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22Jun17
Kings Deservedly Down Development Squad
by Jeremy Ruane
Three Kings United brought an end to the Football Ferns Development Squad's seeming invincibility on Thursday nights at North Harbour Stadium on June 22, prevailing 1-0 on the Tigerturf over opponents who, in too many instances, were off their game, in some cases decidedly so.
The Ferns were a shadow of the side which had come from behind to down table-toppers North Shore United 3-2 just seven days ago, with only Catherine Bott, Anna Leat and substitute Malia Steinmetz performing up to the standards one has come to expect of them on a night when United's collective desire to work hard for each other earned its due reward.
During a scrappy opening, the Ferns threatened first, with Aimee Phillips working a one-two with Jane Barnett before seeing her shot blocked by Sachin Mistry, moments before Leat dashed out to save at the feet of Alex Roots and the retreating Meikayla Moore, following Ziyad Yusyf's through ball.
The warning signs were there for the Ferns on the quarter hour, when Jonathan Leerdam's corner wasn't cleared, allowing Mistry to steal in and fire over the bar from six yards.
At that point, they were heeded, with Gareth Turnbull's charges going straight down the other end of the park, Phillips lifting a Bott cross to the near post narrowly over the bar, before a deflected Cleverley pass fell kindly for Bott, who drew a fine fingertip save from Jack Marshall as he plunged to his right to turn the fullback's shot round the far post in the twentieth minute.
Barnett should have done better with her header from the resulting Liz Milne corner, to which United responded five minutes later, Galata Ussi playing a pass in behind Moore and beyond Alvin Sami for Roots, racing in behind them. His low cross from near the by-line was prevented from reaching Yash Raniga by Leat's solid save at her near post.
On the half-hour, Phillips earned a throw-in on the right which Bott used to pick out Katie Rood's run to the near post. She steered the ball back into the stride of Grace Jale, whose thunderous fifteen yard volley flew narrowly over the bar.
Seconds later, Jale looked to return the compliment to Rood via a through ball, but Marshall was wise to the tactic, dashing out of his penalty area to clear his lines, even though he ended up on his backside after losing his balance while executing his clearance.
The ball was soon back with Phillips, who swiftly found herself surrounded by young men as United defenders made like moths to a flame. The deep-lying striker had eyes only for the openings her opponents created, however, one of which was the completely unmarked figure of Hand, on the right.
She should have at least hit the target as she dragged her 32nd minute shot across the face of goal, and as for her next effort sixty seconds later, after Jale had won the header from the resulting goal-kick … Hand's radar was well off-beam, to put it mildly.
Three Kings contrived the best move of the match so far ten minutes before half-time. Alan Shaker, Yusyf and Liam Bracey combined to send Raniga through goal-side of the chasing figure of Bott, the striker only being denied the game's opening goal by the rock-solid wrist of Leat, who made a fine save to turn the shot to safety.
Two minutes later, however, she was fishing the ball out of the net as United opened the scoring. Bracey - hugely effective in midfield throughout proceedings - broke up some ponderous play as the Ferns looked to build from the back, and instantly brought Raniga into the action.
The striker turned the ball inside to Sami, who deftly turned Moore before rifling a low drive beyond Leat from ten yards to give United a goal their collective efforts deserved.
Five minutes later, they very nearly had a second. Again, it was sluggish behaviour in midfield which was at the heart of the Ferns' problems, Jale this time the guilty party. Bracey caught her in
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possession and swiftly played the ball through for Sami, who was denied by Leat's superb save at his feet.
Still United pressed, Yusyf and Bracey combining for the benefit of Roots, whose low cross to the near post found Raniga stealing in, only to direct his close-range effort past the upright.
As the half drew to a close, the Ferns' first attempt to find an equaliser came via the inspiration of Bott, who made in-roads down the right before inviting Barnett to let fly. Marshall proved equal to her effort, her last of the match, as it turned out, she being one of two half-time substitutions made by coach Turnbull as he looked to reinvigorate his side.
There were quite a few candidates to join the coach on the sideline for the second spell, chief among them Hand and Cleverley - in an area of the park where incisive play is paramount, she is too often indecisive and eager to dwell on the ball, rendering her an easy opponent to negate.
Without supply, Rood, Barnett and Phillips could do little of note, while Liz Anton was having a game best forgotten, in stark contrast to the United boys, whose best display of the season this was.
Anton prevented Sami from doubling the lead five minutes into the second half, after Moore had been caught in possession by Sam Lissaman, while a misunderstanding between Anton and Leat three minutes later was pounced on by Sami, who was twice denied by the fast-recovering goalkeeper in the seconds which followed.
After Jale had thwarted a Roots raid, Bracey narrowly cleared the crossbar with a twenty yarder ten minutes into the second half as the United team made the most of the Development Squad's near-collective off-night - easily the worst performance this writer has seen them produce in their 17th Grade Conference schedule.
Slowly but surely, however, they started to pick their game up. Marshall saved at the feet of Rood as Cleverley looked to play her in in the 56th minute, while five minutes later, Phillips' jinking run past three opponents presented Rood with a shooting chance, one Marshall turned away well to his left - a good sound 'keeper, this lad.
Bott then chanced her arm from twenty-five yards after Jale, Rood and Cleverley had combined, but Marshall was right behind this effort, and looked on as half-time substitute Sammi Tawharu just failed to get on the end of a Bott through ball seconds later.
After Rood volleyed wildly over following a corner on the right, substitute Malia Steinmetz - her presence certainly raised the Development Squad's game - worked an opening in tandem with Bott for Tawharu's benefit. Marshall blocked her shot, then recovered to gather the rebound as Phillips came roaring in looking to snaffle an equaliser.
That pursuit of an equaliser continued unabated for the next fifteen minutes, but the United boys frustrated the Football Ferns Development Squad at every turn, while always offering a threat on the counter attack.
With four minutes remaining, Sarah Morton combined with Steinmetz and Phillips on the left before delivering a cross which invited Tawharu to shoot. Marshall kept this effort out, and foiled a Phillips shot two minutes later, after Steinmetz, Hand and Tawharu had teamed up.
United's 'keeper then launched a counter-attack which featured Bracey's industry, prior to Sami's shot being blocked by Morton, the last act of note in a contest won deservedly by Three Kings over opponents, too many of whom didn't show the stomach for the fight on this occasion.
Three Kings: Marshall; Ormsby, Sivasub, Mistry, Moffatt; Lissaman, Yusyf, Bracey; Leerdam, Roots, Raniga. Subs: Huang, Shaker, Ussi, Sami
Dev. Squad: Leat; Bott, Anton (Morton, 72), Moore, Milne (Vosper, 46); Cleverley (Steinmetz, 66). Phillips, Jale; Hand, Barnett (Tawharu, 46), Rood
Referee: Deb Stevens
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