Central United regained top spot in the Northern Premier League on July 11, but they were made to work hard for their 3-1 victory by a Metro side that were defiant to the very last in their attempts to contain a team which usurped Bay Olympic at the top of the table.
In a typically hard-fought Central Auckland derby, the visitors to Kiwitea Street set out their stall very early on - they were going to chase everything, come what may. Metro’s approach assured Central that they wouldn’t be given a moment’s peace, although early efforts from Steve Callinan and Paul Vodanovich threatened to upset the tactics of their near-neighbours within eight minutes of the kick-off.
Metro’s response was to test Central’s debutant goalkeeper, James Bannatyne. Arek Kubicki’s long-range effort warmed the gloves of the one-time All White custodian, after the initial effort of Peter Wild had been blocked by Greg Uhlmann, the visitors’ raid having been instigated by their livewire winger, Shane Campbell.
After Craig Wilkins had smothered another Callinan effort, Metro stunned the home team with a stunning opening goal, the first of three well-taken strikes to adorn a closely-fought first forty-five minutes.
Dylan Beckham sparked the move which opened up Central’s rearguard, intercepting a pass on the right before cutting inside and lobbing the ball over Uhlmann’s head. Darting past the central defender was Wild, who unleashed a thunderous acute-angled volley inside the near post of the advancing Bannatyne, who was beaten all ends up by an absolute peach of a goal.
Metro’s 22nd minute lead was cancelled out just four minutes later by a riposte of similar prowess. Neil Sykes’ ambitious bicycle kick cross was headed clear by Richard Beeston, the ball falling perfectly into the stride of Chad Coombes. He let fly with a snorter of a volley, struck hard and low from twenty-five yards to leave the diving Wilkins clutching at air as the ball arrowed past him into the bottom corner of the net.
With parity restored, Central went about assuming the lead, but Metro didn’t give an inch. Twice Sykes chanced his arm from distance, but on each occasion, his accuracy was narrowly astray. Then in the 34th minute, Vladimir Yugov’s fifteen-yard header flashed wide of Bannatyne’s right-hand post, the ’keeper knowing little about the effort which resulted from Beckham’s measured cross.
Four minutes before half-time, Metro forced a free-kick, which Jason Beeston whipped into the goalmouth. Coombes headed clear, and the ball arrived at the feet of Prince Quansah, who hustled downfield at a great rate of knots before sweeping a pass into the path of the hitherto unseen Heath McCormack.
The striker cut in from the right before hitting an early shot past the advancing Wilkins and inside the ’keeper’s near post to give Central the lead.
But for Wilkins, Central would have at least one more goal before the interval. The ’keeper saved brilliantly from Callinan, after he had combined superbly with Sykes and McCormack seconds after the goal, then it was McCormack’s turn to be frustrated by Metro’s custodian, who saved at the goal scorer’s feet.
The final act of the half saw Wild send a shot sizzling wide after a Kubicki corner had been cleared to him via the impressive Campbell. But when the action resumed, Central were quickly into their stride, and created all the noteworthy opportunities during a second half in which Metro were foiled in their numerous attempts to get back on level terms by a United rearguard keen to maintain their record as one of the most miserly in recent Northern Premier League history, and which proved decidedly difficult to penetrate.
Just three minutes into the half, Central contrived a lovely move. Joel Mathews, Coombes and McCormack combined on the right, with the first-mentioned gaining reward for continuing his overlapping run with a timely lay-off. Mathews slipped the ball past the advancing Wilkins into the path of Jonathan Smith, but his Metro namesake, Gerard, blocked his shot on the line.
Seconds later, Quansah evaded two opponents before picking out Callinan on the far post with a measured cross. The crossbar came to Metro’s rescue on this occasion, before Wilkins, with Callinan and McCormack homing on, grabbed a teasing Mathews cross-shot from virtually on the goal-line in the 55th minute.
Referee Hayden Sentch had one of those Minties moments in the 56th minute, after consulting with his assistant, Sam Tompsett. The young flag-bearer had signalled Callinan to be in an offside position when he burst through Metro’s rearguard. But by the time the striker was tripped by Wilkins as he attempted to round the ‘keeper in the penalty area, he had put his flag down and carried on.
Sentch pointed to the penalty spot following the foul, and as Callinan placed the ball on the spot, Metro’s pleadings prompted the official to head across to discuss matters with Tompsett.
The outcome? The penalty was rescinded, and Metro were awarded a free-kick for the original offside offence - a brave piece of officiating, but one Sentch handled correctly in the circumstances, although more frequent checks with his assistants throughout the game would have enhanced the contribution of all three officials to the game.
Pascoe’s overlapping runs were a feature of Central’s second half performance, and in the 65th minute, his link-up with Callinan in this regarded produced a splendid first-time cross which was a virtual invitation to score for any team-mate anticipating such a delivery. Sadly for United, Smith was not.
Four minutes later, McCormack played the ball wide to Quansah, who directed a teasing cross towards Callinan. Rather than control the ball, the striker opted to shield it, aware that Pascoe was roaring up in support. The full-back leathered a low drive across the face of goal, three minutes before Wilkins produced a blinding save to turn a curling Quansah effort to safety, after McCormack had flicked on a Bannatyne clearance.
How Metro’s goal escaped intact in the 73rd minute defies belief. Sykes corner picked out Vodanovich, whose header was superbly saved by Wilkins. But the ball fell perfectly to Pascoe, who let fly from ten yards, only for Campbell to block his goal bound effort by the post. For a few seconds, Metro’s goalmouth resembled a pinball machine, before Daniel Markham stepped in and cleared the danger in resounding fashion.
But Central wouldn’t take no for an answer from their local rivals. Towards goal they charged once more, in the 81st minute, only for Wilkins to punch Sykes’ cross off the head of McCormack. Five minutes later, Callinan loomed large on the left, with Pascoe and Sykes for company. The latter was used to supply the cross for Coombes, who volleyed wide.
Two minutes from time, Callinan played the ball forward for Sykes to latch onto, overlapping McCormack in the process. Central’s captain galloped to the byline before pulling the ball back for Coombes, but his effort was thwarted by the combined efforts of Wilkins and Richard Beeston, one of many heroes in Metro’s defiant defensive display.
As the visitors pressed for an all-too-rare opening, however, they got hit on the counter-attack in stoppage time, and on this occasion, McCormack made it count, racing into the penalty area before poking the ball under the approaching figure of Wilkins, whose disappointment in conceding the match-clinching third goal, with what was virtually the game’s last kick, was evident for all to see.
The visitors fought hard for the duration of this derby, and their youthful exuberance and sheer commitment ensured Central had to work far harder for the three points on offer than perhaps many had anticipated - the home team certainly knew they’d been in a battle come the end of this well-contested affair, but they won through, and now top the table by two points, with two games in hand.
By contrast, Metro are now well entrenched in a fight to stave off the threat of relegation play-offs, this result having landed them in the dreaded eleventh spot. They deserve to be higher-placed on the league ladder based on this display - whether they will realise that come the final shake-up remains to be seen.

Central: Bannatyne; Mathews, Vodanovich (booked, 62), Uhlmann, Pascoe; Quansah, J. Smith, Coombes, Sykes; McCormack, Callinan

Metro: Wilkins; Beckham, R. Beeston, G. Smith, Markham; Campbell, Wild, Kubicki, J. Beeston (booked, 64); Yugov (McDaid, 74), Newall (Dundas, 85)

Referee: Hayden Sentch

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