Onehunga Sports and Metro contested the first Central Auckland derby of the season at Waikaraka Park on March 21, but their Northern Premier League third round clash was a far from memorable affair.
In fact, it was downright dour, with Metro doing enough to eke out a 1-0 victory against opponents whose need for an out-and-out striker to capitalise on the promptings of Mark Elrick, Andrew Shepherd and Tetsumasa Kimura is growing by the game.
Without one, they have scored just once in three games, and have no points to show from their opening weeks’ efforts. Metro, on the other hand, have scored two wins and a draw in the same period, this win lifting them to third on the table, behind the other Central Auckland teams in the competition, co-leaders Central United and Bay Olympic.
The early exchanges promised plenty, with both goalkeepers called into action inside the first eight minutes. Sports’ Michael Gedye smothered a Peter Wild effort, while a sizzling twenty-yarder from Shepherd brought the best out of Craig Wilkins, after an enterprising left-flank raid by the “Green Machine”.
Sadly, these were the only efforts of note on target inside the first twenty-five minutes, as the match became a largely disjointed affair, neither side being able to impose themselves in the opposition’s defensive third to any great effect, although Metro were making more in-roads than their opponents through the efforts of Shane Campbell.
After Gedye had grabbed a Philip Carratt volley, the goal of the game materialised in the 28th minute. Wild, whose confrontational style of play will shake more than a few natives out of their slumber throughout the course of the season, is also quite adept with ball at foot, as is to be expected of a player with four English League appearances for Stockport County to his name.
His was the pass which presented fellow Stockport colleague Carratt with his chance, while his was the deflected shot which fell invitingly into Bradley Newall’s path as what turned out to be the game’s most decisive moment came to pass. The young striker set himself before shooting, and though Gedye got his hands to the effort, there was enough power in the shot for the ball to spin into the far corner of the net.
Metro’s lead was almost short-lived, however, as Shepherd and Elrick combined to release Reginaldo Richard through the offside trap three minutes later. The midfielder scampered clear, and poked a shot past the advancing Wilkins before turning to celebrate what he thought was the equaliser.
But Jason Beeston was having nothing of it, and the Metro defender raced back to hook his foot around the ball and scoop it off the line to safety - a courageous piece of defending which fully merited the generous round of applause from all present.
Carratt and Murray Saunders saw headers fly off-target before the half-time interval, the half concluding just after Wild and Kimura had received a talking-to by referee Chris Richardson, who opted not to issue cards in this match, when all too often they were called for. On another day and with another official … the key is consistency, and not enough of it was in evidence on this occasion.
Sports scrambled an in swinging Wild corner to safety six minutes into the second spell, while route one almost worked for the visitors seven minutes later. Wilkins’ raking clearance bounced nicely for Carratt, who burst between defenders to find himself with just Gedye to beat. A volleyed lob did that job nicely, but the ball bounced past the post, much to the captain’s despair.
Kimura produced a lovely piece of skill in the 64th minute to deceive an opponent before releasing the overlapping Peter Spelman down the left, the Sports’ defender having stolen possession before laying the ball off to the talented Japanese playmaker. Spelman evaded two challenges prior to squaring the ball to Elrick, but the former All White was foiled by Wilkins, who promptly sparked a Metro raid.
It culminated in Gedye turning a Wild drive round the post, then pawing Carratt’s in swinging corner over the bar, as the visitors pressed for a second goal. Thirteen minutes from time, it nearly came about, Campbell stealing possession on half-way and surging forward before releasing Carratt through Sports’ spread-eagled rearguard.
The striker was forced wide by Gedye, but produced the most audacious of chips over the ’keeper, only for the ball to narrowly clear the far angle of post and crossbar - his effort deserved a goal for sheer devilment!
At the other end a minute later, Elrick somehow weaved his way around Michael Horne before seeing his low cross-shot hit the side netting. He was instrumental in Sports’ last chance of the match, but before it, Duncan Clark almost sealed the game for the visitors, his towering header crashing against the crossbar, after Wild and Carratt had combined on the right five minutes from time.
Stoppage time was upon us when Sports mounted a last-ditch effort to grab a first point of the season. Elrick wriggled his way into the penalty area before directing an inviting low cross into the goalmouth. Clark cleared it, but only to Kimura, who let fly with a screamer, only for team-mate Alex Robb to be struck by the ball fair amidships.
The resulting clearance landed at the feet of substitute Ben Murphy, who let fly from twenty yards with a well-struck effort, only for Wilkins to turn Sports’ last chance to safety, and ensure Metro of first blood in what is sure to be a series of keenly contested - but hopefully more memorable - Central Auckland derbies in the 2004 season.

Sports: Gedye; Wikohika, Robinson (Murphy, 52), Spelman, Saunders (O‘Donnell, 62), Sly, Kimura, Richard (booked, 27) (Robb, 62), Ramsay, Elrick, Shepherd

Metro: Wilkins, J. Beeston, R. Beeston, Clark, Horne; Campbell, Wild, Dundas, Newall (Cook, 90), Carratt, Kubicki

Referee: Chris Richardson

Print this page