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29Jun17
Ferns Bounce Back With Seven-Goal Salvo
by Jeremy Ruane
The Football Ferns Development Squad bounced back to winning ways in emphatic fashion on the North Harbour Stadium Tigerturf on June 29, trouncing Lynn-Avon United 7-1 in their latest 17th Grade Conference League fixture.
It was the manner of their victory which was most pleasing, the Ferns' play laden with slick one- and two-touch passing and complementary movement, with the sight of the ball zipping around the park in purposeful fashion a stark contrast to the laboured, ponderous performance produced by the team just seven days ago.
Within the first three minutes of play, it was plain to all and sundry that Gareth Turnbull's charges had rediscovered their mojo, and inside the opening seven minutes Jane Barnett had fired three range-finding shots at Lynn-Avon's goal, only one of which required saving by goalkeeper Tav Katoa.
He it was who sparked the game's first attack of note, his raking clearance allowing Saharat Satayawong to get the better of Liz Milne and feed Ben Prince Saxon, who ran on before drawing a fine flying save to her right by Anna Leat from twenty yards.
The Development Squad's first attack of note materialised in the fifteenth minute, and featured the effervescent Catherine Bott, whose right flank raids from fullback were a common sight throughout proceedings.
This one culminated in a low cross astutely left by Barnett for Daisy Cleverley's benefit. The midfielder's shot was spilled by Katoa, who recovered to gather the ball as Phillips moved in for the kill.
Katoa's clearance again found Satayawong on half-way, and he linked with Precious Nweke, who sent a return pass through for his strike partner to pursue. Satayawong was beaten to the ball, however, by Meikayla Moore, who hurtled across the pitch hell-bent on winning possession and succeeded in doing so, albeit at the expense of a throw-in.
Bott cleared the danger this posed, picking out Phillips, who instantly brought Saskia Vosper into play. She passed the sphere to Barnett, whose touch allowed Cleverley to skip past two challenges before lashing a twenty yarder a yard over the bar.
That effort came in the seventeenth minute. Three minutes later, the Ferns had scored twice. The first goal stemmed from the goal kick, and featured Cleverley, Malia Steinmetz, Barnett and Phillips working in close quarters just outside the penalty area.
Sensing the opportunity to do so, Phillips swivelled and unleashed a shot on the turn which dipped over Katoa and hammered the crossbar. Following in, Jacqui Hand must have thought all her Christmases had come at once - she'll never score an easier header in her life!
Two minutes later, Phillips' doggedness earned its reward when she managed to nick the ball off Saxon. Vosper was in close support and swiftly worked the ball across to Hand, who set up Barnett for a quality finish beyond Katoa.
Lynn-Avon, straight from the kick-off, worked an opening on the right, with Nweke and Houston Wong teaming up to present Satayawong with a shooting chance. Leat was beaten, but the lunging figure of Milne did just enough to divert the effort to safety.
United continued to press, but in the 24th minute fullback Ciaron Stanbrook was caught in possession high up the pitch by Bott. Down the pitch the pair dashed, the Ferns' fullback doing just enough to retain the ball with her opposite number hard on her shoulder well into United's half.
Support materialised in the form of Phillips, who powered between two defenders before back-heeling the ball into the stride of Bott, who had continued her run after laying it off.
This time, the fullback looked to set up Hand, but Stanbrook had continued to track Bott, and was rewarded by being able to block her pass and divert the ball back to Katoa.
Vosper was next to feature. Relishing the attacking role she had been handed, she scooted down the right well into United's half before bringing Barnett into play in the 26th minute. Hand and Phillips swiftly featured, the latter's twenty yard effort curling just past the post.
The pressure stayed on Lynn-Avon, who had immense difficulty clearing the ball out of their defensive third during this period of the game, such was the pressure the Ferns were applying.
Monish Kumar's attempt to avert the danger saw the ball cannon off Barnett into the goalmouth, with Alex Britton having to be smart to prevent the lurking figure of Hand from capitalising on the situation.
Then in the 28th minute, Katoa's attempt to clear the ball saw it cannon off Vosper and loop over the 'keeper's head towards the untended target. Cue a foot race, with Katoa just edging out Vosper in the shadows of the crossbar.
This time, United were able to clear their lines, and it was now the Development's Squad's turn to find themselves under the cosh. Nweke and Saxon combined, the latter outfoxing Bott before playing the ball across for Satayawong.
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Moore stepped in to avert the danger on this occasion, albeit at the expense of a Baden White corner, which caused consternation aplenty in the Ferns' goalmouth until Milne hooked the ball away for a throw-in.
It was from this 31st minute set-piece that Lynn-Avon dragged themselves back into the contest. Saxon's throw-in was lobbed into the area by Harry Taylor, and Wong rose between two defenders to head the ball home.
No prizes for guessing what happened next - frenzied Ferns attacking as they looked to restore their two-goal advantage before the interval. Alas, 'twas not to be, but it wasn't for the want of trying.
The pick of the close calls saw Moore go desperately close with a far post header, after Milne and Cleverley had worked a short corner in the 36th minute, while six minutes later, Hand, Vosper and Barnett combined to present Cleverley with the chance to unleash a dipping twenty-five yarder.
Katoa tipped this over the bar at the last second, while two minutes later, the work of Vosper and Bott on the right culminated in Phillips unleashing a swerving snapshot which sizzled inches past the 'keeper's left-hand upright as referee Wendy McNeely looked at her watch.
The second half was just four minutes old when the red tide overwhelmed Lynn-Avon once more. Sarah Morton's sound work down the left saw the fullback sweep past two opponents before linking with Steinmetz, who sent the ball on to Bott, buccaneering down the right once more.
Her terrific cross was matched by the intelligent run of Phillips to the near post, which drew the defence's attention, and left Barnett all alone on the back post to execute the simplest of tap-ins - 3-1.
A steady stream of Development Squad attacks followed this goal, with Leat releasing Hand down the left just two minutes after the latest strike. Her cross picked out Phillips, who shot straight at Katoa, who tipped Moore's looping header onto and over the bar on the hour, after yet another precise corner delivery by Milne.
In between these efforts, Moore had been in action at the other end of the park, stepping in to deny Nweke after he had outmuscled Milne in the area. But in the 61st minute, United should have had a second goal, and only had themselves to blame for not scoring it.
Kumar's free-kick wasn't cleared, allowing powerfully built centre-forward Nweke to unselfishly play the ball across to Satayawong when he could so easily have pulled the trigger himself. Nweke was soon wishing he had shot at goal, as that of his team-mate ricocheted off Britton to safety.
The Ferns heeded the warning, and responded with the best goal of the night, in the 66th minute, a scorching twenty-five yard missile from Barnett which slammed into the top far corner of the net to complete her hat-trick in style after Bott and Vosper had caused more mischief on the right flank.
If Lynn-Avon thought there would be any respite after this goal, the introductions of Sammi Tawharu and Katie Rood swiftly ensured such hopes were pipe dreams. Katoa plucked a Bott cross off the latter's head just three minutes after her introduction, while in the 78th minute the fullback's driving run out of defence was the catalyst for the Ferns to go nap.
Bott's burst brought Rood into play, and a slick interchange with Barnett, Hand and Tawharu swiftly followed. The last-mentioned held the ball up beautifully before inviting Hand to let rip from fifteen yards with a shot which left Katoa facing the ultimate indignity for any goalkeeper, one he'll take a while to live down. One word tells you all you need to know - "Nutmeg!"
United looked to spare Katoa's blushes at the other end of the park four minutes later, Nweke and Taylor combining to conjure an opening which saw the big lad batter the ball beyond Leat, only to be denied by the near post.
That was as close as Lynn-Avon would get, for the remaining minutes saw the Ferns finish with a flourish. After Rood had gone close following a Cleverley-inspired attack which also featured Steinmetz and Barnett, two goals in the last three minutes iced the cake on a fine Football Ferns Development Squad display.
The first of them came in the 87th minute, and owed much to Cleverley's measured ball into Tawharu, who controlled it neatly before inviting Rood to ram the round thing home from eight yards.
Two minutes later, Bott's pursuit of a seemingly lost cause gained due reward when Cleverley worked a one-two with Hand on the edge of the area before steering home unerringly past Katoa to wrap up a hugely satisfying 7-1 triumph, the third time this season the Football Ferns Development Squad have struck six or more goals in a match against their 17th Grade Conference opposition.
Dev Squad: Leat; Bott, Milne, Moore, Morton; Cleverley, Barnett, Steinmetz; Vosper (Rood, 70), Phillips (Tawharu, 70), Hand
Lynn-Avon: Katoa; McHough, M. Kumar, Britton, Stanbrook; Wong, White, Taylor, Saxon; Satayawong, Nweke Subs: N. Kumar, Seth
Referee: Wendy McNeely
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