Christchurch United vs Cashmere Technical

And so we arrive at the final round of the season, one last set of fixtures before the fellas can start spending their weekends doing the holiday shopping instead. Maybe head to the beach for a week. Get stuck into some gardening. Learn to play the guitar. Read a few books. Damn, man, all that free time you can do whatever you want... but don’t get too loose because the 2023 season will be rolling around sooner than you expect.

There was nothing but pride on the line as these two teams met on a Friday night in the garden city. But when it comes time for derby football pride is more than enough. United won the Southern League in an incredible finale a few months back, winning 10-0 on the final day to pip their rivals on goal difference. However Technical were four points clear heading into this game and thus unable to be caught on the National League ladder. One blow each, all the more reason to treat this head to head clash as the tiebreaker.

Christchurch United made just one change to the side that got blitzed 7-1 away to Welly Olympic with Joel Peterson replacing Mika Rabuka at wing-back. Fourth straight game for the Riley Grover/Blake Weston/Benji Lapslie back three. Noah Billingsley retained his spot in midfield. Meanwhile Cashmere Technical welcomed back Luke Tongue after two weeks out with injury plus Sam Richards also returned to the line-up with Jacob Richards moving further forward. Sam Lapslie in the midfield, up against his brother from the other team. Even more reason for fizziness: there was a blood feud involved too – if this game went awry then it could mean chaos at the Lapslie family Christmas. As far as final round dead rubber contests go... this was about as meaningful as it gets. Christchurch Football Centre was the venue. Friday night lights, baby.

Oh yeah and Garbhan Coughlan started this game with 9 goals atop the Golden Boot charts. Gianni Bouzoukis was second with 7 goals, then Oli Colloty and Jesse Randall with 6 each. That was all before this final round (no spoilers yet, amigo). Coughlan wasted no time in blasting a shot slightly wide of the near post within the first minute of action. And yet... it was Chch who settled into the better action, lots of movement on and off the ball in the attacking third. Eddie Wilkinson heavily involved with one tasty cross that was defended and then a stinging shot that was saved. Matt Todd-Smith had one blocked on the edge of the area. CT’s centre-backs Andrew Storer and Tom Schwarz already way more involved than would have been comfortable with.

A fantastic start by United. Almost setting up camp in that Technical half, Cashmere barely able to string any passes together leading to constant recycled attacks... at least until Coughlan got on the run down the left wing on the break and made it all the way to the by-line before hitting Aidan Barbour-Ryan on the corner of the six yard box but he side-footed wide. Couldn’t quite direct it goalwards. Despite the run of play that was the best chance we’d seen yet.

But that run of play wasn’t affected. A tasty cross from Wilkinson narrowly dodged the reach of both Peterson and Will Pierce. Surely there wasn’t much longer that Cashmere could survive without conceding, not unless they changed something drastically. Surely not. Hence Dan MacLennan flicked a long ball into the run of Eddie Wilkinson who stormed into the area and squared for Joel Peterson who put it away comfortably. A deserved opening goal.

And about a minute later Wilkinson pressured a clearance from CT keeper Harrison Rowe which was scooped up by MacLennan around penalty area depth. Quick nudge infield for Wilkinson... and Wilkie slid it through the legs of Rowe for 2-0. Just like that. 26 minutes gone and Christchurch United were emphatically in front and emphatically in control.

Andrew Storer did push a header from a corner across the face of goal, giving his team something to latch onto. But the speed at which United were playing was making that Tech side look kinda sluggish. Storer then had to slide in to block Wilkinson from potentially scoring again. Good challenge there. Schwarz also cut out a dangerous low cross from MacLennan before Pierce curled one on target but too close to Rowe.

A silky run and turn from Peterson led to a cross that MacLennan touched on target only for Rowe to make a sharp low stop before Tongue jumped in to keep Pierce from tapping in the rebound. Frenetic stuff. United were terrorising them. Having said that, there was one bad pass out from the back which almost led to a Coughlan shot... until Blake Weston stepped across to halt him. Later on Pierce glanced a header on target from a MTS cross but no power on that jerry so Rowe gobbled it up. Log it into the books as a 2-0 CU lead at half-time.

Christchurch United were buzzing, out there ready to start the second spell several minutes before the Techies eventually re-emerged from the sheds – no doubt after a wee bollicking from the coach. Benji Lapslie was too enthusiastic as he launched into a tackle on Coughlan to earn the first yellow card of the evening... and that might have settled the home side down because it was a much more even game suddenly, Coughlan curling a very good chance (for him, anyway) just past the post. With that 2-0 lead United didn’t have to do too much extra - although they copped a big blow when captain Matt Todd-Smith limped off with injury just before the hour. MTS had been excellent at the base of midfield recycling so much ball. Joe Hoole replaced him. Dan MacLennan took the armband for the last half hour of the season (until he was subbed with a few to go and gave it to WIlkinson).

Cashmere were able to whip a couple set pieces into the mixer with Sam Lapslie heading one of those, a corner kick, over the top. If they could score next then they were right back in it. That dream was almost extinguished as Wilkinson lobbed a switch to Peterson but Rowe closed him down in the nick of time. Then Riley Grover did the business with a goal-line clearance after Coughlan had skipped around keeper Scott Morris and attempted to finish from a tricky angle.

This was more like the end to end drama we were expecting. Coughlan worked a delicious give and go with Lapslie before pinging his shot the wrong side of the post. Kian Donkers was brought on for the remaining twenty minutes and immediately won a free kick in a dangerous spot. Coughlan lined that up... but Morris made the simple save as it swung into his midriff. Up the other end Sam Lapslie did superb to win a defensive header from a corner, keeping Hoole from getting there. Ten minutes to go. Declan Tyndall on for CT as they continued to chase a goal.

That led to some counter-attacking potential for United with Will Pierce going close from one of those, Rowe diving across to push his shot away and the defence recovering in time to keep MacLennan from pouncing. The latter bloke also had an air-swing at another chance... meanwhile Lachie McIsaac attempted a dipping curler for CT which didn’t quite dip or curl enough to find the top corner.

All United had to do was slow things down and see out the remaining few minutes. That they did... but Eddie Wilkinson still burst down the sideline in the 89th minute before flipping a square cross for Joel Peterson to tap tap tap it in. Finally a third goal for the home side to kill things off.

There was a decent chunk of time added on though, ref’s been watching the World Cup closely, and some sharp work from Tyndall on the right wing allowed Lyle Matthysen to nudge one in for Technical. But then Eddie Wilkinson bagged a deserved extra strike running in behind to cap off an excellent performance. Three late goals ending things with a bang. 4-1 to Christchurch United in the National League’s Canterbury Derby.

It was an outstanding first half from United which set them up, the likes of Eddie Wilkinson and Daniel MacLennan and Will Pierce and Joel Peterson attacking with pace and movement, something that the Techies defended alright for the most part but those two sudden goals changed everything. The second half was much more even but Cashmere couldn’t get the goal they needed. United then polished it off late, albeit conceding in the process.

Fascinating game, that one. Wilkinson and Peterson had to be standouts as they shared the goals – Wilkinson with two goals and two assists in a magical performance. Todd-Smith had a sharp game until having to exit early. Tech’s attempted comeback wasn’t enough to salvage things hence a bitter taste will linger until the next time these two teams meet. No doubt this adds a little more sizzle to the Southern League next year.

Auckland United vs Napier City Rovers

That head to head tiebreaker rule thingamajig that they have in place meant that Auckland United’s 2-0 loss to Birkenhead last week ensures they’d finish below Birko if the two teams remained equal on points – although United did have the more winnable game. Third or fourth, either way it’s been a promising first National League excursion for the merger club. In contrast, Napier City Rovers dropped a spot to eighth thanks to Christchurch Utd’s win the night before but they could make up for that with a win away at Keith Hay Park. Really though, this was a pretty meaningless game. One last hit out to put a full stop at the end of the sentence that was the 2022 season. Nothing to lose. Might as well have some fun.

Auckland United were obviously without Kurtis Mogg who went off in a lot of pain last game. Fumiya Ito slotted into central defence in his absence. Elsewhere Andrew Blake missed out with illness so Will Stephen took his spot. There was also a recall to the eleven for Oliver Middleton. United have the best defence outside of the two finalists... but their problem has been only scoring 11 goals from 8 games.

As for their opponents, they were without a trio of permanent starters with Canadian striker Leaford Allen, hard-running attacker Christian Leopard, and industrious midfielder Ta Eh Doe all missing their first games. That meant local product Sam Lack got another start. It also meant James Mack and Jimmy Somerton came into the team. Jonny McNamara led the line on his own.

Onwards with the footy and Middleton worked a crack on goal after drifting into a lovely spot just outside the area, but he sent it down the middle where it didn’t worry Oscar Mason. Mason also slid out to take the ball away from Josh Redfearn before a shot could eventuate. Mostly patient stuff early but with hints of more. Rovers weren’t too worried about pressing but their structure was solid... although any time the AU defenders had the ball in their own half this thing was moving at walking pace.

It was almost fifteen minutes before NCR had any sort of attacking chance. When they did, Sam Lack curled a left-footed cross from the right edge of the area into a tasty position. As McNamara stretched out to connect he collided with keeper Mack Waite instead, who needed a bit of physio attention as a result. McNamara was booked. Despite the outcome that was a decent opportunity though, not far off. Napier City growing into their gameplan.

Yeah nah... a few minutes later Auckland United scored instead. It began with a long ball down the line from Reggie Murati to Nicolas Zambrano. His low cross was partially cut out by Fetuao Belched but it fell back for Oliver Middleton who struck that thing on the run to make it 1-0 to AUFC after 21 minutes. This was a game that needed a goal. Now it had a goal.

Sam Lack liked the look of a free kick about 30 yards out and whipped it slightly high of the crossbar. He’s a very tidy player, that fella. Scored the winner in week one against the WeeNix – the only game that Napier City have won this season. Next time that NCR got into that final third he showed everyone exactly what he’s capable of with a brilliant equaliser...

Right on, brother.

United went straight down the other end thanks to Oli Fay’s mazy run but the pull back for Zambrano didn’t get met with the power or placement it required and Mason saved again. Next thing a great burst by Lack along the goal-line almost sparked another banger but United got numbers in the six yard box to deal with it. Fay launched into a shot from deep in the box that he struck into the turf, taking the sting out of it and allowing another save. That breakthrough goal truly did open things up. Almost instantly this game went from a crawl to a sprint. In particular it was a pair of teenagers, Sam Lack and Oli Fay, who were instigating the bulk of things for their respective teams.

Waite did well to deal with a few swinging crosses as we hit the sheds at 1-1. Middleton had also gone close latching onto a persevering run from Fay that had seem him fall over and get back up still in possession... but Middleton was closed down as he tried to launch his shot. Into half rua and Fay immediately took a blow that needed physio aid and that was the end of his day, replaced by Zachary Chung for a season debut. Despite that loss, United were able to cope with some McNamara searching... and then went and retook the lead on 50 mins as Will Stephen crossed for Nic Zambrano who headed home with force.

This time Auckland Utd were able to dig in and protect that advantage, keeping the game at a tempo they were comfortable with whilst still creating a few moments. Redfearn couldn’t control a first-time strike from a Chung cut-back. Zachary Chung wasn’t the only young fella given a season finale run-out by Jose Figueira either. Both Alexander Hale and Ishveer Singh-Dhillon were thrown on in the 64th minute.

Just prior to those subs Sam Lack had skipped past a tackle and into the area where he crushed a shot down the middle while Waite tipped onto the crossbar and over. Same amount of power at the near post and it would have been 2-2. Then came those two substitutions... and two minutes later Ross Haviland scored to make it 3-1. One of those ones where Haviland stepped forward and just kept going even after picking out Hale. The return ball came his way and although his first shot was blocked the second skimmed in.

Singh-Dhillon looked pretty sharp, useful movement and deceptive size. He smacked a pair of shots towards goal with the second of them from a slick turn-and-shoot off his left foot. Drew a very good save out of Mason too. Then he went into the book for following through on Belcher (the biggest defender on the other team) which in itself was kinda fearless. Meanwhile Chung and Hale were both of the same mould as Fay and Middleton (and Will Mendoza who popped up off the bench later): small but quick-footed with the ability to play in the pockets.

Rovers did get one back as the finish line loomed. 88th minute and Sam Lack collected the ball about twenty yards out amongst a crowd of players. He drifted right to create an angle to slip in Jonny McNamara who’d peeled off to find a lane towards goal. Lack put it where it needed to go. So did McNamara. Good goal. And very soon afterwards Zac Madsen fizzed a shot past the post for NCR that could have tied things up in a flash.

Bit of stressful energy at the end there... but Auckland United held on for the 3-2 win. Nice way for them to finish off the campaign with a few extra goals and some minutes for a few academy lads. Ross Haviland was very good at the back in the absence of his normal bro Moggy. Got that goal too. Mike Den Heijer is always an assured presence. Oliver Fay’s first half was sizzling and the bench all chipped in despite their youth. Results elsewhere meant they even finished in third place. Gotta take that for a maiden National League experience, especially when it included that famous win over Auckland City. No complaints.

Napier City won in week one then failed to win again so the list of complaints will be longer for that club. Especially since a lot of their defeats were like this one – four times they scored multiple goals and still lost. NCR went down 5-2 to Olympic, 4-2 to Cashmere, 4-3 to Melville, and 3-2 to AK Utd. But a goal and an assist for Sam Lack highlighted a super individual effort from the 17 year old (he was 17 earlier in the season at least, dunno when his birthday is). Add in Oscar Mason, Kaeden Atkins, Ta Eh Doe, and Fetuao Belcher and there’s some tidy talent coming out of the region these days. Should give them a proper nudge towards getting back to this stage in 2023.

Auckland City vs Melville United

The first of our two grand finalists, Auckland City, knew that all they had to do was win to secured first place. Their goal difference is miles worse that Wellington Olympic but NZF prefer a head to head tiebreaker for their competitions and since ACFC scraped by Wellington Olympic in week one that meant a minor premiership was within their grasp. Let’s be honest though: it’s next week’s final that really matters.

That may explain why Cam Howieson was nowhere to be seen. Best player in the team given a wee rest. Albert Riera still picked a very formidable team with Joe Lee returning to the eleven, as did Ryan De Vries. There were also changes at both fullback spots with Takuya Iwata and Alfie Rogers selected. There are no weak Auckland City line-ups, to be fair.

Melville United flipped the script from struggling in their first four games (1 point with 2 goals scored and 9 conceded) to winning four on the bounce (12 points, 14 goals scored and 7 conceded) to turn this National League into a roaring success. Get that into ya. A trip to Kiwitea Street to end the campaign wasn’t exactly a fitting reward but it did mean they had nothing to lose... however the task was made even tougher with a few absentees. No Josh Galletly or Ryen Lawrence meant that they switched formation to a 4-3-3 with Aaron Scott stepping into the midfield and Josh Oakman and Campbell Brown at fullback. Jerson Lagos got to play in the front three. Dylan Williams operated as an attacking midfielder. Still a pretty handy team.

It got less handy within a minute. Ryan De Vries was fouled around halfway but in falling over he landed on Luke Searle’s leg who seemed to hyperextend his knee. Searle gave it a go trying to play on but about three minutes later needed treatment again. Still he returned to the game, with his right knee strapped up to match his left (which was apparently already wonky), and kept plugging away as Auckland City did the usual death by a thousand cuts possession efforts. Melville did get forward one time but Oliver Colloty was left furious at not getting a free kick for a bit of a tussle with Sam Brotherton.

Dylan Manickum weaved his way into the area but Max Tommy was sharp enough to deny him. Reid Drake and Manickum also had volleys charged down as Melville defended with their entire bodies. Par for the course with them. There was a mint one-two between RDV and Rogers but the cut back from Rogers didn’t find a buyer. But 15 minutes in the pressure tolled as Gerard Garriga did his best Howieson impersonation with an absolute blinder of a through ball to find Ran De Vries who dinked a classy finish over the keeper. Sweetly done.

Luke Searle finally succumbed to the bung knee after that with Braeden Quilter-Phipps brought on in his place. A few sneaky counter attacking runs were able to stretch the game out for the Waikato side, to their relief, though frustration was still clearly simmering because Liam Hayes chatted his way into the book having felt he’d been dragged back in the midfield.

Manickum almost latched onto a return ball into the box from RDV but Max Tommy was alert and slid out. Then up the other end Colloty might have been able to get a shot away with a better first touch bringing down Stafford Dowling’s cross. Flag went up anyway. Back to ACFC and Tommy did well to tip an effort from Lee over the top. Great challenge by Oakman on Iwata, winning the ball where anything other than perfection would have cost his team a penalty. Full credit, because Melville’s muscled-up defending carried them through to the half. It was still all Auckland City in terms of possession yet midway through the match the scoreboard only read 1-0.

This was also the last game in charge for Melville’s coach Sam Wilkinson who is stepping down after five years (Jarrod Young announced to be replacing him)... and Wilko had one last trick up his sleeve bringing on Isaac Bates for Williams at HT and switching to a back three. Bit more width to try and find an outlet on the counter. Plus those three in the middle came in handy as Manickum stormed into the area from the left but ran out of room.

It was shaping up as one of those ‘keep it tight for seventy minutes then give it an almighty swing’ kinda games for Melville... but after 49 minutes they were awoken from that dream by a bucket of ice water to the face. First what happened was that Oakman challenged Iwata on the wraparound into the area and fell over onto the ball, with a penalty awarded for handball. Second thing that happened was that Liam Hayes was given a second yellow for arguing the call. Both yellows for back chat. Quick note for the super outside of the boot touch from RDV to play that ball in behind. It definitely hit the hand of Oakman though it was fully accidental as he fell over. That was unlucky for Melville. The red card less so: Hayes probably ought to have let others do the venting given his existing booking – others such as Max Tommy who was also booked at the same time.

Joseph Lee lined up the spot kick... and placed it neatly into the bottom corner despite Max Tommy (who missed one and saved one last week vs Napier) diving the right way. Make that 2-0 to Auckland City.

As soon as that second goal went in, City subbed off Adam Mitchell and Dylan Manickum. Protecting two more key players for the final... but such is the strength of their bench that on in their place were Emiliano Tade and Christian Gray. First Natty League appearance for Gray who’d be starting for a lot of other teams whereas... well, you know who Emiliano Tade is. Next thing Liam Gillion smacked a volley towards goal on the bounce except he couldn’t hit the target. Melville didn’t really have much choice but to sit deep with only ten men on the park which led to some very sexy passing moves by City as they progressed towards the attacking third followed by some chunky clearances and then repeat the cycle.

Ryan De Vries took a knock on the ankle so he was subbed soon afterwards just in case. Auckland City had full focus on next week and Melville were down to ten men and trailing by a couple goals... you can guess that the last half hour of footy wasn’t really up to much. Melville’s frustration was clear when sub Aidan Carey caught Campbell Brown on the ankle right in front of the bench, earning a yellow card. Plenty of noise coming from the sidelines over that. Bates did try something from range but his low strike got held up in traffic. Lagos then volleyed wide with a handball given against him for his control... he cheekily suggested a peek at the VAR for confirmation. Unfortunately that’s not an option in a league where the broadcasters can’t always be trusted to serve up a replay at all, let alone have the refs analysing them live.

Tade forced a flying stop out of Tommy after linking with Lee to fire a mean shot away from inside the area. That was a rare moment of incision. There was also an Angus Kilkolly header on target which didn’t require a difficult save for MT. Might as well fast forward to the end when the final whistle confirmed a 2-0 victory for Auckland City.

ACFC stroll into the final in... if not style then at least some kinda form having won four games in a row since that loss to Auckland Utd. They’re the minor premiers. In the coming days they’ll meet Wellington Olympic for the third time this season (having beaten them in the Chatham Cup semis too) to see if they can add a National League trophy to a cabinet that already includes the Northern League trophy, the Oceania Champions League trophy, and the Chatham Cup trophy. 2022’s been good for these jerries. And they’ve been good for 2022.

This was a freebie for Melville. They can’t have enjoyed it very much considering they suffered a key injury, conceded an unlucky penalty, and copped an unnecessary red card. Sorta got them stuck in a waking nightmare where they were held hostage and forced to play the opponents for an endless Auckland City training run. Chasing shadows. But they scrapped their way to the end to ensure that things never blew out as they would have for many teams in that scenario. Max Tommy gets plenty of credit for that.

Overall this game disappears deep into the subconscious when thinking of this Melville season as a whole. Excellent work just to qualify for this stage. Then to win those four games on the trot with a great mix of youth and experience, never giving less than a hundy percent, and ending the Natty League with a hugely commendable fifth place finish... not bad for the so-called Hillbillies of Melville, as their coached called them earlier in the season.

Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Birkenhead United

The weather was horrendous at Fraser Park, umbrellas everywhere you looked, but this was still a game well worth getting down to in person because if you thought last week’s WeeNix team was stacked then this week left it in the dust. No Nico Pennington here... instead there was the minor matter of club captain Alex Rufer making his return from the knee injury that has sidelined him since midway through the last A-League season. Even more notable was Brazilian import Yan Sasse dropping down for some minutes having only featured sparingly for the top team after his red card on debut.

That wasn’t all. This being the last opportunity for reserves minutes, and with the ALM team of course on World Cup hiatus, there ended up being more players with pro experience than not. Alex Paulsen backed up after last week. Finn Surman also made another start, his fourth of the term. Oskar van Hattum with consecutive ressies starts. Riley Bidois is a reserves player but has featured for the first team and he was back up front after missing three games for a red card suspension. No Lucas Mauragis this time after five WeeNix appearances in a row... but all goods because Sam Sutton played left-back instead. Matt Sheridan, Isaac Hughes, Dan McKay, and Ben Wallace were the only players without A-League experience.

Meanwhile Birkenhead didn’t have the services of midfielder Corban Piper who’d started every game but was sent off late last week. Dane Schnell also missed this game. That meant starts for Chase Taylor in the middle and Cameron MacKenzie up front. Andrew Cromb replaced Nick Forrester in the back three as well. Three changes after the 2-0 win over Auckland United – with Birko knowing that a win here would seal them third spot on the ladder. Anything else and fourth would be an acceptable alternative.

Alex Connor-McClean made a couple of determined runs to little avail as Birkenhead tried to bring the heat. However it was Van Hattum who had the first proper chance breaking in behind before being shut down by Silvio Rodic with a strong save. Couldn’t slip it past him. Nothing that Rodic could do about the strike from Yan Sasse angling in on his left boot soon after... but Sasse’s shot smashed off the post and then Van Hattum couldn’t put it home via the rapid rebound. Birko then mustered instance number one of a Dylan Hobson free kick, curling in from the left wing leading to Dino Botica shooting on the turn, though it hit Surman and went wide... for a goal kick. Should’ve been a corner. Wasn’t.

Yan Sasse was getting involved. Love to see it. Pennington’s cameo last week was notable for how seriously he took the game. Sasse did have an air of casualness about him though that was potentially more to do with being a Brazilian playing in some of Wellington’s worst weather offerings – because the footy activities were significant. He threw in a few step overs on that right wing before squaring for Bidois whose effort was straight at Rodic. Then came two spots for an assist in the space of five seconds as he first chested down a fine cross from Sutton with Van Hattum blasting too close to Rodic, then Sasse knocked the seconds back for Bidois who lifted his shot over. A bit later on Wallace hit a mean ball down the line for Bidois, who sliced inwards to shoot but was tackled, before Sasse claimed the scraps and almost beat Rodic at his near post. Tried to dink it through and did not succeed.

Meanwhile Alex Rufer had been a tidy presence deep in the midfield. Understandably he wasn’t trying anything too drastic and thanks to Birko’s attacking width and the WeeNix’s possession dominance it’s not like he had to go launching into very many challenges either. Some classy work twisting and passing out of pressure and some efficient distribution for sure. A mint cross deep which Isaac Hughes headed back across goal rather than shooting. A tidy return to football for the fella. The word was that he was only going to play about half an hour, hence Fin Conchie popped up next to the fourth official and that was the end of Rufer’s day. 31 minutes in the bag. Might’ve gotten more if it had been a grass surface and not a turf which is harder on the joints.

A Birko corner kick caused some trouble, with Bidois reaching out to block a driven shot from Hobson. Those set pieces were the best bets for Birkenhead who weren’t getting much joy in open play. The possession stats improved after Rufer’s presence disappeared (also helped by Dan McKay spending a few mins on the sideline getting a blood nose patched up). However the bulk of the chances were coming at the other end and 37 minutes into this thing the WeeNix finally put one away. Sam Sutton down the line to Riley Bidois. Yan Sasse dragged a defender with a run across goal allowing Biddy to slide across for Oskar van Hattum. OVH side-footed home for the opener.

There was an unreal dribble from Yan Sasse gliding past a couple defenders and into the area but he overstepped the ball before he could shoot. No such dramas for Sammy Sutts in first half stoppage time though. Big burst up the left on the overlap after Sasse had opened up play to Wallace who did what needed doing in keeping it moving to Sutton. One touch in stride to set things up, one touch across the keeper and inside the far post to make it 2-0 at half-time.

Then it was 3-0 straight after the resumption. No further subs for the WeeNix, immediately back into their mahi as Yan Sasse tried a cheeky toe-poke shot which was saved but Van Hattum gobbled up the leftovers for his second of the arvo. Tidy side-footed volley.

Hey look it’s Ufuk Talay and Giancarlo Italiano!

Those two would’ve been enjoying what they were seeing. Birkenhead weren’t really creating anything, maybe lacking a bit of a central focal point, and even as Birko began to hold a bit more possession that only served to open up the counter attacking lanes. Yan Sasse had a dig from one of those which was flying in until it deflected off a defender and out for a corner. Finn Surman then needed some help after landing hard on his shoulder challenging for the header from that corner. Looked like it may have been a dislocation given how gentle they were being with him. Not good. Talay definitely won’t have loved that. Lukas Kelly-Heald came on in his place.

Connor-McClean had the best moment of the game so far for Birkenhead as he angled onto a through ball from Cam McKenzie. ACM somewhat unnecessarily cut back onto his right which allowed the defence to scramble and block his first shot and then his second, on the left foot, was lifted over the top. Probably argue he should have done better. Elsewhere Matt Sheridan wasn’t too far away with a deep shot.

Paul Hobson then performed one of his favourite hobbies: making heaps of subs at once, usually around the 60-65 minute marks. Four of them at once with Codey Phoenix, Nick Forrester, Curtis Hughes, and James Mitchell all introduced. Those dudes had a good view of Wallace getting the ball on the break and drilling a low shot that Rodic couldn’t hold but did manage to keep out of his net. Which is something that Alex Paulsen also achieved as Hobson swung a mint cross from the right wing which ACM guided on target but Paulen was there to push it away.

Chris Greenacre made a triple change of his own with twenty to go, Josh Tollervey, Charlie Beale, and Noah Karunaratne all introduced at the expense of Oskar van Hattum, Riley Bidois, and Ben Wallace. Both sides had thus used their entire allotment of subs already.

Luke Jorgensen’s had a great season. That’s well known... but just to add an extra cheeky highlight he then scored a magnificent goal with fifteen to play. McKay had tried to poke a loose ball towards Conchie in the middle but Conchie didn’t get there and Jorgensen simply swung his boot through the ball first time to lift it over Paulsen and in thanks to some late dip. Paulsen kinda looked like he thought it was going over. It probably should have given the height it got to... but not on one of those Wet ‘n’ Windy Wellington days. How about that for a strike?

The WeeNix responded by almost scoring another of their own, Noah Karunaratne with a shot blocked amidst a swift move down the left. They got even closer when Beale slipped a pass to Sasse whose shot came back off the post – second time in the game that he’d rattled the pesky woodwork. Then they really did score another one. Finally Yan Sasse got his reward for a classy afternoon’s work. He and Josh Tollervey combined for a blistering counter attack after Karunaratne had done well to keep the ball in play. Sasse’s first goal for the club... and it was for the reserves. But the precision of his touches there was magnificent.

No time to chill... because Dylan Hobson’s free kick was headed in with commanding expertise by Dino Botica to make it 4-2 after 82 mins. It had been 3-0 after 75 mins. It’d still be 4-2 after 90 minutes. A few useful attacks remained but everything either ended up offside or got blocked or whatever. Yan Sasse kept running until the end. Hopefully he’s able to take this energy into the resumption of the A-League. Exciting game. 4-2 to the WeeNix final score.

Slippery one for Birkenhead as this means they drop to fourth on the ladder. They probably ought to have ended up as the best of the rest but dropped points against the likes of Melville and Napier City meant they vulnerable here when drawing the short straw of having to face a stacked WeeNix side. No shade on this performance though. A-League blokes are supposed to drop down and dominate – we’ve seen that in each of the last two weeks. Still got a mean Luke Jorgensen goal to show for it. He and Dino Botica have arguably been their two best across the full campaign so fitting that they’d each score in the finale.

Yan Sasse scored a goal, provided an assist, hit the post twice, and generally just looked way better than everybody else in the vicinity... that was a man who knew his regular coach was standing close-by watching his every move. The other goals were scored by Oskar Van Hattum and Sam Sutton – all therefore provided by professional players. Also had the milestone of Alex Rufer’s return from injury. A clean sheet would have made this a perfect afternoon but you can’t get greedy. Clean sheets at National League level aren’t to be trivialised. Also the injury to Finn Surman has the potential to be a real downbuzz if he’s forced to miss extended time. But otherwise a very productive day. The pros helped the WeeNix to wins in both their last two games, ensuring they end this National League with three wins, three draws, and three defeats. for a mix of everything.

Miramar Rangers vs Wellington Olympic

Thus we come to the end. A merciful end as far as Miramar Rangers are concerned, bringing a close to a season that has lasted almost the full twelve months thanks to Rangers’ postponed Chatham Cup final at the start of the year. There was a number floating around on the broadcast that 16 players have left the club for other footballing opportunities this year. Haven’t seen a full list to verify that... but even just looking at the dudes who played the South Central Series final last year – against this same opponent – makes for alarming reading. Of the 15 blokes who took the field in that game, only Scott Midgley, Liam Wood, Andy Bevin, Sam Mason-Smith, and Max Falconer are still there. And Midgley’s been injured most of the season while Bevin only just came back from a three-game suspension to make the bench for this match. Great experiences for some of the emerging younger players but if you’re wondering what happened to Miramar Rangers that’s what happened to Miramar Rangers. In comparison Olympic have 10/14 finalists still there.

Rangers produced a decent battling effort in the 2-1 loss to Auckland City last week. Therefore the only change necessary was getting Hamish Watson back into the eleven now that his kid’s been born (shout out to the Watson whanau) and he was available again. Whether he was getting his eight hours of sleep was another thing entirely... but then none of us are during the World Cup, aye? Guts to Miramar having to face Auckland City and Wellington Olympic in their last two games. A weird quirk of the way that the draw was done is that almost everybody played Olympic the week after ACFC. Melville were the only exception.

Wellington Olympic weren’t ending anything here, they had a grand final to worry about. Hence Ben Mata, who has been dealing with a knock lately, was rested along with Alex Palezevic while Nati Hailemariam only played off the bench. Still had the outrageously in-form front five while Theo Ettema started in the back three and Sam Mitrakas got a go in midfield. Justin Gulley returned to the eleven to balance things out. Last game of the regular season... of course it would be raining. Dave Farrington Park still looked a treat though.

The other thing for Rangers was that a win would mean they avoid the wooden spoon. That didn’t feel too likely coming in but you never know, maybe the Greeks would shrink within themselves with an eye on next week. That was the hope for the home fans at least. Hope that took all of 80 seconds to be demolished. That was how long we’d been going when Kailan Gould threaded a ball in behind for Jesse Randall who squared for Gianni Bouzoukis and there ya go. 1-0 already. The most incredible thing about that silky goal was that Rangers had kicked off and pumped it long where it was claimed by Gulley... and then Rangers did not touch the ball again until they were picking it out of their net. A 25-pass move in which every outfielder touched the ball at least once. Incredible stuff.

That meant Bouzoukis was only one goal behind Garbhan Coughlan on the Golden Boot standings with plenty of time to keep it coming. This had the potential to be a proper pasting same as Olympic applied to Christchurch Utd last week in scoring seven. Watson did blast a low shot that Scott Basalaj couldn’t hold, before a slight mix-up between Basalaj and Ettema, but they dealt with that and it was back on the offensives. A pinpoint long ball from Gulley was controlled by Randall in the box, he slipped it to Bouzoukis who went down claiming a penalty but nothing came of it.

Meanwhile an awkward punch out by Basalaj went directly to his old mate Watto whose first-time shot went off target. Didn’t get the reaction time to fully capitalise but still a useful chance. Miramar settled into a defensive groove that slowed the game down for a bit, a few WO through-balls not finding their targets, but the ceasefire was short-lived. Jonty Roubos smashed a deflected shot wide from outside the box after some sultry build-up. Then on 20’ we saw Gould drift wide and swing one into the area. Tiahn Manuel slid over to break up that delivery but he diverted the ball straight to Jesse Randall who confidently lifted it into the top corner at the near post – the kind of finish that flows on from scoring four times the week before.

One minute later it was three. Right edge cross by Gould again, Hunter Wilson didn’t deal with it and that allowed Bouzoukis to sneak in behind him and bury it. Drew him level with Coughlan on the GB. They can’t be split (not even by NZF wrongly awarding Matthysen’s goal to Coughlan this week, causing some temporary confusion until that was amended a few days later).

Luckily Joseph Knowles never slacked off because the MR keeper had to be focussed to tip a Randall long shot over the top or else it would have been three goals in three minutes. Up the other end Watto slammed one into the side-netting from a free kick. Then Jorge Akers went down with what looked like cramp despite us only having played 28 minutes. He survived that ordeal (going on to play 62 minutes) which suggested that maybe it was muscle tightness or maybe his team just needed a break to reassess things. Because when they resumed they were clearly now operating with a back three. Akers and Patrick Tobin as wing-backs. Harry Chote swapping to right centre-back after getting terrorised at left-back by Sinclair, Gould, Randall, Gulley, etc.

Tor Davenport-Petersen pinged one past the post. A super ball by Bouzoukis on the angle towards Jack-Henry Sinclair at the back post nearly led to something but a brave bit of goalkeeping from Knowles closed him down for a corner instead. Nevertheless, that corner was only a partially cleared and Gould lifted it back in deep towards Theo Ettema whose diving header powered inside the post for 4-0 after 38 minutes. Jeepers, fellas. Kailan Gould had two assists and had been heavily involved in the other two goals as well.

A couple of MR moments followed, thanks in part to Hamish Watson’s persistence, while Gulley also made a brilliant block in the box against Akers. However the half ended with a series of Olympic corner kicks. This was a brutal half of footy by the impending finalists. No subs at the break either... although a few hard tackles by a fired up Miramar team, not wanting to end their year on such a bummer note, might have put some doubts in the minds of a few folks wanting to make sure they were available for Mount Smart Stadium next Sunday.

Those hard challenges went both ways, to be fair, as evidenced by Gulley absolutely bodying Akers. The rain was also allowing for a few slippery slides. Bouzoukis almost got his hat-trick except Liam Wood made a ruthless tackle stepping across just in time. Andy Bevin came on for Rangers to mark his return from suspension and he immediately helped them maintain better possession as well as fixing their press, helping disrupt the game, although it’s also safe to say that Olympic had dropped a gear or two by then. Randall did sneak in behind but Wood and Knowles combined to stop him.

With half an hour to go, Lukas Halikias and Nati Hailemariam were sent on for WO – most important thing there was that Gully and Roubos were the blokes replaced, two more guaranteed starters for next week given the cotton wool treatment. Watto clattered into the back of Hailemariam soon after, shoulder to the back as NH turned and HW arrived slightly late, which caused some mean whiplash and another hold-up in play.

Upon resumption a Bevin cross to Watson was met with a strong header but Basalaj turned it over. Sam Mason-Smith was then a bit too imprecise holding the ball up and popped his shot over the fence into the primary school. Almost a dangerous chance. Rangers were looking much better now as Basalaj also pounced low on a Bevin cross.

With fifteen remaining Rupert Kemeys took off Sinclair and Randall (on came Connor Gaul and Devon Thurston) as two more key players were protected for the final. If they could have ended the game right then and there, Olympic surely would have. Instead we carried on and Josh Rogerson and Sam Mason-Smith were both booked in quick succession for challenges overflowing with the day’s frustration. For a few seconds it seemed that WO had scored a fifth when Kailan Gould thumped a shot that took a mad deflection after Knowles had made a point blank save from a header off a corner. That was swiftly disallowed for a push. Bouzoukis also angled in for the left determined to grab another goal but that one was saved.

Then right near the end Miramar scored. Andy Bevin with a diagonal cross that went in via a touch from Ettema. Credited as a Bevin goal by NZF though it clearly should have been an own goal. Bit of a sloppy one from Ettema who was off-balance and paid the price. Or... not really since they didn’t log it as an own goal. But it did blow the clean sheet.

All goods, 4-1 to Wellington Olympic. Rangers salvaged some pride in the second half, particularly after Andy Bevin was brought on. But they were second best by a long way in this contest across the full ninety. So it goes. This was a tough campaign for them but you get the feeling they’ll be back to their usual selves in 2023. It’s Wellington Olympic where the focus oughta be... each and every one of those attackers are playing scintillating footy these days. Bouzoukis and Gould were standouts here. Justin Gulley was fantastic at the back.

Wellington Olympic finish with the most goals scored (30) and the fewest conceded (9). They have the same number of points as Auckland City but a goal difference twice as large. However that controversial draw way back in week one means that ACFC get the tiebreaker and the minor premiership. But who cares about that? It’s the grand final next week that matters. Auckland City are the perennial champs with copious pedigree. Wellington Olympic are the form team scoring all the goals. It’s going to be a belter.

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