BIG
GAME REVIEWS
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Spirit 1, Green Island 1; July 5th
As he does so often Spirit FC Keeper Chris Pearson
makes a spectacular finger tip save from a Green Island attack
Spirit FC coach Ken
Cresswell may well be forty-something, greying around the edges a bit and a tad
short of his desired fitness level but he proved in Saturday’s drawn Soccersouth
premier league clash against Green Island at Invercargill’s Rugby Park that he
can still turn in a quality ninety-minutes of football.
I wasn't wrong about the greying was I.
Cresswell showed players half his age how to control, protect and distribute a football with confidence and at times with a touch of cunning after he was called on at the eleventh hour to fill the void left by a Spirit player availability crisis.
That Spirit managed
to claim the 1-all draw speaks volumes for a team which had four regular players
missing, was further depleted by the late withdrawal of stalwart defender
Stephen Black and then lost the services of striker George Hercus to an injury
just five minutes into the game.
goalpost & net taker-downer. Adrian Cocker.
Although seriously restricted by the injury Hercus continued to play on while Spirit waited for its two subs to arrive from an earlier senior men’s game so he (Hercus) could be replaced.
Both Spirit and Green Island were desperately in need of the three win points at stake to enhance their position for a top-six play-off berth in the competition, however it was obvious following a tentative lack-lustre first forty-five minutes that a draw was looking the most likely result.
That forecast seemed to be put on hold when just minutes after the restart of the second half Spirit’s Tobi Reid scored an opportunist goal from close range following a corner kick to put his team ahead 1-nil.
The impetus from
Spirit increased two-fold following the goal and led by several surging runs
from player of the day Barry Gardiner and an up-lift in effort from left winger
Wade Griffin the home team finally gained some domination and asserted new found
pressure on the Green Island defence.
Come on "Badger" dribbling round the ref's not that hard to do...but it sure looks good.
The visitors
withstood the onslaught and thirty minutes later drew level at 1-apiece with a
well struck volley from striker James McFelin.
Notice who's leading the Spirit charge (the blue 3) !!! supported by Jason Cocker (14).
In the play leading up to the goal Spirit’s keeper Chris Pearson appeared to be fouled as he came out to clear the original attack.
The incident left Pearson flat out on the ground and McFelin with a clear passage to goal for the equaliser.
Green Island almost camped in the Spirit half for the last ten minutes of the game and in that time hit the upright, the crossbar and had a stinging volley whistle past the front of the goalmouth to safety with Pearson well beaten.
Cresswell’s continued defensive effort and that of youngster Ren Walker helped to keep the visitors at bay and ensure the points were shared.
AMP South Old Boys needed a Glen McMurdo header two minutes into the second half of its game with Tansley Electrical Waihopai to edge it in front as it ran out 1-nil winners in the feature local game at O’Rorke Park.
Old Boys moved to
an unexpected six point lead in the Southland Finance sponsored competition
courtesy of an upset 4-2 win by Appleby Tavern Southend United over second
placed McLellan Motors Queens Park.
Southend grabbed the early initiative through an Iain Walker goal and was never headed. Walker grabbed a second while Gerard Anderson and Paul Jacques completed Southend’s scoring.
Craig Campbell from the penalty spot and Jonny Cox were the Park marksmen.