Waitakere City became the latest team to enjoy a spell at the top of the Northern Premier League table for at least twenty hours on May 23, as they scored a no-frills 3-0 win over a Metro side which seems destined for a season-long struggle to avoid relegation once again.
The enthusiasm of the home team was hard to fault, with new signing Reginald Davani, the Papua New Guinea international, almost giving them a real shot in the arm in the fourth minute, as confusion between Kaz Townsend and Jason Rowley saw the defender send a clearance cannoning into the closing striker, who looked on as the ricochet flew past the gaping goal with inches to spare.
The visitors responded with a lightning-quick raid inspired by Craig Wylie, who motored past a couple of opponents on the left flank before laying the ball back into Lance Eeson’s path. The youngster’s shot failed to do justice to his team-mate’s creative efforts.
As lively as Wylie was Krish Singh, who, three minutes later, was released down the right by Nigel Curteis. After a brief gallop, he turned the ball into Ben Dundas’ path, and the resulting hanging cross was totally misjudged by Townsend. Thankfully for the goalkeeper, Rowley was on hand to block Curteis’ drive to safety.
Singh and Curteis teamed up again in the twelfth minute, the former doing the hard yards in a one-two which unhinged Waitakere’s defence once again. This time, Singh’s cross was headed clear by Malcolm “Maldini” Wakefield, only for Curteis to unleash a dipping twenty-yard volley which clipped the crossbar, much to Townsend’s relief.
The young goalkeeper took the resulting goal-kick, and Wylie was picked out on the left flank. His cross field pass careered right across to the unmarked Rowley on the right - Metro had completely ignored the fullback as they angled their defensive cover towards Waitakere’s left wing.
How they were made to pay for their negligence by the youngster, as Rowley let fly from twenty-five yards with a grass cutter which arrowed into the bottom right-hand corner of Craig Wilkins’ net - 1-0 to the visitors, and the sort of defensive blunder which teams in the lower reaches of the league can ill afford to make.
Seven minutes later, Metro knew it was destined not to be their night when Davani struck what he thought was the equaliser. But a split-second before he thrashed the ball home, referee Paul Smith spotted the raised flag of his assistant, Rodney Nizic, the “goal scorer” having been in an offside position when the ball was played to him, although he was onside by the time it reached him.
Waitakere were playing below their own expectations, but weren’t greatly troubled by a Metro side rich in enthusiasm, but not so well deployed when it came to imaginative, penetrative play. Indeed, the home team had to be wary of City’s counter-attacking potential, which was seen in the 22nd minute when Wilkins pulled off a spectacular save to deny Michael Williams, after he had teamed up with Rowley on the right.
“Maldini” pulled off the interception of the match on the half-hour, as Dundas’ measured pass rewarded Paul Taylor’s well-timed run. The midfielder was shaping to let fly from the edge of the penalty area when Wakefield coolly whipped the ball away from him to thwart the threat with the minimum of fuss - a fine piece of defending which would not have disgraced the real Paolo Maldini!
The next exhibit of defending would most certainly have done, however. Ironically, Wakefield was involved again, this time in an attacking sense. He pinged a lengthy free-kick up field which Wilkins came to gather, clearly calling for the ball.
Peter Hendriks, however, didn’t hear him for some reason, but was wishing he had done seconds later, as his 35th minute header back towards where his ‘keeper would have been had he stayed on his line bounced tantalisingly slowly into the unguarded goal - 2-0 City.
This effectively killed the game off as a contest, and Wylie came close to confirming the fact three minutes later. Williams and Eeson combined on the right, with Wylie homing in on the cross at full pace, before sliding his shot narrowly past Wilkins’ left-hand post with the ‘keeper scrambling across his goal to ensure that was so.
A flying Davani header, from a Duncan Clark free-kick, flashed narrowly wide to bring the first half action to a close, and it took a while for things to get going again in the second spell, until an intricate four-man move down the left flank saw City’s Mauro Donoso going down under the challenge of Dundas in the 57th minute.
Referee Smith didn’t hesitate - penalty, and an opportunity for the league’s leading marksman, Geoff Gray, to add to his tally for the season. But Wilkins proved equal to the striker’s spot-kick, turning the shot to safety to give Metro hope.
Wilkins was the star of the show for the home side, as saves from Gray and Williams soon afterwards emphasised. At the other end of the park, Townsend had to be alert to paw a cross intended for Curteis to safety, after Singh and Rab McNeill had combined on the right in the 66th minute.
The scoring was wrapped up eleven minutes from time by Darren Young, after City substitute James Slack had scampered past two opponents and played a cross to his team-mate at the near post. Young controlled the ball neatly before despatching a ferocious volley past Wilkins to ensure Waitakere of a 3-0 win at their hosts’ expense.
They could have celebrated at least one more goal before the final whistle, but after the tracking run of Singh had thwarted Williams’ attempts to latch onto a Wylie pass, Wilkins saved Williams’ twenty-yard strike five minutes from time, then showed his alertness when heading Young’s angled cross, intended for Eeson, clear, before recovering to prevent Slack from netting another goal for the overnight league leaders in stoppage time.

Metro: Wilkins; Beeston, Hendriks, Gray, Clark; Singh, Curteis, Dundas, Taylor (Kuibicki, 46); McNeill (Newall, 76), Davani

Waitakere: Townsend; Rowley, Wakefield, Lathwood, Young; Williams, Kolk, Donoso (Deacon, 83), Wylie; Eeson, Gray (Slack, 76)

Referee: Paul Smith

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