Spirit FC finished its season in the Soccersouth premier football league with a
narrow 3-2 loss to Northern at the Caledonian ground in Dunedin on Saturday.
Stevie Black has a dig....
The loss and outcome of other results means the Invercargill based composite team will finish seventh in the twelve team competition.
Saturday’s game was
played on a pristine pitch at the Cale as the ground is being made ready for
Otago United’s national championship campaign beginning in October.
Campbell Edwards (extreme right) playing his 9th game in eight days....whew.
Two in last weeks Charity cup, Six for Hargest at the Sec Schools tourney and
this one.
Both teams relished
the good conditions and the game rated as one of the seasons best as it ebbed
and flowed throughout its duration.
Spirit POD Hamish Low puts pressure on the Northern keeper
The Northern players knew that a win from this game would lift it to fourth placing in the competition and made their intention to play attacking football clear winning the early exchanges and having a goal ruled out for off side very early in the piece.
Spirit settled into its rhythm following the scare and was duly rewarded on 36 minutes when a slick move involving youngsters Wade Griffin and Campbell Edwards ended with Edwards perfect cross being forced home by John Schol to put it 1-nil ahead.
Northern stormed
back and two minutes before the half time break Phil Dawson levelled it for the
home team at 1-all.
Spirit could feel a little aggrieved by the timing of the goal as Jason McMath was receiving treatment for an injury so was reduced to 10 men when Dawson struck.
It’s often said that just before and just after half time are the perfect moments to score and unsettle your opponent in football.
Northern did just
that when at the 3 minute mark in the second half it took the lead 2-1 through
its leading goal scorer Matty Mee.
Spirit’s bad luck with injuries this season continued to plague it into the last game as five minutes later it’s “mister dependable” centre back Stephen Black was assisted from the field with a serious ankle injury.
Player coach Ken
Cresswell was forced to shuffle his defence to accommodate Black’s departure and
Spirit set about trying to regain its lead.
At the 20 minute mark its effort paid dividends as John Schol forced a brilliant stop from Northern keeper Zane Milton who did well but could only palm the ball back toward the ever alert Schol who grabbed his second goal for the day and his fourteenth for the season.
Perhaps the
brightest spot for Spirit this season has been the effect of striker Schol who
is in third equal placing on the leading goal scorer list in a competition that
provides a plethora of goals throughout its 21 round duration.
What's more comfy than the high jump
pads.
Every vantage point was taken up by the huge crowd...
Northern wasn’t to be denied though and with time running out Mee grabbed the late winner with a fine header from close range.
In Invercargill Smiths City Old Boys was taken to extra time for the second consecutive week as it battled to win a place in the Charity Cup final.
It wasn’t to be though as McLellan Motor’s Queens Park striker Jonny Cox scored the winner for his team in the second period of the extra time.
Jason Gold and Danny Rosel were Parks other two marksmen while Scott Morton and Scott McKenzie netted Old Boys goals.
Southend United will meet Queens Park in next Saturday’s final as it (Southend) staved off a strong challenge from Waihopai before running out eventual winners of their semi-final 1-nil.
Andrew Beaumont scored the all important goal that has taken Southend to the final and the chance to collect its third piece of silverware for the season.