The Premmy Files: Round 14
Sunday 4 February 2018, a memorable day in New Zealand footballing folklore. Pigs flew, hell froze over and Hamilton Wanderers won a game. Alex Frank scored the decisive goal with twenty-five minutes remaining to snap a 23-game run without a win, going back to late-2016. Ricki Herbert took the All Whites to the World Cup, he took the Wellington Phoenix to the semis… this may be his greatest achievement.
Perhaps that’s overselling it. The Tron Wands had made steady progress over the course of the season. Those big defeats of the early days are in the past, the squad’s been skittled down to the main contributors and some local youngsters and it’s only bad luck and bad habit that’s stopped them from winning before now. You’ve been reading Premmy Files, you know about the steady steadying of the Hamilton side. They’re still a bit crap but as long as they’re doing their own jobs then if they stumble upon a faltering opposition then you never know.
The Waitaks gave them exactly that. Tommy Semmy scored first before Julyan Collett equalised. Waitakere had all the chances they could ask for, they hit the frame of the goal twice, but they couldn’t take the lead. Then Stu Mackay was subbed off and it all boiled over when he and coach Chris Milicich went feral on each other on the bench. Very shortly young fella Alex Frank put HW in front and despite having 25 minutes to rectify that, Waitakere never did.
You’d have guessed that the Phoenix Reserves, maybe Hawke’s Bay or Southern, would be the candidates for that elusive Hamilton win (assuming it ever came). But then Waitakere have been laying down a pretty good case recently. Without playing too badly in many of these games, they’re apparently been cursed in front of goal. Since beating Hamilton 4-2 last time they played, WU has six goals in six games. That won’t win you many contests.
Actually, it hasn’t won them any contests. Two draws and four defeats in their last six. It’s seen Waitakere sump from a favourite for the semis to a distant sixth with four games left. Their next two games are away to Team Wellington and Eastern Suburbs. Dunno what the difference has been, it’s not like they’ve lost anyone crucial. Seems like they’ve just run out of ideas.
It’s hard to even know where to lay the pecking order for Round 14 because all five games this round were hugely noteworthy. But we started at the bottom so let’s continue from the top. Auckland City hosted Team Wellington in the televised game, back at Kiwitea Street, the two leading teams in the competition going head to head. Welly had beaten them 3-1 back in the first game of the season but there were no glimpses of that kind of goal-scoring action here.
Instead we got a surprisingly dead game. City were again without Albert Riera, which allowed for some more Harry Edge in the base of the midfield, but other than a slight positional tweak it was the same team that strolled to a tired 1-0 victory over Hamilton last week. Team Welly, on the other hand, they got funky by picking three at the back and putting Eric Molloy and Angus Kilkolly – both natural strikers who’ve been playing more as wingers this campaign – as wingbacks.
If that was Jose Figuera’s grand plan to slice up an AK City defence that had kept three clean sheets in a row then it didn’t work. Their crossing wasn’t good enough from those wide areas and although they did manage to create some space out there, they tended to be pretty isolated. Ross Allen and Jack-Henry Sinclair couldn’t get on the ball nearly as much as they wanted. Meanwhile Micah Lea’alafa and Callum McCowatt were getting plenty of ball… but not too many shots amidst a crowded defence. Midfielders for both teams were struggling for options and giving the ball away softly. But both defensive lines were superb. Scott Hilliar flanked by Justin Gulley and Roy Kayara versus Mario Bilen and Angel Berlanga with Harry Edge playing quite deep in front. They basically just cancelled each other out.
Although shout outs to a couple kiwi midfielders. Amidst the messiness, both Cam Howieson and Andy Bevin were busy and creative. Not always with the final product to go with it, particularly Bevin, but you’ve gotta rate a couple dudes who are able to channel that chaos into opportunity. Both guys who have been on the edges of bigger stuff overseas already in their careers and both guys with a shot at getting back there.
Micah Lea’alafa did get the ball in the net late on, twice in fact. But both were denied for offside. Hard to judge without a decent camera angle so let’s just trust the lino on that… having said that the first one was bloody close. Coulda been a massive moment in the season, and if anyone deserved to sneak it then it was the home team. Yet a draw doesn’t do either of them much damage. First time all season that Auckland City have been kept scoreless and just the second time for the TeeDubs.
Keeps things tight at the top because Eastern Suburbs only went and beat the Wellington Phoenix 7-1. Not a great weekend for the Nix, they were 2-0 down early thanks to Andre de Jong and Michael Built but they might’ve thought they’d gotten back into it when Logan Rogerson scored on the brink of half-time. Nope. The second half was an utter walkover. Five goals, ADJ and Built both got doubles which takes De Jong up to clear third on the scoring chart – nine goals in 14 games for him, he’s been brilliant this season. And “absolutely sensational” here according to his coach. Dyer, Tieku and an OG completed the scoring.
Suburbs welcomed Tim Payne back into the side although they did miss Ryan Elder and Max Mata. All goods, the Nix were missing plenty more than that. By the way, this was Mike Built’s first start since joining Suburbs having been a regular off the bench. Safe to say he made the most of it and he’s gotta be pushing for a weekly starting gig from now. Having lost twice in a week previously, both 2-0 defeats, Suburbs needed to drop a reminder of their title credentials and they definitely did that. Now only a point behind the leaders.
For the WeeNix, they had Alex Rufer in there, they had Logan Rogerson in there. Both had featured for the senior team in Sydney less than 48 hours earlier. No Sarpreet Singh who was injured but Keegan Smith started in goal for the third time in four games. Unfortunately he’s conceded 13 goals in those three games. Poor lad.
Not that you can blame him. The Nix had relied on Liam Wood at the back all season. Often with Liam Moore or, early on, Ryan Lowry beside him. Recently Liberato Cacace had done a fine job playing there. Well, Wood now plays across town for Team Wellington and Lowry is injured while Cacace played a fair bit off the bench for his A-League debut on Friday and was unavailable. Instead Noah Tipene and Kurtis Mogg played in defence on their national league debut starts and one of their subs was a literal 14 year old. Too many players disappearing for the Nix at this stage and they simply can’t compete for results like this. No James McGarry either, who hasn’t featured for three games. Must be injured.
You know how Southern are always assassinating teams with late goals? This time they got some of their own medicine. Playing away to Canterbury, they were 1-0 down when Cory Mitchell scored but Danny Furlong levelled things with another penalty for that dude. In a game with limited clear chances, the defining moment came from another penalty. Fuka Nakamura earned the thing and Gary Ogilvie slotted it away. 85th minute winner from the spot… just as Southern did to Waitakere last week, they had done to themselves this week.
The result means the top four is about set, particularly with Canty having a game in hand against the WeeWeeNix. Really making some room for themselves in fourth now, having won seven of their past ten games. Cool to see them still winning games after a couple switches in that team (not so many teams in this league seem to be able to rotate and still compete) and also cool to see them still winning without Stephen Hoyle scoring. Four game drought for the big fella, his longest of the season. Looks like Francis de Vries has really settled in nice too.
Although if some team’s gonna catch The Dragons then, given whatever the hell’s going on with the Waitaks these days, it’s gotta be Tasman. Having lost 6-0 to Canterbury earlier in the season, they’ve since taken seven points from four games and they’ve scored big goals in three of them (lost 4-1 to TW last week tho). Can’t seem to defend… but somewhere in there they’ve figured out where goals come from. Scored four against Hamilton (4-4), scored four against Southern (4-2)… now scored five against Hawke’s Bay.
Gotta feel a bit stink for Hawke’s Bay. They started with a slim squad and still managed to sneak a few results and after a mid-season slump they were just starting to get it going again. Completed the double over Eastern Suburbs last week. But that slim squad’s been getting progressively slimmer. Kohei Matsumoto couldn’t get his visa sorted to return after Christmas. Hayden McHenery went back to Aussie two weeks ago. Adam Thurston went to play in Adelaide after last week. The team that played Tassie had three teenagers starting – keeper Mackenzie Waite, winger/fullback Jorge Akers and midfielder Jordan Lamb. Plus Alex Palezevic is 21 and Birhanu Taye is 23, all kiwi fellas. Exciting enough… but ask the WeeNix how well the kids defend.
Paul Ifill got another goddamned hatty! What a legend, that’s ten goals for the season and with Emiliano Tade uncharacteristically without a goal in R14, Saint Paul is only four behind him now with four games left.
For most of the contest, it was relatively un-frantic. Maksym Kowal scored early and Paul Ifill added another, both from preventable defensive errors, and with fifteen minutes remaining it was 2-0 to Tassie. Then things took a turn. Graham Craven (or maybe Bill Robertson, depending which reports you read) got up and dragged one back to make it 2-1 and then Tasman, shaken by the sudden threat, went and scored three goals in five minutes. Ifill with two and Lyle Matthysen the other. Birhanu Taye added one for HBU from the penalty spot but by then it was consolation. Five goals in the last 12 minutes. Always make sure you stay ‘til the end.
What’s more is that, with all the storms and whatever midweek, Ifill wasn’t even able to get to training so he was coming in cold when he scored that hat-trick. Hey, Paul Ifill knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t need the practice.
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