Bay Olympic regained the overnight lead in the Northern Premier League on July 17, but they were made to work hard for their 2-0 victory over a Metro side who must be wondering if someone up there doesn’t like them!
The relegation-threatened side gave the title pursuants a decent run for their money in this match, and had the better of the goal scoring opportunities, but it was Bay who took the chances which mattered in this local derby to return to the top of the table, and leave Metro ensconced in a fascinating battle to avoid relegation play-offs.
A cagey opening saw just three noteworthy opportunities materialise in the first twenty-five minutes of play, which was testimony to the defensive efforts of both teams. Marshalled by Captain Gerard Smith, Metro were rock-solid, as were Bay, for whom Nathan Christie was in inspirational form - an outstanding defensive display from the former University-Mt. Wellington man.
He was greatly aided by Scott Bishop, Bay’s ‘keeper making the first of a number of telling contributions to this match in the eighth minute of play, as he spread himself well to thwart the effort of the ever-threatening Peter Wild, who had been slipped through Bay’s defence by a delicious pass from Arek Kubicki.
A long-range effort from Jake Butler nine minutes later marked the first occasion Metro goalkeeper Craig Wilkins was called into play, while eight minutes elapsed before the next opening, the home team going close to breaking the deadlock on this occasion.
Dylan Beckham - another solid display - intercepted a pass and quickly surrendered possession to Jason Beeston before racing forward. The Metro midfielder played the ball forward to Vladimir Yugov, whose lay-off rewarded Beckham’s charge, the full-back going on to evade a challenge before whipping in a cross to the near post, where Wild was again thwarted by Bishop at close quarters.
Three minutes later, and against the general run of play to that point, Bay opened the scoring. With Metro’s defence outnumbered, James Pritchett rampaged down the right at pace, and whipped in a teasing cross for Elliott Dye.
The delivery lured Wilkins out of goal, but Dye beat him to the ball, lifting it skywards. The mistral winds guided the ball towards the target, and it bounced towards the goal, Beckham unable to execute a goal-line clearance to deny Dye his due, in the 28th minute.
Four minutes later, Wilkins was right behind a Neil Woodhams volley, and immediately launched the ball forward. Kubicki flicked the ball on to Wild, who released Bradley Newall down the left at pace.
Now you’ve all heard of the saying, ‘he can trap a ball further than I can pass it’. Newall did just that, effectively playing the ball back to Bishop with an awful piece of control … the collective groans from anyone with Metro leanings would have been quite audible in the heart of the Mt. Albert Shopping Centre in New North Road!!
Unperturbed, Metro tried again, this time through Campbell in the 36th minute. He controlled a Christie clearance neatly and evaded a challenge before playing the ball wide to Yugov, who fired in a deep cross beyond the far post. Wild charged in and met the ball with an acrobatic effort which directed it over Bishop’s head. Sakdy Phommahaxay’s headed goal-line clearance was necessary to prevent an unlikely equaliser.
Wild was to conclude the half with a long-range effort which flashed over the crossbar, but three minutes into the second spell, Campbell repeated the crossbar clearance, only this time from much closer in, and with an open goal to aim at!
The source of the opening was Wild, who, upon being released by Daniel Markham, brilliantly weaved his way through four challenges before letting fly from inside the penalty area. Bishop parried the shot to his left, the ball falling perfectly for Campbell to pick his spot. But from a tight angle, he volleyed over the gaping goal, and immediately buried his head in his hands upon realising the chance he’d spurned.
Still Metro pressed, benefiting in the 57th minute from a corner awarded by referee Kevin Stoltenkamp, whose decisions ranged from the weird to the wonderful and all points in between in this encounter, with obscure offences picked up on far more frequently than those more obvious to all and sundry.
Campbell’s corner was cleared to Kubicki, who hooked it back towards the far post. Smith was still lurking in that vicinity, and beat Bishop all ends up with his lob, only for the ball to bounce to safety off the top of the crossbar - Metro’s luck was definitely AWOL once more!
This was proven seconds later, as Bay scored a quite superb counter-attacking goal. The resulting goal-kick saw Reg Davani and Pritchett linking at pace down the right, with the latter firing in an inviting cross towards Dye. The striker rose majestically to send a bullet-like header flashing past the flailing arms of Wilkins and into the bottom far corner of the net - 2-0, and a classic rapier-like thrust to kill off the opposition.
And it effectively did, for Metro took the best part of twenty minutes to muster a notable response. When they did, Phommahaxay was on hand to intervene as the charging Jason Beeston looked to get on the end of the creativity of Markham and Campbell. Three minutes later, the same player looked for an opening down the left, and cleverly evaded two challenges. But Beeston’s luck was out, as his curling cross-shot beat Bishop but beat the far post as well.
Smith hooked a Pritchett drive off the line as Bay looked to respond with a third goal through the approach play of Liam Mulrooney, Dye and Davani, but a further strike from Bay would have been rather unjust to a Metro side who few would have begrudged a goal for their efforts in a derby dominated by defensive performances.
Wild was the home team player who most deserved a goal, but he was twice denied before the finish, initially by the stanchion after Andrew McDaid had burst into the penalty area, then by Bishop, who parried a Beeston effort then blocked Wild’s attempt to turn home the rebound.
Before this, however, Beeston himself had gone close. After Bay’s Stu Dye had sent a thirty-yarder sizzling over the crossbar, Wilkins’ goal-kick was superbly controlled by Wild, who promptly sent Beeston racing through Bay’s defence.
Despite pressure from the closing figure of Phommahaxay, the midfielder unleashed a first-time shot on the run, but it, like everything else relegation-threatened Metro had thrown at Bay in this derby, went the wrong side of the post, much to the delight of the visitors, who had very few chances in this encounter, and clearly missed the will-o‘-the-wisp factor which Joe Edwards offers them in abundance.
But Sean Hird’s side took the two openings which mattered in this game, and as a result, they’re back on top of the table once again.

Metro: Wilkins; Beckham, R. Beeston, Smith, Markham; Campbell, Kubicki, J. Beeston, Newall (McDaid, 75); Yugov (booked, 13), Wild

Bay: Bishop; Dixon, Phommahaxay, Christie, Thompson; Woodhams (S. Dye, 61), Butler, Mulrooney, Pritchett (booked, 43); Davani (booked, 54), E. Dye

Referee: Kevin Stoltenkamp

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