The Premmy Files – Men’s Premiership Week 14
Team Wellington vs Hamilton Wanderers
Oh the wonders on show as Team Wellington hosted Hamilton Wanderers in a preview of the semi-final to follow in a week’s time (probably), with the winner of this clash earning hosting rights for that future contest (TW getting the gig if it’s a draw). As such there was, to be fair, a little hesitation from both coaches seemed who preferred to keep a couple things up their sleeve just in case.
Like Wanderers leaving Tommy Semmy on the bench to start as he continues to work through his various injuries. And Xavier Pratt, Owen Comber, and Jordan Lamb all sitting this one out entirely with minor knocks. Plus Dylan Morris was suspended. So in came Liam Fellowes at right back for his first start (and just second appearance) of the season while Lewis Reid also got a first start, Mark Jones earned a recall (he’s played every game but the previous four were all off the bench), and big ups to Joshua Clarkin who was served a national league debut up front.
Team Wellington mostly went with their top team but were without Taylor Schrijvers due to accumulation while Mario Barcia was rested as he’s one yellow away from another suspension himself. Saving him for the semi-final. Zac Jones stayed in goal as a reward for two straight clean sheets. Wan Gatkek and Ben Mata were the two players who came into the eleven.
Of course, there was another factor at play here and that was the Golden Boot Face-Off. Hamish Watson with 12 goals, Derek Tieku with 11. Both fellas starting against each other and it was Tieku who came out blasting at every attempt in order to try make up that goal’s difference. He miss-hit his first shot but that was a clear sign of intent. Wanderers also making a point of swinging a few crosses in towards Clarkin to get the debutant involved and try take advantage of his size.
Ten mins in and Signey picked off a loose pass and hit Clarkin who squared for Tieku. For a second it looked like the Golden Boot tally would need updating but Zac Jones saved it and Tieku turned out to be offside anyway. Mark Jones was also keeping himself busy up the right flank. Good start by all that HW front three. It wasn’t until about quarter of an hour in that Rory McKeown whipped in a free kick for TW’s first real threat. Sam Mason-Smith flicked that one off target. But then only a few minutes later we had ourselves a situation as SMS scooped up a loosie and just fizzed it in from almost halfway. Unbelievable goal, man. Look at this!
From Hamish Watson range, one might even say. And one would be right almost to the exact metre. Watson was a little deeper, Mason-Smith was less central. Kind of insane that both starting strikers have scored from inside the centre-circle within a month of each other...
Yet Hamilton Wanderers were back level within minutes. Tieku worked some room to shoot from the left amidst attention from Scott Midgley and Jack-Henry Sinclair. That shot was saved... but then Josh Clarkin scored on the follow-up. A goal on debut, amigo. Lock it in the memory bank. (Clarkin had been the played who gave the ball away for SMS’s goal too so a little redemption as well).
These are the only two teams who have scored in every game and they’d already wasted little time in ensuring that record continued. Team Welly had a better spell after that, able to hold the ball much more in the Wanderers half. The Tron Wands in return took sandpaper to the game (not in an Aussie cricket way) and began roughing things up to disrupt the home side and that strategy was working nicely - you either meet Hamish Watson on his terms or not at all (Adam Davidson was booked for absolutely crunching him at one point) – until Tino Contratti was given a yellow card that’ll keep him out of the semi-final. Devastating loss for them... Contratti has been in incredible form. Quite possibly a first teamer when the Premmy Files Season XIs get named. Seems kinda rude to have to miss a semi for having gotten 5 yellows in 14 games though, doesn’t it? Not like that’s a particularly dirty ratio. Mario Barcia will be available with 6 yellows (having served a game off after his fifth a few weeks back). More yellows, less significant punishment. Hmmm.
Back to the business at hand, Derek Tieku was holding the ball up beautifully and he’d already taken about three shots by the time Watson finally unleashed one late in that first half. Neither had come particularly close to scoring. Ben Mata cut out a low Jones cross. Jones’ corners were looking dangerous yet Mata was his usual dominant self in the air. Contratti did nearly score off one of them but Mason-Smith had fallen in the way as he tussled with his dude and accidentally blocked it. He’ll take it. Just as he took another goal in the 45th min: being a good teammate and passing to Watson when he could have shot but Watson was blocked by Fellowes rushing in from the blindside and the ball fell to Mason-Smith who tapped it in.
Again, it felt like both teams were holding back just a little... but that didn’t stop Kale Herbert from chucking Tommy Semmy on at the half (for Clarkin). And it didn’t stop Hamish Watson from starting to get a whole lot more involved either... though less so for that pesky offside flag. With Ben Mata single-handedly defending those set piece opportunities it felt like a game where both teams were stuck waiting for the other to falter. Then Wanderers ripped off this little beauty...
Notice who put the final touches on it? Derek Tieku, buddy. Drawing level at 2-2 in the game and drawing level at 12 goals apiece in the Golden Boot race. Semmy and Whitworth had gotten it started, then Jones and Tieku combined at the end there. Super goal.
After which this game got increasingly frantic, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. It didn’t lead to a mass of chance but it was breathless footy – a great advertisement for next week. We can only hope for more of this when it truly matters. Hamish Watson drew a save outta Matt Oliver. There was a little handball shout at the other end. Semmy blocked a defensive pass which fell to Tieku whose shot was saved (he was offside anyway). Davidson picked out Semmy another time but his shot went over. Some magic from Sinclair led to consecutive crosses with Mason-Smith heading wide off the second. Phwoar, good yarns.
Then Hamish Watson was subbed off. Cool to see Max Batchelor back... though damn that put some pressure on his defence to keep Derek Tieku out and preserve Watto’s Boot of Gold, DT gifted almost ten bonus minutes to try and win that Boot outright. Almost immediately he snuck in behind as Phillip Paul set him up (Paul on for his second subs appearance)... but Zac Jones saved his effort so his drinks that night were surely on Watto’s tab.
With five minutes left Haris Zeb won a penalty. He’d seemingly wasted a shooting chance by taking it onto his right foot but then he shaped up Adam Davidson, fell down and didn’t get the call, got back up and kept possession before being dropped again and this time the penalty was given. The first one sorta looked worse but whatever, same result. Just think though... had Hamish Watson still been on then he’d have had a free shot at the Golden Boot, so long as he pulled rank on Mason-Smith who himself was on a hatty. But Watson wasn’t on so SMS placed it and scored himself for the three-for. The TeeDubs took it to the mattresses after that to close out the victory. A 3-2 win on the back of Mason-Smith’s hat-trick. Team Wellington will host that semi-final rematch while Hamish Watson and Derek Tieku, in a bout of fairness, will share the Golden Boot.
This was a real close game, coulda gone either way. Whether it’s repeatable for Wanderers next time when they’ll be without Contratti and with the missing soldiers for the TeeDubs arguably gonna make more of a difference when they come back in (we’re talking Schrijvers, Barcia & Basalaj versus Pratt, Comber & Lamb... plus Semmy from the bench, s’pose. Don’t think Brock Messenger will be fit but who knows?)... dunno. That’s a problem for next week to solve.
Mason-Smith leaps up to tied-third on the Golden Boot stakes with eight bangers. He was great, as was Ben Mata in defence. Sinclair, Whyte, and Watson are in top form themselves. This is a well poised TeeDubs team. Wanderers will still back themselves after finding their equilibrium again in the month of February and theirs is a team that knows exactly how it goes about doing the football thing. Consistent selections, dedicated defence, reliable attacking outlets. With Tieku and Semmy together they’ve been on a different level. If this was the appetiser then the main course should be delicious. Cannot wait.
Canterbury United vs Wellington Phoenix
The task was clear for the Dragons but the journey would be a perilous one. That’s because while they needed to beat the WeeNix to have any chance of making the semis, they also needed both Eastern Suburbs and Waitakere to do them inadvertent favours as well. But you know what the coaches always say: just control what you can control. And there were two changes in that quest for attainable control, with Eddie Wilkinson and Ihaia Delaney coming back into the side. Of course, even if they did make the semis this was still gonna be the final ever home game for the Dragons. Some cool vibes therefore as various local luminaries all got amongst it.
For the WeeNix, they’re actually the only team guaranteed to qualify for the new-look National League that’ll happen later in the year. No dramas there then. They were probably impatient to get the season over and done with... it’s been a rough one at times and they’ve not won since week five. No Luis Toomey after his red card. No Adam Hillis either as he started on the bench so it was a fresh looking midfield that included, on starting debut, Noah Karunaratne. Recalls for George Ott, Harry Bark, and Alex Clayton as well.
Guys, you’re never gonna believe this: four minutes into the game the WeeNix were given a red card. Once again it was about as soft as straight red cards get... have they done something to upset the refs’ union or what? Tom Schwarz with a long ball towards the run of Yuya Taguchi and Finn Surman should have cut it out there and then but his clearance skimmed off his laces and behind him. Taguchi got onto it and Surman dragged him down as he ran towards goal via a gentle touch on the shoulder. Letter of the law, okay he was the last man and it was a foul. But come on.
Jaylen Rodwell dropped into defence to fill out the hole in the back four left by Surman’s second red card of the season (both within the first six minutes of games). And he had to be on his toes because the Dragons really seemed to relish the chance to boss a game deep in the opposition’s half for once. It’s something that plays into the strengths of their forwards just as much as the counter attacking stuff as they’ve got clever players who make sharp movements that complement each other.
However the WeeNix did hold on for quite a while. There was a Garbhan Coughlan shot tipped over by Alex Paulsen, a Delaney shot beaten away by Paulsen at the near post, Coughlan blasted over from a Luke Tongue cut-back, Paulsen pushed another GC shot past the post (this time at chest-level), Coughlan headed a Wilkinson cross off the bar, Lyle Matthysen curled wide, not to mention numerous corners and open-play crosses into the business area. All the while the WeeNix would have little sorties forward with three or four slick passes but then things’d break down before they got to a shot.
Finally in the 32nd minute the Cantabs took the lead. Lyle Matthysen with a delicious chipped finish after Coughlan had played him through, quick dash into the box and there it was. Good movement, good vision, good execution, good goal. And five minutes later they scored again after Coughlan hit the crossbar and Yuya Taguchi’s shot caught nothing but fresh air before Taguchi slipped it to Eddie Wilkinson who put it away at the third attempt. Then just before the half ended Garbhan Coughlan finally got one of his own when he picked up a loose ball in the box, sent Alex Clayton sliding with a dummy, and picked out the bottom corner for 3-0. This one all over but the shouting already.
A mistake by Tom Schwarz allowed Oskar van Hattum to rush through seconds into the second half with George Ott thumping a shot off the crossbar - OVH came on for Karunaratne at the break, Adam Hillis also entering the fold for Bark with Rodwell stepping back into the midfield as they switched to a back three of Clayton, Mogg & van Rijssel. Didn’t quite stem the tide though as Paulsen had to make a brilliant stop with his trailing arm to deny Cory Mitchell from close range after he’d combined with Matthysen, Mogg then hacking the loose ball off the line.
Hold the phone a sec, because right on 62 minutes Adam Hillis hit Ben Old in a pocket of space as they played the ball out from the back and then Oldie did that thing he does where he turns the corner and sparks an immediate attack. One simply gorgeous through ball later and Riley Bidois was rounding the keeper to score his sixth goal of the season. Hell of an effort from that dude – that’s three games in a row he’s scored in, fine reward for some serious progressions as a player across this campaign.
But the Dragons scored again in the 67th min, Matthysen and Taguchi linking up with the latter chipping a ball from the byline over to the far post where Coughlan side-footed in a low volley, and any hints of a comeback extinguished. The Irishman with a deserved second goal in a match in which he was involved in pretty much everything that his team did on attack.
Coughlan wasn’t done there either. Quarter of an hour left and he got the right side of Alex Clayton running off Lyle Matthysen (who was also excellent), Clayton tumbling over his legs and conceding a penalty. The WeeNix could complain about a couple refereeing calls – Oskar van Hattum getting booked for diving was certainly one of those, let alone that other colour of card – but this was not one of them. Coughlan scooped up the ball himself and completed his hat-trick from the spot. Doubles his season tally of goals in the final game. It hasn’t been a season where things have necessarily broken for him but he’s worked so hard for this team, he’s been so crucial to their best performances, and he was utterly fantastic in this last one.
Only just snuck the penalty under Alex Paulsen though, damn. Paulsen’s been great against penalties and he very nearly had another only to look around and see the ball dribble gently over the line...
Oskar van Hattum probably shoulda made it 5-2 as he got in behind Sam Field after Tom Raimbault played him in... but his finish went the wrong side of the post. Still, van Hattum had a really fancy game looking as confident on the ball as he has all term. Instead of a late consolation goal, the WeeNix ended up with another red card. Tommy Raimbault. Just 14 minutes after he was subbed on. Got tangled up with Cory Mitchell and thought he shoulda got the free kick that was given the other way. So he said a few words to the ref and the ref wasn’t having it. Matching orders given. The Phoenix, for the second time, would finish a game with nine men.
Canterbury offered a little charity to a couple of squad members who’d gotten minimal chances: Caleb Cottom’s 89th minute appearance was his second of the season and backup Eddie Ashton came on in the wake of Coughlan’s penalty after Danny Knight had played every previous minute. So that was nice. Eventually Alex Paulsen overcame a touch of cramp to make another lovely save off Coughlan... cannot wait to see the season highlights scouting vid that pops up for Alex Paulsen in the coming weeks. It’ll be about fifteen minutes long.
Anyway, it ended 5-1. The Dragons keeping their season alive for at least another hour on the back of a wonderful team performance. The early red card helped for sure but they were still great. Garbhan Coughlan had a celebration day. Luke Tongue, Lyle Matthysen, Yuya Taguchi were all in top form. Regardless of anything else this was a magical comeback from them after losing the first three games. The WeeNix no doubt relieved to be done... maybe a couple of them even hoping for plane tickets to Sydney to join the A-League team. Things went awry for them with five defeats in their last six games conceding 24 goals in those games but there are some legit talents in that team who took huge strides over the last five months.
But pour one out for Canterbury United right here, right now. That was a hell of a send-off.
Auckland City vs Waitakere United
No side-eyes at the phone during this game because the only ramifications that mattered were the ones at Kiwitea Street: for Auckland City it was a freebie as they’d already secured top spot well in advance. As such we saw a teamsheet from Jose Figueira which kinda reflected that... although there were bigger changes last week so this was actually closer to their top strength side. The major note was youth grad Aidan Carey given a starting debut in midfield, while Albert Riera started as well so there was no Mario Ilich or Cam Howieson. But Cam Brown, Adam Mitchell, Mo Awad, and Dylan Manickum were all back in the eleven. Probably just those two key midfielders who’ll come in for the semis next week if all goes to plan.
For Waitakere United, however, it was all or nothing. With the tiebreakers in their favour they merely needed to win. Win and they’d finish fourth, simple task. Well, simple in theory at least... Auckland City had won every single game at Kiwitea Street so far and had scored a bundle of goals in the process. Waitakere made just the one change to the team that beat Hawke’s Bay 2-0 to give them this chance with Jack Duncan dropping to the bench and Leon van den Hoven chucked back into the starters as a reward for some lovely recent form (and the opening goal last week). LVDH played as the attacking midfielder with Dane Schnell up front alongside Alex Greive.
City were perhaps fortunate to get a free kick as Cam Brown waited too long for options to open up with the ball at his feet and three Waitakere fellas condensed upon him. Greive maybe a tad too rash with his sliding challenge... that was a big bailout as the ball had fallen to Sam Burfoot. But City then very quickly settled into their standard Kiwitea St way of doing things. Lots of passes, keeping the ball in the other half, plenty of runners causing headaches. Just too much sloppiness in those final areas was all: Logan Rogerson a couple times with heavy touches, Awad also chipped one onto the roof of the net with the keeper out of position. The Waitaks were ready for this and set up to counter... but heavy tackling from both Mitchell and Kaltack had it all settled. Then Dylan Manickum rolled a ball through for Logan Rogerson in the 16th minute and this time Rog was flawless as the goalie rushed out, beating him low to give Auckland City the early lead.
Long way back for Waitakere after conceding first. Sorta got the feeling they knew it too, though Van den Hoven did go close with a header over the top from a corner. They then had Nick Draper to thank for keeping them within range on the half hour as he made a double stop first to keep Manickum from scoring and then to recover to grab Awad’s follow-up. Fantastic goalkeeping. Same deal in the 37th minute when he closed down Rogerson coming in from the left. Which ain’t to say that didn’t have some moments. Set pieces were a threat – Sam Burfoot curled a free kick into Brown’s hands from a shooting angle. But they were 1-0 down at half-time in a game they really needed to win (although a draw would at least keep them in the hunt and knock Canterbury out despite their win – which everyone would have known about by then too, that game ending at about the halfway point of this one).
Sam Brotherton came on at HT to protect Adam Mitchell for next week after AM had been practically perfect in that first half. The early substitution probably robs him of a spot in the Team of the Week (sign up to our email newsletter for that bad boy), oh well. Without him the balance shifted and Waitakere swiftly got out on the front foot with nothing to lose in what might be their final ever half of football as a franchise. Long throws from Nic Milicich and set pieces from Dylan Hobson keeping the ball down near that City goal. It was Brotherton whose head flicked a volley from Andy Cromb away from the top corner. Then Schnell missed a side-footer over the top as he tried to divert it towards goal from about six yards. Not as easy as that probably sounds but can’t hold out for ideal chances against Auckland City. That one needed to be rustling in the net.
Actually... scratch that. Didn’t matter at all because less than a minute later LVDH had slipped one through for Schnelly on the run and he buried it past Cam Brown to tie things up. What do ya know, Waitakere right back in the hunt. There were appeals for offside from the defenders but a really tidy finish from a dude who ain’t usually a striker. Van den Hoven was looking class in midfield too... maybe they needed to try this arrangement ages ago and they wouldn’t have had to leave it to the last game to make the top four.
Still the pressure kept coming, largely from those various set piece deliveries, and ACFC couldn’t hardly get out of their own half. Not sure they were really up for this kinda game. But they still had serious pace on the break and after quarter of an hour of getting physically ground down, Logan Rogerson beat his man for speed down the left wing and then zoned back towards the goal where he dummied once for space to shoot, whipped back the other way, cut back onto his right foot again... then ran into his teammate Mohamed Awad. Rogerson was a bit miffed to have been robbed of an incredible solo goal and the defence was pretty confused about what was going on too. So Awad popped that little round fella inside the far post himself to score at the second attempt. Bit weird. He held a hand of apology up to Rogerson during his celebration, Rog eventually jogging over to say congrats. Top finish, to be fair.
Thus we were back where we started the half, Waitakere trailing by a goal except now with potentially just half an hour remaining in their season. But before dealing with that, here was a funny moment as Albert Riera slid in awkwardly on Gerard Garriga Gibert (the awkwardness because he tried to pull out mid-slide). Riera then went into a mime act of all the ways in which he was innocent while GGG yelled for a yellow card. The funniest part of that being that those two are really good mates, a couple Spaniards with Riera apparently a big part of Garriga’s staying in Aotearoa in the first place. Or so the tales have been told.
Here’s another thing that happened...
Jeez, the front three of Rogerson/Manickum/Awad has been in such top form lately you almost forgot that Emiliano Tade was even still around. He’s been injured for so long, hadn’t played since literally the first week of the season. It’s barely even fair. Mario Bilen also came on in midfield as City eyed the three points.
Draper’s glovework was on display again to poke an Awad shot away and to keep Jordy Vale’s cross from reaching comrades at the far post. He was beaten by Al-Kalisy dashing onto a stunner of a pass from Brian Kaltack soon after but Nic Milicich, dealing with cramp in his leg, had him covered on the line on that occasion. Then it was Draper’s turn again as Rogerson couldn’t sneak the ball past him after a sharp one-two with Tade. As you can tell, the footy mostly being played at the wrong end as far as Waitakere were concerned... though in Cromb must’ve thought he’d scored in the 82nd minute only for Cam Brown to pull off a wicked save when his bouncing volley seemed sure to be busting the roof of the net. Brown got a crucial touch on Schnell’s 88th min shot from just outside the area too.
Hold your horses now because this game still had one more secret left to offer. 91st minute. Alex Greive is holding the ball up on the corner of the six yard box. He spins and gets a ball across low where Kaltack pure and simply misses it. Swings through air and Dane Schnell steps into it instead. Schnell shoots but is saved. But Triple G taps it in behind him. Gerard Garriga Gibert doing the business for goal number five from midfield. Didn’t they bloody love it too!
Because that without that goal they were done. With it and if Eastern Suburbs failed to beat Hawke’s Bay day following day then they’d get there. Which means, sadly, gotta say farewell to the Canterbury United Dragons as an entity... but the show must go on. Waitakere ran out of time to get a winner but a 2-2 draw does make them the only team to take anything away from Kiwitea Street this season. Scenes, mate. Scenes.
There were some great performances in that second half especially for Waitakere as they kept themselves alive. Nick Draper with some of those crucially important saves. Leon van den Hoven had a great game charging forward, as did Garriga Gibert. Dane Schnell and Alex Greive weren’t perfect but they kept on rolling the dice until they succeeded. And guys like Andy Cromb and Dylan Hobson were pretty valuable amingst all them set pieces too.
Auckland City... they probably woulda won this if they really needed to. Rogerson and Awad were too tough to handle in the big moments and for a lot of that game Albert Riera was as good as he has been all season too (though he tired later on). Even still if Kaltack had cleared that ball then they’d have won regardless. Not to mention Howieson and Ilich being rested. Ah well, all the more reason to back themselves if their semi ends up being a rematch of this one.
Hawke’s Bay United vs Eastern Suburbs
And then... lockdown happened. So it goes, the Premiership made it all the way to the final day of the regular season during a global pandemic before the coronavirus wrecked anything but with Auckland going into Level 3 on Sunday morning it meant that Suburbs weren’t able to travel to Napier and thus that game was postponed.
We’ll find out more about when they plan to play that game (possibly even this very evening) – which Suburbs need to win in order to make the top four and eliminate Waitakere. Auckland City’s semi-final also won’t be able to be played on Saturday (though the Team Welly vs Hamilton game could be moved forward 24 hours instead), so maybe they play that one in the midweek one evening under lights and sneak that HBU vs ES game in on Sunday? That’s all depending on that seven-day lockdown calendar though and you never know with these things, it pays to be flexible and not plan too far ahead. But yeah notable that the game was postponed rather than cancelled – as it no doubt woulda been had it not had semi-final ramifications.
If Suburbs do miss out because that game can’t be played then they can only blame themselves for some of the points they’ve dropped in recent weeks. 4-0 loss to Waitakere, 7-0 loss to Team Welly, then a 1-1 draw against a Hamilton team that played with ten men for 70+ mins. A draw in that Waitak game and they’d already be in. But it ain’t over yet, they should still get one last chance as Hawke’s Bay United are blessed with one more week of existence. We go again next week (or whenever).
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