APRIL
7th
Spirit 3 v Otago Youth Development 2
and 8th Local Summary
A Karl Hawkes goal two minutes from full-time saved Spirit FC the embarrassment of dropping points to the Otago Youth Development team in their Soccersouth Premier league clash at Rugby Park last night.
Spirit FC won the game 3 goals to 2 but not without a tough struggle against the
youthful Otago unit.
Otago Youth took the lead after 9 minutes with a Regan Coldicott goal but Spirit fought back and levelled before halftime with a John McCarroll header.
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Southend
United made no race of its Southland Soccer Charity cup game against Waihopai as
it ran up a 9-nil win at Surrey Park on Saturday.
The
win takes Southend United to a clear lead in the early season competition two
points clear of archrival Ascot Tavern Queens Park who could only manage a draw
against a defiant Old Boys team in the other fixture.
Southend
United and Queens Park clash on April 22nd following the Easter
break.
The youthful Waihopai team stayed competitive in its clash with competition favourite Southend United until half time when it trailed 2-nil to goals from Glen Campbell and Damond Hedges.
However
the second forty-five minutes was in stark contrast to the first following the
introduction of Southend United’s newcomer Scott Morton from the subs bench.
Morton grabbed himself a hat trick of goals but more importantly added total
control to the mid field allowing the Southend strikers more leeway to do their
work.
As
a result the ever present Paul Berry picked up two, Nick Barclay chimed in with
one and goalkeeper Mark Bugden was entrusted with a penalty in the dying minutes
which he stroked home with ease to complete the 9-nil rout.
In
the other Charity cup game Queens Park opened the scoring for Old Boys with an
own goal before Hamish Low evened the score at the right end 1-all.
Low
then scored with a venomous drive that ricocheted off the upright into the Old
Boys net to put Park in front 2 goals to 1.
For a period of twenty minutes in the second spell Park looked capable of extending its lead with good play coming from Low, Ryan Boyle and Artem Chesnokov.
However
it failed to capitalise on the advantage and when Old Boys was awarded a penalty
kick during a rare assault on the Park goal David McDowell duly obliged for the
reds and secured the 2-all draw.
Waihopai made a dream start to its Otago Fletcher Cup game against Mosgiel reserves at Mosgiel when a superb 20 metre Brendon Lloyd strike gave it a 1-nil lead after just thirty seconds.
Waihopai
had signed two former Mosgiel players Chris Langley and Dion Phair during the
week but the pair could not help stop their former team fighting back to gain a
2-1 win with all the goals coming in the first half.