Life's a funny thing, really. When you're on the up, just about everything  that could eventuate seems to go just as you want it to, but when you're struggling along, every little thing that possibly could go wrong invariably does.
Such circumstances were very much in evidence at a rain-soaked Albie Turner Field on May 27, where University-Mt. Wellington secured a share of the lead in the Southern Trust National League with a hard-fought 3-1 win over bottom-of-the-table Metro.
Make no mistake, Uni-Mount deserved their win, particularly in terms of chances created. But Metro have every reason to feel aggrieved over a handful of incidents in this local derby, and will be wondering what they have done to deserve the hand Fate has dealt them to date this season.
The home team welcomed three newcomers to their ranks for this match, namely defender Daniel Eisenhut and goalkeeper Greg Brand, both from neighbours Three Kings United, and Paul Rowley, who has joined the club as part of their Academy arrangement with Stockport County, and showed within minutes of his entry to the fray, in his instant control of a difficult pass on the rain-slicked surface, that he would be a welcome addition to Bob Sova's squad.
Of the newcomers, it was the second-mentioned who found himself proving the merit of his acquisition early on in the piece, as Uni-Mount went close to scoring on no less than five occasions in the first fifteen minutes.
Indeed, they could well have been in front after just forty-five seconds, Theary Thou, having ghosted in on the blindside of the defence to latch onto the impressive Travis Medhurst's perceptive through ball, being denied at close quarters by Brand, whose anticipation was to save Metro on more than just this occasion in the ensuing ninety minutes.
He was to deny both Michael Buhagiar and Heath McCormack before Uni-Mount's initial onslaught was over, while Paul Shepherd spared his goalkeeper's blushes when clearing Kara Waetford's header off the line following a Medhurst corner.
The taker of that set-piece came close to opening the scoring on the quarter hour, heading narrowly over the top after a fine move instigated by the hard-working Paul Bunbury, and carried on by McCormack and Leigh Kenyon, who supplied a measured cross for the marauding Medhurst to attempt to open the scoring.
Having dominated the early exchanges, Uni-Mount were somewhat taken aback to find that their opponents, whom many have already written off as a lost cause, have not lost heart in their somewhat awkward circumstances, as it could well have been Metro who were celebrating the game's opening goal in the nineteenth minute.
Springing forward on the counter-attack, Aaron Root sent Carl Bennett powering forward, and the striker's powerful run left the visiting defence somewhat startled. Given these circumstances, you can imagine what effect Bennett's next act had on the opposition.
All present stood in awe as his murderous twenty-five yard volley fair screamed over Simon Eaddy's head and crashed against the crossbar with such stunning ferocity that the rebound landed somewhere in the vicinity of the half-way line! It's a wonder the crossbar didn't crack!!
Of course, it was one of those things which underlined Metro's position. If they were enjoying Lady Luck's favour, they may well have needed to stop play to replace the broken goal-net!! As it was ...
Uni-Mount opened the scoring just shy of the half-hour. Medhurst's outstanding first half effort gained its due reward when his battling qualities forced an opening for Thou to exploit. He evaded two challenges before slipping the ball through as he hurdled Eisenhut's lunge. Bunbury and McCormack were the beneficiaries, and fully capitalised on finding no-one at home, the captain doing the honours for the first time this season.
The goal gave the visitors' fresh impetus, and they resumed their onslaught of Metro's goal for the remainder of the half. Nick Hyde - now nicknamed "The Sultan", given his pending move to play football in Brunei - glided onto an Andy Brown free-kick to guide a delightful header goalwards, only for the back-pedalling Brand to tip the ball over the top in the 34th minute.
The resulting corner from Kenyon saw an almighty goalmouth scramble ensuing, Eisenhut clearing off the line as young and not-so-young alike did their utmost to send the ball in any one of a dozen directions!
Four minutes later, Bunbury sent Medhurst scurrying to the byline on the left, from where he sent over a vicious cross which arced over Brand towards the far post, where McCormack was arriving at pace. Shepherd was one step ahead of him, however, and coolly headed the ball across goal to his grateful goalkeeper.
Uni-Mount went to the dressing rooms a goal to the good, but were prevented from adding to their tally early in the second spell when Brand foiled McCormack once more.
By this time, though, the visitors should, in all honesty, have been down to ten men. Many's the time a player's retaliatory antics have resulted in the production of a red card, but on this occasion, referee Neil Fox merely cautioned Buhagiar for his actions when taking umbrage to a meaty, card-earning challenge from the well-performed Peter Hendriks.
You could almost hear Metro's fans collectively muttering the Uni-Mount midfielder's nickname, "Bugger", under their breath, as another contentious decision went against them!!
On the hour, Kenyon and Medhurst linked up on the left to cross for McCormack, whose deft back-heel set his skipper up for a shooting chance. Before Bunbury could pull the trigger, however, Root appeared on the scene, and produced a goal-saving tackle, the after-effects of which were destined to see him hobble off injured later in the piece.
Before he did depart, however, he had the pleasure of seeing Metro draw level, an equaliser their tenacity in the face of adversity fully merited. Bennett set his sights in the 66th minute, pulling his shot across the face of goal after being put through by Tommy Mason's perceptive pass.
Four minutes later, practice made perfect. Willie Osborne teamed up with Rowley on the right, and the latter's pass put Bennett in the clear, fifteen yards out on the angle. He let fly, his shot searing past Eaddy before smashing into the bottom right-hand corner of the net - 1-1, and a deserved reward for the hard-working goalscorer.
Were Uni-Mount destined to pay for their inability to finish off their numerous openings, particularly in the first half? They certainly got a real fright three minutes after the goal, Rowley bursting down the right with Bennett and Osborne in support as the visitors found themselves scrambling to foil a counter-attack.
The newcomer's cross arced to the far post, where Osborne, Metro's top goalscorer, was arriving at pace. He met the ball flush with his head, but was to put his head in his hands seconds later, at the sight of the sphere whistling inches past the upright.
The goal had clearly stung Uni-Mount, for, prior to Osborne's effort, the full-of-running McCormack had gone similarly close to scoring with a low shot. Then Brand saved Buhagiar's twenty-five yard grasscutter as the nature of the scoreline left the game well and truly in the balance.
It was to tip in Uni-Mount's favour eleven minutes from time. Buhagiar's strong challenge in midfield won possession for his side, Kenyon the man to commandeer it. A slide-rule pass into the gap on his right rewarded McCormack's run, and the flame-haired former Metro player thumped home a beauty from the edge of the penalty area to re-establish his team's advantage.
They were destined not to relinquish it, but this was largely aided by Metro being reduced to ten men within a minute of McCormack's goal. From the kick-off, the scorer secured possession, and charged through, only for Mason to bring his run to an early end with an uncompromising tackle, one which referee Fox deemed worthy of a red card ...
Suffice to say, the ten-men now found themselves on the back foot, and their full-strength opponents were quick to take advantage of it. For within eight minutes, they had extended their lead to 3-1, but had they done so legally?
Brown's pass to Kenyon saw him let fly from fully thirty yards. Brand got down quickly, but could only parry the ball, and McCormack, who had been the player nearest Metro's 'keeper when the former Kingz player unleashed his shot, was quickest to react, and duly prodded home.
But hadn't he been in an offside position when the shot was struck? When asked about it afterwards, the match officials realised they had erred - too late for Metro, for whom this further confirmed their belief that when you're struggling, everything seems to go against you.
At least they had the honour of the final shot in anger in this match, however, an Eisenhut Exocet from fully thirty yards which raged goalwards, only for Eaddy to pull off a stupendous save to turn the ball to safety.
But 3-1 it remained in Uni-Mount's favour, and with leaders Central United dropping more points, their belief that when you're on the up, everything seems to go your way, was further enhanced.

Metro:  Brand; Hendriks (booked, 54), Mason (sent-off, 79), Eisenhut (booked, 33), Shepherd; Rowley, Curteis (booked, 42), Root (Smith, 77), Hollard; Osborne, Bennett

Uni-Mount: Eaddy; Pearce, Waetford, Brown; Hyde, Buhagiar (booked, 54), Thou, Bunbury, Medhurst (McGinlay, 69); Kenyon, McCormack

Referee: Neil Fox

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