The Premmy Files – Men’s Premiership Week 12
Team Wellington vs Eastern Suburbs
Saturday arvo at Dave Farrington Park and it was a top four clash between two teams trying to bounce back from defeats. Team Welly were topped 3-1 by Auckland City in the Old Firm, while Eastern Subs took a shocker 4-0 loss across town in Waitakere. Auckland City were long since in the process of running away with first place, no intention of giving it back either, but beneath them this round began with a mere three points separating second from sixth with three weeks remaining. It’s all business time from here, mate.
Oddities abounded in the team sheets. The hosts were awkwardly without not only their star keeper Scott Basalaj but also backup Keegan Smith so they had to get a line on Zac Jones, former WeeNix gloveman who spent the end of the last A-League season in Aussie with the Nix as the third stringer, as well as promoting young fella Jacob Daly to the bench. And that seemed to be an impetus for a little rotation elsewhere as Ollie Whyte was given his first start since returning from Turkey, he lined up with Mario Barcia in midfield, and Ben Mata had a rest with Rory McKeown dropping into the back three and Jake Williams starting at wingback – hadn’t seen him since a pair of subs appearances in the first two games. Otherwise as per, while Eastern Suburbs happily named Steve Hoyle to start for the first time in a month and there were shake-ups elsewhere too. Jayden van der Heijden and Josh Rogerson swapped places, with JR next to Chris Gray at CB and JVDH in defensive midfield. Kingsley Sinclair also dropped deeper with Dan Edwards at right back. No Adam Thomas here... which was actually the only change in personnel but yeah a few shuffles of the deck going on.
Last week Hamish Watson scored a goal from 45 metres out. This week he was up against the goalkeeper who plays the furthest off his line in Danyon Drake. Tasty opportunities there... though instead of going over him, Watto got things underway in just the third minute of the game by slipping it between Drake’s legs after DD had played a gentle ball out to Van der Heijden tracking back from midfield and he was mugged in broad daylight by Andy Bevin, the ball falling to Watto who buried it and then shrugged at the convenience of it all.
Awful and avoidable start by Suburbs considering they’re coming off a four-goal defeat, though nice for Team Welly to score the finally score the first goal in a game after having to play from two goals behind the last three games. Watto did have a crack at chipping Drake soon after but put it over. Meanwhile Bevin and Jack-Henry Sinclair were also on the hunt... and Sam Mason-Smith reckoned he’d put a second away on eight mins, tapping in from Watson’s cross after some wonderful build up down the left side leading to Ollie Whyte with a through ball to Watto. But the offside flag went up to the disgust of both Watson and SMS. Looked a fair call.
Watto went close again with a header that didn’t drop in time before Suburbs were finally able to get a decent spell of possession going twenty minutes in. Kingsley Sinclair and Jake Mechell got useful sighters out of all that... but for the most part whenever Suburbs appeared to work into a bit of space it was swiftly closed down by that TW defence. Taylor Schrijvers especially.
Still, this was a very competitive game as we drifted towards the end of the first half. Right up until Watson and Mason-Smith rushed Danyon Drake out of options and nicked the ball away. The strikers then linked again for Watto to drive a low ball into the six yard box where Drake got a couple of hands on it having recovered to his near post... but he couldn’t hold on and it filtered out to Andy Bevin as he glided through unchecked to tap it in. Two soft turnovers in the defensive third leading to two silly goals. Danyon was furious (some of that energy no doubt directed at himself).
Ryan Feutz showed some lovely technique for a touch-and-volley shot straight after, which Jones saved well as Feutz couldn’t quite place it beyond his reach, and if that had thwacked into the top corner then who knows. Instead what happened was they went into the sheds at 2-0, came back out fifteen minutes later, then Hamish Watson scored thirty seconds after kickoff to make it 3-0. The sheer confidence of the man is astounding right now, Watto’s playing like a man who doesn’t think he can miss. Put him on a tightrope and he’ll walk it backwards with his eyes closed. This goal came from some super work from Mario Barcia first winning a loose ball and then chipping it towards the edge of the area where Watson was lurking. Watto then chested it down on the move and on the second bounce he swung his foot through that little round bastard and Danyon Drake didn’t even move as it cannoned into the roof of the net. 3-0 to Team Wellington.
Again Suburbs responded with instant chances. Hoyle had a shot across goal that Jones saved respectably, then the same bloke was slamming his fist into the ground in frustration after lifting a Robi Sabo cross over the top. But if Hoani Edwards was already pissed off at two turnover goals and a concession 30 secs after a kickoff then whoa buddy things were only gonna get worse. 54 minutes gone and Andy Bevin bumped off Van der Heijden in the corner then straightened up and finished beautifully from a tricky angle. 4-0 to Team Wellington, still more than half an hour to go.
No Team Welly win is complete without a little Rory McKeown -> Hamish Watson action. 69th minute of the match, McKeown worked a short corner and whipped in a cross that Watson glanced into the bottom corner off the noggin to complete the man’s second hat-trick in three games. His 12th of the season. The bloke is unstoppable. 5-0 to Team Wellington.
Three minutes later and Andy Bevin slid Sam Mason-Smith through and he converted it for his fifth of the campaign. Yet another assist for the glorious Bevin. 6-0 to Team Wellington. And what’s even more impressive about that is they never let up. Even as Hoyle hit Feutz on a sneaky reverse Scott Midgley still came flying in with a desperate lunging block to preserve the clean sheet. Watson went on to skip around a couple challenges and slot a fourth on the end of a Kailan Gould ball only to look up with apoplexy at the offside flag pointing back at him. Greedy bugger, aye? All goods, Haris Zeb added another in stoppage time running in behind from the right after Whyte had played a noice first-time through ball for him. 7-0 to Team Wellington. Thus came the sweet relief of the final whistle.
So... Eastern Suburbs won 8-0 a couple weeks ago and they’ve chased that with 4-0 and 7-0 defeats. This competition has no shame, I swear to you. No controversial red cards in this game either. You wouldn’t really think that a teenaged midfielder would make the difference but Subs have not been able to replace Sean Bright since he went to Europe, winning just one of six games since he left with four different players tried in that holding mid role (Edwards, Thomas, Rogerson & van der Heijden). Here they shot themselves in the foot twice during the early build-up possession that Bright is so good at and then a terrible start to the second half on top of that meant there was no coming back. They had no answer for the combination of Watson’s physicality and finishing plus Bevin’s guile and movement. With a bit more finishing of their own (Hoyle was definitely rusty) it might have been 7-3... but that still doesn’t solve the carnage at the back. Two more games for Suburbs to turn this around: Hamilton Wanderers (H) & Hawke’s Bay United (A). Can’t really afford to lose again, that top four race is chaos.
The brilliance of Watson and Bevin goes without saying. Sam Mason-Smith chipped in nicely around them, as did Jack-Henry Sinclair. Taylor Schrijvers had a very good game at the back while shout out to Zac Jones on the clean sheet. His team may have won it 7-0 but he still had several saves to make and was pretty much flawless. And that midfield combo of Mario Barcia and Ollie Whyte was supreme. There’s an existing partnership there from last season and they simply picked up where they left off. Whyte especially, his touch and his composure under pressure was so good. He could yet be an x-factor for them leading into the semis.
Hawke’s Bay United vs Wellington Phoenix
Some immediate good news for the Wellington Phoenix here as both Ben Old and Finn Surman were named to start having served one game suspensions for their red cards against Eastern Suburbs. Despite both being straight reds... must have gotten them reduced on appeal or something because here they both were. Or something about non-violent contact reds. Dunno, doesn’t matter. Alex Paulsen was also back from having a rest last game. Kees Sims, Alex Clayton and Tom Raimbault all out of the side.
As for the home team, after consecutive defeats halted their resurgent run they were basically in must-win mode though that didn’t stop young Oscar Mason from getting a debut in goal. This dude’s 16 years old, it’s crazy. And he bloke he came in for, Scott Morris, was already the youngest non-WeeNix keeper in the comp – you’d trust HBU goalie guru Jonathan Gould to be able to judge ‘em though. Oh and one other change which was Jackson Woods in for James Hoyle with Fergus Neil sliding into the back three. Rightio then.
Quick start by Hawke’s Bay although Jorge Akers bottled a great chance when he struck over the top as the ball dropped conveniently to him about eight yards out. But he made amends on five mins as Paulsen misplayed a pass out of the back and Akers chipped him first time on his lucky left foot, can’t sleep on what was a sneaky good finish from the fella from way outside the area. Gift of an early lead for HBU... very reminiscent of Team Wellington’s first goal which, given how that game ended up, ain’t a happy omen for a team that’s already had an 8-0 loss this year.
That wasn’t the first time that the WeeNix got stuck in possession. They were sluggish moving it around the back whereas HBU were waiting waiting waiting then pouncing. Not just the midfield either but even the defenders seemed to have licence to rush out. All pretty concerning for Paul Temple’s lads as Sam Pickering and Manny Achol both had good looks at goal. The one area where the WeeNix were getting a couple things going though was down their left wing. Jackson Woods (who played RWB with Ahmed Othman on the left this week) was able to bust up one or two of those but in the 18th minute Luis Toomey got a shot away which gave Oscar Mason his first save in Premiership football, pushing it out for a corner.
Tell you what else is the WeeNix are just a different prospect when Ben Old is around to drop into those pesky areas and collect the ball and spark attacks. He began a move that saw Riley Bidois put George Ott in... except Ott’s shot was blocked by teammate Luis Toomey who had taken a tumble in front of him. Slightly weird, but much better from the Phoenix after that sluggish start... apart from when Manny Achol threw some fades around the edge and set up Cam Emerson for a great chance. Thankfully that’s what Alex Paulsen’s there for, chalk up another one for the director’s cut of his season highlights package as he stuck a big right boot at it for a magical denial.
Ahmed Othman was the catalyst for a flowing move that saw Achol being blocked from in close. Great start from both those two, particularly for Othman since he was playing alongside a lot of these hombres for the Phoenix ressies last campaign. Othman later had a crack of his own but dragged it wide while Mandair had one touched over. Then Akers wobbled the side-netting as HBU really turned the heat up late in the half. But one thing that Mogg and Surman are great at is the aerial stuff and they picked off a heap of headers as the WeeNix got through to the break with only the lone goal conceded.
Then immediately after the restart they won a free kick on the perimeter thanks to George Ott. It was Luis Toomey who placed the ball and then with a flourish of the right boot that David Beckham woulda been proud of he curled it in above the hopeful leap of Othman trying to guard that near post (one of those ones where they backtrack late to keep the offside line). Toomey who came through at Hawke’s Bay before moving to the Nix. Swish.
How quickly a game can change... a couple minutes later Ben Old hit the inside of the post with Ott scoring from an offside position on the rebound. Looked like Mason might’ve actually got a crucial hand on that initial shot. There were still chances for Othman and friends but this was the WeeNix now with the better of things and, mate, 65th minute of the match they took the lead. Toomey with a sizzling ball through for Bidois who did the rest. Biddy had spoiled an earlier chance in a similar situation by taking one too many touches. This time he made the adjustment and bingo. 2-1 to the WeeNix.
HBU really could not handle another loss, not if they still believe they can make the semis. Othman picked out Woods, wingback to wingback, as the switch was flipped but Woods got under his shot. The efforts had largely dried up for the hosts and the WeeNix were getting towards game management territory. Having said that... the WeeNix are generally a bit crap when it comes to game management and on 72 minutes they conceded the equaliser. Gavin Hoy had come on just before the second WP goal to bring some fresh legs up top and try halt the momentum. It was his run and cross on the left that cracked it, Akers in the middle sticking out a boot though it looked like it came off Ollie van Rijssel. But Akers seems to have been credited with it... I’m happy with that and I’d bet OVR will be too.
Now it was Hawke’s Bay with their tails up. Akers headed a Mandair free kick onto the post before Achol tapped in but Hoy had backed into the keeper for a foul. The right call – can’t be taking the GK out like that when you’re not even challenging for the ball. Plenty more drama where that came from. That Toomey to Bidois combo struck again in similar fashion only this time the 16 year old keeper got two strong hands to the shot for a wonderful save. Genuinely impressive debut from Mason, not a hint of nerves. And that save proved even more fateful ninety seconds later as Othman and Hoy played a little two-man game before a deflected cross ended up at Ahmed Othman’s feet. His first touch was heavy so he had to stick a frantic toe on it but that toe sent the ball flying into the top corner. Third goal for the season for him. Third in four games in fact.
Ben Old unleashed a shot that Mason couldn’t hold... but HBU dealt with the corner kick and nearly scored again on the counter as Achol missed a golden chance on the end of Zac Madsen’s low cross. Hence Othman’s goal proved to be the winner in a topsy-turvy contest. 3-2 to Hawke’s Bay United whose semi-final hopes live on for another week. Really strong games from dudes like Othman, Achol, Akers, and Mandair. Massive props to Oscar Mason on debut as well. They showed some genuine resolve to still get the win after it seemed at one stage like their excellent first half might go to waste.
It was another might-have-been for the Wellington Phoenix but that’s not so bad. Probs wanna see them stop losing points to late goals, probs wanna see them not scoring own goals or own goal adjacent goals, probs wanna see them better capitalising on some of those chances too. But this is a youth team that’s been competitive in almost every game this season, even if that’s now seven games without a win. Too many silly goals is the main problem. Top work from the likes of Toomey, Old, Mogg, Surman, and Paulsen at least. Can’t overlook that with twenty minutes left they were in a position to win this.
Auckland City vs Canterbury United
For whatever reason, Auckland versus Canterbury always seems to bring out the funk regardless of sport. Auckland City rocked up a win away from lifting the minor premiership knowing full well that their last defeat came against this very same Canty Utd side. 1-0 in Christchurch back on 13 December.
City made a lone change to the side that beat Team Welly: Alfie Rogers in for Andrew Blake at left back and that was it. Although Sam Brotherton did pop up on that bench in line for a potential debut. The Dragons beat HBU last time out and they likewise made just one change: Eddie Wilkinson, who scored the winner in that game, coming in for George King. The super sub rewarded. Otherwise two stable teams both on undefeated streaks.
And also two teams with contrasting (and therefore conflicting) styles of footy. Auckland City like to knock the ball around patiently and grind teams down, punishing teams with their class in the attacking third (though increasingly under Jose Figueira also a side that can hit you with pace on the break), while the Cantabs are perfectly happy to sit back and let a team dominate possession knowing that they can withstand it and then strike those counter punches when the opportunity arises. With their busy forwards they pounce in numbers to win the ball in sneaky areas and that was on show from the very beginning. Canterbury getting on top with an instant corner kick, before Garbhan Coughaln picked off Adam Mitchell at the back though Mitchell recovered to block him.
This wasn’t a plan that the Dragons held off until they played ACFC. This is how they always play. That selective press, Cory Mitchell as the midfield shield, interchanging forwards, a powerful and unmoving defensive line, etc. Such a tactically fascinating team and they had the City midfield wobbled. Cam Howieson went into the book in the 14th minute for a high boot and he was yapping at the ref for the next minute or so, careful now son. Yet in fairness the City defence held things down. CU mostly only threatened from corner kicks and those were largely repelled, Lyle Matthysen did hit a volley over the top which was the closest attempt so far... but then Brian Kaltack headed a corner off the other crossbar and that’s always the threat against Auckland City. Gotta make hay while the sun shines because they’ll get ya, even on the slow days.
City still had some trouble getting through the first wave of the press but whenever they did, through patience and precision, they found space to attack from. Yousif Ali Al-Kalisy fired from within that space, Danny Knight tipping that shot over. The same bloke then hit the wall from a direct free kick. Just a feeling that City were still kinda rattled, they weren’t patient or deliberate enough when they got the ball to the forwards and all the while they were still under sporadic pressure coming back at them. Sam Field won the ball around halfway and fed Matthysen down the line who crossed in a beaut but Ihaia Delaney couldn’t get there to the near post, a blueprint for how the Dragons were trying to do things. Then Jordan Vale and Adam Mitchell got in each other’s way to allow Delaney to drive in on goal but he slid it wide. 0-0 at the half.
Those missed Dragons opportunities began to hover in the mind as City came out looking much sharper in the second spell, lifting the tempo of their passing. Warning signs followed as Rogerson gave Knight something to do (probably shoulda done better with that chance, actually). The Cantabs were still working hard to win the ball but offsides and poor execution meant very little to show for it. Still, this is the team with the most potent bench in the league and the longer this stayed scoreless the better it suited them. Delaney went into the book for clattering Mario Ilich who was not a happy chappy about the tackle. Bit of shoving involved. Some brouhaha. Lyle Matthysen had an effort blocked from close range after a great run from Eddie Wilkinson. Three quarters of the way through this game and were we heading for our first goalless draw of the season? Could it possibly be!?
Nope. Twenty minutes left and Andrew Storer lunged in on Mo Awad, who had been quiet compared to his usual grand standards, when he didn’t need to. Awad trying to cut back after Manickum had fed him. Not a rough foul by any means but a foul nonetheless and Cam Howieson sent Knight the wrong way for his fourth goal of the season and third from the penalty spot. As the saying goes: Auckland City, they’ll get ya.
Different vibes now. Rogerson flipped a backheel in the box to Howieson whose shot squeezed under DK but Luke Tongue hacked it off the line before it could dribble in. On came Kayne Vincent for a run around, replacing Mario Ilich with Al-Kalisy and Howieson going into deeper roles as the City midfield triangle was inverted... and it was Vincent who hit Rogerson on the run for goal number two. Storer made a great initial block but Rogerson slipped it in on the second attempt. Sixth of the campaign for Rog. City now had it in the bag. Sam Brotherton got that debut late on. 2-0 the final score.
That’s seven games undefeated with six of them wins for Auckland City who are six points clear of second placed Team Wellington, thus with two games and the head to head jump on the TeeDubs that they’ve now booked top spot and another trophy (their eighth minor prem in a row!) and the home semi-final that comes with it. They’re scoring goals when they need them. They have depth in enviable quantities. Brian Kaltack and Adam Mitchell are the best CB partnership in the comp – since Kaltack came back from that red card suspension they’ve conceded only four goals in seven matches. Both of them were great here. As was Howieson. As was Ilich. As was Yousif Ali whose promotion to the first XI has lined up exactly with their seven-game unbeaten streak in which they’ve scored 19 goals. And when they needed goals, their forwards stepped up. This team is scary.
But let’s not paint over the fact that for seventy minutes this was a fantastic showing from Canterbury United. Solid in defence, winning the ball in good areas, Cory Mitchell was damn near everywhere. Only drama is they lack a bit of precision sometimes – this was the first time they’ve been kept scoreless since the opening week but they’ve tended to have to work harder than most for their goals. They should take plenty from this performance though... not the least coz if they make the semis then this’ll be the fixture: away to Auckland City. And if they can tack another twenty onto these 70 mins, maybe sneak a goal early on, then hmm. Heaps of work to do to get into that situation however.
Hamilton Wanderers vs Waitakere United
Huge implications. Two teams both scrapping for the playoffs. Both with some, shall we say, inconsistent results throughout the season. Hard to know what to predict any time either the Tron Wands or the Waitaks play let alone when they play each other. Good news for Hamilton was that Tommy Semmy was fit enough for the bench despite that lingering injury of his, Josh Signey replaced him in the line-up after missing the last two weeks – Owen Comber playing further forward. Otherwise it’s the same dudes that finally broke that winless streak with a 2-1er against the WeeNix. And there might as well have been fireworks in West Auckland because there was but a single change to the Waitak XI this week. Sammy Khan in for Nic Milicich at the back. Seems like Paul Hobson’s finally caught onto a line-up that he likes. Gerard Garriga Gibert was on the bench after missing last game with suspension.
This game, mate, this game was something else. But it took a while to get the oven pre-heated. Derek Tieku nearly scored down route one as Tino Contratti headed a long one straight through the middle of the Waitak defence but a heavy touch ended up causing a foul against Tieku on the keeper rather than a goal scoring opportunity. Tieku had a few other early looks and Waitakere were shaky at the back... but the Auckland side also had outlets. Jack Duncan put in a lovely cross with narrowly eluded Alex Greive who himself didn’t elude the goal netting running through.
The plan for Wanderers was to get those quick switches and wide isolations going. The plan for Waitakere was to work it down the wings either through wide running forwards or marauding wingbacks. Neither team was clinical enough though. Lots of easy saves and lots of blocked attempts. But you did get the impression that Wanderers were starting to regain that early season confidence. Owen Comber had three big chances. There was a shot which was saved after Rob Dymond passed the ball right to him, plus a header he didn’t take full advantage of either, then Tieku set up Comber who blasted over from a wonderful situation. However even at their best this is a risky team and HW got lucky as Sam Burfoot sliced a shot onto the crossbar after Greive had been blocked, while Schnell had a shot over the top soon after. All evens at the break in an odd kinda game where a draw didn’t particularly suit either team.
Waitakere had largely bypassed the midfield in the first stanza but out of the sheds they made a point to get Burfoot and Greive on the ball as much as possible and folks it was really working. For a while there Wanderers couldn’t get the ball out of their own half. Then they did. Tieku earned a free kick. The ball wasn’t cleared properly as Schnell hit Khan with his hack-away. It fell to Tieku... and he’s been a sniper from that range all season. Breathe in, breathe out...
Only Waitakere United would concede a goal like that but there were only 54 minutes on the clock, still a long way to go. In fact within ten minutes the pendulum that was this game would have swung completely back the other way. 58th minute and Alex Greive holds the ball up, knocks it back to Dane Schnell, and he curls it home with his instep, a sweet little finish to tie us all up again nice and quickly. And another one for Alex Greive’s Assist King candidacy (he’s got some rivals for that belt - Andy Bevin, Rory McKeown, Mohamed Awad, all spring to mind). That tied us up and then two minutes later there was a Sam Burfoot free kick and the Tron Wands fell asleep at the wheel as Andrew Cromb peeled off his marker for a wide open header...
No shocker that he scored from there. Another concerning example of horrid set piece marking for Hamilton but can’t ignore a mean lil header in off the crossbar either. Andy Cromb’s first goal of the season but he proved last year for Southern he’s got a knack for the odd banger. From 1-0 down to 2-1 up in no time at all and the pendulum didn’t stop there as a few minutes after that drama there was more when Tieku slipped Jordan Lamb in behind and he was helped on his way by a nudge from Zac Zoricich and, friends, that was a penalty. Lucky boy ol’ Zorro too because he was already on a yellow but he escaped the double indemnity outcome. Then he escaped any guilt at all because Derek Tieku missed the spot kick. Poor effort, low and nowhere near the corner. Simple save for Nick Draper and unlike the last time Draper saved a penalty (vs Kurtis Mogg & the WeeNix) and unlike the last time Derek Tieku missed a penalty (last week against the WeeNix as well)... there was no goal on the rebound. Just a bad miss.
Josh Signey couldn’t get his shot on target with a first time effort after Draper had rushed off his line to beat Tieku to the ball. Xavier Pratt whacked one over the top. Then on came Tommy Semmy with Kale Herbert now unable to avoid risking him. This second half was bonkers football... and in the 75th minute the pendulum made another move (yes, I’m aware this pendulum metaphor is getting beyond the literal facts of how pendulums work but what can I do? I’m tied to the bit now). Derek Tieku in the midst, of course. Dylan Morris made a great move down the right, he slipped it to Pratt who couldn’t shoot so he went back to Semmy. Semmy did shoot but he miss-hit it... right to Tieku who bundled it in for 2-2. Thanks to a deflection but they all count the same. (Especially when you’re trying to keep up in a Golden Boot race).
You reckon we were done there? Absolutely not. Pendulum kept on swinging. Contratti headed juuuust wide from a gorgeous Pratt delivery off a free kick. Then in the 81st minute Dylan Morris made possibly the best goal-line block you will ever see in your life. This was jaw-dropping stuff.
Here’s where Alex Greive got his head to the ball...
Here’s where Dylan Morris unbelievably denied him...
The first screenshot makes this look awful for Greive but considering the calibre of the block, not sure you can even blame him for not scoring. AG was as stumped as anybody as to how that wasn’t a goal. A potential winning goal too. Like, that’s gotta be the save of the week, right?
Guess what: that pesky pendulum still had one more swing in it. Deep into stoppage time, both teams continuing to make attacking subs and chase the win. Then this happened...
Derek Tieku for the hatty, Derek Tieku for the win. Didn’t he absolutely love it? Tino Contratti’s cross not cleared and Tieku is too smart, he knows where to lurk to find a goal. Love the way the ball got stuck in the stanchion too. Huge moment in this season for both these teams and for a few others too, as Tieku matches Watson’s weekly tally to stay within one of him at the top of the Golden Boot race. Watto has 12. Tieku has 11. Ryan Feutz and Logan Rogerson are tied third with a mere 6. We knew coming into this game that anything could happen as these two teams met... and anything did happen.
Funny thing is that with those four results nobody actually changes position on the ladder... however Team Welly and Hamilton Ws both winning means there’s four points between third and fourth which means that six-way scrap for the last three playoff spots is probably now a four-way scrap for one spot with two weeks remaining. All thanks to Derek Tieku’s goal-scoring prowess. Also gotta send some love the way of Tino Contratti and Dylan Morris’ respective performances. Both with massive interventions at the back, both involved in goals as well. Waitakere could so easily have won this themselves and they got top tier contributions from the likes of Burfoot, Greive, Schnell, Draper, etc. But you know the rule: Waitakere only wins when they score four goals.
Also spare a thought for Sam Burfoot who had to do the post-match telly interview after conceding the winner in the 94th minute while unbeknownst to Sam, Derek Tieku posed for a photo holding the match-ball right behind him...
Ruthless. But incredible framing from the cameraperson.
Next week is gonna need to be special to top all that but with just two more rounds remaining it very well could be. Canterbury Utd vs Team Welly is on Saturday at 2pm in a game that the hosts desperately need to get something out of... against a team coming off a 7-0 win. Simultaneous is the only meaningless game (meaningless as far as the table goes and as far as the table goes only) when bottom placed Wellington Phoenix host minor premiers Auckland City. We’ll see what twists are in store for that one. Then on Sunday there are two games both on at 4pm. Eastern Suburbs vs Hamilton Wanderers and Waitakere vs Hawke’s Bay with all sorts of top four ramifications on the line. There are no more last chances at this stage.
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