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04May17
Development Squad Hits Fencibles For Six
by Jeremy Ruane
Three goals in four minutes early in the second half propelled the Football Ferns Development Squad to an emphatic and well deserved 6-1 win over Fencibles United in their Northern Region U-17 Conference League clash on the QBE Stadium Tigerturf on May 4.
The keenly contested encounter nearly witnessed a goal inside the first sixty seconds, with Katie Rood just failing to get on the end of Liz Milne's perfectly flighted corner, to which United responded four minutes later via Keagan Harker, who got the better of Liz Anton on the left before cutting inside and unleashing a fifteen yarder which Victoria Esson smothered low to her left.
The closely fought nature of the early exchanges continued apace, with Paige Satchell - she caused United many a problem down the right - igniting a move which culminated in Grace Jale's twenty-yarder being parried by Alex Lampotank in the ninth minute, the pint-sized 'keeper recovering the ball before the fast-closing figure of Jane Barnett could convert the rebound.
Fencibles retorted four minutes later via Matt Snowden's ball out of defence, which allowed James McGregor to get the better of both Anton and Meikayla Moore, but not Esson, who smothered his under-hit twenty yard attempt to break the deadlock.
That feat was accomplished half-way through the first half thanks in large part to Satchell's industry. She closed down Sam Bryans on the edge of United's penalty area before robbing him of the ball and setting her sights on goal.
Lampotanks raced off his line to avert the danger, but Satchell simply steered the sphere into the stride of Aimee Phillips, for whom open goals are invitations to score which she never refuses, the striker maintaining that particular habit of a lifetime with undisguised glee.
Once they got their noses in front, Gareth Turnbull's charges proved irresistible. With Malia Steinmetz masterminding the midfield - she had a great game prior to being roughly tackled out of it - and movement aplenty among the attackers, including lively fullbacks Liz Milne and, in particular, Catherine Bott, the red-clad Development Squad were impressive in many aspects of the game.
Just two minutes after opening the scoring, Rood went close to doubling their lead with a deflected twenty-five yard effort which careered narrowly past Lampotank's left-hand post, while from Milne's resulting corner to the far post, Manraj Hayer headed dangerously across the face of his own goal, narrowly missing the opposite upright in his desperation to avert the danger.
On the half-hour, the Ferns produced a delightful move. Starting with Anton, the ball was transmitted via Esson, Moore and Jale to Rood, lurking on the left with Phillips and Barnett running clever lines off her, all the while creating a path through which their swashbuckling team-mate duly dashed before unleashing a dipping twenty-five yarder which crashed against the crossbar.
Five minutes later, and following Milne's fine work on the left, Rood turned provider with a fine pass which invited Satchell to dart between defenders and chance her arm via a first-time volley on goal. But the speedster opted instead to take a touch, and in doing so, squandered the chance to exploit Lampotank's lack of inches to the fullest, the 'keeper dashing out to save at her feet.
Satchell looked to make amends for that immediately, holding off three challenges on the right before linking with Steinmetz, who released the overlapping figure of Bott down the right. Her cross to the far post allowed Rood to beat Lampotank in the air, but she couldn't direct her header on target.
Six minutes before half-time, that all changed. Spotting Lampotank off his line, Bott battered a thunderous thirty yarder towards the target, the ball cannoning back into play off the bar for the second time in ten minutes, and much to the frustration of the feisty fullback on this occasion.
Fencibles' relief was short-lived, for they only succeeded in clearing the danger as far as Rood, who slalomed her way through United's defence before beating Lampotank all ends up at his near post - 2-0.
Two minutes before half-time, United looked to halve the deficit on the counter-attack. Blocking a shot from Barnett, David Morris made good use of the rebound, releasing McGregor down the right, from where he cut inside and unleashed a fierce low drive which Esson plunged to her left to parry, then scrambled to save in order to prevent a corner.
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The second spell was just seven minutes old when the Development Squad further increased their lead. Rood had made good space for herself on the left, and spotting it, Jale exploited it to the fullest with a fine angled cross-field ball from half-way which the striker killed instantly with a single touch as it dropped into her stride.
Rood then tore past her opponent before ripping a shot between Lampotank and his near post - 3-0, which swiftly became 4-0 less than sixty seconds later, Satchell scything through United's rearguard before a tucked finish left Lampotank beaten once more.
There was no way back for Fencibles in the 56th minute, as the Development Squad made it 5-0. Milne delivered a corner right into the zone which wasn't cleared, and Rood didn't need to be asked twice to slam home her hat-trick strike from point-blank range.
Straight from the kick-off, United stormed downfield and, aided by a wayward pass across the Development Squad's penalty, came desperately close to reducing the deficit.
Harker was the beneficiary of the situation, and swiftly worked an opening with Hayer which unhinged both Moore and Anton, and left Esson exposed to a shot from ten yards which Hayer should have at least directed on target.
After a flurry of substitutions, another wayward effort, this time on the run from Joseph Green, saw undo good work aplenty as he powered past three opponents from half-way on a run which took him well inside Development Squad territory.
The girls' response was merciless - 6-0 in the 68th minute. A superb move started with Esson, and went via Milne, Jale, Sarah Morton to Jacqui Hand, who produced some terrific work on the left to evade two challenges before finding herself one-on-one with Lampotank.
The 'keeper stood his ground well to block the shot, while Phillips, following up, also saw her effort thwarted by covering defenders. Not so Satchell, however, the speedster squeezing a shot through a forest of legs to find the net for her second goal of the half.
Two minutes later, hat-trick heroine Rood should have made it seven. Picked out dashing through the inside left channel by a splendidly angled angled delivery from Bott, the striker could very easily have lobbed the advancing figure of Lampotank. But she opted to shoot across him, and in doing so, directed her effort past the far post.
Nicole Mettam rattled the bar with a dipping twenty-five yarder soon after - Hand played a big hand in this move, to which Fencibles responded by storming down the left, Fraser Webb leading the charge in the 75th minute.
He managed to find a way past both Bott and Anton, while his low cross flew beyond Esson to Johann Stanel. With the goal at his mercy, he somehow contrived to shoot straight at Morton, the lone defender in a position to protect the target.
The resulting corner was taken by Stanel, and was handled by Bott, presenting United with a great chance to finally get on the board. Peter Neale stepped forward to do the honours, firing high past the diving figure of former Fencibles' 'keeper Esson, who played Lotto Northern Premier Women's League football for the club in the 2010 season.
The Development Squad didn't take too kindly to conceding, albeit from twelve yards, and in the time remaining, looked to restore their six-goal advantage over the East Auckland outfit.
Twice they went close, initially six minutes from time when Rood released Satchell with a ball over the top which allowed the winger to round the approaching figure of Lampotank and line up a certain hat-trick strike.
Fencibles captain Jayden Holmes had other ideas, however, producing a superb covering tackle to deny Satchell what, for her, would have been a rare treble. Before the end, Barnett went close with a thumping twenty-five yard grasscutter through the crowd which was blocked by Neale, thus restricting the Football Ferns Development Squad to a nonetheless impressive 6-1 win over a useful Fencibles combination.
Dev Squad: Esson; Bott, Anton, Moore (Morton, 60), Milne; Jale, Phillips (Barnett, 78), Steinmetz (Mettam, 55); Satchell, Barnett (Hand, 46), Rood
Fencibles: Lampotank; Neale, Snowden, Holmes, Bryans; Webb, Morris, Kayil, Stanel; Harker, McGregor (booked, 84). Subs: Rama, Green, Hayer, Wheeler
Referee: Wendy McNeely
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