Metro kept their hopes of surviving another season in the Northern Premier League alive at Albie Turner Field on a bleak July 18 evening, coming from 2-0 down to snatch a dramatic 3-2 victory over Fencibles United, with the last two goals coming deep in stoppage time at the conclusion of a controversial encounter.
With a bitingly cold wind snapping across the ground, and the two teams in contention placed eleventh (Metro) and tenth (Fencibles) respectively, the game had all the inklings of being a tense, error-ridden affair with the odd goal proving decisive.
It was all of that and more besides, with an action- and incident-packed second half producing talking points aplenty, not the least of which was a disallowed goal for the home team, on top of two clear-cut handball offences in the penalty area which were not seen by referee Steve Fletcher.
Compared to what was to follow it, the first half was decidedly sterile - it took thirteen minutes for the first shot in anger to be fired, Greg Larsen pulling the trigger from twenty-five yards after some neat close control and a shot on the turn.
Craig Wilkins was right behind this effort, but failed to clear the ball adequately, an error on which Fencibles were quick to pounce, the well-performed Stu Roberts forcing a corner. Matt Viljoen’s delivery was flapped at by Wilkins, but Phil Chadwick squandered a glorious chance to open the scoring, the ball bouncing off his head to safety.
Three minutes later, Viljoen’s dead-ball artistry was to the fore again. Metro stood and watched as his angled free-kick arced into the goalmouth, something which could not be said for Chadwick or Darren Picard. The former’s header was more accurate this time, but the reaction save from Wilkins was exceptional, reaching up to paw the ball to safety as he plunged earthwards.
This save gave Metro heart, and soon after, the home team provided evidence that breaking the deadlock was on their agenda. Only a fine double-save by Fencibles’ evergreen goalkeeper, Grant Robertson, maintained parity in the 21st minute, after Reg Davani had sent the lively Richard Beeston scampering down the right. The ‘keeper thwarted the midfielder’s shot, and then recovered to save at the feet of the incoming Papua New Guinea international.
Three minutes later, the post came to Fencibles’ rescue, Robertson left flat-footed by a thunderous thirty-yard free-kick from Barry Donnachie which cannoned back off the right-hand upright at a tremendous rate of knots.
Further Metro pressure saw two chances spurned inside a thirty second spell two minutes later. Rab McNeill released Davani down the left, with his cross screaming across the bows of the incoming Gerrard Smith, who flung himself at the ball in a vain attempt to make contact via a diving header. The sphere was gathered by Beeston, who laid it back to Noel Kilkenny. The midfielder’s cross picked out Smith, but he directed his header wide.
After Donnachie had sent another thirty yard free-kick fizzing narrowly wide, and Smith had headed a McNeill cross wide after fine work by Krish Singh, the deadlock was broken in rather bizarre fashion, six minutes before half-time.
Donnachie found himself under pressure some thirty yards inside his own half, so opted for the hefty clearance. Sadly for the midfielder, he was facing his own goal at the time, and the Laws of the Game prevent goalkeepers from handling back-passes, especially ones struck with pace aplenty and at around crossbar height!!
The back-pedalling Wilkins didn’t stand a chance, the ball crashing into the net off the underside of the crossbar to leave Donnachie and friends dumbfounded, and Fencibles scarcely able to believe their good fortune.
To compound matters for the scorer, things were to get worse for him before they got better. Within three minutes, his anger with himself for finding his range at the wrong end earned him a booking, but on top of that, he squandered a marvellous chance to level matters before the break, Fencibles having gifted possession unnecessarily to Beeston. The midfielder played the ball through to his hard-running team-mate, whose shot flashed past the far post with Robertson beaten.
The visitors started the second half in splendid fashion, and doubled their lead just three minutes in. After Wilkins had spectacularly turned a ferocious twenty-five yard drive from Viljoen to safety, the resulting corner was scrambled clear to the far edge of the penalty area, where Paul Stephens was lurking unmarked.
Despite the gathered throngs in Metro’s penalty area, the midfielder scored an exquisite goal, angling a beautifully placed shot through the crowd and into the net by the far post - a quality finish well worth braving the elements to witness.
At 2-0 down, and given the way Metro’s fortunes have gone of late, you could have been forgiven for thinking that they were on the way to another defeat, and possibly the beginning of the end of their latest Premier League campaign.
But to their credit, the players didn’t lie down and accept that fate - instead, they got up off the canvas and produced one of the most memorable comebacks this writer has seen for many a month.
Further proof, were any more needed, that tonight was not Donnachie’s night, was found in the 53rd minute, when the home team missed a grand opening. Kilkenny and Davani combined to present Donnachie with a shooting chance, fifteen yards out from goal. With Robertson and his Fencibles colleagues scrambling, the midfielder opted to shoot first time, and the ball sailed over the crossbar.
Five minutes later, however, Davani gave the home team a much-needed lifeline, although to say it was controversial is something of an understatement. As is so often seen when a goalkeeper spills the ball upon being challenged by an opponent, “Goalkeeper’s Protection Society Rules” are applied, and, rightly or wrongly, the custodian is placated by a free-kick.
So after Beeston had prised open Fencibles’ rearguard on the right, the resulting cross resulted in Davani and Robertson tussling for possession, with the ‘keeper losing control of the sphere upon coming into contact with the striker. Both players played to the whistle and kept up their battle for the ball, with Robertson again fumbling it under pressure.
Fencibles’ defence were appealing for referee Fletcher to award them a free-kick by this time, but the mad scramble continued, with Davani finally getting the better of Robertson to ram the ball home. But given the frequent contact between the two players, surely it couldn’t be a goal?
Fletcher, who, it must be said, was well-positioned to see the entire incident, didn’t hesitate - 2-1 Metro, with the emotions of Fencibles’ players ranging from astonishment and bemusement to anger and disbelief, and any combination thereof. Even the Metro players and supporters seemed somewhat surprised by the awarding of the goal, but they took the precious lifeline it offered them without question and pressed on in search of an equaliser.
They certainly had chances to snatch one. Either side of the brothers Viljoen combining for Matt to unleash a firecracker which screamed over the diving Wilkins’ crossbar, after substitute Nik had set up his team-mate, Metro could have drawn level.
Instead, they had to look on as Robertson stood firm, firstly racing off his line to clear off the boot of Davani as he pursued a raking Wilkins clearance, then finding himself perfectly placed to deal with a bullet-like header from substitute Aric Kuibicki, following a well-flighted Duncan Clark free-kick.
The final fifteen minutes of this match would have to rank as fifteen of the most eventful in Northern Premier League history … make that twenty-two minutes, in fact, because seven minutes of stoppage time were played, a lot of it added by referee Fletcher due to the time-wasting tactics Fencibles employed when taking free-kicks.
There had been plenty of nip and tuck throughout the match, as was to be expected in a match which was a real “six-pointer” for both sides. But it was generally played in a good spirit, despite some of Mr Fletcher’s decisions drawing the odd smart remark from those on and around the ground throughout.
Come the 76th minute, however, the home contingent was furious at being denied what appeared to be a much-needed equaliser. Smith’s free-kick caused confusion aplenty in the penalty area and with Robertson having been caught out-of-position, and Fencibles failing to clear the danger, the aftermath of a Davani shot sparked uproar.
The defenders on the goal-line failed to clear the danger, and McNeill went in where angels feared to tread to force the ball over the line. Referee Fletcher immediately signalled what many - including his assistant, Michael Brock - thought was a goal, and Metro began to celebrate … only to slowly realise that things were not as they seemed.
An after-match chat with the official revealed that Fletcher had spotted a handling offence by McNeill prior to forcing the ball home, so he had awarded a free-kick to Fencibles.
The problem which misled the spectators and players looking at the situation from different angles was the way Fletcher signalled the offence - his blast of the whistle, coinciding with his arm pointing to the half-way line, indicated to the vast majority that a goal had been awarded. As it turned out, that was not the case - in hindsight, the biggest clue that it wasn’t a goal came from McNeill, who, when he got up from the turf, showed no emotion at all.
The lack of clarity of the situation at the time meant the match official was subjected to any amount of opinions about his performance by those present during the remaining minutes, and their views were further fuelled by his failure to award Metro either of two seemingly clear-cut penalties in the remaining minutes.
After Wilkins had recovered well to cover a Matt Viljoen drive which had bounced awkwardly in front of him, the home team spent the rest of the match pounding away at Fencibles goal, and when a vicious bounce of the ball in his penalty area saw the ball strike the arm of Picard - the defender then played the ball to safety, Metro bayed for a penalty, given there was clear evidence that the ball had been controlled to the offender’s advantage.
“Nothing doing”, said Fletcher, who earned an ironic cheer from the home faithful two minutes later when sending off Kris Matthews for his second bookable offence, leaving Fencibles to endeavour to hold out for the remainder with ten men.
It soon became all hands on deck for the visitors, as Metro swarmed forward in search of parity. Kuibicki missed a great chance to level matters after latching onto a Clark ball forward, the substitute’s lob of the advancing Robertson clearing the crossbar in the 84th minute.
Sixty seconds later, Kuibicki spurned an even better chance, provided to him by the combined efforts of Beeston and Smith. This time, the replacement steered his shot wide of the approaching Robertson, but agonisingly wide of the far post.
Stoppage time was soon upon us, and Kuibicki chose its advent to break down the left and look to pull the ball back for oncoming colleagues. The sphere struck Stephens’ arm, however, and fell to Fencibles advantage - at this, Metro’s fans were rope able, with referee Fletcher being called for everything under the sun, and a few more things of a nature not printable in a family forum!!
Still Metro pressed, with substitute Bradley Newall volleying over the top following Cameron Gray’s pass, before Beeston battered the stanchion with a
Rasping twenty-five yard drive in the third minute of stoppage time.
Seconds later, Robertson was off his line well to foil Davani on the edge of the penalty area, only to lose possession to Newall as his momentum took him outside the eighteen-yard box. The striker surged into the area, with the
Back-pedalling Nicholson beating a hasty retreat goal wards. Opting to play the ball inside, Newall looked to set up Kuibicki, but Robertson had recovered enough to again deny the substitute, this time at his feet.
It seemed Metro were destined to slip six points behind their rivals in their bid to escape from the relegation zone. But five minutes into stoppage time, their constant pounding finally told on the ten men. Davani and Kilkenny combined to eke out an opening for Newall, who swept the ball home inside Robertson’s near post from ten yards to earn the home side a point.
But there was still time, and inside the next sixty seconds, Metro’s season was saved. Awarded a free-kick just inside Fencibles’ half, the home team’s players poured forward, knowing this would be their last chance to snatch a winner, something which, just minutes ago, had seemed the unlikeliest of prospects.
Snatch it they did, however, Clark’s free-kick finding its way through to Davani, who battered home a late, late winner for a team which, after 48 minutes, was 2-0 down on the scoreboard and appeared destined to accompany Takapuna into Division One.
Instead, they had triumphed 3-2, their delight a stark contrast to the shell-shocked expressions of the Fencibles players and supporters, three points having been snatched away from them in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
Immediately, thoughts turned back to that first Metro goal, and its controversial nature. That said, the home team were denied clear-cut penalty claims, and were convinced they had equalised fourteen minutes from time … aah, the swings and roundabouts of a football season - rarely do you see so many such twists and turns encapsulated in a single match!!

Match Stuff

Metro: Wilkins; Clark, Gray, Hendriks; Beeston (booked, 76), Kilkenny (booked, 86), McNeill (Newall, 78), Donnachie (booked, 42), Singh (Kuibicki, 65); Smith, Davani

Fencibles: Robertson; Wildbore, Matthews (booked, 66, 81 - sent off), Picard; Roberts (Bryson, 75), Barnes (Winton, 83), Harrison, M. Viljoen, Stephens; Larsen (N. Viljoen, 60), Chadwick

Referee: Steve Fletcher

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