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Gaffer posted on May 23, 2010 18:51
Waiuku need to get into the top six after round one of the Northern One Grading competition and with five games left they moved into fourth spot with a excellent 2-1 win away at Fencibles. Every game from here is like a cup final but Waiuku can determine where they finish if they can keep beating the teams that are challenging for those positions they will win promotion. Going into this game Waiuku and Fencibles were even on points so a win was a must.
Waiuku were missing four players so were short on depth and had to call on some of the over 35s players to fill the gaps in the reserve team. This meant that the first team had one fresh sub Mitchell Thomasen. Elliott Crean had the flu but took his place up front with Cody Ralph while Owen Hill made his starting debut for the firsts this year. The first half was totally dominated by Waiuku. The midfield combination of Hill and Simon Millynn dominated proceedings as Waiuku kept the ball for long periods of time keeping Fencibles frustrated and chasing shadows. After going close a number of times, Waiuku took the lead. Hill played a ball through to Ralph who got one on one with the keeper and slotted into the net. This sparked Fencibles into life and spent the next five minutes attacking the defence. Martyn Pike got free on the right and crossed to Grant Duncan who was given a little space in the area and headed home. However Waiuku took back the lead when a Ralph corner was fiercely headed home by Jerry Hubbard giving the keeper no chance.
In the second half, Fencibles went searching for the win while Waiuku compacted themselves and defended as a unit. Hubbard and Sam van Pomeron kept the attackers at bay while Andy Millynn and Phil Donovan dominated the flanks. Waiuku nearly scored again with Simon Millynn and Shane Godden going agonizingly close with long range efforts but the score line stayed the same.
Coach Jim Evans was proud of his players "Last week I could not pick a player of the day as we were terrible. This week I could not pick a player of the day as we were exceptional. We played with heart and courage today and produced our best game of football all season. We had been working on possession all week and it paid off on the pitch. The two centre backs were outstanding and Hubbard and van Pomeron get man of the match. Today has given us some much needed confidence."
Waiuku host Mt Albert next week at Massey Park and if Waiuku win they can move out to third.
Team: Phil van den Broek, Andrew Millynn, Phil Donovan, Jerry Hubbard (vc), Sam van Pomeron, Owen Hill, Simon Millynn, Shane Godden, Jamie Pegg, Cody Ralph (c), Elliott Crean (Mitchell Thomasen 65)
Subs not used: Stuart Ruddell, Evan Crean, Charlie Heather, Scott Petersen