Hutt Valley Cartage Lynn-Avon United inflicted the first league defeat upon Feltonmix Metro in over a year, and only their fifth in four seasons, at Ken Maunder Park on April 13, beating the defending champions 2-1 in front of a good 300 supporters.
United, who were promoted as champions to the Bluebird Premier League this season, paraded three of their quartet of signings from the Summer League champions, Waitakere City, for the first time, but found themselves well and truly under the cosh in the first twenty minutes of play.
Metro probed relentlessly for an opening goal, with Darren Jackson and Willie Thompson narrowly astray inside the first eight minutes. United then called upon goalkeeper Clayton Hutchinson to get them out of trouble, as Stu Roberts, Thompson, Danny McHenery and Shaun Omara chanced their arm with a range of strikes which brought the best out of the home team’s custodian.
Come the 20th minute, however, Metro, totally against the run of play, found themselves a goal behind from Lynn-Avon’s first attack. Player-coach Sean Hird passed the ball back to Wayne Roach, with seemingly no danger apparent. Enter Darren McClennan, seemingly from nowhere, and the goalkeeper was rushed into a clearance which ricocheted skywards off the All White striker.
Roach had no idea of the ball’s whereabouts, but Geoff Gray did, and he stole in to lay the ball into the path of Huw Anderson, who, from the edge of the penalty area, made no mistake.
Metro were rocked. The absence of injured captain John Van Dort didn’t help their cause greatly, nor did the fact that Gary Moore almost doubled United’s lead two minutes later - he directed his free header straight at Roach.
The visitors responded by rolling up their sleeves, and within minutes, United were defending en masse again. After Omara had sent a shot whistling over the bar, Benny Hall put McHenery through. He swept past his marker, and then delivered a cross which left Hutchinson stranded. Roberts, rising high with the goal at his mercy, just failed to make contact, much to the home team’s relief.
Which was even more notable three minutes later. Hall, this time, wove his magic, dancing past defenders as if they were slalom poles on a ski-slope. He drilled his shot past Hutchinson, only for the ball to hit the inside of the near post and ricochet to safety.
Lynn-Avon regrouped, and struck again in the 38th minute. Glen Tomes’ long throw-in was flicked on by Greg Clark - he had a super game - to the far post, where McClennan was loitering with intent. The ball flashed across Roach into the far corner - 2-0.
Within minutes, a third goal was theirs for the taking. Anderson sent the well-performed Aaron Beckham scuttling away down the left. His cross sought out Gray, but Stuart Mair’s awkward challenge on the striker saw referee Trevor Stevens pointing to the penalty spot. After Gray had been attended to, Anderson stepped up, only to strike his spot-kick against the crossbar.
Metro struck in the 59th minute. Hall’s right wing work was cut out and cleared, but only to Thompson. He delivered a measured cross to the far post, where Roberts rose to head home.
Hutchinson and Roach were in action next, saving from Jackson and McClennan respectively, before referee Stevens inexplicably awarded Metro an indirect free-kick in the 76th minute, for what he deemed to be a back pass, but was, in fact, a tussle between Roberts and Clark in which the Metro striker had made final contact with the ball.
Justice, thankfully, was served, with nothing coming of the resulting free-kick, but more tales of the weird and wonderful were to emanate from the match officials before the game was over. McHenery and Jackson both fired over as Metro sought an equaliser, but in between times, Lynn-Avon had what looked to be a perfectly good goal disallowed five minutes from time.
Jason Thompson powered forward unchallenged down the left, and was picked out by a precise Neil Woodhams’ cross field pass. The raider totally miscued his shot, much to the amazement of Roach, who could only look on as the ball soared high over his head and bounced into the net just beside the far post.
Cue much joy and celebration among United’s players and supporters. But delight turned to sheer disbelief within seconds, as referee Stevens acknowledged his assistant’s raised flag and disallowed the goal for offside.
That it didn’t affect the final outcome is some recompense for Lynn-Avon, but how Metro are ruing those missed chances, not to mention their absent striker Steve Nickson, whose physical approach could well have given United’s defence even more problems than those they had to cope with.

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