball into Murray, who worked a one-two with the well-performed Stephanie Eaton before lashing a deflected twenty-yard volley past the post. Seconds later, Stratford's corner was flicked on by Eaton to Hannah Rishworth, whose precise volley across goal ricocheted to safety off the far post. Rovers cleared the ball downfield, but Jamie Osbourne gathered it and surged back into the home team's half of the pitch to ignite a delightful interchange which deserved better fate. Murray, Eaton and Noble were all involved, with the second- and last-mentioned carving open Rovers' right flank with a wicked one-two which presented Eaton with the chance to let fly from the edge of the penalty area. Her 37th minute effort flashed over the bar. Three minutes before the interval, Rovers looked to stem the tide, led by Jens. She powered deep into the penalty area, three challengers left trailing in her wake, before driving a cross into the goalmouth. It was cleared to Robinson, who set up Holly Patterson for a shooting chance which Clansey grabbed greedily at her near post. The 'keeper promptly launched a counter-attack which culminated in Antoinette Jowitt muscling through two tackles in midfield before releasing Nicole Stratford down the right. Her low first-time cross was missed completely by Eaton, but found the unmarked figure of Murray loitering with intent on the far post. Just as she prepared to let fly, the Young Ferns star had the misfortune to encounter one of the numerous divots which make up the Galloway Park playing surface, and the chance to secure a 2-0 half-time lead for Three Kings was lost. Claudelands coach, Dave Edmondson, was not best pleased with his young charges' first half efforts, and they were very receptive to his half-time comments, as their second half performance demonstrated. In the 53rd minute, Wenzlick sent the ball forward for Pretswell to chase, the striker for once getting the better of Rishworth, who contained the striker very well throughout the first spell. This time, however, Pretswell got in behind the defence, only to be denied by the legs of Clansey. The 'keeper was beaten two minutes later, however, Patterson exploiting a defensive lapse in clinical fashion to slip the ball beyond the advancing figure of Clansey and into the back of the net - 1-1.

The 'keeper was beaten two minutes later, however, Patterson exploiting a defensive lapse in clinical fashion to slip the ball beyond the advancing figure of Clansey and into the back of the net - 1-1. This roused United, who, straight from the kick-off, rampaged downfield, Eaton leading the charge. Her cross picked out Murray, who volleyed over on this occasion, and who was to be foiled on at least three more instances by cruel bounces of the ball just as she was shaping to shoot. One of these wasn't in the 57th minute, however, when Noble played the ball into the talented striker. Murray controlled the ball on her chest, turned and took off past three opponents before stinging the gloves of Kelly Aitken with a vicious drive. No-one in a white shirt was following in, however. After Pretswell had got the better of Rishworth once more and sent a twenty-yarder curling past the post, Kate Loye sent the striker darting in behind Osbourne on the hour mark. Pretswell raced on, but Osbourne kept on coming and eventually did enough to deny her opponent a shooting chance. A vital tackle by Rishworth thwarted Pretswell two minutes later, as Rovers' greater all-round experience and Premier League fitness levels began to play a part in proceedings - some of United's youngsters were clearly feeling the pinch in their first start in top-flight football. They kept battling, however, and were rewarded in the 67th minute by taking the lead for a second time. After Murray had volleyed narrowly over following some tenacious work by the impressive Berger, Rishworth swooped on an O'Donnell clearance and sparked off an enterprising move from the half-way line. Murray, irrepressibly, was involved, turning an opponent before releasing Stratford down the left. Her low cross was fumbled by Aitken, and Wenzlick's attempt to clear landed perfectly at the feet of Berger, who buried the ball in the back of the net with venom aplenty. United's advantage was short-lived, as within four minutes, Rovers were level again. Pretswell was left unmarked, and from twenty yards, rattled the crossbar with a rasping drive. Substitute Keri O'Connell was following in and gleefully tucked home the rebound - 2-2. At this, you could sense Rovers gaining the ascendancy, and after Clansey had denied Alex Shadbolt - Rovers' captain had worked a one-two with Pretswell to create the shooting chance, the home team finally hit the front in the 74th minute. Shadbolt played the ball forward, and Patterson's deft flick put Pretswell in with just Clansey to beat, something the striker achieved with calm authority to leave herself level on nine goals for the season with Lynn-Avon United's Amber Hearn. Chances to get that elusive tenth goal of the game quickly came her way. Clansey fumbled a rasping drive from Jens after Pretswell had set her up, with Osbourne coming to the 'keeper's rescue and forcing Rovers to concede a foul in their eagerness to turn the ball home fifteen minutes from time. Soon after, Robinson bore down on goal at a fast clip, the combined attentions of Osbourne and Rishworth drawn towards her like a magnet. The defenders denied the fleet-footed flyer, but left Pretswell unattended as she snaffled the loose ball, only to meet her match in Clansey - a fine blocking save. Chances continued to come as United's youngsters visibly tired, and with three minutes left, a foul by Libby Williams on the edge of her penalty area presented Pretswell with the chance she sought. . Seconds later, the striker's thumping free-kick crashed high into the net beyond the diving figure of Clansey, much to the delight of her team-mates and Rovers' supporters, as this goal clinched not only the Golden Boot for Pretswell but third place for Claudelands. A minute later, Patterson came within inches of making it 5-2, as her unerring twenty yard drive careered past the diving Clansey and back off the inside of the far post into the prone 'keeper's hands. She denied Patterson once more before the final whistle, but it was Claudelands' day, their 4-2 triumph bringing the curtain down on a season which has suffered severely from disruptions due to New Zealand's international commitments. The 2009 campaign, by comparison, should be plain sailing, as it's a World Cup and Olympics-free year, but the just-completed 2008 season has been extremely challenging for those players not in national team contention in particular. Hopefully lessons will be learnt from this campaign which can be applied to future seasons when national team activities take priority, e.g. playing a couple of rounds under lights early in the season. It's a measure which would certainly have proved beneficial to all in this campaign, a season dominated on the park by the exploits of Western Springs and Lynn-Avon, by some distance the best teams in the country. Claudelands:     Aitken; O'Donnell, Schooley, Wenzlick, Jens; Mathieson (O'Connell, 64), Shadbolt, Loye, Robinson; Pretswell, Patterson (Porteous, 90) Three Kings:     Clansey; Williams, Osbourne, Rishworth, Gibbs; Stratford, Jowitt (Shaw, 63), Berger, Noble; Murray, Eaton Referee:     Glen House