The Football Ferns Development Squad scored their first win of the season in the U-17 Boys Conference competition on April 6, with Albany United finding themselves on the wrong end of a 7-0 mauling on the QBE Stadium Tigerturf. Gareth Turnbull's charges tore into their task with a vengeance, mustering their first attempt on goal just 95 seconds into the contest. Nicole Mettam and Paige Satchell combined on the right, with Grace Jale joining in before Mettam linked with Aimee Phillips, whose through ball invited Jane Barnett to lob Travis Eccleshall. The ball just cleared the bar, as did Andrei Jenner at the other end of the park two minutes later, after Roason Chiambro held the ball up well after being picked out by Jack Sherson's pass. Straight from the resulting goal-kick, the Ferns carved Albany apart with a slick move featuring Liz Anton, Phillips, Sarah Morton and Katie Rood, whose second attempt flew narrowly past Eccleshall's right-hand post after the first effort had been blocked. Albany looked to reply in kind through Eddie Oncena, but after Nadia Olla smothered his eighth minute effort, the national squad took the lead sixty seconds later, Jale rising above all-comers to head home a pinpoint corner to the far post from Ally Toailoa. United were still reeling from this blow when the Ferns doubled their advantage in the eleventh minute. Anton, Meikayla Moore and Morton combined to send Phillips scooting down the left, and after skipping past three challenges, she fired a cross into the middle which struck a retreating defender and ricocheted perfectly into the stride of Rood, whose unerring finish from ten yards left Eccleshall beaten all ends up. The Ferns had the bit between their teeth now, and after Barnett had fired narrowly wide on the volley after Phillips and Satchell combined on the right, they made it 3-0 in the sixteenth minute. Morton and Rood inspired the move with their fine work on the left, with the fullback switching play to Jale, who flighted a teasing ball into the goalmouth. Phillips raced in to meet it, and her presence put Eccleshall off, the 'keeper spilling the sphere, prompting a reflex flick from Phillips, who got enough purchase on the shot to force it over the line, despite the 'keeper's despairing efforts to recover his error. Flowing moves were the order of the day over the next fifteen minutes, with the Ferns guilty of some profligate finishing to undo their good work. Rood shinned one over the bar after Toailoa, Satchell and Barnett had combined on the right, before a super move involving virtually the entire team culminated in Barnett stinging the gloves of Eccleshall in the 22nd minute. The striker then thrashed one narrowly past the post after Rood had picked an opponent's pocket deep in Albany's half, while Barnett's ill fortune in front of goal continued in the 28th minute, United captain Sherson blocking her effort after Jale impressively evaded three challenges on the right. Olla and Mettam then combined to play Rood through, her goalbound effort being cleared off the line by the retreating figure of Jono Horgan in the 31st minute after the speedster had taken on two opponents. Ten minutes before half-time, Albany enjoyed a rare opportunity in the Ferns' half when Anton was unable to wriggle her way out of a tight spot of her own making. Pasha Venier combined with Jenner to strip the defender of possession, with the latter opting to shoot early, his rising drive slamming into the side-netting by Olla's right-hand post. The Ferns roared back onto the attack in response to this scare, with Moore and Jale combining to reward Morton's enterprising run in-field from left back. She scythed in between two opponents before letting rip from twenty-five yards. While this effort wasn't far away, the next raid Turnbull's tyros produced was right on the money - 4-0 after forty minutes. A cracking goal it was, too, fittingly started by Anton, whose sweeping pass sent Satchell on her way. Barnett was the next player involved, her deep cross to the far post picking out Rood, who produced a technically superb fifteen yard volley which arrowed past Eccleshall into the far corner of the net. They went all out for a fifth goal before half-time, with Satchell's work on the right culminating in an angled cross to the far post from Mettam which found Phillips ghosting in behind all-comers. She was unable to direct her effort on target, while Eccleshall grabbed a thirty yard piledriver from Jale soon after, in the aftermath of Satchell embarrassing two defenders by winning a race for the ball after giving the pair a head start, then

bursting through between them. Albany had the last chance of the half via Tyler McCaffery's driven free-kick, which ricocheted out of play off a team-mate, while Mettam fired the first shot in anger in the second spell. Eccleshall grabbed this twenty-five yarder, then smothered a shot from similar distance fired by Jale. But he was given no chance in the 54th minute by a superb team goal, ignited by Olla's pinpoint distribution. She picked out Jale with a clearance which allowed the midfielder to link with Phillips. Barnett was swiftly brought into play with a through ball which allowed her to outpace the defence and round Eccleshall, who recovered well to block her shot. Rood latched onto the rebound and drilled the ball into the goalmouth, from where the ball was returned to her. This time, Rood picked out Jale, who picked out the bottom far corner of the net with a well-placed strike - 5-0. Albany had no answers to Phillips' artful scheming and intelligent movement between the lines throughout this contest, and she it was who contrived the Ferns' next opening, a 57th minute opportunity which Rood, with a volley on the run, drove straight at Eccleshall, her last act before making way for Sammi Tawharu. The newcomer wasted little time in making her presence known amongst Albany's defenders. Half-time substitute Jacqui Hand linked with Phillips in the 63rd minute, her measured ball wide inviting Jale to head the sphere into the goalmouth. Eccleshall thought he had it with ease, but Tawharu suddenly appeared in front of him, and attempted the cheekiest and most ambitious of acute-angled lobs from close range. The ball cleared the bar by not a great deal - terrific opportunism. Cue another couple of attempts by Barnett to get on the scoresheet, Satchell and Mettam the architects of the openings. Eccleshall saved both attempts, the second of which lacked conviction. Albany made a rare venture deep into Ferns' territory twenty minutes from time, with Jack Melville doing well to get the better of both Hand and Phillips on the right before firing a cross into the goalmouth. Victoria Esson, who replaced Olla after the fifth goal was scored, bossed her box convincingly in response, ensuring that the sixth goal of the evening wouldn't be conceded on her watch. We only had to wait two minutes for it to materialise. Hand broke down the left before slipping the ball inside to Barnett, who unleashed a vicious swerving effort which completely unhinged Eccleshall, who initially had the shot covered before it careered through his hands and crashed into the far corner of the net. Straight from the kick-off, the Ferns pressed again, with Phillips' celebrations of what would have been a stunning goal curtailed by referee Bridget Baker's whistle - she'd spotted a foul in the build-up. It proved to be the last straw for Eccleshall, who was replaced in goal for the last fifteen minutes by McCaffery. His first task was to fish the ball out of the net in the 78th minute, Barnett's unerring finish capping off a slick move sparked by substitute  Malia Steinmetz, and which featured Tawharu, Hand and the unselfish Mettam, who could have had the honour of scoring herself. Tawharu and Barnett combined for an outrageous attempt at a volley from Jale in the 81st minute. It was blocked, but the Young Ferns' talisman reacted quickly to force a fine save from McCaffery, who thwarted a shot on the run from Satchell at the second attempt six minutes from time. The stand-in 'keeper was called upon again soon after, this time to save at the feet of Hand after Tawharu and Barnett had worked a fine one-two to play in their team-mate, who was denied a goal by the offside flag three minutes from time as the Football Ferns Development Squad looked to double their first half tally. They had to settle for seven goals in the end, the scoreline a fair reflection of their superiority over an Albany United combination which could well have found themselves on the wrong end of a double-figure hiding, had the Ferns' finishing matched their industry, endeavour, enterprise and creativity - theirs was a display about which there was much to like. Albany:     Eccleshall; Herbst, Howard, Sherson, Horgan; Jenner, McCaffery, Oncena; Charrer, Chiambro, Harold. Subs (rolling) from: Aitken, Baker, Fitzgibbons, Melville, Venier Ferns Dvlpmt:     Olla (Esson, 59); Toailoa, Anton, Moore, Morton (Hand, 46); Jale, Phillips (Steinmetz, 75), Mettam; Satchell, Barnett, Rood (Tawharu, 59) Referee:     Bridget Baker