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Gaffer posted on April 05, 2009 18:19
Waiuku suffered their first loss of the season when they travelled to Centre Park in Mangere in the weekend. Waiuku failed to turn up, and so did Mangere for long periods of time on a pitch that was hard, dusty and dangerous.
Waiuku dominated for the first 15 minutes and it looked like it would be a walk over until a long ball hit a bump and bounced high over Justin Baldwin in goal. Grant Muckle tried to clear it out of danger but only succeeded in turning the ball into his own net off his shin. The ground was especially hard to control the ball on and both sides failed to string more then four passes together, however Waiuku were hit hardest when the ball bounced around the penalty area before it was finally put out for a throw in. Mangere took the throw quickly and before Waiuku had set themselves Zaid Mohammed nicked the ball in at the front post. The closest Waiuku got to scoring in the first half was when Jesse Smythe Kirk turned and shot the ball narrowly over the Mangere cross bar.
Joe Rayson was substituted just before half time through injury for Robert Thornton but it was Mangere who broke through again. As the Waiuku defence stepped up, Sumendra Pooni broke the offside trap and blasted the ball past Baldwin in goal. Waiuku nearly got one back, first through Danny Baldwin making his comeback from a groin injury when he narrowly shot wide after a cross from captain Cody Ralph, and then through Wayne Trout who broke the offside trap but the goalkeeper saved with his legs.
Mangere struck back immediately when the Waiuku defence didnt clear a bouncy ball in the penalty box and Surfsraz Ali had a simple header. Ralph nearly got one when he beat his marker on the left but his shot went wide of the mark. Scott Petersen came on for Vaughan Banfield and the game petered out for a Mangere win.
Coach Jim Evans said "it is one of those days when absolutely nothing falls for you. We didnt get any bounce of the ball, no luck in front of goal and plenty of bad luck in defending but we didnt play well enough to get a point. We didnt play as a team and didnt commit to the Waiuku cause. Apart from man of the match Jerry Hubbard who was superb."
Waiuku are at home next week against high flyers Ngarawahia
Team: Justin Baldwin, David Johnson, Jeremy Hubbard (vc), Grant Muckle, Vaughan Banfield (Scott Petersen 75), Joe Rayson (Robert Thornton 41), Wayne Trout, Charlie Heather, Cody Ralph (c), Danny Baldwin, Jesse Smythe Kirk
Subs not used: n/a