|
Local Wrap; May 29th
In what’s becoming a topsy-turvy
Southland Football men's premier league competition Eyeview Queens Park regained
its winning touch with a 3-nil win over Southend United at Turnbull Thompson
Park in Invercargill on Saturday.
However in doing so it allowed arch rival Old Boys to move into top spot on the
points table.
Such was the importance of the game former Park player Tom
Kent (left) now with Mosgiel
was called on to give Park his support and wisdom.
Or was he just visiting his family....
The AMP South sponsored Old Boys unit is defending the prestigious Donald Gray
cup and showed with a courageous win over Gore Wanderers at Gore that it is
determined to do so.
The local teams had the luxury of their Spirit FC players for the day as all football in Dunedin was cancelled including the scheduled Footballsouth premier league games.
On the artificial turf at
Turnbull Thompson Queens Park who had suffered two recent defeats one in the
Chatham cup and one in the league showed its intentions early in the game with a
series of attacks from which they failed to press home their advantage with
goals.
Southend keeper Brian Morton almost gets a head transplant
as he attempts to
gather the ball from the threat of Park's
Morgan McCarrison.
Southend United withstood the
early pressure and as they were beginning to gain some equality fell behind
1-nil to a well worked Queens Park goal when Mark Pearson outpaced the Southend
defence and his perfect cross was headed into the net by the waiting Morgan
McCarrison.
The standard of football was typical of that which teams have been achieving on
the new turf and the small crowd who braved the conditions were more than
adequately catered for.
Southend's Andrew Ridden seen here challenging Park's
Bernardo Balladares
Referee Nobby Clark kept the
game under control well and in particular the absorbing battle in mid field
between McCarrison and
Southend’s Matty Wahren
that threatened to advance from feisty to nasty.
Clark allowed the duel to do no more than add to the afternoon’s entertainment.
The half time 1-nil score line
fairly represented the balance of play in the first forty five minutes.
Queens Park played an ace card when they introduced striker Jonny Cox into the
game 15 minutes into the second half because within a minute Cox had obliged
with a goal to double the score to 2-nil.
Park's Jonny Cox grabbed a goal in what I hear is his
farewell game for the meantime
as he heads off to winter over in Queensland and continue his harness horse
driving career.
Southend fought doggedly to get something from the game but on the odd occasion when they looked threatening Park’s keeper Chris Beullens was up to the task and managed to keep them off the score sheet.
Ten minutes
from full time Park’s Kris deRuyter put the game out of Southend’s reach when he
pounced on the ball in the penalty area and slotted it home to give his team the
3-nil winning margin.
In Gore Old Boys needed a goal in each half to finally dispose of Gore Wanderers
stubborn resistance.
MacKenzie Smith with a first
half penalty kick and Danny Rosel with a well judged header from a corner in the
second ensured Old Boy’s not only took the three points from the game but
defended the Larry O’Rorke challenge trophy for the fifth successive time this
season.
Old Boys lead the 5 team competition with 9 points from 5 games while Queens
Park (5 games) and Southend (6 games) have 8 and Invercargill Brewery Waihopai
(4 games) have 6. Gore (4 games) is in fifth place with 1 point.
It was status quo applies after
yesterday’s series of results in the women’s premier league.
Amber Rennie (left) met Tove's perfect corner cross to
nail Southend's first goal.
Leading team Sinderella’s Southend
United were made to work hard for their 4-nil win
over the much improved JK Stevenson Queens Park unit at O’Rorke Park.
Queens Park's Sia Fauonuka kept her Southend opponents on
guard with some
great play down the left flank.
Amber Rennie (2), Tove Crosswell and
Melanie Mehrns scored Southend’s goals.
Tove Crosswell grabbed a goal (as she does) for Southend
and is seriously challenging Jess Mallon for the golden boot title.
Southend's dynamic defender Casey Bryant (with ball) is the single most reason
why many
of Southend opponents fail to score.
Malloch McClean Riverton retained second placing with the leagues leading goal
scorer Jessica Mallon
contributing 3 goals to her team’s 4-1 win over Old Boys on the new turf at
Turnbull Thompson.
At Queenstown Sahara MacDonald continued
her run of goal scoring form with 3 goals for the
resort team as it remained third with a 6-1 win over Thistle.
It was Thistle’s lone scorer Andy Smith however who claimed the afternoon
highlight when she netted
the goal of the game from some 20 yards from goal.