Canterbury United Pride vs Wellington United

In the final fortnight of any league competition there are going to be some meaningless games. This was one of them as neither the Pride nor the Diamonds were in contention for anything other than midtable placings. You know what though? If there are any two teams in this entire competition that you’d back to keep their standards high, perhaps even raise them with the pressure off, then it was these two. The Cantabs are literally called the ‘Pride’. Wgtn Utd know no other way but to play with pace and directness beyond a sturdy defence. This match had undercover thriller potential.

Only one change for the Cantabs following a 4-2 loss to Springs and that was 17yo Jasmine Barney given the start at right back, the first of the campaign for the Nelson Suburbs rep. Strong team despite the occasion. Including a strong bench as well. Their opponents Wgtn United had lost consecutive games, albeit both close ones against Suburbs and Springs, so both were keen for a win to help them ease into the offseason (and for the Pride there’s no guarantee they’ll ever get another season given the precariousness of the federation teams).

In that light, the Diamonds picked maybe their strongest team of the entire term. Sarah Alder made just her second start, meaning they were able to revive their back three formation with Alder alongside Caelin Patterson and Zoe Barrott. Plus for the first time since the Kate Sheppard Cup final they had their four favoured forwards all in the same line-up. The Triple-O combination was there: Natalie Olson, Dani Ohlsson, and Pepi Olliver-Bell. Plus Jemma Robertson alongside. Technically Ohlsson was at right wing-back... but close enough.

Considering how each of these two teams play, transition defence shaped to be one of the decisive factors. That idea received some early vindication when the Diamonds took a fifth minute lead after Hope Gilchrist switched the ball quickly to Jemma Catherwood on the left and JC surged past Barney, doing the clever thing and taking an extra touch to get all the way to the byline and give her forwards time to find their spot. Catherwood then slid an easy ball for Jemma Robertson to tap home a sitter. That made this the fourth game out of eight in which United had scored within ten minutes of kickoff.

Some Charlotte Mortlock corners gave the Pride something to work with, although Molly Simons was up to the task against those aerials. Elsewhere Ellie Kabayama seemed to have hit a silky pass through for Nat Olson only for NO to be called back for offside. Very close margins there. No panic... because wouldn’t you know it moments later Jemma Catherwood was at it again. She burst around the outside of Barney and delivered a square ball across the six yard box to where Pepi Olliver-Bell got the simple finish, her sixth of the season.

Whitney Hepburn did have a header off target from one of those Mortlock corners but the Pride weren’t able to spark much outside of those set pieces. That Diamonds defence can scramble with the best of them... which then feeds into their counter attacking. Like when a Barrott interception ended up with POB slashing a shot into the side-netting mere seconds later. Catherwood also had a golden chance late in the half when she found herself centrally in the area but dragged her shot past the post with only the keeper to beat. Can’t have them all. The game management of Welly Utd was excellent thus the lead remained 2-0 as the teams hit the sheds for refreshments.

This game had settled into a routine after the second goal. The Pride had to break that routine somehow. Sp onto the table came the card that coach Alana Gunn had stashed up her sleeve: the bench. A 56th minute triple sub involving Britney Lee-Nicholson, Charlotte Roche, and Darsha Keoghan. That turned out to be a trump card because within minutes Nicholson had already provided a few nice involvements, culminating in a sneaky run to reach a long ball before Molly Simons then flipping it back to Nicola Dominikovich who chipped Simons to make it 2-1. Well now. Consider that routine broken.

But then right when the Pride seemed to be platforming a comeback they got their goalie sent off. Una Foyle had done a good job of sweeping outside her area against the runners of WU but she was late to one after 67 minutes. Although it was accidental, very much ball to hand, she did illegally stop Nat Olson from lobbing the ball over her. Might’ve gotten away with a yellow on another day. On this day she was marched... and that’ll be the end of her season. Summer holidays can be brought forward a week.

A slight problem ensued: the Pride didn’t have a goalie on the bench, hence it was up to Charlotte Roche to do the ol’ jersey swap and spend the last twenty in goal. Fair play, Roche had no issues gathering a high cross from substitute Liv Deane for her first tester. Her toughest test came from a pass in behind towards Lily Davies... and like a true outfielder she made the tackle upright with her feet. All’s well that ends well. Roche managed to survive unblemished in her twenty minutes of National League goalkeeping... however the Pride weren’t able to get much going up top with only ten women. There was one Nicholson volley that required saving. That was all. 2-1 to Wellington United.

The Diamonds did the damage early, inspired by Catherwood’s work up the left edge, then held down the fort with an assured performance the rest of the way. Gilchrist and Kabayama were excellent in the midfield. Never any doubt about that back three and, other than the one lapse for the goal, Simons was good in goal as well. The Pride did shake things up after they went to their bench but then the red card took away all momentum. Doesn’t feel like Canty have quite found their best combinations yet. Those are the perils of being a federation team. Though Nicola Dominikovich does now have five goals which is only a couple behind WU’s top scorer Pepi Olliver-Bell – there’s going to be a grand final qualification scrap in the final week and there’s also going to be a golden boot scrap with a bunch of players all in that 6-8 goal range.

Canterbury United Pride 1-2 Wellington United

Goals (Assists)

5’ | WU | 0-1 | Robertson (Catherwood)

20’ | WU | 0-2 | Olliver-Bell (Catherwood)

60’ | CU | 1-2 | Dominikovich (Nicholson)

68’ | CU | Red card for Foyle

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Waterside Karori vs Wellington Phoenix Reserves

When assessing the WeeNix’s chances in any given fixture, and this applies to both men and women, you always first check how many first teamers are involved. It’s not a blanket rule but it’s usually pretty accurate. So far this season there’d been two WeeSheNix fixtures with zero first-teamers and they lost 5-0 and 3-0 (Southern & Eastern Subs). Last week they had three first-teamers and lost 6-1 to Auckland United... though four of the goals they conceded came in the last twenty after Rebecca Lake and Mickey Robertson had been subbed off. The week before they lost 3-1 to the Cantabs with only two. Yet on the three occasions they’ve had four we’ve seen a 4-0 win over Ellerslie, a 2-2 draw with Western Springs, and a 3-2 loss to Wellington United in which, again, decisive goals were conceded after first-teamers had been subbed.

A couple of major factors help determine those availabilities. Are the first team playing at home or away this week? How many injuries are there in the first team? Is that first team game on after the reserves or before the reserves? In this case the reserves played the day before the first team, though at least both games were in Wellington. Grace Wisnewski’s injury will not have helped. The return of Rylee Foster, on the other hand, did because it meant that third choice Aimee Danieli was available to make her first WNL appearance for the Phoenix organisation (having been an Auckland United player last year).

Alas, she was the only senior player involved which did not bode well for their immediate prospects. No worries about their future prospects though. Mackenzie Greene and Emily Humphrey both got starts, Greene’s first and Humphrey’s second, alongside reserves regular Alyssha Eglinton. Eglinton and Humphrey are NZ U16s reps from earlier in the year, both born in 2007. Greene was born in 2006. Grace Bartlett has started every game, she’s another ‘07 girl. Add in returns to the XI for Georgie Furnell and Libby McMillan and there ya go.

Waterside Karori’s dreams of a grand final were squashed with a 3-0 loss to Southern in week seven so this game didn’t really have anything riding on it other than pride and experience. They made two changes from that previous match with Jenna Barry and Jemma Hall each returning. Both of them are midfielders so that meant Sarah Morton played as a sweeper while Saskia Vosper finally got another start at wing-back.

There was a decent opening gambit from the WeeNix, getting those passing links going with movement off the ball. That’s what we wanna see... although all the chances were for Karori. Kaley Ward curled high after a Mackenzie Bryant intercept. Then Danieli showing plenty of courage to go rushing a long way out of her area to sweep a ball that Ward otherwise would’ve gathered up on the run. Bit of a collision there between the two but they were okay after a quick breather. Danieli also did well hauling in a few high balls... although she did get lucky when Vosper lobbed a side-footer over to Ward who couldn’t keep her shot under the bar.

It was probably only a matter of time until Kaley Ward put one of these away... but the WeeNix were not without their own hopes. Sarah Morton cut out an excessive amount of stuff yet midway through the half Ella McMillan snuck into the area with a one-two. Just a pity her shot lacked power. Furnell also fired one over from just outside the area. All in all it was a competitive first half hour from a WeeNix team that was green both in nature and in name – with Mackenzie Greene and Marie Green partnered together in central defence. M.Greene and M.Green. Don’t get it confused.

Sadly, good things don’t last so they soon conceded. The goal came from a quick corner kick with Ward nudging it short to Vosper. They were so quick about it that the livestream was still showing a replay of Danieli’s save to force the corner as Vosper’s cross was expertly headed into the top corner by Nikki Furukawa. Great finish.

The Nix didn’t panic or divert from the game-plan despite conceding however it probably did calm the Wharfies down. A couple of attacking instances might’ve gone better for Phoenix with some more luck, usually involving Eglington in some way (either the passing range or the pressing intercepts). Alas, having almost seen the rest of the half out sans further concession they leaked another in stoppage time. Fantastic interplay between Mackenzie Bryant and Nikki Furukawa with the latter converting her second of the day.

The same trend continued into second half with the Nix doing some really good work in the midfield only to lack the precision needed to turn a good chance into a great chance. Meanwhile the Wharfies could get into similar positions, pick a classy pass to a striker’s feet, then that striker could whip out a Cruyff Turn and shoot into the bottom corner with her off-foot. If that sounds like a hyperspecific example, that’s only because it was. Kaley Ward take a bow...

Danieli had to be subbed off with twenty to go after feeling a twinge in her back. It had been another encouraging performance at this level from AFD but one thing about Danieli is that she’s very injury-prone. She’d already needed the physio to strap up her hamstring in the first half. Last year was similar, including being unable to finish some games. Brooke Neary took her place for a National League debut – another of the 2023 NZ U16s class. The Wharfies also hit the benches with Daphne Ranta, Emma Kurszona, Hayley Hedges-Fickling, and Katia Brown all getting 10-20 minutes. Brown is the sub keeper so neither team finished with the goalie who started the match. This was Brown’s second substitute appearance having also got a go against Ellerslie.

Nothing much else to say except that there were two more goals to be scored. The first was a Kaley Ward penalty kick which she’d won herself going for another of those slippery turns. This time Greene clipped her ankles. Ward was never going to miss from twelve yards. The other goal? A very deserved consolation for the Phoenix scored by a very deserving Alyssha Eglinton. Brown probably shoulda saved it (spoiling the clean sheet that Annie Foote had otherwise kept) but hey the Nix were worth at least one. A 4-1 loss is preferable to a 4-0 loss.

Really tidy performance from the Wharfies who refused to take their young opponents lightly. They defended with sturdiness. Saskia Vosper continued the trend of ex-Nixers turning up with a point to prove against the ressies (not as emphatic as Charlotte Lancaster the other week, granted). Sarah Morton was very good. Mackenzie Bryant had one of her most influential ones with a couple of assists. Ward and Furukawa got a double each. Apart from the late concession, the coaching staff had to be absolutely stoked with that one. And you might almost say the same for the other dugout too... it’s a shame the score blew out because for much of this game the WeeNix were right there with them. Lacked the cutting edge, as is so often the case with Phoenix Reserves teams, but continued to play the way they want to for the full distance. We’re all gonna have to get used to names like Ella McMillan and Alyssha Eglinton because some of these Nixers are going to do some serious things down the line.

Waterside Karori 4-1 Wellington Phoenix Reserves

32’ | WK | 1-0 | Furukawa (Vosper)

45+2’ | WK | 2-0 | Furukawa (Bryant)

61’ | WK | 3-0 | Ward (Bryant)

83’ | WK | 4-0 | Ward [p]

90+4’ | WP | 4-1 | Eglinton (Bartlett)

Auckland United vs Western Springs

As this eighth round kicked off it was entirely possible that neither of these teams would make the grand final. Eastern Suburbs had a buffer and Southern United were playing the two bottom teams. But one thing is for sure: whichever team(s) failed to win this fixture would have a hard time doing anything other than battling for bronze. It was basically a quarter-final. And these two clubs aren’t unused to decisive head to head fixtures: they met at this same venue (Keith Hay Park) towards the very end of the winter season in the game that clinched the NRFL Premier title for Auckland United via a 5-1 victory – Chelsea Elliott scored a hat-trick that day.

Auckland United picked exactly the same team that started the 6-1 dispatching of the WeeNix a week ago. With Jess Philpot out injured it’s difficult to argue against this being their top eleven. However Western Springs were not at the same capacity. Lily Taitumu was absent leaving a significant hole in their midfield. Tiana Hill moved from right back to centre-mid in consequence – Hill did play a small bit of midfield earlier in the WNL season towards the end of a match. That also meant Celia Mayo returned for a fifth start at left-back with Arisa Takeda swapping to the right. Plus there was no Jaedeci Uluvili either so youngster Kitty Jacob lined up alongside Lily Jervis in central defence. Still a more than formidable team, especially with the front three of Sofia Garcia, Sammi Tawharu, and Ela Jerez. Pretty sure Uluvili and keeper Angelique TuiSamoa have been called up to the Samoa squad for the Pacific Games... but good luck finding published squad details for that (there should be a few other WNL players involved in that comp too – for example, Jayda Stewart is a Samoa international and wasn’t in the Canty squad this week).

Even aside from the ramifications of the result, there was fascination across the pitch. Amongst the very best of those match-ups was Jerez on the right wing for Springs versus Suya Haering at left-back for United. Haering is 18 years old and went to the U17 World Cup last year. Jerez doesn’t even turn 16 for another month and will be going to next year’s U17 WC. Two of the best young talents in this competition. Both have already won Kate Sheppard Cups – these clubs being the two most recent winners of that esteemed competition.

Now having talked up that particular winger vs fullback battle... it was actually Mayo vs Alexis Cook that dominated the initial moments, with Cook tossing the first sighter at goal when she whipped an effort high from the edge of the area. Both teams had pace up front and wanted to unleash them as quickly as possible. United had more of the ball so Springs tried to bring some pressing action into the affair... however Yume Harashima was immune to such trivialities.

Cook’s pace did lead to a shot on target after 16 mins, cutting back for an angle but scooping the effort into Mickey Mitchell’s hands. Cook was getting quite a few touches and soon United began to get Bree Johnson involved too. Western Springs weren’t helping their cause with some messy passing from the back... like when Dani Canham anticipated a Jervis ball into midfield and charged into the area, angling towards a better look but her shot wasn’t good enough and Mitchell saved it down low. Same as she did a few minutes later when Cook tried another effort. There was nothing definitive yet but United were asserting themselves and Springs were looking uncharacteristically wobbly.

All it took was for one of those AUFC chances to finally fall the way of their best finisher: Bree Johnson. 25 minutes gone and Cook had the ball out wide right. She sent it infield to where Rene Wasi made a clever flick to give Johnson something to work with. Johnson was then all class in angling one way then shooting back the other way to put the home side into the ascendancy. You can’t say it hadn’t been coming.

The concession shocked Springs into motion. There was a great first touch from Tawharu trying to bring down some Kitty Jacob airmail in the area however Aimee Hall saw what was coming and snatched it away. Sofia Garcia had the ball in the net soon after except the offside flag did eventually pop. Jervis tried her luck upon a half-cleared corner and couldn’t beat the traffic. Jerez fired off target. These weren’t chances that would’ve been high on the xG meter but it was a lot more than they’d mustered previously. It remained 1-0 to AU at the break.

The overall stats don’t make this immediately obvious as the top four teams are all in a similar spot as far as goal conceded... but Auckland United have a case to claim themselves as the league’s most dominant defence. Five of the eight goals they’ve conceded came in the opening two games. Since then... two in five. As much as they weren’t going to park the bus, as much as Western Springs have attacking prowess popping up all over the place, United did already have a lead and lately they’ve known what to do with those.

Haering found herself in the penalty area five mins into the second spell and nearly scored a backheeled volley. It then took a crazy save from Mitchell to keep Wasi from picking out the top corner. Harashima swung a cross into the area that missed its target and hit the far post instead. Harashima also volleyed over – she was having a wicked game in that midfield. Mitchell made a wonderful save to thieve the ball from Canham’s feet to thwart a 1v1. There was one flashing offside strike from Garcia but this was not going well for Western Springs, who were barely clinging on. Mitchell again stopped Canham at close range after a rough touch from Canham. The American gloveswoman was the only one keeping them afloat.

The response from Maia Vink was to sub off Mayo and Jacob after an hour with Megan Lee and Charli Dunn on in their place – leading to a back three switch, Takeda joining Jervis and Dunn in that trio. Pia Vlok also came on at the same time for AUFC. The defensive trio worked for awhile... until Canham’s clever run from midfield to set up Rene Wasi at the back post. Probably should’ve been 2-0 but Wasi flipped it over the top. Chelsea Elliott had a header cleared off the line towards the very end as well. Auckland United’s finishing has not always matched their build-up work but on this particular afternoon it didn’t matter because Western Springs never looked like they could find a goal as this game wound down.

Auckland United kept that clean sheet, their third in five games, and with that they their grand final hopes are suddenly thriving. Mickey Mitchell was magnificent for Springs, who really missed Taitimu in the middle and weren’t able to spend the time they usually do on attack. When they did, Garcia was often caught offside or the crossing wasn’t good enough. But give all the credit to how well that AUFC back four operated. Greer Macintosh and Chelsea Elliott. Green and Haering were really good too – Green was unstoppable in the first half despite a couple of injury pauses (when you play like TG does there’s always a physical toll). Even better was Yume Harashima as the defensive midfielder, while their forwards all had choice moments – most of all that decisive goal from Bree Johnson. In the most important game of the season so far, the NRFL Prem champs defeated the Kate Sheppard Cup champs. Will they carry on and become National League champs?

Auckland United 1-0 Western Springs

25’ | AU | 1-0 | Johnson (Wasi)

Central vs Southern United

‘Twas a beautiful week for Central Football, coasting in their win over Ellerslie last week. A win, a clean sheet, and almost certainly now a finishing place that won’t be last. It’s been such a familiar sight to see Central at the bottom of the WNL table... but potentially no longer. For the first time since 2016 they’re on course to avoid that wooden spoon. Goalkeeping prodigy Sophie Campbell was back for this game and she was nine years old in 2016, to give that a bit of context. Anyway, yeah, their follow up to that lovely victory was to have to host a rampant Southern United side who not only came into this match with grand final aspirations and the form to back it up but they also needed to pad their goal difference in order to fend off the competition. You only get to coast for so long, aye?

Central made one change to the side that beat Ellerslie and that was the aforementioned Sophie Campbell. Leonie Heck had been one of their most influential players in that win but that’s how this gig goes. Perhaps she’d see some time as an outfielder later on. For Southern, Amelia Simmers was missing in goal again so lucky that Lauren Paterson had been so good last week and could carry on from where she left off. Margi Dias was also absent. Katie Mawdesley started in her place for her first appearance of the term.

The Southerners were impatient to get on with that goal difference stuff. Lots of direct stuff on display – including a remarkable switch over the top from Kendrah Smith to Freya Partridge-Moore, plus a bunch of crosses like the one from FPM that Amy Hislop glanced wide from a header. Gotta be careful against the 2023 Edition Central though... because Charlotte Noakes nearly scored a ripper running onto a sweet chip over the top from Ruby-Aroha Gurnick (trying to repeat her assist from last week). Naturally that came off the back of some Mikaela Bouwmeester hold-up play. You thought that was close? After ten minutes Bouwmeester flicked a looping touch off a low cross that Paterson had to launch herself backwards through the air just to get a hand upon... with the ball dropping onto the post before Maddi Hughes struck the rebound over the top.

There was no room to be complacent. So they were not. Lucky minute thirteen and Hannah Mackay-Wright stormed through a challenge on Bouwmeester then swerved past another Central player before sending Hislop in on goal... and that was only ever going to end one way.

Hislop’s been fantastic this year and she was all over this one. She kept peppering away with half-chances as Southern continued to threaten... though fair play to the Central defence which was digging deep. McKenna Chittenden and Aimee MacNee staying active again. They weren’t getting much going up the other end but they did have some decent spells throughout where they at least threatened to threaten. Despite it all this one was still only 1-0 at the break. Then, shrugging off a determined start to the second spell from Southern, Mikaela Bouwmeester expertly guided a Maddi Hughes corner kick into the net and Central were back level at 1-1.

That’s Bouwmeester’s fourth of the campaign. Central only have six goals overall and Maddi Hughes scored the other two. That pair is the main reason why Central have been able to apply more counter-pressure this year, keeping them in games to where they’re contending for decent results.

Goal difference is one thing but Southern absolutely could not afford to drop points if they wanted to make the top two... yet they were very soon under attack again, having to get hustling in defence to keep a now-buzzing Central side at bay. Only thing for it was to get Hislop involved some more. The Southern striker did have an effort parried away by Campbell after that... though the main bit was when she dropped in and smacked a wicked switch over to Bee Park. Park then nudged one for Abby Rankin to chase and the ex-Central midfielder had the gas to get their and finish smartly past Campbell. The celebrations reflected what a crucial goal that was. Southern back in front after 61 minutes.

Some mean skill from Rose Morton down near the corner deserved a better end product than a mistimed FPM header. Not to worry. A wonderful dummy from Hislop off Mawdesley’s forward pass put Morton into the area again. She was unable to beat Campbell with the shot... but the ball fell for substitute Jemma Wilson to tap in an easy one. Finally some room to breathe for SU.

That was the catalyst for a few Central substitutions with Paris Liu, Marina Ishimoto, and Sarah Swinbanks all thrown out there... then with ten to go they made a goalkeeping switch as well, Leone Heck getting to finish this one between the sticks. NZ U16s rep Isla Cleall-Harding had already joined the midfield ranks earlier while Southern sent on former Central played Samantha Woolley although they wouldn’t clear the decks until after the luxury of a fourth goal. And you might just be able to guess who scored that one.

Amy Hislop. Direct from a corner kick that she’d earned herself. Doesn’t it seem like there’s been an unusually high number of Olimpico goals this year? Anyway, that gave Southern room to offer WNL debuts for Madi McLean and Hayley Julian, while Raegan Potter also got the last few minutes. Not much else went down. They had to work much harder for it than the final scoreline suggests but Southern United’s quest for the grand final took one more big step forward with a 4-1 victory.

To be honest, Central kinda culminated their season last week so as long as nothing gets humiliating then these last two games don’t matter much (although the WeeNix next week could be funky... a win there and they’d leap another spot up the ladder). Maddi Hughes was their best. She set up the goal and gave them so much mahi. She’s the only Central player to have played every minute so far. Bouwmeester was also a huge presence while Liz Ingham is a workhorse in the middle. And they really did defend quite well for most of this match.

On the other side there weren’t many who didn’t impress for Southern. Amy Hislop was immense with her two goals plus important contributions for the other two. Abby Rankin was on fire. Rose Morton. Freya Partridge-Moore. Hannah Mackay-Wright. This Southern team have had a way of getting what they need out of games and this was that once more. Taking the Auckland United vs Western Springs result into context, Southern United and Auckland United are now not only level on points but they’re also level on goal difference too... and SU finish up by playing the last-placed team. Another one there like this one was and they’ll be grand final bound.

Central 1-4 Southern United

13’ | SU | 0-1 | Hislop (Mackay-Wright)

53’ | C | 1-1 | Bouwmeester (Hughes)

61’ | SU | 1-2 | Rankin (Park)

70’ | SU | 1-3 | Wilson (Morton)

85’ | SU | 1-4 | Hislop

Eastern Suburbs vs Ellerslie AFC

The final game of the penultimate round was a clash between first and last. Eastern Suburbs could not afford to take their eye off the ball though, they had to keep on winning if they want to ensure their title defence remained under their own control. Ellerslie had lost every game so far. Anything other than another defeat here would be a massive shock, particularly given the goal-scoring form that Suburbs have discovered lately (built around Charlotte Lancaster’s bombardments)... but the sport of football does do funny things from time to time.

The Lilywhites lost 4-0 in the previous game that Charlotte Wilford-Carroll missed so not ideal to see her absent for this one. They must’ve felt it was a game they could rest her for because they also gave backup keeper Caelin Tremain a go in place of the ever-impressive Brooke Bennett. Olivia Erskine and Arya Blackler were the other changes – Erskine making her first WNL start. Only change for Ellerslie after the disappointing 1-0 loss to Central was Lyric Davison coming in for Kim Oosterbeek, who had started every game until this point.

The Ponies didn’t see much ball in the initial phases, with Suburbs seeking to involve their in-form wingbacks Charlotte Lancaster and Zoe Benson. Having said that, the first time they did they might’ve had a penalty after Kat Gow was barged over by Aimee Atkins. Gow would sting a volley just over a wee bit later. Clearly this was not going to be a routine result despite the standings. Ellerslie weren’t afraid to sit deep, midfielders dropping into the backline, and Suburbs were having issues with the lack of space that caused them. Ellerslie also gave the post a good rattling when Anita Trudgen let loose from the edge of the box after 22 minutes. Moments later it almost went the other way but Petra Wedlake was able to make the point-blank save off Benson after spilling Lancaster’s drilled cross. Then she did so again with a spectacular stop reaching back against a header from Erskine.

Something felt off about the home side. Something wasn’t right. And their afternoon was about to get a whole lot more complicated because, half an hour into this contest, last-placed Ellerslie took the lead. It was a beautiful flowing team move that saw most of their key attackers getting touches before two of their most experienced combined for the final act. Cross from captain Leigh Aitken. Headed finish from Anita Trudgen. 1-0 to the Ponies... giddy up.

That was only the third goal that they’d scored all season and the first since week three. Not sure where this version of them has been... better late than never, s’pose. They almost scored another six mins later as Kat Gow put the ball in the net dashing through. Offside flag went up but jeez it can’t have been by much. Hayley Miller had a shot straight at the keeper while Lancaster chipped one slightly high but it still wasn’t clicking for the Lilywhites. They were 1-0 down at half-time and honestly were fortunate it wasn’t worse.

Suburbs emerged back out on the pitch in record time awaiting the second half. They had a point to prove. Even a draw would at least keep them level on points with Auckland United and Southern United. A loss would leave them begging for either of them to drop points next week, otherwise the title defence would be over. Hectic prospects for ES. Meanwhile Ellerslie subbed on Cilla Fa’afua for the second spell because they weren’t done quite yet.

Lancaster and Benson both tried long shots as Subs got themselves into the spell. Erskine had another which was actually on target... but straight at Wedlake. These were low percentage options. Ellerslie were hunting in packs and winning a lot of the 50/50s. They’ve often looked like a team lacking for confidence this term but with a lead to protect it was a different script. At no point have the Ponies felt like a bad defensive team. It’s just those lapses, the lack of ninety minute performances, and of course the lack of goals putting their defence under supreme pressure. Suburbs subbed on Kenya Brooke and Sophia Dyer after 56 minutes. Emily Lyon followed before long. Yet Ellerslie kept on repelling set pieces and absorbing deep crosses.

This was getting very troubling for the defending champions. Very troubling indeed. There were further long shots that didn’t threaten Wedlake. There were further crosses that didn’t find their targets. They didn’t seem to have another plan... although they were spending basically the entire second half on the attack and if you keep on knocking at the door eventually someone might answer. After 71 minutes, a loose one fell for Lancaster in the area and she lashed it off the crossbar. As close as Suburbs had come yet. They were soon to get closer as the referee determined that Lancaster’s shot had taken a deflection off the arm of a defender. Hard to tell from the video but there’s nothing else it could’ve been. Ellerslie were incensed about not getting a free kick for a slide from Emily Gillion (who’d also been subbed on) on top of what they felt was a super harsh penalty call. Luckily for them, the assistant on the sideline had seen the foul and the penalty was taken away.

Onwards we went. Wedlake made an incredible save against a spinning Cooper effort from up close. Lancaster headed high from a corner. Cooper did the same. A Findlay dink to the far post was met by Lancaster right on the back post but somehow it didn’t go it... must have been a save unless it hit the post. You know how there are those games where it just seems like there’s an invisible forcefield blocking the goal? Where no matter what you try it feels futile, as though you’ve been cursed to defeat? This was one of those ones for Eastern Suburbs.

In the most incredible upset of the National League season it was Ellerslie who won 1-0 at Madills Farm. Their first ever positive result at this level and against their close geographical rivals they may just have ended a title reign. One thing you can bank on: Auckland United and Southern United will have celebrated this result every bit as much as the jubilant Ponies did.

It was a courageous and organised defensive effort that got the job done. They’ve always been capable but here they finally stuck it out for a full match – winning the physical battles and dictating things from there. Cat Pretty was fabulous. Leigh Aitken. Tayla Hawes. Hollie Leona. It was a superb team effort... which also gives them a shot at avoiding last place heading into the final round. It’ll require them spoiling the party for another challenger as they face Southern United in Dunedin but we’ll see how that goes. Every team has won at least one match now.

For the Lilywhites, this was their second defeat and only the third time they’ve been kept to fewer than three goals. However they have tended to score those goals in bunches with long spells of fruitlessness surrounding (like last week when all three goals were scored in a ten minute spell)... the bulk of their creativity last season came from Tayla O’Brien and Deven Jackson and neither have been around this season. They’ve replaced some of that weight but not all of it. And in this league almost is not enough.

Eastern Suburbs aren’t out of it. Neither are Western Springs for that matter. Suburbs have the worse goal difference of the top four so a draw away to Canterbury United probably won’t help them. They’ll need to win that one and hope that two of the other three teams drop points. The two Uniteds now know that if they win, they’re in. Auckland United plays Wellington United away. Western Springs plays Waterside Karori at home. Southern United plays Ellerslie at home. Eastern Suburbs plays Canterbury United away. Ninety minutes remain apiece and four teams can still make the grand final. We had a major twist with this game... could yet be another one where that came from.

Eastern Suburbs 0-1 Ellerslie AFC

30’ | E | 0-1 | Trudgen (Aitken)

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