Spirit FC’s Scottish import Barry Gardiner left his mark on Saturday’s 2-1 win over Grants Braes in its Soccersouth premier league game at Dunedin with a second half performance of real class.

Spirit's Barry Gardiner

It was not a one-man show by any means, but after a first forty-five minutes in which Spirit played like a team still shell shocked from its recent heavy defeats the transformation in the second period of play was quite remarkable.

And it was Gardiner who provided the skill and drive that lifted the team to its all-important win.

The Spirit players including Gardiner began the game in tentative fashion and were guilty from the outset of standing off their opponents, giving away possession with mis-directed passing and leaving wide defensive gaps for the Grants Braes front runners to exploit.

That the home team was only one goal ahead at the break, courtesy of a set-piece header from Ben Eder, was due more to woeful finishing by the normally reliable Alf Murray than good Spirit play.

Eder (far right) heads his goal

Fortunately Murray seemed to have left his shooting boots at home for the day as a series of opportunities given him were wasted with regularity.

In the words of Grants Braes coach Alan Laidler “whatever Kenny (Spirit player coach Kenny Cresswell) gave his boys at the break it sure worked”.

Spirit began the second spell with gusto closing up the defensive gaps, passing with purpose and running into position off the ball to create unexpected problems aplenty for the Grants Braes rear guard.

With Spirit’s defensive line of Shane Elliott in goal, Ken Cresswell, Simon Croft, Stephen Black and Wade Griffin dealing confidently with attacking threats and its midfield trio of Ibrahim Munu, Gardiner and Brendon Lloyd gaining control the Spirit attack of Hamish Low, John Schol and Billy Haslam began to worry the home defenders.

Ten minutes into the half Gardiner chased the ball down to the bye-line shrugged off a fierce challenge from a Grants Braes defender and slotted a perfect pass to Spirit striker Schol who levelled the score at 1-all with a well directed touch past Grants Braes keeper Brendon Hollander.

In a five-minute spell Gardiner was cruelly flagged offside when he had slipped through the Grants Braes defensive trap and had the goal at his mercy.

He was then viciously fouled when approaching the penalty box and with his own resultant free kick brought out the save-of-the-day from keeper Hollander.

Bugger....but a great deflection by Hollander

However what happened next dwarfed both incidents as Gardiner out manoeuvred two defenders outside the penalty area and placed a strong volley well wide of Hollander to give Spirit the precious lead it had strived for.

As Spirit threatened to turn the screw on Grants Braes and increase its 2-1 lead Munu received his marching orders for a second yellow card.

"Ibby" (blue) was just getting into the swing of things too....

The change in Spirit’s strategy with only ten players took the heat out of its fight back for the last 15 minutes but it still played with purpose and finished the game in attacking mode without adding to its goal tally.

Elder grabbed two goals in Old Boys 4-nil win over SBS Gore Wanderers. Blair Maddison and a Gore own-goal completed the scoring for Old Boys.

Jonny Cox mirrored Elder’s effort for his team McLellan Motors Queens Park with Mark Pearson, Jason Gold and Craig Campbell giving it a 5-1 win over Waihopai. Matty McDowell slotted Waihopai’s goal.