2024 Men’s National League – Week 8
Cashmere Technical vs Eastern Suburbs
In a round full of fixtures of enormous gravity, here was one that didn’t much matter at all... beyond the players and clubs and fanbases involved, that is. Saturday afternoon at Nga Puna Wai. Cashmere Technical’s six-game winless streak on the line against Eastern Suburbs’ six-game winless streak. Both sides tasted the sweet nectar of victory in week one and then hadn’t been able to afford a refill ever since.
Suburbs were at least rolling off the momentum of a late equaliser against Birkenhead. Dylan Laing-McConnell scored that goal but there was no room for him in the starting team here. The Lilywhites only made one change to the initial eleven from that game, with Daniel Atkinson getting back amongst. Not as a wing-back though... because they didn’t have any. This was a return to the back four shape with Kelvin Kalua and Jackson Jarvie out wide and Riley Dalziell given a second start alongside Aaryan Raj. Atkinson was on the right wing of a 4-1-4-1 shape. Exciting team full of exciting young players. Though as we keep seeing, that’s more about sowing seeds for next season’s reaping.
Cashmere Technical were again without Tom Schwarz so 20yo James Brittain got another start in defence. There was also a first MNL start for 19yo Yusuf van Dam who has become a familiar face off the bench recently. Zander Edwards started on the wing. Benjamin Lapslie at fullback. Bit of rotation in there. But they did still have their full trio of Irishman available: Danny Kane, Jack Hallahan, and Garbhan Coughlan.
For all the line-up chat, the most influential force in this game was not a human being but a weather pattern. There was a sturdy headwind blowing towards the goal that Eastern Suburbs were attacking in the first half and the Lilywhites were all over it. This was a really positive start for a team that has struggled to score goals. They were spending long spells in the Tech half which in turn allowed their defenders to push way forward to give them overloads all over the park. Ralph Rutherford had a shot deflected wide after Tech had failed to clear their lines. He was bringing out the slick touches. Atkinson was whipping in crosses. A great counter up the right through Kalua and Atkinson led to Jake Mechell appealing for a penalty as he fought for position at the near post. Didn’t get the penalty but he did somehow strike the ball into the side-netting as he fell. Wrong side of the post though.
There was one instance of Vadym Patkevych being brave rushing out to beat Coughlan to a Yuya Taguchi ball over the top. That’s the risk of a high line leaving space in behind... but the Suburbs keeper handled it well. There was then a long pause after Kalua got clattered going for a header. When the game eventually resumed again, Suburbs managed to bundle the ball in from the aftermath of the free kick but an offside flag ensured nobody was celebrating. No dramas there but the complaints were more heartfelt when Atkinson drove to the byline and hit the deck under close defensive attention and no spot kick was forthcoming. Kalua would end up being replaced by James Mitchell after 32 minutes having failed to run off the damage.
The wind was a double-edged sword because for all it was doing to pin Cashmere deep, it was also picking up and hurling the various crosses and switches from Suburbs into the wilderness. The Lilywhites got as close as they had done yet when Dejuan Naidoo collected a long ball with an errant touch that Rutherford swooped upon... but his shot went agonisingly past the far post. Jarvie finally gave his team a shot on target after 39 mins overlapping up the left but it was a gentle effort and easily saved by Pieter-Taco Bierema. Kane soon charged down another Rutherford attempt and, well, that’s how it went in the first half.
Cashmere Tech didn’t have much going for themselves (Dalziell and Raj made a few smart interventions on the rare occasions that Tech did advance the ball) but they defended well, staying compact, allowing space out wide because they knew they could deal with everything that came back in. Finn Caughey was doing fine things as the defensive midfield. Kane and Brittain were staying vigilant in defence. Eastern Suburbs had almost all the play yet they emerged with nothing to show for it and the wind was going to be in their faces the rest of the way.
The difference was immediately obvious as attempted Suburbs clearances floated and dropped from the air. Although perhaps the breeze was also what gave Declan Tyndall’s leg a bit of extra swing when he tripped Rutherford in the area to gift Eastern Suburbs a penalty kick a mere five mins into the second half. Not really the way you want to go about it after 45 minutes of tough defence into the breeze. But not to worry because Pieter-Taco Bierema denied Jake Mechell with a superb leg save. This was the fifth penalty conceded by Cashy Tech, four of those falling upon Bierema to try and save. The other three were all scored but this time he got the biscuits. Stink for Mechell because he also missed one against Coastal Spirit the last time he was in Christchurch. He’ll never want to go back after this.
From there it was more of the expected stuff. Coughlan nutmegged Raj trying to attack in transition but his shot curled easily into Patkevych’s arms from just outside the area. Sumptuous skills to begin with but without the finish to match. He’ll just have to take some tips from his teenaged teammate Finn Caughey who then scored his third of the season in the 57th minute, punting in from close range after Danny Kane had nodded across a swirling Yuya Taguchi corner kick. That’s how you use the breeze properly. After all that backs-to-the-wall stuff earlier, including a penalty save, now Cashmere Technical were leading.
There was a great finish from Benji Lapslie ten mins later but the whistle had already gone after he barged off his marker – needless to say the home crowd disagreed but it did look like a foul. Eastern Suburbs had dribblers so they could still advance the ball despite the wind... and entering the last twenty, they threw on Matt D’Hotman and Addison Stewart to freshen things up. Hallahan did smack a shot on target for Tech but beyond that it was lots of detrermined mahi from Subs trying to dig out an equaliser.
Jarvie had decent strike from distance that was saved. The Tech CBs continued to deal with any low crosses, as they had all day, while the aerial ones flew backwards. Despite his late heroics last week, it wasn’t until the final ten mins that Dylan Laing-McConnell was thrown out there... and DLM did have one big chance where he got blocked from about ten yards out. That led to a stoppage time corner kick which Patkevych went up for, but Bierema scooped the delivery out of the air and, with his opposite number almost within handshake range, he hoofed it deep using that wind to try and score from inside his own area. Vadym Patkevych actually did score a goal during the winter season with a long hoof that bounced over the other goalie (it was an extra time winner in a cup game, to make it even better) but he was spared the ignominy of conceding one in similar circumstances because Bierema was off target. Even still there was time for Jake Mechell to try and lift a bouncing ball over PTB from inside the box in the dying seconds. But again the net went untouched. Not Mechell’s best day at the office, sadly. Cashmere Technical with the 1-0 victory.
Thus that six-game winless streak for Cashy Tech was broken... and they had to do it the hard way by clinging on in that first half and then capitalising when things were slightly more in their favour. Call that some prime Cashmere Technical football. Got that clean sheet too thanks to the PTB penalty save. It’s not ideal when the weather conditions have such a huge impact on a game but it’s the same for both teams and Cashmere handled it much better than Eastern Suburbs did. Finn Caughey laid down another fantastic performance. Danny Kane was right there with him. The only problem for Tech was that Garbhan Coughlan didn’t score, leaving the door open for the other Golden Boot contenders.
Eastern Suburbs have scored eight goals in seven games and four of them have come via Jake Mechell, so for him to miss a penalty in a game like this... it was always going to be hard for them to find alternatives. They’ve got such a young team and that’s proving both thrilling and frustrating, as immense skill keeps being balanced out by disappointing decision making. They should have won this game. Instead they lost, extending their own winless streak to seven weeks. Still, there’s lots to like about the way that Dan Atkinson and Ralph Rutherford played while Riley Dalziell impressed in defence. Would say that this squad is going to be amazing in 2-3 years but, realistically, many of these players will have already moved beyond this level by then.
Cashmere Technical 1-0 Eastern Suburbs
Goals (Assists)
57’ | CT | 1-0 | Caughey (Kane)
Napier City Rovers vs Auckland City
The scene was Bluewater Stadium. The time was Sunday afternoon. The occasion was one of the most consequential games that Napier City Rovers have ever played... and while Auckland City’s illustrious history makes it hard to say the same thing about them it was pretty bloody important for them too. Auckland City’s consecutive late home defeats against Western Springs and Wellington Phoenix had blown the whole National League title race wide open. Because of those results, Napier City Rovers leapt up to first place following three straight wins of their own. Victory, or even a draw, against Auckland City would have them right there on the precipice of a trip to North Harbour Stadium with the added bonus of potentially eliminating the perennial contenders at ACFC. Enormous stakes summoning a vocal home crowd. This is what the National League is all about.
After his game-changing cameo on return from injury last week, there was no doubt that Kailan Gould (an ex-Rovers player, by the way) was going to be starting for Auckland City. Albert Riera did keep things funky though – going with a 4-3-3 formation and leaving Stipe Ukich on the bench again. Meanwhile fullback Yuki Aizu made a National League debut on the right side of defence, the 28yo former Japanese youth international who spent the winter season across town at Auckland United but transferred to play in the Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup thingamajig. Hadn’t seen him in the Nats until now. Otherwise things were as expected, with the only wrinkle being Gould playing in the ten role with Dylan Manickum out wide on the left. Napier City Rovers went with an unchanged eleven from their excellent 3-1 win away to Coastal Spirit. That meant a continuation of the 3-4-1-2 shape though with James Hoyle this time doing some hybrid wing-back things.
In a match of this magnitude, you never know how the teams will approach things. Often it’s a case of trying to get through the first 15-20 minutes unscathed and then reacting from there... but the NZ National League has no such patience. So Auckland City were out on the front-foot from the first whistle with Gerard Garriga dashing to the edge of the area and hitting a low strike slightly wide and then Gould cutting one back for Myer Bevan who blazed over from a great position. Rovers were naturally set to soak up pressure and then hit on the break and that’s exactly how they did it when a sneaky heel flick from Jordan Annear sent Adam Hewson overlapping. His early ball found Oscar Faulds in the middle but the shot from Fauldsy was straight at ACFC goalie Conor Tracey. Soon after that, Rovers scrambled in vain to get a decent clearance in which led to Bevan ripping a shot off the base of the near post. We were six minutes into this thing and already it could have been 2-1.
Max Chretien was getting into pockets for NCR and trying to conduct. Kailan Gould was getting plenty of barnstorming touches for ACFC, mostly drifting right but he popped up on the left to smash one into the side-netting. This was pretty frisky for Rovers. They knew they were going to need to put in a defensive shift but this was too many early chances to be allowing. At least they didn’t have to worry about a penalty when William Tønning came slingshotting out to take the ball off Bevan. For a second there it looked like a kamikaze mission but nah, Tønning was in inspired form on this afternoon. As he proved again with a huge stop staying big on Jerson Lagos after City had found space via the switch of play.
ACFC were also doing a very good job of getting numbers back when Rovers countered. Couldn’t prevent a good shot on target from Cam Emerson though, nor a powerful leaping header from Jordan Annear back post from a Hewson cross. That one looked like an ideal chance to score shortly before the half but Conor Tracey had his big boy gloves on too so he made a wonderful save. Meanwhile, Bevan dragged another one wide and Mike den Heijer did put the ball in the net with a mint dipping volley but the whistle had already blown for an offside earlier in the move. Chuck in one more Tønning save, this time off Nathan Lobo, and somehow it was still scoreless at the midway stage. At least the young’uns were able to find the net.
Napier City subbed off George Andrew and subbed on Jack Albertini at HT, giving them a more natural right wing-back option so that Jim Hoyle could sit deeper. They’d been skewed towards the left with Hewson’s mahi in that first half so this was more variety in attack as well. But otherwise it was more of the same. This had been a physical game from the first seconds and that was only ramping up, especially the Myer Bevan vs Stephen Hoyle duel (which Bevan was acquitting himself in very proudly). Numbers committed in both halves by both teams. Rugged and organised. Rovers were better placed if it ended in a draw so they didn’t need to go crazy with it... but hanging on for a draw in these circumstances wasn’t such an easy task. A goal would be much more fruitful. Despite having far fewer shots, the home side did look equally as likely to score... and perhaps they should have when another sweet Hewson cross picked out Annear who nodded it wide from about six yards. Oh what could have been.
With an hour gone, Riera finally chucked on Stipe Ukich. He replaced Kailan Gould, who’d been his best attacking outlet, though that would have been down to fitness. Bill Robertson was on it himself a few mins later with Kieran Richards joining his brother Ethan in midfield. And after Bevan dragged another chance wide, ACFC threw on Angus Kilkolly in his place while also letting Reggie Murati loose on the right wing. K.Richards was quick to rustle the side-netting with a shot. Ukich was quick to put the referee on his toes as the fouls and the cards began to multiply - Stipe seeming to be involved in a disproportionate amount of both. Sam Lack (NCR) and Kentaro Ozaki (AC) added to the substitutions as 70 minutes became 80 minutes and still the wait continued.
Hewson had a go from just outside. Lobo lashed one over. Adam Mitchell made a brilliant sliding block to stop Annear from doing anything with a low cross on the counter. K.Richards had a free kick saved by Tracey on the stretch. On came Harry Mason and Ben Stanley for NCR. More positive intent from Robertson, both sides were absolutely going for it. Lagos created some space on the dribble and again Will Tønning made the stop. It was tense. It was frantic. It was suspenseful.
And then it was dead quiet...
Mate, the way that raucous Bluewater Stadium atmosphere just evaporated when Stipe Ukich found himself open at the far post. There was an element of bad luck involved with Kilkolly miss-hitting his own attempt and it somehow squeezing through to Ukich. But the teenager was on an island of his own for that entire sequence without evn having to move. It was tired defending from Rovers, unable to get back like they had been (that’s wing-back Albertini in the 5 jersey which tells you a story about how disjointed the back three were in that moment) and that was the difference. In that single instant, Auckland City retook control of their own fate and left Napier City to rue what they’d let slip. 90th minute winner. The Navy Blues get it 1-0.
The fact that it was Stipe Ukich with another decisive goal... this dude’s still a few weeks away from turning 18 years old and he continues to feast upon big moments. He got the Jack Batty Memorial in the Chatham Cup final despite his team losing, having scored City’s goal that day. Also scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against Wellington Olympic earlier in the Nats. Scored the clincher against Birkenhead in week one too – a Birko team that is also in grand final contention. Whatever that indefinable x-factor is that professional scouts look for, this bloke has got it. Plus they ACFC got a fantastic clean sheet performance from Conor Tracey while Adam Mitchell and Mike den Heijer were typically great in defence and Kailan Gould and Jerson Lagos kept things trucking in the forward direction until the subs took over. Myer Bevan had a top quality game in everything except his finishing, which remains a bit rusty after being away from the game for most of the year.
Once again you simply cannot count Auckland City out. After losing to consecutive late goals these past two weeks, the timely drama was in their favour this time. Great depth on the bench (the last three players to touch the ball in the move for the goal were Murati > Kilkolly > Ukich... all subs). Great mentality when they needed it... even if that stuff was at risk of going awry beforehand (there were nine yellow cards in this match – five for Rovers and four for City). This has been a weird season for them, losing guys like Cam Howieson and Liam Gillion and finding themselves more vulnerable than we’re used to seeing. Yet all throughout the year they’ve continually found clutch goals. They host Coastal Spirit next week where a win will qualify them for the decider. Granted, they’ve dropped points in three straight home games (compared to a perfect 4/4 away record) so that’s no gimme.
It’s not over for Napier City just yet. They will need to win away at Wellington Olympic next week though, as well as praying on other results (specifically needing either Birko or ACFC to lose and Western Springs to at least draw if not lose). Still heaps to play for against a Central League rival. But it’s hard not to feel they let this one get away, not only because they couldn’t hang on for that clean sheet but also with a couple of those chances that could have been (the Annear header most memorably). In close games like this it’s all about who can claim those moments and ultimately Auckland City had that trait and Napier City did not. Still, Adam Hewson had a blast on that left edge while Matthew Jones and William Tønning were also superb. Tønning feels like he’s opened up some distance between himself and the rest of the goalkeeping whanau in the MNL over these past couple weeks. There’s a reason the Wellington Phoenix called him in for a trial alongside Oscar Faulds a few months back. There’s more than just one Scandi hero in Napier.
Napier City Rovers 0-1 Auckland City
90’ | AC | 0-1 | Ukich (Kilkolly)
Western Suburbs vs Western Springs
Pretty simple stuff over here at Endeavour Park where Western Suburbs were playing to shift their position on the sliding scale between pride and shame, having taken one mere point from seven previous games, whereas Western Springs had won two in a row and, thanks to happenings elsewhere, were still very much in with a crack at making the grand final. That was an outcome that’d be strengthened further if they could procure a healthy goal-difference improving victory. So, as is Scotty Hales’ tendency, he rolled out the same starting eleven as he had done in the previous two wins. Incredibly, there are eight players who have started every game for the Swans during this MNL. They’ve only used 13 different starting players and a mere 16 players overall.
Compare that to Western Suburbs who didn’t have Bruce Izumi or Connor Wilson in the eleven for this match, leaving them with only Finn Diamond, Seb Barton-Ginger, and Cameron Mackenzie as everpresent starters. They’ve used 18 different starters with goalie Matthew Calvert, defender Lewis Miller, and Jackson Bigwood each making their first walk-on appearances in this match. Calvert is the head of goalkeeping at Ole Academy, the Englishman having previously coached the Central women’s team. Clear end-of-season vibes from Alan Koch. The imports have carried Wests through this season but with Quillan Roberts and Connor Wilson joining Lucas Meek in the Somewhere Else basket for this game it was an all-local line-up tasked with the job at hand.
Under these circumstances, it was hard to imagine anything other than a Western Springs victory and sure enough it was the Swans who instantly settled into some sustained possession. That allowed Wests (of the Suburbs variety, to be clear) to get on the press... but they didn’t gain much from it other than some extra yardage on the GPS trackers. Calvert made an excellent save scraping away a header from Oscar Browne. Might be a case to say that Wests got away with a trip on Browne in the area as he tried to get onto a one-two with Tade. Nothing given – looked like an accidental one anyway. Then, right on 15 minutes, Patrick Tobin scored a goal. Wan Gatkek cut it back for Matt Ellis. That effort was blocked. Tobin grabbed the rebound and threw it down. Amazingly, that’s the central defender’s third goal in four games - including the winner against Auckland City.
This was all par for the course... though that course (or its par) might have changed after 26 mins when Ellis was called up for tripping Barton-Ginger in the penalty area. Great perseverance from SBG even if it was hard to see much contact (at the very least, Ellis seemed to win the ball). Not that it mattered because Oscar Mason did this to Noah Tipene-Clegg’s attempt...
That’s not even a bad pen, that’s simply a wonderful save. Only critique is that he left it in that mid-height where the keeper can reach out the furthest. But a superb save all the same. Early in this National League season, only two of the seven penalties awarded in rounds one and two were converted. Then came a run of 11 consecutive penalty successes across the MNL. Now the past four spotties have all been missed. Weird how that’s happened... although the streak was ended about an hour later as you’ll read about soon.
Ellis got his feet tangled trying to zip around Calvert which stopped him from making it 2-0, though Wests soon retaliated with a rapid counter from Cam Mackenzie charging forward from his own penalty area. CM slipped it through to Cameron Brown... but Oscar Mason closed him down 1v1 to concede a corner kick instead of a goal. Another massive effort from Mason. Ellis was then back at it by bringing down a Manuel switch and angling infield before slapping a shot back past the near post. Harry Fautley wasn’t too far away with a direct free kick for Wests, whose energy and movement remained high despite the set backs of conceding and missing a penalty. However, they did dodge a bullet when Reid Drake got around the keeper only to run out of room and have to cut back to Ellis instead. The Ellis shot was on target but by then the defence had recovered and Diamond stopped it on the line.
That meant it was 1-0 at HT. Slightly concerning for Springs given that they looked relatively comfortable out there yet the scoreline suggested that comfort wasn’t entirely earned. Can’t be getting complacent when the last remaining hope of grand final qualification is on the line. Therefore, a few mins into the second half, Riley Manuel was subbed on. Pretty soon he picked up a delicious through ball from Reid Drake (who in turn had collected a smart feed from Wan Gatkek) and jived his way into space before converting through the legs of Peini. Smartly done. And one minute later it was 3-0 after Jackson Manuel won a tackle in midfield and threaded in for Matt Ellis to put that searing pace to good use. Sweet as.
That was just about that, there was no way that Wests were going to recover from there. Emiliano Tade nearly scored an acrobatic volley of the sort that only he could have the audacity to even attempt at this level. Couldn’t keep it down. Ellis swapped over to the left edge and had a shot parried why by Diamond’s chest – it would have been plenty more if not for Diamond’s presence. Even Kurtis Mogg had a chance as he stole the ball away in the attacking third only to drag it past the target. Ellis also forced Calvert into a wicked one-handed save. Finally, with one last pinch of salt into the Western Suburbs wound, a corner kick was awarded when it should have been a goal kick and this time Kurtis Mogg was much more in his element going for a lunging header at the back post. Goal. Of course it was Matt Ellis who took the kick, getting yet another assist. Mark it down as a 4-0 result.
This turned out to be a comfortable win after all and if Western Springs can beat the WeeNix next week and either Birkenhead or Auckland City drop points then they’ll get that top two spot. Don’t even worry about it. The way this season has gone, anyone can beat anyone. Except for Western Suburbs. Their fans may not want to be reminded of this but this makes it 5/8 games in which they’ve conceded at least four goals, with at least two allowed in every single fixture. Jeepers. It’s bad enough that they’ve only scored seven themselves but even if they were banging them in on pace with Western Springs then they’d still have a negative goal difference after leaking 28 times in eight weeks (that’s 3.5 goals per game). The good news is that it’s almost over, just gotta get through the Battle of the Suburbs next week against Eastern Suburbs.
Back to Springs, this wasn’t a game that tested them beyond their measure but Oscar Mason did save a penalty on his way to a clean sheet, while two of the back three scored goals. Remember that thing about how WSAFC have used the fewest number of players? Well, they’ve also got the highest number of individual goal-scorers. Of the 13 players who’ve started games for them during this MNL, 11 of them have scored at least one goal. Oscar Browne and Oscar Mason are the odd ones out. Must be something in that name... except that Oscar Ramsay does have a goal. Surely Browney gets to take it if they win a penalty next week.
What a season Matthew Ellis is having in green and white, that’s four goals and five assists overall now and it’s hard to think of anyone who could match him in a 100m sprint either. Dangerous from either flank. There’s no containing him. Wan Gatkek had a funky time in the midfield spinning out of trouble and collecting on the turn and whipping the ball around with progressive passes. He was an undercover star in this win. Plus the vets Emiliano Tade and Reid Drake give this team so much direction. With three wins in a row the Swan have found that consistency they were lacking earlier, now it’s purely a matter of how much longer they can keep it going. One more game... or two.
Western Suburbs 0-4 Western Springs
16’ | WSP | 0-1 | Tobin
55’ | WSP | 0-2 | R.Manuel (Drake)
56’ | WSP | 0-3 | Ellis (J.Manuel)
90+2’ | WSP | 0-4 | Mogg (Ellis)
Birkenhead United vs Coastal Spirit
The Auckland City game finished moments before this one kicked off, so it’s doubtful that those on the pitch will have known how it ended up. But that didn’t matter because one way or another a team above both Birkenhead United and also Coastal Spirit was going to have dropped points. Shepherd’s Park also turned out a loud and vibrant crowd (particularly the joker with the vuvuzela) for what was poised to be a tasty meeting of styles between two teams that love to counter attack with serious speed. Birkenhead with one change from the draw with Eastern Subs and that was Fijian defender Semi Nabenu getting his first start of the term. Coastal were coming off a loss to Napier City and they made two changes: Alex Meaclem in at CB, causing Riley Grover to shift to right-back and Matt Bergin to the left; also Liam Cotter got the coveted right wing spot that’s been alternating between himself and Kenshin Hayashi.
True to form, this thing was a million miles an hour from the get-go, with lots of headers as both sides tried to assert physical dominance. As with a lot of their games, Birko settled in by getting wing-backs Dylan Connolly and Haris Zeb whipping tidy crosses over. Soon enough Curtis Hughes was getting on the charge too. But Coastal dealt with all that. Meaclem stayed tight to Patterson to force a header off target, then won a strong challenge against Hughes to prevent another chance. And Spirit might have expected to go ahead when Cotter squared one for the sizzling David Yoo who defied his recent performances by skying it.
That was a good response from Coastal after their hosts had initially grabbed the ascendency. Birko responded to that response with Hughes and Patterson getting some more good touches. A pull-back by Zeb found Daniel Bunch in a good spot but he dragged his effort... almost dragged it over to Patterson at the back post, in fact. But not quite. Nabenu headed off target from a corner while Connolly kept on delivering those sweet ones from out wide. The Coastal folks were pissed when Bunch was felt to have left an arm up on Grover and it didn’t help the mood when Bunch then scored from a blatantly offside position and peeled off to celebrate anyway... but all was forgotten when Alejandro Steinwascher all of a sudden put Coastal Spirit into a 40th minute lead completely against the run of play.
Hmm, yes, very intriguing development. Birko must have been a little shaken by it because Connolly then almost saw his clearance deflect into his own net from 25 metres out, while Dino Botica had to come up clutch with a block on David Yoo before the half was over. Even in the last seconds of the spell, Daniel MacLennan shot wide when he had Cotter open in the middle. Frisky stuff from Coastal. Also that Grover vs Bunch battle continued when Grover dragged back Bunch who then kicked at him from the ground. Foul for Coastal but a yellow card for Bunch. 1-0 to Coastal Spirit at the midpoint.
This was not a happy spot for Birkenhead to find themselves in... though it also wasn’t an unfamiliar spot. By some strange twist of cosmic fate, 16 of their 19 previous goals had been scored in second halves. Including seven after the 80th minute (and one more in the 79th). They don’t stop running until long after the final whistle. However, it was Yoo who took the first shot in anger after the game resumed, saved well by Silvio Rodic, and Steinwascher blew a great chance to make it 2-0 when he couldn’t match his composure from earlier by looping a snapshot over the top. Meanwhile, Coastal continued to cope with the aerial crosses... then when Monty Patterson turned and shot on 65’ they had Ellis Hare-Reid to tip that thing onto the crossbar with some mean reactions. They were hanging in there nicely. Until a ball over the top drew EHR too far off his line and Monty Patterson casually flipped it in for the equaliser with twenty to go.
Being the mighty NZ National League, there was no thought of settling from either side. It was end to end with no stops to catch a breath. EHR made a superb save from Monty again. Heavy tackles were going down left, right, and centre. A wonderful run from Zeb set up sub Sam Philip but his effort was too close to Hare-Reid. Weston Bell had two great chances for Coastal, one drawing a very good save from Rodic and the other getting blocked by Nabenu. Troy Putt headed over for BU. It was exhausting. It was relentless. It was dramatic. And there was one more twist to come when Meaclem left a leg in on Troy Putt and gave away a penalty deep into stoppages. No doubt that Monty Patterson was going to step up. No doubt that he was going to score. Birkenhead with the 2-1 victory to put them one step away from the championship decider. Magnificent stuff.
Make that 18/21 goals scored in second halves for Birkenhead Utd. They are relentless. Monty Patterson was the main man with his influential presence up top and it was always going to be him to serve up the goals when it mattered. His sixth and seventh of the campaign, sending him level top with Garbhan Coughlan going into the final round. Alex Steinwascher is up to six for Coastal, as are Daniel Bunch and David Yoo. Lots of big scorers in this match but Patterson was the biggest. Birko also got great work from each of their back three (Nabenu, Botica, Rodwell), while Silvio Rodic did what he needed to do and Haris Zeb’s weaving runs continue to thrill the Birko fans. Paul Hobson’s squad does not quit. They work harder than anyone else. They have a variety of attacking outlets. There’s depth on the bench. They’re ruthless in defence with a reliable goalie behind them. And they’re now top of the table, knowing that a win away to Cashmere Technical next week will send them to North Harbour Stadium.
Guts for Coastal because they played really well in this match and deserved the draw. Alex Meaclem had such a strong performance only to let it get away with that penalty. Danny Boys was fantastic too. Headers for days from those guys. Even in defeat you could still see the quality of David Yoo on full display, plus it was Alex Steinwascher’s finishing touch that almost got them something. They’ll be back in Auckland next week trying to deny Auckland City a place in the top two. If they play like this then they’re in with a chance. They will have to do it without Dan MacLennan though, because he talked his way into a yellow card on the final whistle and then continued to talk his way into a red one.
Birkenhead United 2-1 Coastal Spirit
40’ | CS | 0-1 | Steinwascher (Yoo)
69’ | BU | 1-1 | Patterson (Zeb)
90+5’ | BU | 2-1 | Patterson [p] (Putt)
FT | CS | Red Card | MacLennan
Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Wellington Olympic
Polishing off a blockbuster week of domestic football was a cheeky Central League match-up. Wellington Olympic didn’t get their best case scenario with those other results, they’d have much preferred a scenario without those Ukich and Patterson goals, but a win against the WeeNix would at least keep them in with a mathematical chance of defending their 2023 championship heading into the final weekend. They’d have been sweating that WeeNix teamsheet because recent weeks have seen a bunch of fringe A-League players contribute to two excellent recent WeeNix performances, most glamorous being the win at Kiwitea Street. There were no A-League Men’s games this week because of the international break so would that mean another stacked Phoenix Reserves line-up?
As it happens: no. There was no David Ball, no Finn Roa Conchie, no Gabe Sloane-Rodrigues, no Luke Brooke-Smith, no Luke Supyk, no Corban Piper, no Jayden Smith. The only bloke with a first-team contract involved was back-up goalie Alby Kelly-Heald who wore the captain’s armband. The remaining starters from the win against Auckland City were threefold: Dylan Gardiner, Lewis Partridge, and Fergus Gillion. Eight changes ensured that there was room for the fella who scored the winner in that ACFC game, Luke Flowerdew, to make his second start of the term. Jack Perniskie joined him up front for only his second appearance this MNL. Ryan Watson and Anaru Cassidy returned to the side out wide while Hayden Thomas played in midfield. It was Seth Karunaratne at CB with Gardiner and it was Nicholas Murphy at right fullback. All of these guys have been around the squad throughout the campaign though. Not like they were dipping into the U17s or anything. This is their actual National League squad without the ring-ins.
Wellington Olympic made a goalkeeping switch with 22yo Cameron Shennan replacing Scott Basalaj between the sticks. Shennan previously played for Stop Out after returning from spending some time at Louisiana State University. He’s a Tauranga lad originally, having played a couple years of senior footy with Otūmoetai FC. Other than that, it was the usual crew of Greeks except that Adam Supyk came in at left centre-back in the three with Justin Gulley operating as a wing-back, thus freeing Jack-Henry Sinclair to cut loose without as many defensive responsibilities. Would’ve been fun to see Adam Supyk up against his brother Luke but first-team Phoenix duties obviously took precedence.
Two Wellington teams playing in Wellington... you don’t need to be told that it was windy. Unlike some of these other games this week though, the wind was blowing across the pitch rather than up and down it, though it was a little more in Olympic’s faces and that encouraged the WeeNix’s high press against a slightly different defensive look for the Greeks. From that they were able to muster a few long shots, Thomas getting his on target while Cassidy had one blocked and one sent into the skies. Luke Flowerdew managed to skip past an Aaron O’Driscoll tackle and ping one on target too. Can’t say this for sure but the Fraser Park turf does seem a little smaller than some of the other National League pitches which doesn’t really suit how Olympic like to play. So while they did grow into the game after the first fifteen or so, they continued to have trouble getting the ball through the midfield to where Hamish Watson was waiting with knife and fork in hand and a bib tucked into his jersey with an empty plate in front of him.
Watto almost dashed through after 30 mins but Isa Prins couldn’t land the pass. He couldn’t land it because he was dragged back by Cassidy, who was booked for the shirt-tug. The Olympic players didn’t care about the shirt tug, they were more aggrieved about what they saw as a handball from Gardiner blocking the pass and the lack of an advantage that would have allowed them to benefit from it. Fortunately, they weren’t upset for long because Ben Mata whipped a stunning ball into the area from the free kick on halfway and Hamish Watson smacked it in from a difficult angle to give the Greeks the lead.
Except that the lead didn’t even last two minutes. Cassidy popped up in a pocket infield and tried to thread one in for Jack Perniskie up the middle. O’Driscoll got in the way of that but Ryan Watson came rushing in from the left to flip it in for 1-1. Both WeeNix wingers drifting infield and causing havoc. That fluid, overloading approach had been working for them defensively and now it had gotten them a goal as well. A Watson goal for each team, would ya look at that?
Cassidy had to clear an O’Driscoll header off the line from a corner kick, then Isa Prins drew a save from AKH running onto a Watto switch. Could have been a better chance if he’d shot before the ball took the extra bounce. Prins also had a snapshot into the grasp of AKH after a Watson shot had been deflected to him in the area and later on Gardiner was there to charge down a Watson effort from a JHS cut-back. Very promising finish to the half from Olympic but the scores were still tied in a match they absolutely needed to win.
There was a moment at the start of the second stanza when Watto flipped the ball over the head of Gillion and unleashed a rocking volley that didn’t hit the target but because it’s Hamish Watson you had to know it could have done. However, the runaway win that might have been predicted from looking at the line-ups had long since evaporated into the realms of Bad Takes. For one thing, Luke Flowerdew is a slippery dribbler, tough to take the ball from, and he angled in to create a great opportunity that Shennan saved down low. Finish not quite up to the standard of the run but the warning siren was loud and clear.
The artificial surfaces always carry extra bounce and the ball doesn’t tend to slow up as much off the surface. Lots of times, Olympic players needed an extra touch to control a pass or couldn’t catch up with a through ball that skimmed beyond its target. In contrast, the WeeNix were finding success by letting their dribblers go to work in those areas... so the Greeks did what needed to be done and subbed on Eddie Wilkinson, their best attacking dribbler, after an hour’s play. Dan McKay also followed soon afterwards in place of Hopper who’d taken a knock that left his nose dripping blood (one of the Nix trainers had to run on with a water bottle to wash away the remnants).
Truth be told, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for either team. The WeeNix were doing wonderfully to match the physicality, to move the ball around in practised patterns, to press and surround the Olympic build-up and snuff out their transitional attacks. But it was beginning to look like a stalemate when, after 77 minutes, Lewis Partridge deposited one into the top corner with a bit of magic.
Moments later, Cassidy orchestrated a counter attack that sent Flowerdew in behind to square for Oliver Grosso, who’d only just been subbed on after the Partridge goal. Grosso couldn’t get a shot away under close attention so he backheeled to Ryan Watson open at the far post to convert. Suddenly it was 3-1 to the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. Suddenly the WeeNix were on the verge of winning a third game in a row, with the second and third of those being against the 2023 finalists (and the 2024 Chatham Cup finalists). Suddenly Wellington Olympic’s National League title defence was about to whimper away. They did still have ten more minutes to try and muster a miracle – Jonty Roubos, Gavin Hoy, and Kaelin Nguyen were all subbed on with that quest in mind – and there were a few half-chances, particularly from set pieces, but the Nix always had a couple too many players in the way. Dylan Gardiner tended to be one of them. There will be no 2024 treble for the Greeks.
This was a spectacular win for the WeeNix made even better for how different their squad was compared to last week. Admittedly, Gardiner and Gillion and Partridge (the three lads in common) were arguably the best performers but regardless this speaks to the depth of talent in the academy. Sure, they relied on a handful of first-teamers in the previous couple wins... but they also just beat the defending champs without any of them except for a goalie who didn’t even have a particularly tough save to make (although his height was crucial with those aerials).
Anaru Cassidy was fantastic drifting in from the wing and operating like an extra midfielder, he had a role in all three goals. Ryan Watson scored twice doing the same thing from the left, though with more of a forward’s mindset. Flowerdew looked good up top to continue his rising status. Genuinely amazing things from Chris Greenacre’s lads there - this may even be the first time they’ve ever won three MNL games in a row, they definitely haven’t done it in any of the previous five seasons. Plus they even snuck a cheeky National League debutant out there in Raphael Conroy (Kyle Koch and Fletcher Pratt are also in the picture there)...
What to say about Wellington Olympic? They just haven’t found their rhythm this season... their MNL has progressed like this: D-L-W-D-W-L-W-L. Never the same result two weeks in a row. They’ve had a few too many of these games where they aren’t clicking in attack and while this was the first time they’ve conceded three in a game, they’ve not kept a clean sheet since week one and have allowed multiple goals in four of the past five. Most of the same guys are there from last season’s triumph, with Joel Stevens being the one major detraction (Eddie Wilkinson has replaced Kailan Gould, Aaron O’Driscoll has replaced Jack Cawley... otherwise everyone else from the 2023 Grand Final eleven was involved here). They have changed managers too but Paul Ifill’s no chump in the dugout, that’s a proven fact. Dunno what the deal is. It might be as simple as these dudes just need a rest. It’s been a long couple seasons and burnout is inescapable but something seems to suggest they’ll be bouncing back in 2025.
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 3-1 Wellington Olympic
32’ | WO | 0-1 | H.Watson (Mata)
34’ | WP | 1-1 | R.Watson (Perniskie)
77’ | WP | 2-1 | Partridge (Cassidy)
79’ | WP | 3-1 | R.Watson (Grosso)
Standings
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birkenhead United | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 17 |
| Auckland City | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 16 |
| Western Springs | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 15 |
| Napier City Rovers | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 14 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 13 |
| Wellington Olympic | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 11 |
| Coastal Spirit | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 11 |
| Cashmere Technical | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 16 | -1 | 9 |
| Eastern Suburbs | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | -7 | 5 |
| Western Suburbs | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 28 | -21 | 1 |
Top Goalscorers
| PLAYER | TEAM | GOALS |
|---|---|---|
| Garbhan Coughlan | Cashmere Technical | 7 |
| Monty Patterson | Birkenhead United | 7 |
| Daniel Bunch | Birkenhead United | 6 |
| David Yoo | Coastal Spirit | 6 |
| Alejandro Steinwascher | Coastal Spirit | 6 |
| Adam Hewson | Napier City Rovers | 4 |
| Jake Mechell | Eastern Suburbs | 4 |
| Oscar Faulds | Napier City Rovers | 4 |
| Myer Bevan | Auckland City | 4 |
| Angus Kilkolly | Auckland City | 4 |
| Matthew Ellis | Western Springs | 4 |
| Luke Flowerdew | Wellington Phoenix | 3 |
| Reid Drake | Western Springs | 3 |
| Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues | Wellington Phoenix | 3 |
| Stipe Ukich | Auckland City | 3 |
| Patrick Tobin | Western Springs | 3 |
| Finn Caughey | Cashmere Technical | 3 |
| Hamish Watson | Wellington Olympic | 3 |
| Ryan Watson | Wellington Phoenix | 3 |
Top Assists
| PLAYER | TEAM | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|
| Jack-Henry Sinclair | Wellington Olympic | 5 |
| Matthew Ellis | Western Springs | 5 |
| Daniel MacLennan | Coastal Spirit | 4 |
| Dylan Connolly | Birkenhead United | 4 |
| Oscar Faulds | Napier City Rovers | 4 |
| David Yoo | Coastal Spirit | 4 |
| Haris Zeb | Birkenhead United | 4 |
| Alejandro Steinwascher | Coastal Spirit | 3 |
| Daniel Atkinson | Eastern Suburbs | 3 |
| Angus Kilkolly | Auckland City | 3 |
| Reid Drake | Western Springs | 3 |
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