2023 Men’s National League – Week 6
Wellington Olympic vs Petone FC
It may have been second against last but regional derbies tend to get pretty freaky so Wellington Olympic versus Petone was never one to go making assumptions about. Petone did after all turn this lot over 4-0 during the winter season. Olympic had a first half red that game but they were already 2-0 down when that happened. A Jack O’Connor hat-trick was the secret. No goals for Matt Brazier that day... which was reassuring given that he was surprisingly left on the bench to start this match. Perhaps nursing an injury of some description. Luke Grindlay took his place while Oscar Boyce and Luca Barclay returned from U19s nationals and Sam Pickering also reappeared for them. Given that Brazier had scored their only two goals so far, perhaps this was a good opportunity to show that they can do it without him.
On the other side it was standard Wellington Olympic stuff with Theo Ettema back in the eleven and also youngster Devon Thurston given the start on the left wing in place of a rotated Joel Stevens – who was on the bench. As they usually do, Wellington Olympic showed immediate intent to commit cruelty upon their opponents. However Petone’s press was pretty good and they did a fine job of disrupting the passing lanes, slowing down what the Greeks were doing. That takes a lot of energy though. How long could they maintain that disruption?
Yeah try about 12 minutes because that’s when Martin Luckie Park got to see Gianni Bouzoukis score his sixth of the campaign (and the 99th of his Wellington Olympic career... in only 126 games). Jack-Henry Sinclair nodded a deep cross back into the middle where Hamish Watson’s volley was saved by Boyce only for Bouzoukis to pounce like a good striker will. Olympic have scored inside of 15 minutes in 5/6 games, with nine of their goals coming within half an hour.
Oliver Pickering fired over the top amidst a decent Petone response... but they were soon under the pump again. Sinclair absolutely crunched a shot wide after a scramble had broken his way like the sun beaming through the clouds. Watto was doing funky things, including setting up Sinclair for a chance with the outside of his boot that he caught all wrong and it sailed miles off target. Boyce’s footwork was tested by the Olympic press. Plus we began to witness some late tackles from Petone, not dirty ones just challenges where they were half a step behind, which led to a pair of yellows inside of 31 minutes. At least they were blocking shots and holding their ground.
There wasn’t a lot of Petone attacking energy and what littler there was tended to be dispelled by Justin Gulley, who made one magnificent block on Jamaya Shearer. He also smashed into O’Connor late in the half which had someone on the Petone bench stepping onto the pitch and screaming “that’s a red card!”. It wasn’t a red card, only a yellow. 1-0 to the Greeks at half-time... at which point Matthew Brazier entered the arena. Interesting. Very interesting.
Jack O’Connor had a go from out left which kissed the crossbar on its way over. Suddenly Petone had some belief about them. Granted, they did almost concede at the other end when Gavin Hoy stole the ball and fired into the side-netting, claiming to no avail that he’d been held back. Olympic needed to retaliate so they threw on Joel Stevens. They also introduced Joe Hopper, with Ettema sliding into central defence as Ben Mata took a precautionary early exit. It was Stevens the human highlight reel who made it count. With pretty much his first involvement he was able to set up his team’s second goal. Smooth return pass with Bouzoukis then a perfect cross for Hoy to convert. Finally a bit of breathing room for the Greeks.
Not much though. Scott Basalaj needed to be sharp to deny O’Connor, before Gulley again pulled out the block on Shearer from the follow-up. Next came a point-blank save by Bas off Isaac Snell’s near post header. Alas, recurring injury stoppages meant that Petone couldn’t get the clean momentum they were after. Momentum which WO didn’t need because they can create out of nothing, particularly when Joel Stevens is in the mood. He curled one wide himself before setting up Watson to miss a stand-up header and kick the goalpost in frustration. One of the injuries was to Sinclair who limped off with fifteen to go... fingers crossed that’s nothing serious. Must admit that Petone did have Olympic scrambling at the back and it was only those killer challenges that were saving them.
Another team might’ve punished that. Many of them have done – just look at Olympic’s defensive record lately. Petone aren’t a clinical team like that but they continued trying with Brazier on the prowl. Goalie Boyce kept it at twos with a pair of quality stops against Stevens and Watson before Petone finally got themselves on the board as Jack O’Connor put one away. Shearer had slid Sam Wall into space with an angled through ball. Wall went around Basalaj but ran out of room to score... so he nudged across goal for O’Connor to do the honours instead. A deserved goal for JOC who’d been up to plenty of goodness on that left wing throughout.
That was in the 85th minute so not much time remaining. Enough time for Hamish Watson to do something stupid though. He’d body-slammed a bloke near the corner after getting tangled to concede a free kick. That FK was taken quickly so he rushed over to slide sprigs-up into a challenge and get set off. The quick free kick was what cost him but no excuses for the brain explosion. He’d been playing so well too... possibly some boilover at having failed to get on the scoresheet like he deserved. There was also some brouhaha between Brazier and Gulley. Ref had to tell them to chill (which they already had done by then).
This whole thing was leading towards a significant culmination. That moment arrived in the fourth minute of stoppage time when O’Connor sent an in-swinger into the area which was met by the head of Matthew Brazier for a dramatic late equali... oh no wait it was offside. Can’t have strayed by much but those small margins will get ya.
Wellington Olympic won 2-1 to maintain their march towards the grand final. Justin Gulley was superb for them, getting a foot onto everything he could. Tor Davenport-Peterson was really good in midfield too while Gavin Hoy continues to impress – he and Bouzoukis have each scored in three consecutive games. For Petone it’s another annoyingly close loss in which they failed to make the most of their opportunities. However it’s a young side that’ll keep learning and two of their brightest youngsters, Jack O’Connor and Oscar Boyce, are looking like serious players already. Especially Boyce. They’ve got a real one there.
Wellington Olympic 2-1 Petone
12’ | WO | 1-0 | Bouzoukis (Watson)
54’ | WO | 2-0 | Hoy (Stevens)
85’ | P | 2-1 | O’Connor (Wall)
90’ | WO | Red card for Watson
If you’re reading this then clearly you’re hungry for that good National League coverage so make sure to also check out our Substack Newsletter which includes Men’s and Women’s Team of the Weeks throughout the season... plus the ol’ socials (especially Twitter/X & Instagram) are stacked with highlights
Auckland City vs Auckland United
Dominion Road is bending. City versus United. Manchester had their own edition of that game on the weekend but it was a pale imitation compared to the NZ National League’s version. Kiwitea Street was the venue as Auckland City sought to remain perfect while Auckland United probably needed to spring an upset victory to have any hope remaining of making the final. Nasty objective... but they were the only team to beat City in the Nats last year so there’s precedence for them.
Auckland City weren’t messing about. Albert Riera picked his strongest side available with Mario Ilich returning to the eleven while Dylan Manickum was also rewarded for an excellent bench cameo last week following after his international futsal exploits. For United, they were unfortunately without the two best players of their early games with Yousif Al-Kalisy and Dre Vollenhoven both unavailable to face their former club. Semi Nebenu came into the side at right centre-back with Hideto Takahashi moving into the midfield. Nic Zambrano also made his first start since week three while Will Stephen made his first start full stop... having coming off the bench in all five previous matches.
When you’re taking on Auckland City, it’s essential to start well. Got to set a tone right from kickoff. Get in there with a few tackles and show them that they can’t just pass it around untroubled. Really make them work for it. Stay sturdy at the back and make sure you get through the opening stages unscath- oh damn they’ve conceded already. Third minute of the game and Liam Gillion sent Angus Kilkolly into space up the right edge and his centred pass to Dylan Manickum was met by a clever first touch to create a better angle then an emphatic finish to score the goal. 1-0 to ACFC already.
That was hardly ideal for United... and it was threatening to get worse. Auckland City don’t turn it on as often as you’d expect but when they do, phwoar. Stay safe folks. Gillion was getting heaps of touches. Manickum was looking funky. Cam Howieson and Mike Den Heijer were all over it. Howieson thumped one over the top from a Manny lay-off. Gillion forced a good save out of Mack Waite. There was space in the pocket. There were give-and-gos. They were stretching the United back three. It may have been gloomy in the skies but the pitch was being lit up with the slickest City passing patterns of the season to date.
Then Liam Gillion got injured. Limped off after 22 minutes to be replaced by Reggie Murati (an ex-AUFC dude). Murati’s been really good lately but he’s a different player to Gillion who has that vertical running threat. As if to immediately emphasise the change in tone, Auckland United should have scored one minute later when Christian Gray sliced a clearance off his own post and then Josh Redfearn smashed the rebound onto the crossbar. That was the start of a strong spell for United. Daniel Atkinson was doing things. Takahashi looked noice in that midfield, making unflustered smart decisions without fail. Flawless facilitating. That dude’s a modern marvel.
Typical City, they slowed things down to regain control and soon started stepping up their attacking efforts again. Then they scored in first half stoppage time, fully punishing United for not having taken advantage of their better spells. Kilkolly turning on the feed from Murati and going boom. Quite similar to how their first goal was scored, actually. Slight defensive lapse and then a brutal concession.
It got worse for AU when Ross Haviland was injured five minutes into the second half. Codey Phoenix came on with Takahashi moving back to CB (and Atkinson moving into the midfield). Phoenix has come over from Birkenhead for the MNL and this was his first United appearance. Turned out to be a decent one too... with a goal in the 57th minute to get his new team back in range. It was a strange set of circumstances. City had just had a spectacular team goal ruled out for an offside, Manickum drawing the flag and also finishing the chance, so they weren’t exactly on the rocks. But all of a sudden Conor Tracey picked up a backpass for some unknown reason and from the indirect free kick Zambrano rolled his foot over it and Takahashi took a blast. One of those ‘just punt it into a good zone and see what happens’ kind of shot/crosses... and Codey Phoenix diverted it into the net via his noggin.
City weren’t rattled. They went back up the other end where a couple of Howieson set piece deliveries caused some itchiness. Before long Jordan Vale had set up Angus Kilkolly for AK’s second of the day. Good yarns. That’s five for the season now, second only to Gianni Bouzoukis – he’s done a great job of filling in for the absent Ryan De Vries.
In fact Kilkolly almost completed a hat-trick soon after as he glanced a header wide from a fizzing Murati cross. Then, briefly, he thought he had as he nodded in a looping rebound after a stunning goalline block from Nabenu against Tong Zhou. Except that Zhou had backed into the keeper and obstructed him. City were ready to kickoff when the lino talked the referee into (probably correctly) disallowing it. Ah well. Kilkolly then got subbed so there’d be no derby day hat-trick for AK9.
Auckland United’s bench were mostly young dudes but Jose Figueira ain’t afraid to chuck them into the fire. By his own admission they finished with seven players under the age of 23 on the park (most of them from the club’s own academy). Ishveer Singh-Dhillon pinged a shot just past the post. His movement is getting better and better, there’s a proper prospect there. And as the game seemed to be petering out, Fumiya Ito headed in from a corner kick to make it 3-2. Both United goals were scored by substitutes. That closed the gap with four minutes of stoppage time remaining... however those four minutes all belonged to the Navy Blues and Oliver Colloty probably should’ve scored a fourth for the home side. Not to worry. 3-2 was the final score. United gave it a good nudge but City made it six outta six.
It was a strange game because City were unreal for the first twenty minutes then lost Gillion and reverted back to the grind-it-out team we’ve seen for most of this term. But they’re really good at grinding it out. Angus Kilkolly had a sharp game giving them that conversion that they needed. Their midfield is awesome. If it weren’t for a brainfade from their goalie and a couple of sloppy finishes this would have been a more emphatic win. City haven’t kept a clean sheet since week two and four of their six wins have been by a single goal but at some stage that stops being a coincidence... they’re simply really good at winning close games. They have unrivalled bench depth that allows them to keep up the intensity for ninety minutes. They’re fantastic. They always are.
Can’t help but wonder what this might’ve been with Vollenhoven and YAK available. Not to mention ninety minutes of Haviland. Everton O’Leary didn’t play this game either (another Birko addition). They were without some faithful soldiers yet they still served up a commendable effort highlighted by some promise off the bench. Takahashi is outstanding. With two wins, two draws, and two defeats they’re not going to get top two... but they have already played the three top teams so don’t be surprised if they stomp home from here.
Auckland City 3-2 Auckland United
3’ | AC | 1-0 | Manickum (Kilkolly)
45+1’ | AC | 2-0 | Kilkolly (Murati)
57’ | AU | 2-1 | Phoenix (Takahashi)
67’ | AC | 3-1 | Kilkolly (Vale)
90+1’ | AU | 3-2 | Ito (McCarthy)
Christchurch United vs Napier City Rovers
Pretty simple task for Christchurch United. They were at home against a team below them on the ladder with United Sports Centre looking a treat on a Sunday afternoon (artificial turf aside). Wellington Olympic’s win the day before had pushed things out so that when this game kicked off they knew that only a victory would keep them in touch with the top two. So that’s what they had to do.
In pursuit of that target, they were without Cam Lindsay for the first time. That meant U20s fella Louis King was given a starting debut at right back after consecutive spots off the bench – with Riley Grover moving to centre-back and Aidan Lehan retaining his spot on the left side of defence. That meant four U20s players in the starting eleven, to go with a 22 year old goalkeeper. The fab four started together up front for the third time this term: Eddie Wilkinson, Dan MacLennan, Eoghan Stokes, and Sam Philip. The other two times were both clean sheet victories.
Napier City Rovers lost 1-0 to Rewa last week. They made four changes to that side with forwards Cam Emerson and Jonny McNamara both welcomed back from suspension (in good time after Christian Leopard’s injury last week). Midfield workhorse Ta Eh Doe also returned to the line-up while Kaeden Atkins started at fullback with Fergus Neil unavailable for turf games.
NCR captain Jim Hoyle was attempting to avoid his fifth yellow card in six games – he leads the competition for bookings. He sent panic through his team’s bench with a very early injury, this after Leopard suffered a serious one in the first minute of last game, but would be okay once he dusted himself off. Otherwise you can imagine how this one went. Rovers were compact defensively. United wanted to get the ball to their running forwards, especially Wilkinson, as quickly as possible. Both sides were ferocious in the midfield. Oscar Mason did well to rush out and smother a chance after one of those Wilko runs. He also got his hands on a Wilkinson free kick from just outside the area, no dramas. Hoyle stuck close to Philip to keep him at bay.
Meanwhile McNamara did have one shot on target for Scott Morris to do what needed doing – this was the strongest NCR line-up for a few weeks so they weren’t to be taken lightly. Case and point: an Emerson chip from the edge of the centre circle which had Morris beaten but dropped over the crossbar. Ry McLeod also had a decent chance after 18 mins which he stabbed straight at Moz. McLeod’s been good for them since being loaned in from Melville for the MNL – he actually started the Chatham Cup final against Christchurch United so he knew what he was in for here.
No surprises that Doe having a good game within those wild midfield areas... he also smacked a spinning volley high around half an hour in. Jago Godden was throwing his body around in the same spaces. There was violence to be beheld. On the one hand the Rovers defence was handling things quite well. On the other hand there was a bit too much that needed handling and eventually that pressure can become overwhelming. Mason slapped away a MacLennan shot that dropped nervously close to the far post. Stokes had a go from range. What Rovers needed was a goal to shake things up. So Jonny McNamara did his thing (via a sneaky deflection).
Righto. Now the Rams needed to start cooking. Stokes dug out a shot that forced Mason’s best stop yet. Albertini made a goalline clearance after Matt Tod-Smith had done some things. Philip wanted a penalty for some pressure from Hoyle. Then a wild one as Mason spilled a high ball with MacLennan in his way and it fell nicely for Sam Philip, Southern League top scorer, who volleyed it onto the crossbar. Smacked it a wee bit harder than he needed to and it cost him an equalising goal. Otherwise the scramble defence was still coping for NCR. Coped all the way into half-time with that 1-0 lead in tact... but you got the feeling that the hard mahi had only just begun.
Indeed. Because a couple of minutes into the second half it was Eddie Wilkinson time again...
Sweet little lay-off from Louis King in there too. King had an excellent game getting up that right edge and progressing things for the Rams. Unfortunately the youngster had to be subbed soon after the goal after pulling up lame from one of those many overlaps. Nick Murphy replaced him.
The lead was gone but Rovers were not. A few forays forward in the aftermath of that equalising goal showed as much... and they very nearly retook their lead when Liam Schofield overlapped and cut one back for Corfe whose shot was magnificently saved by an outstretched Scott Morris leg. Later came a corner kick which met the head of Atkins and was then suddenly deflected on target by a crouching Corfe. Scott Morris saved that one too. Point blank. Those two moments turned out to be absolutely massive because eventually this happened...
It was that man MTS again. Raising his head above the crowd in the decisive moments as he so often seems to do. The Rams were down at the half. They ended up winning it in the 82nd minute. Napier had their chances at 1-1 and were denied, then were unable to muster much in those closing stages. Morris got pinged for picking up the ball outside the area but it was of no consequence. Emerson had a shot deflected wide deep in injury time. Nothing closer than that. The Rams had Aaron O’Driscoll doing big man things in defence and they found the individual moments of class that they needed up top. A tough win and a crucial win. Looks like we’ve got a top three forming and three into two doesn’t go. Christchurch United’s final three games: Wellington Olympic, Cashmere Technical, and Auckland City in that order.
It’s a stink one for Napier City given the fine margins at play. That could easily have been a Deri Corfe winner instead, but that’s how these kinds of games are often decided. Rovers got quality out of Hoyle (no yellow card btw) and Doe. McNamara and Corfe were regular threats. Mason made some saves. But Christchurch United found the big moment when they needed it and NCR did not. Simple as that.
Christchurch United 2-1 Napier City Rovers
34’ | NCR | 0-1 | McNamara (Corfe)
48’ | CU | 1-1 | Wilkinson (King)
82’ | CU | 2-1 | Tod-Smith (Godden)
Wellington Phoenix Reserves vs Eastern Suburbs
We’re past the point where either of these teams can dream of making the grand final... but National League games are still rare opportunities to test yourself against the best in the country. Eastern Suburbs were still searching for that first win of the campaign. The WeeNix had just watched their A-League men’s team bag a first victory of the season the night before and therefore had plenty of inspiration. Plenty of motivation too after seeing Fergus Gillion and Isaac Hughes each make their A-League debuts off the bench late in that one. Believe it or not, both of them started this game.
They weren’t the only ones either. The crowd at Fraser Park got a pleasant surprise with a very strong WeeNix team that also included Jackson Manuel who has featured in the ALM before; Josh Rudland, Kaelin Nguyen and Ben Wallace who have played in the Aussie Cup; plus Charlie Beale who was on the bench in week one (while Rudland has been an unused sub in both ALM games so far). That’s a lot of stuff going on so let’s just lay-out the full formation: Alby Kelly-Heald in goal, a back four of Matt Sheridan, Dan McKay, Isaac Hughes, and Jackson Manuel, midfield duo was Fergus Gillion and Charlie Beale, and then Ben Wallace and Kailen Nguyen out wide with Josh Rudland and Josh Tollervey up front. First-teamer Oskar van Hattum was on a deep bench that also included Noah Karunaratne, Tze Xuan Loke (who’d been everpresent until this match), and the exciting Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues.
Eastern Suburbs delivered a couple of curiosities. Francis de Vries was only on the bench while Stephen Hoyle was away coaching the women’s team who also played on Sunday. That allowed Riley Dalziell to make his first appearance of the MNL at centre-back while Jackson Jarvie stepped in at wing-back for another start, this time against a bunch of his U20 World Cup squad mates from earlier in the year. Aaryan Raj was also in that team. And, yes, Luis Toomey was there. One of the form players in the competition... and also an ex-WeeNix fella. Had he been one or two years younger might just be getting A-League minutes under Giancarlo Italiano. Timing didn’t quite work out for him but here was a chance to make a statement.
The problem for Suburbs has been a lack of goals. Outside of Luis Toomey they’ve really struggled to create much despite a very strong defensive unit. That’s why they’ve been failing to win games. But you knew this was going to be a weird day from the outset because that strong defensive unit (admittedly not as strong without Hoyle there) leaked a goal inside of two minutes. An early corner for the WeeNix. Beale swung it in. Josh Rudland tried a shot and that shot was intentionally deflected by Kaelin Nguyen in front of goal. Joe Knowles couldn’t get a hand to it and it was 1-0 to the Phoenix Reserves.
That lead lasted for all of four minutes. Jackson Jarvie played a sharp one-two with Luis Toomey before squaring to Ryan Verney who scored. Just like that. First goal since round two for Suburbs that didn’t involve Toomey either scoring or assisting it... yet he still played a huge role in it. Credit also to Raj for a pinpoint pass through the midfield line and out to Jarvie in motion on the left edge. Raj’s ball-playing is one of the major reasons why he’s such a top centre-back prospect.
It was frenetic stuff, with both teams looking to push the pace. Suburbs were finding a little more joy in how they did so, though. Particularly via that Toomey fulcrum. So thrilling how that dude changes direction with the ball at his feet. Getting their wingbacks Jarvie and Kalua in behind the Nix fullbacks was also a priority... like they did after 16 mins when Jarvie found yet more space and flipped an early ball into the middle where Kingsley Sinclair had gotten between the centre-backs. Flick off the laces and it was 2-1. Pretty soon that became three as Toomey got in on the fun, slipping a lovely reverse ball in towards Ryan Verney who couldn’t get a shot away so he flipped it back to Toomey whose shot went in via a deflection.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Suburbs, with Dalziell needing to be replaced after 24 minutes after picking up a knock. Wing-back Malcolm Young joined in his place with Kalua dropping into the back three. Wallace did spark one or two things for the WeeNix as well... but that pales in comparison to Jarvie and Toomey and that all they were up to. Toomey put a defender on the deck with one slicing turn in the area only for his shot to be deflected wide. Those deflections really can go anywhere, ya know? One went in and one went wide.
The Lilywhites weren’t afraid to slow things down and draw the press. It was also in the best interests of the WeeNix to slow things down, especially as they were struggling to hold things down in the midfield against Strong and Twigg and even Verney dropping in. Strong did get a dumb yellow for slowing down a free kick. Ben Wallace went close drilling a volley wide of the post late in the half but even later than that came a horrifically swerving Toomey free kick into the danger zone, which Raj met first with a shot that was half-saved by Alby Kelly-Heald’s quick reactions and might’ve still been going in anyway before Kingsley Sinclair provided some elite goalhawking to steal the final touch. Couple scrappy moments in there along the way which required the ref to calm things down – both involving Rudland. Don’t mind a bit of mongrel in a young striker. 4-1 to Eastern Suburbs at the break.
Five goals in five matches and now four in one half... this was a different Eastern Suburbs that we were witnessing. And they began the second half with similar ambitions, Toomey charging forward and initiating a Twigg shot that flew a little too high. Yet just like in the first half it was the WeeNix who scored early. Didn’t seem to be anything going and then Ben Wallace pushed a pass in between the defence which Josh Rudland collected in stride and then guided into the bottom corner. The Nix have already been involved in a 6-4 win this season (vs Rewa). You never know.
Okay in this case you did know. That scoreline wasn’t repeating itself. But the Nix were back in the chase, with Manuel catching a free kick sweetly on his left only for Knowles to read it and catch it without fuss. Suburbs hit the refresher with Tyler Lissette and Ralph Rutherford chucked into the fray. Chris Greenacre responded with interest by making a quadruple sub (not uncommon from that guy): on came van Hattum, Loke, Sloane-Rodrigues, and N.Karunaratne (off went Rudland, Tollervey, Sheridan, and Nguyen). Wallace was thus the only bloke in the front four unchanged for the Nixers. That can be disjointing or that can be enlivening. In this case it was the latter as GSR won a corner with his directness and then Wallace won a penalty with his back to goal. Small trip by Twigg. Kinda looked like it was outside the area but then the referee was closer than the cameras so Oskar van Hattum got to stare down Joe Knowles from twelve yards... and make it 4-3 with a little over twenty minutes remaining.
Nervous days for the Lilywhites. They did still have Luis Toomey doing mad things but one small slip up the other end and that winless streak would continue. Toomey had a couple chances, perhaps he shoulda scored one of them. Sure would’ve helped. Then again, his creation has been the main thing and a whipped corner kick of his was headed towards goal by Kalua until it struck the arm of a defender. Penalty. One soft penalty apiece for each team... seems fair. The Nix first team also gave up a weak handball penalty in their game but unlike Alex Paulsen, Alby Kelly-Heald (whose brother had conceded the ALM handball) was not able to make the save. Luis Toomey with his second of the arvo. He then peeled off giving it the shush celebration (one finger held up to his lips)... so yeah nah don’t expect him back in yellow and black anytime soon.
From there, Suburbs pretty much coasted to the finish. There was one moment when Karunaratne set up OVH from eight yards but van Hattum slipped as he shot and Kalua cleared it off the line. No other WeeNix hints for a fourth, at least they were able to bring Jayden Smith on for his second stint off the bench near the end, the 16 year old centre-back from Nelson. But yeah nah 5-3 was the final score. Eastern Suburbs are in the win column and it only took six weeks of trying.
Wouldn’t have guessed that’s how Subs would finally get a win but there you go – they matched their goal tally for the first five weeks combined. Obviously Luis Toomey was superb, skipping past challenges and creating for himself and others. He scored twice and was heavily involved in a couple of his team’s other goals. If he’s still playing National League next year then his agent deserves a hiding. Jackson Jarvie gave them something very different to Francis de Vries with his speed and vertical running and that different something turned out massive in this particular match-up (FDV did get a few mins off the bench as a closer). Kelvin Kalua also had a strong game. Coach won’t be so happy with the three conceded however at this stage they just needed a win by any means.
The WeeNix have now got to ponder a potential wooden spoon – with a home game against Petone in two weeks likely to decide that. It’s five defeats from six for the youngsters. All the changes from week to week don’t help, then again this team have different targets than the rest so that comes with the territory. It’s not about results. Ben Wallace was involved in a lot of their best mahi. They got minutes for a bunch of players who needed them – especially Hughes and van Hattum who are now on senior contracts. Josh Rudland has three goals and two assists in only three appearances. Somehow they’ve managed to concede a penalty in four consecutive games though... might wanna sort that out for next time.
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 3-5 Eastern Suburbs
2’ | WP | 1-0 | Nguyen (Rudland)
6’ | ES | 1-1 | Verney (Jarvie)
17’ | ES | 1-2 | Sinclair (Jarvie)
21’ | ES | 1-3 | Toomey (Verney)
43’ | ES | 1-4 | Sinclair (Raj)
49’ | WP | 2-4 | Rudland (Wallace)
68’ | WP | 3-4 | Van Hattum [pen] (Wallace)
77’ | ES | 3-5 | Toomey [pen]
Manurewa AFC vs Cashmere Technical
Last but not least, Manurewa were back at War Memorial Park hoping for a bit of that good home field advantage on a windy afternoon in South Auckland. Rewa may have started with some sloppy defence and a trio of defeats but they’ve been a different team since they shocked Christchurch United. Dylan Morris was back in their starting team while James Hoyt also returned. Plus they’ve picked up Blake Inder on loan from Miramar Rangers. A 19yo defender who has also played in a Chatham Cup final with Eastern Suburbs. Chuck him alongside 20yo Sean Leadley of Bay Olympic and 20yo Regan Diver of Western Springs. Rewa getting busy with those mid-season youth additions. Nicolas Bobadilla, who scored the winner last week but got injured in the process, was only on the bench as he nurses that hamstring.
Cashmere Technical have yet to repeat the same result in consecutive weeks and they won last round so that wasn’t a good sign. They also had to make the long day trip north which is never easy. However they did have talisman striker Garbhan Coughlan back in the line-up, the only change from their stoical 2-1 win against the WeeNix in week five.
Rewa began very deep, hanging back to get a good look at what their opponents were up to. What they were up to was the usual CT recipe of quick passes and clever dribbling in the attacking third mixed with the occasional ball over the top. What that resulted in was a tenth minute goal as a corner kick routine ended up at the feet of Garbhan Coughlan nine yards out and you don’t win any prizes for guessing what he did next.
Tino Contratti got himself booked for blocking a quick free kick after Sammy Khan had conceded a foul. Contratti then played a dozing ball across to Khan which Coughlan intercepted and only a one-handed reach from Diver prevented it from becoming 2-0. Not a bright start for the home side. They were passing the ball over the sideline and into teammates who weren’t looking. Contratti got a talking to from the ref after twenty, presumably telling him to get his lads to quick yapping. At least they didn’t have a penalty awarded against them after Aidan Barbour-Ryan went down under a touch from Contratti.
It was a terrible first 25 minutes but they were only 1-0 down and soon began to work a few passing chains into the other half. Nothing leading to any chances although perhaps the priority was more about easing the weight upon their defence. Also helping that cause was some refereeing leniency after Contratti, already on a yellow, clattered Coughlan over by the sideline after 31 mins. Coughlan was okay. In fact within five minutes he’d scored a second goal. Just after Monty Patterson finally had himself something to run onto, forcing a save from Matt Foord despite a tight angle, Cashmere Tech turned it around and scored on the break with Jacob Richards squaring sweetly for GC to smack in his second.
Rewa were beginning to calm things down and then they got sucker punched. But then they got straight back into it with a gorgeously worked including a silky flick from Patterson to allow Khan to cross for Sean Leadley to finish the move. Then, would you believe it, they equalised moments later. Khan with an aerial cross this time, and Leadley with a headed finish. That same combination. Switching Khan to left back (and Inger to CB) proved to be a masterful move from coach Paul Marshall.
Patterson wasn’t far from putting them in front with a left-footed cruncher from edge of the area. Boon Ozawa had a go in stoppage time as well. And then, with half-time mere seconds away, came a huge moment as Aidan Barbour-Ryan was sent off for a raised elbow against Ronaldo Munoz. ABR had his back turned the whole time but he did lift his elbow. Whether that was a natural running movement or not, the referee saw it as a sign of aggression and from being 2-0 up after 39 minutes, Cashmere Tech would hit the sheds at 2-2 and down to ten men. What an astounding turnaround.
James Hoyt was having plenty of fun stepping through the midfield and he had his eyes on a wondergoal at the start of second spell... alas his thunderbolt came back off the post. Technical’s plan seemed to be sturdy defensive shape with flashes of individual Coughlan mahi. For awhile there that seemed to be working for them... until Hayat Ali Tobita was subbed on and immediately set up a goal for Sammy Khan, posting up at the back stick. Khan’s always been a highly skilled central defender but this was nuts. A goal and two assists. Great ball from Connor Probert to get the ball to Tobita in the first place too.
Danny Kane tried to chip Regan Diver from halfway, the maniac. Got it on target too but Diver tipped it over the bar. He then made a very good stop off a rocket Coughlan effort. Wasn’t going to be a walk in the park even with the lead against ten men... and to be honest Rewa had no right to be comfortable with any single-goal advantage given some of the silly ones they’ve conceded this year. So they went and scored another to be safe. Tobita with a wicked run up the right wing and Boon Ozawa could hardly miss once it got sent his way. You might’ve thought that Paul Marshall was on some kinda madness when he subbed off Leadley with two goals... then the bloke who replaced him set up two more within five minutes.
Was that enough? Maybe not. Better score another one then, aye? Shout out to Boon Ozawa...
Unbelievable. Now Manurewa were finally in a spot where they could afford to sub off the influential Contratti who’d been on a final warning for most of this game. Technical did get a goal back with ten to go as Tom Schwarz scored a mean header from a Yuya Taguchi free kick. That was enough to give the visitors a head of steam in the latter stages – a couple of Zander Edwards efforts kept it frisky. But Manurewa held on for the 5-3 win to make it three in a row. Triples is best.
Two separate 5-3 scorelines this week? Go ahead and try find a better domestic football competition than this, it cannot be done. Sammy Khan has had plenty of fine outings for Rewa this season, an undersung hero next to the undeniable Contratti, but here he got amongst the goals in a game-changing manner so he’s getting his flowers this time for sure. Sean Leadley and Boon Ozawa both got doubles. Monty Patterson and James Hoyt were very good. Hayat Ali Tobita had a wonderful impact off the bench. They may have been a shambles at the beginning but once they got to running up that score in the second half there was some sumptuous Rewa football being played. They’ve already played each of the top three. Makes you wonder how far they can take this winning streak.
As for Cashmere Tech there’s no doubt they’ll be upset with the way things happened. Contratti avoiding a red then ABR getting one back the other way... shades of the All Blacks earlier that morning. Garbhan Coughlan had gotten them off to a perfect start but they couldn’t maintain it. This was the second time this season that they’ve gotten a first half red card whilst in the lead and gone on to lose – it happened against Auckland United in week one as well. When they keep eleven on the park they’re great. When they don’t it gets a bit wonky.
Manurewa AFC 5-3 Cashmere Technical
11’ | CT | 0-1 | Coughlan
36’ | CT | 0-2 | Coughlan (J.Richards)
40’ | M | 1-2 | Leadley (Khan)
41’ | M | 2-2 | Leadley (Khan)
45+4’ | CT | Red card for Barbour-Ryan
60’ | M | 3-2 | Khan (Tobita)
64’ | M | 4-2 | Ozawa (Tobita)
69’ | M | 5-2 | Ozawa
81’ | CT | 5-3 | Schwarz (Taguchi)
Another remarkable week of National League footy... if you rate the reads then please support what we do on Patreon or with a paid Substack so we can afford to giving this league the coverage it deserves
Also helps to whack an ad, make a cheeky donation, and to tell your mates about us
Keep cool but care