Juggernauts Prepare For Clash With Good Wins
Story by Jeremy Ruane

The star-studded Lynn-Avon United and Three Kings United Northern Premier Women’s League combinations prepared for their keenly awaited clash at Keith Hay Park next Sunday with impressive victories in the competition’s fifth round of action on April 30.

While New Zealand Under-20s captain Kirsty Yallop was claiming the match-ball after leading Lynn-Avon to a 4-2 victory over Eastern Suburbs, Three Kings overcame Glenfield Rovers 3-1 at McFetridge Park, where Merissa Smith gave the visitors the lead on the quarter-hour.

Emma Kete doubled that advantage ten minutes into the second spell before Caitlin Campbell halved the arrears from the penalty spot to score her first goal in Glenfield’s colours. United weren’t to be denied, however, Kete confirming the victory with her second goal of the game in the dying minutes.

That result leaves Three Kings three points behind Lynn-Avon, having played a game less than the reigning champions. Both sides have yet to drop a point this season, a situation which will have changed come this time next week.

Having dropped their first points of the season in spectacular fashion last week, Claudelands Rovers found the wrong end of the scoreline again in this round, Western Springs’ Jasmine Wagner scoring the only goal of the game for the Manson-sponsored side just nine minutes into the clash at Galloway Park, a game which marked the debut for “The Hoops” of New Zealand international Rebecca O’Neill.

1-0 was also the outcome at Shepherds Park, where Birkenhead United were hoping to build on last Sunday’s victory against Papakura, who had the bye in this round. Instead, they came a cropper at the hands of Hibiscus Coast, for whom Tessa Berger scored the club’s first-ever goal in Premier Women’s League football fifteen minutes from time.

But the clash of the round saw the 2005 Uncle Toby’s Women’s Knockout Cup finalists drawing swords, and as in that match, the outcome favoured the more experienced line-up …



Yallop’s First Lynn-Avon Hat-Trick Sink Suburbs

Eastern Suburbs’ prospects of breaking Lynn-Avon United’s stranglehold on the Premier Women’s League crown suffered a severe setback at Ken Maunder Park on April 23, as the title-holders, inspired by Kirsty Yallop’s first hat-trick for the club, stormed to a 4-2 victory.

The outcome leaves the East Auckland club eight points behind the unbeaten league leaders with a quarter of the campaign gone, and even at this stage of the campaign, it is hard to envisage Suburbs making in-roads into the advantage held by an impressive combination which is set to be strengthened still further in the near future by the return, from either injury or overseas commitments, of up to four senior Kiwi internationals.

One of those already in the line-up grabbed the headlines in this encounter with a lively performance. Yallop dominated the midfield exchanges in Lynn-Avon’s most challenging fixture of the season to date, with former international Natalie Davies and prospective U-20 Women’s World Cup squad member - but not on this showing - Grace Vincent both unable to cope with the nineteen-year-old’s dynamic display.

Just eighty seconds into the match, the reigning NZ International Women’s Young Player of the Year set the tone with a probing pass to release Ria Percival down the right. Ginny Tan raced off her line to save at the feet of the star of the recent Oceania qualifying tournament.

Suburbs’ response was swift, and inevitably had the stamp of Marlies Oostdam’s class all over it - just about anything of promise the visitors created stemmed from their left-footed schemer.

In the third minute, a teasing through ball from the New Zealand international sent Melanie Gooch racing through, only for Stephanie Puckrin to come hurtling well out of her goal to clear the danger. The custodian then smothered a low cross from Oostdam two minutes later, after a lively left-flank raid featuring Lily Somerfield, the selflessly-performed Gooch and the flying Dutchwoman.

Back came United in what was fast becoming a lively first half. Yallop had possession, and drifted across towards the right flank as Percival darted inside. A deft back-heel left the young winger with space aplenty in which to line up a shot, but her effort cleared the crossbar.

Suburbs continued their energetic start, and in the fifteenth minute came desperately close to opening the scoring. Oostdam turned Melanie Hansen and raced past the former Eastern Suburbs defender before lashing a low cross-shot beyond Puckrin, but just past the far post - it missed by the barest of margins.

Back came Lynn-Avon, Rebecca Parkinson clipping the top of the crossbar with a chipped twenty-five yard free-kick. United snaffled possession from the resulting goal-kick, and snaffled the lead. Percival played the ball across to Sarah Gregorius, who clipped a cross beyond Margot Bowker to Yallop.

Tan somehow blocked the midfielder’s close-range effort, doing so superbly, but Yallop latched onto the rebound and squeezed the ball home in the 21st minute, despite the best efforts of Sandee Hui to thwart her in the shadows of the crossbar.

Straight from the kick-off, Suburbs sought an equaliser, Gooch charging downfield immediately. Melissa Ray thwarted her progress, something which she was to do with aplomb throughout proceedings, but on this occasion, Gooch had an eager ally ranging up in support.

Oostdam unleashed a piledriver on the run which ricocheted off Hansen and temporarily wrong-footed Puckrin. The goalkeeper recovered splendidly, parrying the effort before pouncing on the rebound as Gooch closed in for the kill.

After Tan had saved at the feet of Parkinson following Percival’s probing pass, the pair reversed roles, with Parkinson launching a corner into the penalty area. Tan charged out and punched the ball well clear, only for Percival to pounce on it and smash a twenty-five yard volley hard and low through the throngs in the penalty area. Tan, cat-like, flung herself to her right to produce a fine save.

She launched the ball downfield, picking out Oostdam as she cut in from the left flank. The midfielder then switched the ball to Rebecca Tegg, whose initial progress was curtailed by Hansen. The National Women’s League Golden Boot winner gathered the rebound, and from twenty-five yards out with her “wrong” right foot, coolly curled home a beauty, beating Puckrin all ends up at her near post.

Back came Lynn-Avon, in a riveting spectacle full of open, free-flowing football. On the half-hour, Gregorius and Jenny Carlisle combined on the right, the latter’s cross picking out the head of Bowker inside the goal area. Her downward header looked in for all money, before Tan swooped to pull off a magnificent one-handed save low to her right.

She could do nothing about what happened five minutes later, however. Parkinson’s shot was cleared by Janet Groves to Gregorius, whose cross from the right flank targeted the far post area. Ghosting in on cue was Yallop, who guided home a header to restore her team’s lead.

United extended it three minutes later, and again, it was sourced from their U-20 internationals. A raking angled cross from the left by Percival was left by all and sundry in the Suburbs ranks, none of them having noticed Gregorius racing in off the right wing to a point beyond the far post.

By the time Tan reacted, it was too late, Lynn-Avon’s newcomer maintaining her goal-a-game average with a lovely angled header into the net - 3-1.

In falling behind, Suburbs had proven themselves their own worst enemies. Instead of pressing on after equalising, they had dropped further and further back, to the point where Groves was often stationed nearer her goal area than the edge of the penalty area, and Oostdam was having to sacrifice the left flank role from which she had caused all sorts of problems early on to act as a link player for Gooch and Tegg.

The strikers had been isolated by the lack of support from central midfield in particular, and were often left vainly chasing hoisted balls forward, which Ray and Terry McCahill were mopping up with their usual authority.

Ahead of them, Yallop in particularly was relishing the space afforded her team, and let fly from twenty-five yards four minutes before the break. That effort flashed past the post, but the next shot on goal saw the scoreboard alter yet again, two minutes prior to half-time.

Oostdam was marauding down the left at pace when Carlisle came across and halted her progress with a super “ball ‘n’ all” tackle. But the angle from which she made it had referee Hengo Sioneloto immediately blowing his whistle, and awarding a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area into which Oostdam had tumbled.

The international picked herself up, dusted herself down and unleashed a sweetly struck left-footed free-kick which swerved low around the wall and towards the target. Hansen, in her eagerness to clear the danger, stretched out a boot, only to divert the ball over the diving Puckrin and into the roof of the net - 3-2 Suburbs, the prone Lynn-Avon defender distraught at having aided her old club’s cause in such dramatic fashion.

After such an enthralling first half, the second half proved to be something of a let-down, with Suburbs mustering just one effort worthy of note on goal in the entire forty-five minutes. Lynn-Avon, on the other hand, kept on trucking, and regularly sought to build on their half-time lead.

Tan parried Percival’s twenty-five yard attempt eight minutes into the spell, then capably dealt with two more efforts from Parkinson and another from Bowker before the hour mark. Come the 62nd minute, however, she was left clutching at air.

Hansen joined the attack on the left, linking with Percival. She played the ball inside to Yallop, whose initial effort was blocked. Parkinson picked up the pieces, however, and played the ball back to the teenager, who let fly from twenty-five yards with unerring precision - top far corner, 4-2, and Yallop’s first hat-trick at club level, on a day when she also scored her fiftieth goal at all levels in senior women’s football.

Suburbs simply had no answers to United, whose strong performance should have seen them win by a far greater margin. Parkinson thrice went close inside the next ten minutes, pulling one effort across the face of goal before twice chipping narrowly over the target.

Finally, the visitors elicited a response, and it was no surprise to see Oostdam taking matters into her own hands in an effort to reignite her team’s cause. She surged into Lynn-Avon’s half fifteen minutes from time before releasing Tegg at pace down the left.

Suburbs’ first half goalscorer checked her run before unleashing a gem of a cross-shot from somewhere near the touchline. The flight deceived Puckrin, who was stunned to see the ball cannon off the inside of the far post back into play. Ray was first to the rebound, and was promptly clattered by Oostdam, a lunge born largely from frustration at her team’s failings in what was always going to be a pivotal fixture in their season.

Still Lynn-Avon pressed, Yallop releasing Gregorius down the right with a peach of a pass eleven minutes from time. Tan raced out of goal, but this was a speed duel she was never going to win. Unfortunately for the Under-20 international, her shot careered across the face of the gaping goal.

Yallop and Parkinson both clipped efforts narrowly over the crossbar inside the final ten minutes, before Sam Selwyn - a solid effort in the midfield anchor role - went desperately close with a twenty-five yard chip which had Tan beaten all ends up, only to hit the crossbar and bounce down into the hands of a grateful goalkeeper, who thwarted Selwyn again in stoppage time, the midfielder having been picked out by a free-kick from this game’s shining star, Kirsty Yallop.

Lynn-Avon United: Puckrin; Carlisle, Ray, McCahill (Robertson, 85), Hansen; Gregorius, Selwyn, Yallop, Percival (Tansell, 70); Bowker (Doubleday, 85), Parkinson.

Eastern Suburbs: Tan; Hui, Gooch, Glenton, Somerfield; Fraser (McLeod, 57), Davies, Vincent (Brown, 83), Oostdam; Gooch, Tegg.

Referee: Hengo Sioneloto

Unless you’re involved in one of the other fixtures, all roads lead to Keith Hay Park next Sunday afternoon, when Three Kings and Lynn-Avon put their perfect starts to the season on the line in what is an eagerly awaited encounter.

Meanwhile, Western Springs host Glenfield, Eastern Suburbs entertain Birkenhead and Papakura travel to Hibiscus Coast. All four matches commence at 1pm.

Details:
Birkenhead United 0, Hibiscus Coast 1 (T. Berger (75)) HT 0-0

Claudelands Rovers 0, Western Springs 1 (J. Wagner (9)) HT 0-1

Glenfield Rovers 1 (C. Campbell (67 pen)), Three Kings United 3 (M. Smith (15), E. Kete (55, 89)) HT 0-1

Lynn-Avon United 4 (K. Yallop (21, 35, 62), S. Gregorius (38)), Eastern Suburbs 2 (R. Tegg (27), “oggie” (43)) HT 3-2