Thomas Edge marked his return to top-level New Zealand club soccer action with a hat-trick at Fred Taylor Park on April 1, as Waitakere City scored their first-ever opening day win at the thirteenth attempt when downing Metro 4-0 in their Qantas New Zealand National League encounter.
Showing that he had lost none of his guile and touch despite his spell away from top-flight football, man-of-the-match Edge scored his three goals in a twenty-eight minute spell either side of half-time, the same amount of time it took for Waitakere to break down the massed ranks of Metro's defenders, as the visitors maintained a solid nine (!!) players behind the ball, not including goalkeeper Robbie Graham.
At first, Waitakere were somewhat impatient in their approach play, Edge and Darren Fellowes showing some neat touches which weren't backed up by too many examples of "thinking football" from the midfield quintet - Nick Farac, particularly, was frequently guilty of spurning possession with an instinctive pass, as opposed to the more considered and discerning lay-off which the circumstances required.
Come the 28th minute, however, patience and persistence finally paid off for Ron Armstrong's side. Paul Stephens sent the ball forward to Hoani Edwards, whose one-two with Carl Jorgensen on the edge of the penalty area gave him the necessary room to steer the ball under the advancing Graham and into the far corner - 1-0.
This opened the floodgates, and Waitakere could have had two more goals in the next five minutes. A superb five-man move culminated in Edwards firing narrowly over on the half hour, while Fellowes saw Graham save his penalty in the 33rd minute, after the goalkeeper had felled Liam Mulrooney near the byline, as the midfielder pursued the rebound of Jorgensen's shot off Peter Hendricks.
City doubled their advantage eight minutes before the break, Mulrooney the principal architect. He laid the ball back to Stephens, whose teasing cross was met by Edge on the far post, his header looping over Graham and just under the bar.
Jorgensen and Fellowes were both foiled by Metro's custodian before the break, as was Edwards' diving header soon after it, while the last chance of the first half was instigated by the visitors' number one, his raking clearance sending Leaveil Titus scampering through, only for Scott Bishop to stand his ground well.
The second spell began in much the same manner as the first, City failing to apply patience to their game in the face of massed ranks of Metro defenders. They were eventually rewarded for their pressure, however, Stephen Reid's throw-in to Fellowes seeing the speedster deliver a low cross to the far post, where Edge was on hand to tap home on the hour.
Six minutes later, a near carbon copy of the third goal came to pass. Jorgensen fed Fellowes wide on the right, and he nutmegged Tommy Mason before whipping in a swerving cross with the outside of his right foot to the far post, where Edge was on hand to walk the ball into the net; 4-0.
Both Edge and Fellowes had chances to extend Waitakere's advantage still further, but Graham saved well with his legs on each occasion one or other of City's front-runners was bearing down on goal with just the 'keeper to beat.
Ryan Dawkins headed City's final chance, from an Edwards cross, wide on the final whistle, by which time Metro had twice gone close to breaking their duck. Reid and Darren Wise thwarted efforts from Titus and fifteen-year-old Stuart Hogg five minutes before the end, while in the dying stages, Henry Maenuu strayed offside to prevent the visitors from ending the game with a goal to their name.
City, however, were never truly troubled by their youthful and inexperienced opponents, who defended creditably but look likely to have a season-long struggle ahead of them towards the opposite end of the table from where their opening day hosts are likely to be found.

City: Bishop; Hannah, Dawkins, Jones (booked, 40) (Wise, 64); Edwards, Stephens (Reid, 60), Jorgensen, Mulrooney (booked, 25) (Keeler, 70), Farac (booked, 72)); Edge, Fellowes

Metro: Graham; Shepherd (Hogg, 70), Hendricks, Mason, Guest, Sarapu (Beetson, 70); Markham (Maenuu, 46), Root (booked, 27), Curteis (booked, 23), Titus; Escome

Referee: Brian Precious

Scoring: Waitakere: H. Edwards (28), T. Edge (37, 60, 66)

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