Delta Tapware Metro travelled to Palmerston North buoyed by the previous weekends four out of six points, but were sadly lacking in ideas and speed as Manawatu United took the game to Metro and all the points.
From the kick-off, the visitors looked out of sorts, and after just 5 minutes of play, Mathew McCallum took the ball around Jason Collett and went to the by-line at speed. His cross to Ian Robinson was met at speed, and it took extra effort from Nigel Curteis who covered well.
10 minutes later and a great ball down the sideline from Shane Cunliffe let Jamie How loose, and when he whipped the ball in, only Sakdy Phommahaxay’s scrambled clearance saved Metro early blushes.
However Metro started to feel their way, and only a couple of minutes later, a counter attack began deep in the Metro half. It was started by Sean Hird who saw an opportunity to carry the ball unchallenged through the midfield and his precision pass let Curteis loose and heading toward goal.
What might have happened and what did happen is similar to the fishing stories you hear. Glory written, with only the finish needed, Curteis struck the ball well only to see the ball pass the despairing dive of Manawatu goalkeeper Hayden Englefield, and go wide past the open goal.
From the goal kick the ball was again picked up deep in the Metro half, and passed wide to Phommahaxay, who contrived a clever line ball for the already sprinting Willie Thompson. His cross was picture perfect and would have been better still if a Metro player had managed to get there in time. Unfortunately no contest ensued and the ball was safely cleared by Cunliffe.
Back cam Manawatu, who by now were setting a pattern for their play. Absorbing pressure, their breaks out of their half picked up in pace as they warmed to their task. One such break occurred now, and Shane Wye’s run down the line was well-timed.
Wye scooped up the ball and whipped a cross over that was met by the charging Darren Kenny, who hardly spared time to look as he whipped a header on goal. Only perfect positioning by the reliable Metro goalkeeper Grant Schofield prevented the scoresheet changing.
However the scoresheet was changed in the 23rd minute. From a corner taken by Mathew McCallum, provided courtesy of one of the previous mentioned breakouts, Trent Watson went up unchallenged in the Metro penalty area and calmly headed the ball into the Metro net.
This was a simple goal and the Metro defense was clearly rattled for having given away such a gift, but the scoresheet showed them a goal down, and the test of character began.
Buoyed by the goal, Manawatu threw everything they could at the Metro goalmouth, and only superb efforts from Stuart Mair and Schofield kept Manawatu at bay.
Minutes after the goal a throughball from How released Wye, and his goalbound drive had goal written all over it until Schofield, now playing an invaluable role as saviour, once again blocked the shot, pushing it back out to the field of play. The ball was driven in this time by Kenny, and again Schofield managed to get to his feet in time to save and the ball was scrambled to safety by Phommahaxay.
33 minutes gone, and just as Metro seemed to have weathered the latest storm,  the ball was slipped through to the ever present Kenny . Going around Collett, he seemed on the verge of passing when he unleashed a spectacular shot  from outside the penaly area.
The melee of players in front of Schofield prevented the Metro ’keeper from seeing the ball untill way too late. Still, the shot was superb, though Metro were again left wondering why the play was allowed to carry the ball unchallenged for 25 meters and then permitted to line up and shoot.
Two goals down and it seemed that there were no ideas left in the jar for Metro. Six minutes before half time a final flurry from the Metro team nearly saw them pull back a goal. Typical of Metro, it started from the back, with some slick passing seeing Manawatu players chasing shadows.
A run by Jonathon Perry saw him deliver a wonderful cross to Curteis who headed down for Roberts. Carrying the ball a little further, Roberts then delivered an equally divine ball, low and hard,  for Thompson to run on to.
Sadly, Thompson’s close range shot spooned over the bar, and what might have been never was.
One final flurry before half time from Manawatu had the crowd buzzing. As Kenny broke away from a flat Metro defense, he was brough down by Hird. Hird was fortunate to remain on the park and Metro was fortunate to remain only two goals down as the effort from Wye saw the ball riccochet off the top of the bar and out.
The second half started out without too much excitement, but Metro lacked the urgency to address a two-goal deficit. It took 11 minutes before a play of significance occurred, and it was Metro who created it.
The ball was flicked back and forth in the defence by Manawatu, and an uncharactaristic bad pass from Cunliffe was intercepted by Thompson. A quick one-two between Thompson and Curteis and the ball was flicked to Heath McCormack.
His long-range shot was more spectacular for the nasty bobbly that occurred just as the Manawatu ‘keeper went to scoop up the ball. Only good positioning from the ‘keeper saved a goal as it leapt past the outstretched hands of Englefield and struck his shoulder before falling harmlessly at his feet.
Metro triggered the next move, but not until the 69th minute. Phommahaxay fed Thompson, and his through-ball to McCormack was sweet. The ensuing shot rom McCormack needed only to have been on target to have possibly changed the game.
Stung by Metro’s dominance with the ball, Manawatu launched a now familiar counter attack. Trevor Kenyon and Ian Robinson moved the ball around with Cunliffe, and the final shot by Robinson was wide of the Metro goal by only a metre or two.
In the 76th minute, the first substitution occurred as Thompson was replaced by Stuart Davidson. Four minutes later and the first Manawatu substitution as Ian Robinson who had played a valuable role in the distribution of the ball for his side was replaced by Lazar Vukcevic.
Another couple of minutes, and Stuart Roberts came off, Luke Campbell given his first run of the season. For the remaining time of the match, Metro maintained possession of the ball, but any moves that eventuated lacked in ideas, and end in their infancy.
In the dying seconds of the game, Metro earned a corner for what would be the last act of the day. And it nearly produced a goal, but for Manawatu. Breaking out of their half at speed, Vukcevic latched onto a ball and drove low and hard, past Schofield and just wide of the Metro goal.
No one will take points easily off this Manawatu side, but Metro can feel that they handed the home three points rather than being beaten. Not one of the better footballing excursions for the Red and Blacks, so enough said.
Yet, of all the events of the day, the strangest was the organisation of the flights for the visiting team. It left the few Metro spectators that were there very bemused that the team had to fly early to Wellington and then fly on a small 16 seater to Palmerston North.
The team arrived in Palmerston  North at 10.00am and sat around for 2 hours. At the ground by 12.30pm, the match was played at 2.00pm only for the Metro team to be whisked away to the airport before they had a chance to talk to the Manawatu team or have any speeches.
It seemed to us on the sidelines that the event could have been arranged a little differently, especially since we flew out at 6.00pm, giving us plenty of time to sample the hospitality of our hosts.
Next weekend, Wellington Olympic will taste the benefit of playing on a Saturday evening and flying home the next day when they play Metro at home. This will give them a chance to stay behind at the club, talk football for as long as it interests them, and then partake of the nightlife of Auckland, leaving at a gentlemen’s hour the next day. I’m one person that will be very interested in the reaction of the visiting team to this option.

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