Eastern Suburbs v. Miramar Rangers, 14/8/04

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Suburbs Sunk By A Little Goal

by Jeremy Ruane

A goal in first half stoppage time from Brian Little was enough to sink Eastern Suburbs at Madills Farm on August 14, and fire Miramar Rangers into the 2004 Bluebird Chatham Cup Final, the Wellington club holding on for a 1-0 win.

Urged on by the vast majority of a one thousand-plus crowd, few would have begrudged Suburbs at least one goal for their efforts in this semi-final, but their inability to put the ball in the net ultimately proved the downfall of the better footballing team on the day.

By contrast, Miramar were distinctly ordinary, the much-lauded Graham Little being put firmly in his place on numerous occasions by Suburbs’ defensive lynchpins, Jonathan Perry and Sean Douglas, so much so that you could have been forgiven for thinking what all the fuss was about where the striker was concerned.

Both Perry and Douglas, however, produced international class performances, as did Rangers’ Andy Hedge at the other end of the park. The defensive trio stood out throughout the duration of a match which began in rather cagey fashion - understandably so, given what was at stake for both sides.

It took a good twenty-five minutes for the nerves to settle and some quality football to be seen, Nathan Robertson and Geoff Villaborouth having hit the same Bluebird advertising hoarding in Suburbs’ only attacks of note during this period.

Miramar, meanwhile, had gone closer, but Douglas thwarted Graham Little’s first opportunity in the seventh minute, while Riki Van Steeden mopped up five minutes later after Richard Mills had spilled a free-kick from Rangers’ most influential attacking player, Matt Keane. And Perry thwarted Brian Little after the visitors looked to take advantage of a quick free-kick around the twenty-minute mark.

The game finally crackled into life in the 28th minute, when Suburbs sprung Rangers on the counter-attack - if the visitors had sat back any deeper in this match, they’d have been on the next pitch!! While the raid came to nought, the resulting corner was cleared to Simon George, who sent a rasping twenty-five yard drive narrowly over the crossbar.

This got the pulses racing, with Miramar responding in kind seconds later. A Graham Little drive stung Douglas’ derriere, and ricocheted for a corner, which the shooter took. Mills punched it clear, but only to Brian Little, who ballooned his shot over the bar.

On the half-hour, Suburbs flexed their muscles once more. A delightful interchange between George, the lively Shaun Easthope and the hard-working Graham Pearce saw the second-mentioned released down the right by the last-mentioned with a delightfully weighted pass. Easthope’s first-time cross found Villaborouth in the penalty area, with Robertson sending the ball fizzing over the top from his young colleague’s lay-off.

Easthope was in the thick of things two minutes later, again prising Rangers open down the right. This time, his cross went deep to Andrew Webber, whose shot was smothered by Dylan Hall, who was decidedly concerned with matters in and around his goalmouth four minutes later, as an inswinging Villaborouth corner clipped the top of the crossbar.

Suburbs were beginning to get the upper hand by this time, but a Villaborouth error in the fortieth minute almost proved disastrous for the home team. Keane went haring away down the right on a dazzling run, twisting and turning his way around defenders until he came across someone who wasn’t in the mood for dancing - Van Steeden’s block tackle stopped the winger dead in his tracks.

Mills had survived a few close calls already in the half, including a Brian Little free-kick which only just cleared the heads of Matthew West and Roddy Brown minutes earlier. In the 44th minute, however, it was Lotto ticket-buying time for the goalkeeper, as he directed a clearance straight to Graham Little. Such was the striker’s surprise that, with the goal gaping twenty-five yards away, he directed the ball straight back to Mills, whose relief was clear for all to see.

The ‘keeper’s clearance this time presented Suburbs with another attacking opportunity, Easthope, George, Van Steeden and Webber linking up in a slow-paced cross-field passing manoeuvre, which was promptly stepped up by the last-mentioned’s driven cross. Easthope was on the end of it twenty yards from goal, but sent another shot whizzing over the bar.

The resulting goal-kick sparked another Rangers raid, and this time, it counted. Keane was the instigator, beating one on the right before laying the ball back to Graham Little. His deflected shot was blocked by Mills, who was slow to recover from his prone position. It afforded the incoming Brian Little all the time he needed to lash home the opening goal of the game, right on the stroke of half-time.

There was only one team in it in the second spell, as the "Lilywhites" pounded away in search of an equaliser, no doubt encouraged by Rangers’ willingness to sit back and let Suburbs come at them. But all too often, the home team’s lightweight attack lacked numbers when it mattered most.

Both Easthope and Villaborouth sent cross-shots zooming across the face of goal in the first six minutes of the half,

while Perry’s going to ground just inside Rangers’ penalty ten minutes after half-time had the crowd baying for a penalty. The generally well-performed Ian Walker wasn’t having any of it this time round, however.

Before the hour, Van Steeden rattled the Bluebird signs once more, Robertson saw a drive smothered by Hall, who then pawed out a Webber drive. And George directed a header from a Hoani Edwards corner over the crossbar, as Suburbs tried every angle of approach possible to conjure up the goal they so desperately sought.

On the odd occasion Miramar did break ranks and cross the half-way line, their raids invariably fell foul of the offside trap - Graham Little, in particular, was a frequent victim, such was the dominance Douglas displayed over the diminutive Scottish-born goalscorer.

It meant possession was handed back to Suburbs, and downfield they would head once more, as in the 63rd minute, when Edwards released Webber wide on the left. He left two Rangers’ defenders in his wake en route to the penalty area, where his low drive was turned round the post by Hall.

The resulting corner was cleared to Villaborouth, whose shot was blocked. The rebound fell perfectly for Easthope, who hit a shot through the crowd which Perry instinctively tried to flick past Hall, but the ‘keeper kept his eye on the ball to make a solid save.

In the 65th minute, Hall was beaten, but the post came to Rangers’ rescue. Villaborouth and Robertson teamed up well on half-way to see off the twin threats of Michael Leonidas and Hedge, the bigger Suburbs striker leading the charge.

Robertson got to the edge of the area before squaring the ball to Villaborouth, whose shot screamed past Hall but cannoned off the upright. With the ‘keeper prone, Robertson directed the rebound across the face of an open goal - the big striker was left to beat the ground in frustration at his miss.

Miramar rode their luck in a big way in the 66th minute, as Walker made a dreadful decision which incensed the local crowd. An Easthope cross targeted Robertson, but Hall, too, was making a bee-line for the ball as it arced into the penalty area. Leonidas was racing back also, but his concern wasn’t the ball, but the striker.

It showed, for Robertson never got anywhere near the ball, having been clattered in the penalty area while preparing to leap. To the disbelief of all but the most biased Miramar fan present, referee Walker blotted his copybook significantly by waving play on.

Suburbs were stunned, but Miramar couldn’t take advantage of things while their opponents regrouped, their one-dimensional game-plan all too easy for Perry, Douglas and company to compensate for. But the home team’s lack of a cutting edge in attack was beginning to prove costly, as time became an increasing factor in their desire to draw level.

Villaborouth directed a left-foot shot over the bar in the 74th minute, after Edwards, Webber and Robertson had combined, while a stinging drive from Easthope was pawed out by Hall five minutes later, as Suburbs piled on the pressure.

Desperate defending was now Miramar’s raison d’etre, with Hedge leading by example on numerous occasions - West, too, played a significant role in defying the natives in this regard.

Douglas and Van Steeden saw their shots blocked to safety, while after George had driven another effort narrowly over the crossbar, a teasing Edwards cross to the far post had Brian Little sending the ball skywards, with Hall grabbing the sphere as it dropped in the shadows of the crossbar.

And still they pressed, into stoppage time - all six minutes of it. Van Steeden’s angled header of a Douglas free-kick arced over the crossbar, before the lanky midfielder let fly with a fierce drive which Leonidas blocked, then walloped to safety, the calming presence of the approaching figure of Hall seemingly having been mistaken for yet another Suburbs opponent as the goal loomed large behind him.

Cue another Edwards corner, and the footballing version of the Alamo, as Suburbs sought a gap in an impregnable wall of black and blue. Hedge, appropriately, hoofed the ball clear, and Ian Walker’s final whistle sounded within seconds. Rangers’ relief was undisguised - they’d come through a pounding with their goal-line unbreached.

Suburbs, understandably, were stunned - they’d done everything they could to score, but to no avail. One could only wonder how much difference sidelined striker Stu Bola would have made to their attack, but having played in a tournament in his native Fiji recently, a check with NZ Soccer on the morning of the semi-final confirmed Bola’s ineligibility to play, having not yet fulfilled the required stand-down period since returning home … it certainly didn’t aid their cause!!

Suburbs: Mills; Pearce, Perry, Douglas, Edwards; Easthope, George, Van Steeden (booked, 55), Webber; Robertson, Villaborouth (Wallace, 78)

Miramar: Hall; Leonidas, West, Hedge, Peck; Keane (Capstick, 82), Butterfield, B. Little, Farrington (Zanotto, 62); Brown (Eager, 73), G. Little

Referee: Ian Walker

Chatham Cup