When
Spirit FC analyses its 2007 Soccersouth campaign it will look back on
Saturday’s 4 goals to 3 defeat by a depleted South Canterbury United team at
Rugby Park Invercargill as a game that slipped away as time went by.
The
Timaru based visitors by contrast will look on it as a trip well worth the
effort and a more than satisfying afternoon’s work.
United
came to town with just the 11 players needed for a team and with its veteran
coach Pat Collins as its only sub hoping he would not be called on to play a
part in the game.
Collins (white)
ready for action alongside Spirit "youngster" Adam Letts.
As
it turned out, not only were Collins services required, but also when Jason
McCone was shown his second yellow card, then a mandatory red, early in the
second spell United was reduced to just 10 players for the ensuing 40 minutes of
the game.
Spirit
player-coach Ken Creswell stuck with the players who had served him well in its
last two games for his starting line-up although Tobi Reid failed a fitness
check on his leg and was left on the subs bench.
Here's a trivia
question...
What was the name of the popular 1970's TV Cop Show ?
(a) - Simon & Simon.
Only this time it's Simon Collins (white) and Simon Croft (blue)
With
the return of Adam Letts Cresswell chose him to partner Brendon Lloyd in the
midfield and moved Scottish import Barry Gardiner forward to play alongside
striker John Schol.
All
this seemed to have worked perfectly when Spirit dominated the opening
exchanges.
A spirited Spirit
attack thwarted by Ricky McLeod
Indeed
it took the lead in the game at the thirteen-minute mark when a swift attacking
move featuring Hamish Low, Letts and Gardiner was finished with a precision
strike by Schol.
Spirit
then suffered a setback when referee Brent Best awarded a penalty kick to South
Canterbury for a foul by a Spirit defender that appeared to happen outside the
penalty area but from which the victim tumbled inside the line.
McCone
hammered the penalty home to level the score at 1-all.
Spirit’s
day then took a turn for the worse when it’s defence was twice in quick
succession caught in a flat line and the visitors added two more goals from Mike
Herimia and Anthony Hancock to take a commanding and somewhat surprising 3-1
lead.
Player-of-the-day
Brendon Lloyd pulled one back for Spirit to reduce the gap to 3-2 before Ricky
McLeod drove in a fourth for United to give it a 4-2 lead at the halftime break.
McLeod seen here
breaking up a Spirit attack pursued by Hamish Low.
Spirit
began the second half with purpose and with Tobi Reid replacing the injured John
Schol in attack. Reid’s first contribution was a misdirected header over the
cross bar when a goal seemed the more likely outcome.
The sending off of McCone and entrance of veteran Collins for the injured Rickee Stoakes seemed to gel the visitors and they began to frustrate the Spirit domination with timely interceptions and some fine goalkeeping by Fred Morgan between the sticks.
Whenever
United broke out from defence it had the perfect foil in Hancock up front who
had the ability to hold the ball and use the time-wasting tactics that its
strategy demanded to protect the lead.
Not this time
though for Hancock as Steve Black (blue) wins a heading duel.
Spirit did hit back though and it was a fine individual goal by Cresswell that reduced the scoreline to 4-3.
However
it was all too late and with only three minutes left on the clock the United
team held out and rejoiced at what for them could be described as a good day at
the office.
Today
Smiths City Old Boys meet Roslyn Wakari at 2:00 at Waverley Park in its round
two Chatham Cup game.
Soccersouth
premier league team Roslyn Wakari proved too strong for a gallant local Old Boys
unit with a 3-1 win in their Chatham cup clash at Waverley Park in Invercargill
yesterday.
Old Boys rose
to the occasion for the game and kept its more illustrious opponent scoreless
for thirty five minutes of the first half until a well worked move between
Roslyn’s Terry Boylan and Ben Keat ended with Keat slotting the ball home to
put his team 1-nil ahead.
If Roslyn
thought that was the start of a goal spree it was quickly to learn that Old Boys
had other ideas.
With
determined tackling, and some well constructed midfield play the local team, led
with style by defenders Lindsay Newsome and Gordon Lamont, was equal to any
moves Roslyn built toward its goal area.
The 1-nil
halftime score reflected Old Boys effort.
The second
forty-five minutes was underway for just three minutes when Old Boy’s Andrew
Elder was set free on the left flank of Roslyn’s defence and placed an
accurate shot over and wide of the outstretched goalkeeper Liam Little to put
Old Boys back into the game at 1-all.
Try as it
might Roslyn was struggling to penetrate the Old Boys defence and when it take
the lead back midway through the half there was an element of luck to it.
Roslyn’s
“Southlander” Tom Kent aimed a cross from the right to his waiting strikers
but with a hint of mis-direction he managed to tuck the ball into the top corner
of the Old Boys net to put Roslyn ahead 2-1.
Roslyn then
began to stamp its class on the game with a series of clever attacking moves
that were constantly thwarted by the now tiring Old Boys defence.
It was no
surprise when with just two-minutes of play remaining Roslyn sealed the win with
Paul Steel nipping in to slot home its third and final goal.
Old Boys lost
the battle but will celebrate winning the Churchill Rosebowl as the Southland
team progressing furtherest in the competition for the first time in the
club’s history.