University-Mt. Wellington bounced back to winning ways at Bill McKinlay Park on April 8, but their 4-1 victory over Metro in the Qantas NZ National League wasn't achieved without a scare or two along the way.
The home side got off to a near perfect start, Nick Hyde thundering home the opening goal in the fourth minute, after Theary Thou's corner had resulted in a scramble which Leaveil Titus initially cleared off the line, but only as far as Uni-Mount's seasoned right-back.
This prompted last season's beaten Grand Finalists to press on in search of more goals, but Metro's 'keeper proved equal to the best efforts they could muster in the next ten minutes - most notably a cross-shot from the well-performed Michael Buhagiar, while a sixteenth minute strike from Heath McCormack was ruled out courtesy the offside flag.
Unlike against Waitakere in round one, Metro this time had accommodated a player with pace aplenty in their attack to endeavour to take advantage of any slip-ups which the opposition might make in their pursuit of goals.
Given the right service, Willie Osborne is greyhound-like in making the most of it, and the right service duly came his way in the 21st minute.
Uni-Mount's defence, preoccupied with the presence of Kelly Escome, allowed a Graham clearance to bounce, and the speedy Fijian front-runner didn't need a second invitation.
Through he thundered, and before Uni-Mount knew what was happening, Osborne was gleefully tucking home Metro's first goal of the season - 1-1.
The visitors had chances to ensure that it wouldn't be a one-off occasion in this match, either, as the pace of the goalscorer, allied to some probing passes from the midfield trio of Nigel Curteis, Aaron Root and Leaveil Titus, gave Uni-Mount cause for concern on more than one occasion.
Unfortunately for Metro, the finishing didn't match the approach play.
Uni-Mount gradually worked their way back into the ascendancy, with Graham saving from Stu Roberts in the 26th minute, after Hyde had worked a one-two with Andy Brown, whose own shot, three minutes later, was blocked to safety, after man-of-the-match Paul Bunbury had made significant in-roads down Metro's left flank to the byline.
The greater cohesion in the home side's play as a result of the captain's presence was a marked improvement on seven days' prior, when injury had prevented Bunbury from taking part in proceedings, and the quality of Uni-Mount's performance had suffered accordingly.
Five minutes later, Bunbury hit the sidenetting after again single-handedly carving open the right-hand side of Metro's defence. From the same flank seconds later, Kara Waetford found himself crossing towards where Buhagiar and McCormack were arriving at pace in the penalty area. The latter won the race, but headed over the crossbar.
McCormack surged down the right flank in the 37th minute, but no-one was on hand to turn home his cross. So on the next occasion, two minutes later, he stayed in the middle, and was duly picked out by Brown's cross from the right, after Hyde had sent his team-mate clear. McCormack launched himself for a diving header, but found himself making contact with the ball virtually at ground level, hence was only able to direct his attempt wide of the mark.
Buhagiar and Bunbury both whipped in low crosses before the interval which needed a touch at most to fully capitalise on them, but 1-1 it remained, Metro seemingly quite content to hold onto the point that was within their grasp, and look to steal another goal on the break in an effort to clinch all three.
Uni-Mount resumed the second spell in much the same manner as they had concluded the first - in the ascendancy. But while they enjoyed a surfeit of possession, their penetrative passing lacked the quality which their general approach play boasted in the second spell, as a result of which chances were less forthcoming for the home team.
Chances for Metro, however, were fewer still, meaning that the 800-odd patrons who had stayed on after the U-17 international to enjoy an afternoon in the sunshine watching soccer were treated to a somewhat tedious affair, with Uni-Mount having to demonstrate patience in their attempts to prise open Metro's defences.
Occasionally they succeeded, as in the 56th minute, when Stu Roberts came close to restoring the home side's early lead with a header following a Thou corner. Nine minutes later, Uni-Mount struck pay-dirt, Bunbury steering the ball towards McCormack. He evaded two challenges before cracking a shot against the upright, which spun behind the prone figure of Graham and perfectly into the path of Buhagiar, who, from close range, didn't miss.
This prompted Metro coach Bob Sova to introduce Joel Facon's pace and Stuart Hogg's guile to proceedings, in an attempt to regain parity. But their presence made no difference to the general pattern of play, the home side continuing to hold sway, and test Graham and colleagues at every opportunity.
The goalkeeper twice thwarted Travis Medhurst inside the last thirteen minutes, while Buhagiar also had reason to rue the intervention of Metro's 'keeper four minutes from time.
Graham was receiving plenty of support from his colleagues, with Peter Hendriks executing a timely 82nd minute tackle to thwart McCormack in the act of shooting, while shots from Bunbury and Buhagiar were blocked to safety in the dying minutes.
But two goals in the last few minutes of this match secured Uni-Mount a winning margin more in keeping with their on-field dominance of proceedings.
The goal of the game came in the 88th minute, and emanated from Buhagiar winning possession on the right. The ball was sent through Bunbury to James "Steve McManaman" Patterson, who scythed past two challenges in "Shaggy"-like manner before unleashing a sweetly struck twenty-five yarder which arrowed past Graham into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
3-1 became 4-1 in stoppage time, and again Bunbury and Buhagiar were involved, so, too, Medhurst. The second-mentioned was responsible for a measured cross to which McCormack applied an accomplished finish, deftly guiding the ball over Graham and into the net to round off Uni-Mount's first win of the new campaign in style.

Uni-Mount: Kelly; Hyde, Waetford, Pearce, Patterson; Thou (Temple, 70), Bunbury, Brown (Medhurst, 46), Buhagiar; McCormack, Roberts (Ashton, 70)

Metro: Graham; Hendriks, Beetson, Mason, Guest, Sarapu; Root, Curteis (Hogg, 75), Titus (Facon, 69); Osborne (booked, 13), Escome

Referee: Peter O'Leary

Scoring: Uni-Mount: N. Hyde (4), M. Buhagiar (65), J. Patterson (88), H. McCormack (90)   

Metro:  W. Osborne (21)

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