2024 Men’s National League – Week 5

Western Springs vs Wellington Olympic

It’s been a curious month for both of these teams: Western Springs had gone loss, win, loss, win for some wonky business, while defending champs Wellington Olympic only won one of their first four matches. The Greeks seemed to be back on track after a 4-1 win against Eastern Suburbs followed by a healthy 2-0 lead against Cashmere Tech... only to get Coughlanned and have to settle for a 2-2 draw. They threw that one away but a win against this volatile Springs side at Seddon Fields in Auckland would put a different glimmer on their situation. Western Springs brought Jackson Manuel back into the midfield after suspension and Emiliano Tade made his first start of the MNL having returned to contention off the bench last week. Wellington Olympic were unchanged from the side that played 70 excellent minutes against Cashmere.

This was the only men’s game on Saturday and, like most places around the country that day, it was very damp at Seddon Fields. Damp enough to make the coverage look like a hazy soap opera flashback. With the genre-appropriate amount of drama, of course, since this is the mighty NZ National League that we’re talking about. Western Springs tried to established their possession-first approach, which is a different look to what Olympic faced against Cashmere last time. Springs have occasionally looked vulnerable against the press though... and Olympic never have an issue with sending extra guys forward.

No dramas there. In the 12th minute the Greeks won a corner kick. Ben Mata rose up but had his effort blocked and cleared... though only as far as Jack-Henry Sinclair who swung a cross back in towards the far post and Isa Prins was there to nudge it over the line. Four minutes later Isa Prins burnt Pat Tobin with a bit of skill and then pulled the ball back to Gianni Bouzoukis showing his positional instincts and GB whipped that thing home for 2-0. Well now.

Once again, Eddie Wilkinson was muscling up and setting a tone. He often tends to peak in the National League and sure enough he’s begun to reach top form over the past fortnight. As for Springs, they were spraying so many passes. They weren’t losing the ball in areas that led to transitional attacks but the Olympic swarm was still keeping them from getting much going beyond an early shot wide from Jackson Manuel. Therefore they went to the option that’s been working best lately: Matt Ellis’ pace on the wing. Curiously, he and Oscar Browne swapped sides for this match - possibly a JHS preventative measure. Ellis had a couple of sprints in behind and one of those saw him slip a shot past an onrushing Scott Basalaj with a few in the crowd already celebrating when Justin Gulley appeared out of nowhere and hacked it away. But it wasn’t long before Ellis regained the ball in the middle and dropped it off to Jackson Manuel whose shot took a slight deflection on its way into the bottom corner. Bang, the home side were back in the race.

There was a scintillating counter from Springs five mins later in which they strung together a bunch of passes culminating in a Tade backheel to send Ellis through... but his first touch skipped away off the turf for nothing. More excellence from Wilkinson spawned a cross which Bouzoukis headed just wide, though Wilkinson did get himself booked for a rough challenge on Ellis. Chopped him from behind. No complaints. However, things had definitely swung by the time we entered first half stoppages. Basalaj saved a Tade smack-shot from a narrow angle. Ben Mata won plentiful defensive headers. But nobody could stop Patrick Tobin from touching home a corner kick scramble to send everyone back to the sheds tied at two goals apiece.

Olympic blowing a 2-0 lead two weeks in a row? At least this time they left themselves plenty of room to response... which they mustered almost immediately after the game resumed when Ben Mata put a typically powerful header on an Eddie Wilkinson corner kick – with Gavin Hoy ultimately credited with the goal for his touch in the six-yard box Hard to catch much of what happened from the underwater camera but you can probably fill in the blanks...

Bouzoukis went close when given time to shoot in the area. Mata then ripped off an incredible diving headed block against a full-blast Tade shot. It got very loud when Prins went lunging in on Ellis in the box but the ref said all-ball and it looked like that was a fair enough decision. All the while it kept on drizzling. Having learned the lessons of last week, Ifill/Quainoo subbed off Bouzoukis and brought on a defender in Adam Supyk, who went to left-back in a four with Prins moving to striker... for about ten minutes until Hamish Watson took his place.

The back four had the desired effect for Wellington Olympic. The game became a lot more boring than it had been and that was fine by the Greeks, who still kept a sporadic attacking threat going whilst pretty much shutting shop the other way. Springs weren’t helped by a few injury stoppages further slowing any possible rhythm. They couldn’t get it rolling as Olympic put continually numbers where they needed them – their second half was full of important defensive interventions made by blokes who made you wonder: “what’s he doing back there?”. They also weren’t averse to testing the ref’s patience with some physical stuff. It did the trick. 3-2 to Wellington Olympic at full-time.

Wellington Olympic are 2 for 2 in the city of Auckland and haven’t won a game anywhere else yet. This game demanded plenty from them and they rose to the challenge. Brilliant start inspired by Isa Prins and Eddie Wilkinson. Western Springs fought back with some speedy wide play of their own, Matt Ellis with a prominent role, but Ben Mata was the best player on the park thanks to his aerial dominance and stirring leadership. Mata and Mana are basically the same word, when you think about it. Set up the winning goal too. Western Springs played well. Emiliano Tade clearly brings them a new dimension with his unparalleled vision for a pass in the attacking third. Kurtis Mogg had a strong game too. They caught the defending champs on the wrong day... but the good news is that they’re due a win next week as long as these alternating results continue.

Western Springs 2-3 Wellington Olympic

Goals (Assists)

12’ | WO | 0-1 | Prins (Sinclair)

17’ | WO | 0-2 | Bouzoukis (Prins)

33’ | WS | 1-2 | J.Manuel (Ellis)

45+2’ | WS | 2-2 | Tobin

48’ | WO | 2-3 | Hoy (Mata)

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Eastern Suburbs vs Auckland City

This is the one they call the Gridlock Derby. No word on what traffic was like heading to Madills Farm early on a Sunday afternoon but there was plenty riding on this game for the home side. Eastern Suburbs were trying to bounce back from consecutive losses to Wellington Olympic and Western Springs (both since Kane Wintersgill left as coach) and thus any lingering hope they had of getting into the final was doing to depend on a good result against... let’s see... ah yes Auckland City who were undefeated and top of the table. Rightio.

Interesting stuff from the outset with Eastern Suburbs choosing to go with a back four for this match. That’s a new look. That meant Kelvin Kalua at right-back with Aaryan Raj and James Mitchell in the middle and Jackson Jarvie on the left. Even with Nikko Boxall and Dan Atkinson suspended that’s still a fine group of soldiers. Addison Stewart made his first appearance of the term in midfield, while Dejuan Naidoo finally earned himself a start following some bright sub cameos. Plenty of youth in this side... but Naidoo and Kalua combined really well down the right edge to set up Jake Mechell for an early chance which the captain/striker miss-hit. They wasted it but encouragement was there.

Problem was, that was a rare instance within an otherwise slick Auckland City show. Two changes for Albert Riera’s dudes with Kentaro Ozaki filling in at right-back so that Jerson Lagos could play right-wing. They were knocking the ball around like always but they were also accessing width and using runners from deep positions. Lots of Stipe Ukich who flung a nice cross into the middle, got fouled on the edge of the box, and pinged a shot over the top all within the early minutes.

The Lilywhites stayed steady though and nearly got something going when Mechell made a brilliant run in behind, alas he couldn’t quite catch up with Stewart’s slippery pass. Mechell was getting a few chances though. That’s what Brian Shelley wanted to see. The best chance of the first half would fall to Mechell after 29 minutes after Campbell Strong picked off a pass and then gassed it forward up the left wing before squaring to JM... who turned it wide. Pity about the miss but the game plan was working sweetly. Pleasing to see the Lilywhites searching for that extra pass in the attacking third rather than panicking and playing the first option they see (like teams often do against Auckland City). Kalua and Naidoo’s combo continued like that and Stewart was going well too. Gotta shout out James Mitchell at the back. The first forty-five ended with the game still scoreless. Gridlocked, you could say.

Many teams have learned through the years that half of a good game against Auckland City earns you nothing. The second spell got going with shots from outside the box by Gerard Garriga and Jerson Lagos. Neither were on target, as Suburbs did an amazing job of getting numbers back, crowding out, and making blocks. City were looking for chinks in the armour but struggling to find them. Probably gotta admit that Myer Bevan wasn’t entirely singing from the same hymn sheet as his teammates having only recently rejoined the club. They were bossing it but goals were proving elusive.

That earlier sporadic goal threat from Suburbs basically disappeared in the second stanza, although Noah Karunaratne did nearly score with one of his first touches when he lashed a shot from near the penalty spot which allowed Conor Tracey to make a quality stop down low. The Lilywhites made several subs to keep the energy and focus high. Auckland City waited until twenty to go to throw Joe Lee on for Stipe Ukich in search of a different element. It was getting towards stalemate territory when Dylan Manickum flipped a lay-off into the area for Gerard Garriga’s run following his own pass. Garriga squared for Myer Bevan and Myer Bevan made the net shake. They’d been knocking and knocking at the door and finally, more than 72 minutes into the contest, they decided they’d sneak in through the side window instead. Great goal. Superb pass-and-move action.

Six minutes later they did it again. Ilich tried to lift a shot on target from the back post at set piece time. It dropped onto the crossbar whereupon Bevan stuck his head onto an attempt that was cleared off the line. Ilich then got another chance from the third phase and bingo. And then for good measure, deep into time-added-on, Conor Tracey hoofed one down the ground which the Lilywhites defence and keeper hesitated with and thus Angus Kilkolly lobbed it cleverly over Patkevych for three. Seventy quality minutes from Subs undone by the poise and relentlessness of Auckland City Football Club. 3-0 final score.

Four wins and a draw has ACFC clear top in the standings. They had a lot of good performers here, with Ilich and Lagos making things happen out wide, Ilich and Garriga doing fine things in possession, Michael den Heijer’s been excellent all season, and although there were no goals or assists to show for it Dylan Manickum was so often the sharpest arrow in the quiver for the Navy Blues. His futsal skill set shone through around a crowded penalty area and it was he who really instigated that beautiful first goal. Myer Bevan has scored in all three games he’s played – granted, this was the first that wasn’t a penalty kick. And full credit to Conor Tracey on doing the clean sheet/goalkeeper assist double. He was the only keeper to get a clean sheet this week in the MNL.

One win from five doesn’t paint a pretty picture for Eastern Suburbs. They did some very good things in this match and they did them with a team chock-full of youngsters too. That includes Riley Dalziell who got his first MNL game of 2024 off the bench, he was part of the NZ U17 wider group last year. 20yo central defender James Mitchell was the pick of them in this game... he and 21yo Aaryan Raj formed a CB partnership which repelled Auckland City for 70 minutes. Decent areas... but they did lose again so the grand final is surely going to be beyond their reach now. So it goes. At least they didn’t get a red card this time, snapping that pesky two-week streak.

Eastern Suburbs 0-3 Auckland City

73’ | AC | 0-1 | Bevan (Garriga)

79’ | AC | 0-2 | Ilich

90+5’ | AC | 0-3 | Kilkolly (Tracey)

Cashmere Technical vs Coastal Spirit

Cashmere Technical are Southern League champs. They’re also an experienced National League force that rises for the big stage every year. Coastal Spirit were runners-up down south and are competing in the Nats for the first time... yet it was Coastal Spirit who came into this match after two big wins and you know what else? They were undefeated against Cashmere in four previous meetings this year. There was a 4-4 draw in April and a 2-0 win in July during the league stuff. In between was a Chatham Cup second-rounder which Coastal won 3-1. And then they also won 4-0 in the English Cup final. They had nothing at all to fear rocking up at the lush Ngā Puna Wai facilities – where the rugby league markings had been freshly painted over after the Kiwis and Kiwi Ferns spent the previous week training there.

Cashmere Tech made one alteration to their side with Aidan Barbour-Ryan replacing Zander Edwards. Coastal Spirit did the same with Liam Cotter given his first National League start. Nothing else to worry about. Neither of these teams like to mess around in possession without purpose so it was a mile a minute from the outset. Cashmere Tech had a little more of the action but they were also the first to crack. A smart run from Alex Steinwascher drew a long ball over the top from Matthew Bergin. Steiny lured PT Bierema away from the middle then beat him to the ball, squeezing a shot through from a narrow angle which Danny Kane was in place to clear off the line... but Bierema had smashed into Steinwascher and that was a penalty. Steiny took it himself and sent the keeper in the wrong direction. Add that to the tally after his hat-trick last week... 1-0 to Coastal after eight minutes. Lessgo.

Bierema was were he needed to be a few minutes later when a cheeky David Yoo flick in the box led to MacLennan shooting on the cut-back from about nine yards. Moments later Garbhan Coughlan had his first chance of the afternoon, lashing wide on the break. This was good fun. Even more fun when David Yoo whipped one in off the post with his left foot, making pleasant use of some rare space between the lines of Technical (space create by MacLennan, Steinwascher, and Yoo all linking up in the move). If Cashy Tech were gonna get a victory against these blokes this year then they had their work cut out already down by two goals with not even twenty mins on the clock.

Coastal were defending well, not afraid to concede a free kick, but they were leaving room in behind and Coughlan had already had his sighter. 32 minutes gone, he dashed into that space as Ben Lapslie chipped a pass over the top. Coughlan took it down on his chest, holding off Riley Grover, and beautifully beat the keeper with his finish. That’s A+ striker stuff right there... and three minutes later he did it again. Lyle Matthysen with the ball up the left wing. Coughlan collected it on the move and shaped up a pair of defenders, searing infield and plucking a shot into the bottom corner. He scored twice in the last twenty minutes to bring Tech back from an 0-2 deficit last time against Wellington Olympic. He did the same thing in one half against Coastal. This is man is no ordinary footballer.

Problem was, his team then gave away another penalty. Tom Schwarz initially made a great lunging challenge to poke the ball away from David Yoo but then he had a second dig and cleaned out Liam Cotter. Yellow card for his troubles. Steinwascher took the first pen but David Yoo took this second one. No worries there. Yoo was as clinical as Steiny had been. 3-2 to Coastal Spirit, a lead they took into the break (thanks to a point-blank Ellis Hare-Reid save from a Tachuchi shot back post, who also fizzed a long shot narrowly wide in stoppage time). Excellent drama. Fantastic entertainment.

Coastal brought on Kenshin Hayashi for Liam Cotter at the half. That shouldn’t have been a defensive sub, it’s relatively like-for-like, but it kinda played out that way as Coastal Spirit sat deeper in the hope of protecting this lead like they hadn’t done with the last lead. Hare-Reid did have to make a sprightly save from a Lapslie free kick that was swerving towards the top corner, as well as throwing hands at more than a few aerial crosses. Then a huge save closing down Finn Caughey’s header from a lob in behind. Taguchi was getting touches in great areas. A low Matthysen cross met Coughlan from about a metre out at the near post and for all money you expected that to be a goal. Nope, Hare-Reid saved that too. But he didn’t save Finn Caughey’s ferocious header from a Lapslie corner after 69 mins. EHR thought he’d been impeded and there were plentiful yellow jerseys around him... doubtful he’d have had a chance anyway.

It’s hard to shift the balance when you’ve been stuck in defensive mode. Cashmere Tech smelled a potential win and they almost took the lead when Coughlan managed to beat EHR to the ball but flicked his header slightly wide. Everyone held their breath for a couple seconds to see which side of the post that one was going to end up on. Coughlan did plant one bottom corner after 80 mins but he was offside. Meanwhile, fair play to Coastal because they were willing to risk leaving gaps at the back to chase a victory. Tech still looked more likely but nobody stopped running. Yuya Taguchi was inches away with a shot from the perimeter. Coastal scrambled away a few more corners, including a few more wonderful Hare-Reid saves. Then Daniel Boys nearly won it for Coastal Spirit with the last kick of the game. Thrilling stuff. Coastal Spirit led 2-0 and 3-2 but had to cling on for most of the second half. They survived and emerged with a 3-3 draw. Cashmere Technical once again fail to defeat their city rivals.

Big shout out to Alex Ballard who played his 100th game for Cashmere Tech here... and he’s still a teenager, debuting at 16yo three years ago and playing regularly ever since. Granted, the combative nature of this game meant his bro Finn Caughey got more of the action (including the levelling goal). Garbhan Coughlan needs no further praise. He’s amazing. Dude’s scored 25 goals in his last 21 MNL matches dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign. Gotta wonder what might have been in an alternate world where he gets a chance in the A-League... imports never seem to get that consideration but it worked for Albert Riera once upon a time. Not to mention Roy Krishna and Brian Kaltack. Yuya Taguchi was pushing man of the man status if only he’d been able to finish a chance or two. But the main man here was Ellis Hare-Reid of CS whose long limbs and proactive decision-making were essential to his team’s performance. Good areas from the likes of Boys, Steinwascher, and Hoole. David Yoo is up to five goals for the campaign... same as Coughlan (and also Daniel Bunch of Birkenhead).

Cashmere Technical 3-3 Coastal Spirit

8’ | CS | 0-1 | Steinwascher [p]

17’ | CS | 0-2 | Yoo (Steinwascher)

32’ | CT | 1-2 | Coughlan (Lapslie)

35’ | CT | 2-2 | Coughlan (Matthysen)

40’ | CS | 2-3 | Yoo [p] (Cotter)

69’ | CT | 3-3 | Caughey (Lapslie)

Western Suburbs vs Napier City Rovers

Endeavour Park in Wellington. Western Suburbs seeking a first win. Napier City seeking to retaliate after losing last week away to Birkenhead. That was NCR’s first loss but a couple feisty draws meant they’d gone three weeks without a win and that’s not how you get ahead in the NZ National League, especially not for a team whose last two games are against Auckland City and Wellington Olympic. Best to make hay while the sun shines. Wests just wanted to see the grass grow, let alone get to the hay-making stage.

Western Suburbs had keeper Quillan Roberts suspended so Jack de Groot got his second start, having also played while Roberts was away with the Guyana national team. Noah Tipene-Clegg also re-emerged in their midfield as the other change from last week. Napier City Rovers returned to the back three shape with George Andrew in there for his second match, while Kieran Richards came into the eleven and there were first starts of the term for Sam Lack as the number ten and Englishman Jordan Annear up front. Good to go.

Big energy right from kickoff here. Rovers never mess about and Suburbs were only too happy to match that intensity looking for quick passes and early feeds to the feet of Lucas Meek. That Lucas Meek vs Oscar Faulds striker battle was always going to attract attention and it was Meek who could have landed the first blow in the duel with a few early chances. George Andrew shut him down for the first two, then he couldn’t quite get a header on target from a Seb Barton-Ginger cross which left him stuck like an upside-down gopher.

That turned out to be a pivotal miss because a few minutes later a half-cleared corner kick fell to Adam Hewson on the perimeter and he shanked his shot but he shanked it into the path of Ben Stanley who stuck out a boot and diverted it into the net. 1-0 to Napier. A few more minutes later, Andrew stepped out of defence to commandingly win possession and then push a pass for Jordan Annear running in behind. Annear went around the keeper but lost his angle, however he didn’t lose his composure and slipped a pass across for Sam Lack to whip it in for 2-0.

Annear had a shot tipped over by JDG and then Stanley might have had a double off the corner if Tipene-Clegg hadn’t made a brave block. That only delayed the damage. Pretty soon Annear was slamming an effort from within a crowded penalty area, a shot which hit Harry Fautley and went in for an own goal. Bit harsh on Annear not to give him the credit but that’s how it got recorded by the officials. 3-0 after only twenty minutes. It took Rovers a whopping 22 minutes to get three goals up in their week one win against Western Springs so this was a new personal best.

It was also another defensive collapse from Wests, who let in three goals in the space of 12 minutes against Cashmere Tech, three goals in 25 minutes against Birko, three goals in an astonishing five minutes against Coastal (and five goals across roughly 25 minutes overall, spanning the half-time break), and now here was a three-in-20-minute calamity. There’s something about these compounding concessions from Western Suburbs. But they did grab themselves a lifeline on 31’ when Matt Jones misplayed a Barton-Ginger cross and Lucas Meek flipped it in for 3-1. Something to help keep heads above water (metaphorically speaking... though it was raining at Endeavour Park and Napier did very obviously handle the slick surface conditions a lot better). Then this happened...

Yeah sometimes it’s just not your day. Credit to Annear for the awareness though – you can see the point where he realises what’s coming and he gets coiled like a dog waiting for you to throw the stick. Hugely deserved goal for Annear to go with his two assists. Oscar Faulds tried to join the party with a long shot that flew pretty close to the target, would have been a belter but he missed. So it was that we reached the half at 4-1.

It’s bloody hard to recover from a spot like that, especially against a Napier team that doesn’t cut corners. But they did get a helping hand (more like a helping set of sprigs) when William Tønning rushed out of his area towards a bouncing ball over the top and crunched into Lucas Meek. Got the ball but the boot was very high. Deemed to be dangerous. Napier’s pleas went unheeded and out came the red card... and since NCR had no specialist on the bench, they had to give the gloves (and an ill-fitting reserve jersey) to the first half hero Jordan Annear.

That was wild because this happened to Western Suburbs last week at this very same ground. Quillan Roberts got sent of and Finn Diamond had to put the gloves on. At least Annear didn’t have to face a penalty for his first act, like Diamond did, since the foul was outside the area. That free kick hit the wall but Annear did tip the next one over the top before rushing out to punch the corner delivery. Did the mahi with a couple of Cameron MacKenzie long shots too. Annear did concede on 73’ when Sebastian Barton-Ginger went boom after peeling off to collect a short corner and then unleashing from the edge. Top corner at pace, can’t blame the makeshift keeper for that. By the time Annear made a diving stop to push a Meek free kick around the post it was clear that this was not his first goalkeeping rodeo.

Rovers continued to defend well, preventing Wests from being able to get clean shots at goal outside of long shots and set pieces. They had a lead, they were down to ten men, and their priority was defence. But they did nearly score a fifth when Cameron Emerson curled an attempt into the post, possibly with a slight touch from the fingertips of JDG. Otherwise, Rovers dig deep during the spell where Wests might have been able to turn things. Then they efficiently wound down the clock from there for the 4-2 victory.

Overwhelming in the first half. Sturdy in the second. Napier City are up to eight points after a game which demanded a few different versions of the NCR formula. Gotta admire how rugged and assured this side is under Bill Robertson, they know how they like to play and they never dip below the required effort levels. Jordan Annear’s eventful day gets man of the match honours – a goal and two assists plus a bunch of saves. That’s a stat collection you don’t see very often. George Andrew stood out amongst the defensive effort with numerous big challenges, though he was hardly alone in that. In both of Napier’s wins, they’ve coming out guns a-blaze and scored three quick goals to play from in front.

In contrast, Western Suburbs have conceded 18 goals in five games, including at least two in every single match. Lucas Meek did win the head to head with Oscar Faulds... but got nothing to show for it. There are some very good players in this team but so far they’re struggling to play the style of footy they want to. Rovers were too rugged to let them pass and move around them. Couple goal contributions for Seb Barton-Ginger though, that’s something. He’s been good for them since joining as a guest from Miramar Rangers.

Western Suburbs 2-4 Napier City Rovers

14’ | NCR | 0-1 | Stanley (Hewson)

17’ | NCR | 0-2 | Lack (Annear)

20’ | NCR | 0-3 | Own Goal (Annear)

31’ | WS | 1-3 | Meek (Barton-Ginger)

37’ | NCR | 1-4 | Annear

49’ | NCR | Red Card | Tønning

73’ | WS | 2-4 | Barton-Ginger (Cave)

Birkenhead United vs Wellington Phoenix Reserves

David Ball was left out of the Wellington Phoenix’s A-League squad for the trip to Perth this weekend and Giancarlo Italiano said the reason for that was to get him some minutes for the reserves. Instead of Perth he got to go to Auckland’s North Shore. He’d already played a quiet hour in week one, now the import striker was back for more. Ball lined up on the left-wing for the WeeNix. Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues also returned after a short injury absence, while Seth Karunaratne made his first start and Lewis Partridge made his fourth (after coming off the bench last week). Dublin Boon was in goal and Luke Supyk up top, also making their fourth MNL starts and also appearing with first-team contracts. Dylan Gardiner and Fergus Gillion are the only two blokes who’ve started all five games for the WeeNix. Decent team there, seeking to bounce back from a disappointing performance against Coastal Spirit in a 3-0 loss.

For Birkenhead United, two wins in a row has sent them surging up the ladder and they’ll have marked this down as another winnable fixture. No Ardri McArthur after going off hurt in the Napier City win so Jaylen Rodwell, once a WeeNix player himself (from the year when the Ole Academy merged with them) took his spot in the back three. Silvio Rodic wore the gloves for only the second time this term. Monty Patterson, another former Nix player, was good to go up front after a few stuttering injury niggles through the past month.

At first this game was just the two goalies playing forceback, especially Dublin Boon whose enormous boot could go from keeper to keeper in one bounce at Shepherd’s Park. That pattern exploded when Dylan Connolly went surging on the overlap and hit Monty Patterson in the middle but Monty lost his balance and sliced a huge chance wide. A slippery run from Sloane-Rodrigues then set up Lachlan Candy, whose lefty whipper had Rodic diving to his side for a save – first glimpse of GSR’s danger in this one, remember he was unstoppable when he last played in week two. The WeeNix were moving the ball pretty smoothly but Birko made it known that their ceaseless movement was going to cause problems. A tantalising recipe for footballing activities.

The difference was that Birko seemed to have way more cutting edge. Karunaratne made a brave block stepping in front of a Connolly shot, while Patterson’s next attempt was much closer, fizzing into the side-netting as he sprinted at the defence on the break. Curtis Hughes had a sighter. The in-form Daniel Bunch had a sighter. Eventually Dylan Connolly slipped a ball underneath for Monty Patterson angling inwards and there ya go, 1-0 to Birkenhead United after 23 minutes. No less than they deserved after a blindingly bright start.

Boon may feel he could’ve done more with that. He certainly did more when he acrobatically pushed a Dino Botica header over the top soon after. Birkenhead are irrepressible when they’re on it and they were sure on it here. They play with an intensity that’s so hard to withstand. Relentless. Some scrambling defence from Gardiner and Karunaratne helped matters for the team in yellow... as did the driving runs of Luke Supyk - he’s obviously been practising his dribbling and it’s evolving into a major feature of his game. Meanwhile, Haris Zeb smacked a fine effort on target which Boon saved by slapping it up into the air and about three seconds later it finally came down and landed on the crossbar then was cleared properly. That was strange... as was Daniel Bunch shooting over the top from six yards out after some wonderful work from Patterson, getting to the byline and then showing the composure to wait for Bunch to get into position before nutmegging the defender and seeing his mate falter with the easy bit.

Despite their dominance in the first half, the brittleness of only holding a narrow 1-0 lead came back to bite Birkenhead when Lachlan Candy went on the charge and scored a brilliant equaliser three minutes into the second spell. The move started with a clever first-time pass around the corner from David Ball to get his team out of trouble and immediately onto the attack. Then Candy did the rest charging forward and then pulling out a mint finish.

And while they were all celebrating, David Ball, ever the veteran, made it his mission to let everyone know not to party too hard because there was a long way yet to go.

Boon was called into action with saves off Patterson and Leon van den Hoven shots. Birko were quickly back on the front foot trying to make amends... which they achieved when Boon fluffed a Monty Patterson strike. So it goes, these things happen. Unfortunately, Boon made another blunder five minutes later when he was unable to hold onto a Bunch shot which Patterson jumped on to complete his hatty. Very much not his favourite day at the office, although mistakes like that are way more likely in games where the goalie is having to make heaps of saves. Birko’s incessant pressure helped cause the fluffs.

On and on we went. Bunch flicked a header slightly high. Botica tried a bicycle kick. Sam Philip replaced Patterson, making his first MNL appearance this year. Hughes sliced a big chance. Then Zeb skipped past Lewis Partridge and drew a penalty. Those two had been going at it all day and here was the knockout punch in the duel. Daniel Bunch scored from the spot just like he did last week – taking him to five goals for the season, equal top of the pops. They needed some help with it but Birko did eventually find their scoring boots... although so did David Ball. The bro went the entire last A-League season without scoring a goal and his spot in the firsts is looking rather precarious right now but on his day he can still do things like this...

Yessir, that’s how it’s done. Nice reward for a staunch ninety minutes from the Englishman, showing the youngsters a few tricks and sharing some wisdom. He didn’t get up to much in his previous National League match but this time the class shone through. Dylan Gardiner was another who stood out for the WeeNix with his sturdy defensive work, while Anaru Cassidy wasn’t flawless but his ability to retain the ball under pressure in the midfield bodes really well for his future.

But this was a Birkenhead day of celebration as they made it three wins in a row. Monty Patterson was a potent force in most of their attacks and deservedly got himself a three-for. Haris Zeb, Luke Jorgensen, and Leon van den Hoven also did some fine mahi. They really are a lot of fun to watch when they’re in a mood like that. Doesn’t matter that they haven’t kept a clean sheet yet – they’ve scored at least three in each of their last four fixtures. Having already gotten their Auckland City game out of the way with, Birko are second on the ladder and on form they’re emerging as the prime candidate for a rematch with the Navy Blues in the final. Imagine that. Also, fitting that they got to face the Phoenix on the same weekend that a favourite son of the club, Corban Piper, made his A-League debut for the Nix.

Birkenhead United 4-2 Wellington Phoenix Reserves

24’ | BU | 1-0 | Patterson (Connolly)

48’ | WP | 1-1 | Candy (Ball)

55’ | BU | 2-1 | Patterson (Jorgensen)

61’ | BU | 3-1 | Patterson (Bunch)

81’ | BU | 4-1 | Bunch [p] (Zeb)

90+2’ | WP | 4-2 | Ball (Watson)

PWDLGFGAGDPTS
Auckland City5410103713
Birkenhead United53111511410
Coastal Spirit522113948
Napier City Rovers522113948
Wellington Olympic52219638
Cashmere Technical5131101006
Western Springs52031012-26
Wellington Phoenix5113710-34
Eastern Suburbs5113510-54
Western Suburbs5014618-121

Top Assists

Alejandro Steinwascher (Coastal Spirit) - 3

Jack-Henry Sinclair (Wellington Olympic) - 3

Matthew Ellis (Western Springs) - 3

Top Goal Scorers

Daniel Bunch (Birkenhead United) - 5

David Yoo (Coastal Spirit) - 5

Garbhan Coughlan (Cashmere Technical) - 5

Alejandro Steinwascher (Coastal Spirit) - 4

Monty Patterson (Birkenhead United) - 4

Adam Hewson (Napier City Rovers) - 3

Jake Mechell (Eastern Suburbs) - 3

Oscar Faulds (Napier City Rovers) - 3

Myer Bevan (Auckland City) - 3

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Written by Nick Robinson On Tagged