Team Wellington v. Auckland City, 29/1/12

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Leaders Survive Genuine Scare In Capital

by Jeremy Ruane

ASB Premiership leaders Auckland City maintained their season-long unbeaten record in the southern hemisphere at Newtown Park on January 29, but Team Wellington can consider themselves decidedly unlucky not to have got more from a contest which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Make no mistake, this was a point earned - not two dropped - by the table-toppers, who rode their luck in a match all too often punctuated by the inexperience and inconsistency of card-happy referee Mark Hester, who dished out a total of seven yellow cards in what was far from a dirty match.

Auckland survived two early scares in the sixth minute. Louis Fenton made in-roads down the left, with Patrick Fleming the ultimate beneficiary. His shot was parried by Jacob Spoonley, who had little idea where the rebound went.

It had, in fact, bounced over him, the spin on the ball taking it towards the target. Angel Berlanga raced back to hook the ball off the line, and repeated the dose seconds later after Ricky Zucco's volley - Fenton was the supply line again - had cannoned off the inside of Spoonley's right-hand post and bounced across goal again.

City counter-attacked instantly, Emiliano Tade feeding Daniel Koprivcic wide on the right before receiving a return pass which invited him to chip the towering figure of Phil Imray from twenty yards. The ball narrowly cleared the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, Auckland contrived a delightful move, with Koprivcic, Tade and Manel Exposito working their way downfield before the second-mentioned player picked out James Pritchett with a perfectly weighted cross for the fullback to latch onto as he dashed in behind the defence.

Imray blocked the resulting shot with his legs, sparking a Wellington counter-attack which culminated in the home team taking the lead. Fleming picked out a beauty, belting the ball beyond the diving figure of Spoonley from twenty-five yards.

Wellington were still celebrating when Auckland surged downfield and equalised. Jonathan Raj's rash two-footed lunge at Koprivcic was deftly hurdled by the only player to feature in four FIFA Club World Cup Finals, and he calmly turned and played Exposito in through the inside left channel.

The Spanish marksman held off the challenge of James Musa before confidently slotting the ball beyond the diving figure of Imray from the edge of

the penalty area - 1-1.

The scorer of the nineteenth minute equaliser was only inches away from firing City in front three minutes later, as Ivan Vicelich looked to pick out his angled run in behind the defence with a measured ball forward from half-way. Imray gathered the loose ball gratefully.

Wellington responded with a well-worked opening just shy of the half-hour mark. Luke Rowe's long throw-in wasn't cleared, allowing Fleming to unleash a low ten-yard drive which Spoonley saw late and parried expertly.

Auckland scrambled the ball to safety, and proceeded to enjoy easily the better of the exchanges throughout the remainder of a half in which Wellington picked up two bookings, much to the frustration of Darren Cheriton and Wiremu Patrick, who were particularly aggrieved given referee Hester could easily have awarded Wellington a couple of free-kicks earlier in the half, but chose to play on to Auckland's advantage.

Wellington began the second half brightly, and came within inches of regaining the lead twice inside the first seven minutes. Dakota Lucas' strong break down the right culminated in a cross which Vicelich headed clear, but only as far as Karl Whalen.

His measured cross beond the far post found Fenton flying in to meet it, but the diminutive flank player just failed to meet the ball with his attempted diving header - the move deserved better fate.

Five minutes later, Rowe pumped in a free-kick which Spoonley came for but failed to connect with. It was headed out to James Musa, whose looping header was goalbound until Alex Feneridis' salmon-like leap allowed him to head clear.

Wellington continued to press, next going close in the 66th minute when Whalen narrowly headed past the post following good penetration on the left flank by substitute Ethan Galbraith.

City's instant retort, after another instance of a close call in their defensive third due to their penchant for playing the ball out from the back at the last possible second, culminated in Feneridis and Tade teaming up for the benefit of Exposito, who poked his shot narrowly past Imray's right-hand post as the 'keeper raced off his line in vain.

Four minutes later, a slick one-two between Tade and Mulligan saw the former blaze high, wide and far from handsomely over the goal of his former club, who survived a closer effort from their former

front-runner in the 74th minute when he poked a fifteen-yarder narrowly past the post after the industrious Albert Riera had teamed up with Koprivcic.

This was the cue for Wellington to pile on the pressure at the other end of the park in an effort to inflict a first defeat of the season on Auckland and, more importantly, maintain their grip on a share of second place.

Rowe whipped in a free-kick which Vicelich headed out to Berlanga, whose stumble invited Raj to swoop and shoot from close-range. Spoonley's solid palmed save denied the defender on this occasion, while the 'keeper saved bravely at the feet of the flying figure of Fleming six minutes from time, after Galbraith and Fenton had combined at pace down the left.

A brief retort by the leaders - Andrew Milne and Koprivcic prised open Wellington's defence four minutes from time, only for the outstretched leg of Imray to deny Exposito - prompted the home team to redouble their efforts in the final minutes.

Zucco saw his goalbound effort deflect to safety off Feneridis, after Fleming had crossed from the left, while Whalen sent an eight yard volley flashing inches over the bar following Rowe's resulting corner, which was headed down to Wellington's captain by Fleming.

You sensed that that was the match, but a crude tackle on Rowe by Vicelich in stoppage time - for which he was rightly booked, although he somehow avoided a second yellow for a similar challenge two minutes later - gave Wellington a final chance to take three points few would have begrudged them.

Referee Hester allowed play to continue despite Vicelich's foul - as a good referee should, he booked City's captain after the move had concluded - which allowed Zucco to take on the visiting defence and let fly from twenty yards. Spoonley's flying parried save to his left ensured his side of a share of the spoils, leaving Wellington to contemplate what they can justifiably claim was a case of two points lost.

Wellington: Imray; Whalen, Raj, Musa, Rowe (booked, 72); Lucas, Cheriton (booked, 31), Patrick (booked, 34) (Galbraith, 63), Fenton (Mason-Smith, 87); Zucco, Fleming (booked, 78)

Auckland: Spoonley; Pritchett (Coombes, 72 (booked, 82)), Vicelich (booked, 90), Berlanga, Milne (booked, 70); Koprivcic (booked, 80), Feneridis, Mulligan, Riera (Carmichael, 83); Tade, Exposito

Referee: Mark Hester

National League