At half-time in their Northern Premier League encounter at Albie Turner Field on July 17, Central United were leading Metro 1-0, and doing it on their ear - the home team simply didn’t want to know in the chilly conditions.
The teams headed for the dressing rooms, and, in the words of Metro’s manager, Graeme Routledge, “the walls shook”.
For Metro’s co-coaches, Jay Thomas and Paul Dempsey, proceeded to serve up the mother of all readings of the riot act to their relegation-threatened, under-performing charges, who responded by producing a vastly improved second half performance to ultimately record a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over their near-neighbours - a result you would never have picked at the interval.
Because Metro, for the first forty-five minutes, gave a more than passable imitation of a wet blanket! They looked distinctly uninterested, gave the ball away far too easily and far too often, and rarely threatened as an attacking force - a Leaveil Titus shot beaten away by Craig Wilkins right on half-time was the sum total of Metro’s attempts on goal in the first half.
Central, by contrast, were on cruise control - this was shaping up as being their easiest three points of the season. Only Sam Matthews and Peter Hendriks were providing any resistance to their frequent charges, the first of which saw the former deny the hard-charging Jafar Alsari in his shooting stride just eighty seconds into the match.
Then it was Hendriks’ turn to intervene, much to the chagrin of Blagoja Spirovski in the ninth minute. But the Central striker gained ample revenge two minutes later, cracking home from fifteen yards to open the scoring after Javier Aylwin had pounced on what can only be described as a diabolical piece of defending by Poasa Tubuna.
Michael Quirke then hit the top of the crossbar with a dipping twenty yard effort, as the visitors looked to add to their tally three minutes later. A further twelve minutes elapsed before Alsari directed a header narrowly wide of Alan McFarlane’s right-hand post, after the midfielder had been picked out by David Firisua’s early cross.
Just before the half-hour mark, Aylwin squandered a glorious opportunity to double Central’s lead. Hendriks and McFarlane got in an awful mix-up outside Metro’s penalty area, and Aylwin homed in on the loose ball, the goal gaping invitingly. But the bounce of the ball left the striker beating the ground in frustration, Hendriks able to retrieve the situation, much to Metro’s relief.
Soon after, Spirovski volleyed narrowly wide through a crowd of legs in the penalty area, after some fine work by the impressive Shane Pascoe on the left flank. And just before half-time, both Paul Vodanovich and Spirovski came close to adding to Central’s tally against opposition who could have no excuses for their ineptitude.
Their co-coaches told them as much in tones designed to cure those with a hearing deficiency, and the second half saw a vastly different Metro combination taking the field, particularly in terms of their appetite for the task at hand.
Speedster Shane Campbell typified it, shooting straight at Wilkins inside the first minute of the half. The youngster then saw his 53rd minute drive deflected for a corner, which Matthews - an eye-catching performance - delivered into the heart of Central’s goalmouth. The visitors didn’t clear their lines, and the ball fell perfectly for Willie Osborne, who thrashed his tenth goal of the season into the roof of the net - 1-1, and game on!
Back came Central, Pascoe sending a twenty-five yard drive sizzling over the crossbar on the hour mark, after Spirovski, Firisua and Aylwin had combined to good effect on the right.
Five minutes later, Spirovski was again at the heart of a Central attack, his cross this time picking out the fast-arriving Alsari, who hit his shot in full flight. McFarlane pulled off a fine save low to his left to keep Metro on level terms.
The home team were a much more competitive combination in this half, however, and where Central had been untroubled in the first spell, they now had a battle on their hands. Occasionally, Metro would spring forward and create a bit of mayhem, such as happened in the 73rd minute, when Wilkins was called on to save from Osborne and half-time substitute Krish Singh in fairly short order.
They did so again three minutes later, with telling effect. Matthews pounced on a loose ball on the right and fired in an early cross - something Dempsey would have taken a full minute to contemplate doing, given the interminable amount of time he dwelt on the ball prior to conceding possession in the seconds leading up to Matthews’ timely intervention.
The youngster’s cross was met by evergreen engine-room man, Nigel Curteis, who recently returned to Metro from Bay Olympic. The midfielder launched himself forward and sent a classic diving header arrowing into the top left-hand corner of Wilkins’ goal from fully fifteen yards - 2-1 Metro, and a cracking way to do it.
Cue repeated charges from Central, as they looked to snatch a point from a match which, at half-time, they had in the bag - they certainly didn‘t deserve to lose it. But Hendriks and company stood firm till the finish, and Peter O’Leary’s final whistle was met with great delight by the home faithful, for two reasons - the result on the park, obviously, was one, as it greatly aids Metro’s bid to avoid relegation.
The other? On this occasion, unlike when the fixture originally took place on June 29, there wasn’t even a hint of floodlight failure!! How Central must wish lightning had struck twice on this occasion!!

Metro: McFarlane; Hendriks, Tubuna, Thomas (Clark, 67); Mulrooney, Matthews (Dundas, 80), Curteis (booked, 83), Dempsey, Campbell; Osborne, Titus (Singh, 46)

Central United: Wilkins; Otter, Spelman, Vodanovich; Firisua, Alsari (Wickham, 66), Greenhalgh, Quirke (Van Keekan, 85), Pascoe; Spirovski, Aylwin (Mortensen, 77)

Referee: Peter O’Leary

A few words of thanks …

To Jeremy Ruane for his continued support of our club by providing his reports for our enjoyment and entertainment. Jeremy has two great websites to further tantalise your football taste buds.

They are:
www.ultimatenzsoccer.com - The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website
www.nzsoccerscoreboard.com - Your Ultimate New Zealand Soccer one-stop results service

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