Central v. Mt. Wellington, 2/7/95

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Water, Water, Everywhere, Some Decent Football Too!

by Jeremy Ruane

I don't know what it is about clashes between Central and Mt. Wellington, but they always seem to be laden with thrills and spills, and generally give entertainment-plus.

The corresponding fixture, at Bill McKinlay Park on April 16, was probably the best match seen by many people this season - it had just about everything you could wish to see that is good in football.

Despite the conditions, their 1-1 draw at Kiwitea Street on July 2 was no different. Rain, occasionally driving, surface water by the gallon, power cuts ... you name it, everything seemed to be conspiring against the Central club's efforts to stage this match.

But the players made light of the conditions, once referee Derek Rugg had given them the go-ahead, and proceeded to put on a spectacle high on entertainment and commitment, not to mention saturated playing strips, bedraggled performers, drenched spectators ...

On with the action, of which there was plenty. The first chances fell the way of The Mount, with Mark Harrison and Lee Green both going close.

A break by Sean Fallon saw the striker fire across the face of goal with just Bruce Plunkett to beat. Within minutes, Mount responded through a stunning Craig Ashton volley, which brought the first of a string of fine saves from Scott Bishop. Seconds later, the 'keeper denied a header from Alex Metzger.

After Heath McCormack had caused problems in Central's defence, the home team twice tested, in two minutes, the agility of Plunkett. The 'keeper was not found wanting, as he pulled off spectacular saves to deny both Fallon and Stewart Mellon.

Back to the clubrooms end surged The Mount, and arguably the chance of the match fell the way of McCormack. Clean through with only Bishop to beat, he rounded the goalkeeper, fired goalwards and wheeled away to start celebrating.

But Central's skipper, Ricki Herbert, was not having a bar of it. He'd raced back to cover Bishop's advance towards McCormack, but was still nowhere in sight when the youngster despatched his shot. Summoning not-too-well-hidden reserves - you've gained a bit of a puku while out injured, old son!! - he got back to hook clear in style. The pats on the back and applause all round the ground were well merited.

Before half-time, both goalkeepers were busy again. Plunkett twice denied Crawford McRae, while Darrin Brown found Bishop unbeatable at his near post.

Come the second half, and it was fast becoming a tale of two goalkeepers. Plunkett somehow kept out McRae's close-range header, while Bishop had to be smart when denying both Kara Waetford and Harrison.

An almighty goalmouth scramble saw McRae, Fallon and Mellon all in the thick of it, but to no avail. Plunkett's clearance put Brown in, but The Mount's leading scorer, who, straight from the second half kick-off only just missed with a forty-yarder, found Bishop in fine form. The spin on the ball saw it continue to fly goalwards, however, only for that man Herbert to deny his former club a goal with another goal-line clearance.

Bishop was again in the thick of things soon after, with Waetford, Green and Brown all ruing their luck. But the young 'keeper was eventually beaten, in the 69th minute.

Mark Atkinson, whose corners were a constant source of trouble to Central's rearguard, pinged another one in. Whether Green got his head to the ball by fair means or foul is something the jury is currently still out on, but it resulted in another scramble, involving Bishop, Dobrec and Brown, amongst others.

The Mount's leading scorer wheeled away, arms aloft, so it was a natural assumption that he had forced it over the line. But Central claimed afterwards that it came off Dobrec. No, I know "Dobby" hasn't scored that many goals in his career, but is he really desperate enough as to claim an "oggie"? "DB", your goal!!

In the midst of all this activity, the rain continued unabated. Songs such as "Splish! Splash! I was taking a bath" or "Surfin' USA" would have been more appropriate to a contest which was fast becoming a modified form of water polo. Poor Hoani Edwards tried to take a corner at one stage, and ended up kicking more water than ball, as well as just keeping his feet!

Had it been any other ground, "the ever-improving Derek Rugg", as Kevin Fallon acknowledged him afterwards, would, after having checked the periscope, more than likely have called it off. But on the best pitch in Auckland, bar none ...

Central equalised in the 77th minute. McRae burst through, only to be brilliantly tackled by Metzger - where did he come from? - in the act of shooting. But the ball stopped dead in the water, and, with Plunkett unable to check his dive in anticipation of McRae's first effort, the Irishman found an open goal facing him - 1-1, but it wasn't over yet.

For there were a handful of scoring opportunities in the last ten minutes, as both sides went for the winner. Fallon and Thomas White went close for Central, while Brown (twice), Waetford and Green, in his farewell appearance for The Mount before heading back to Europe, did likewise for the visitors.

So 1-1 it remained - that more goals didn't come in a match which featured something in the region of thirty goalscoring chances is staggering. I think we'll blame the weather!!

Northern League