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15/07/07
Title Just A Win Away For Three Kings United
by Jeremy Ruane
Back-to-back Northern Premier Women's League championships are within touching distance for Three Kings United this season, after they saw off their nearest and greatest rivals, Lynn-Avon United, 2-0 at Keith Hay Park on July 15 to close to within three points of the title.
Making victory all the sweeter for the champions-elect was that this triumph marked their first ever “double” in a season over Lynn-Avon since the two clubs first locked horns as Eden and Avondale United in 1993.
It was a hard-earned win, however, with the visitors' eagerness to avoid having a barren trophy cabinet in their clubrooms for the first time since 1998 evident right from the off, as they enjoyed slightly the better of the torrid opening exchanges.
A poor Jenny Bindon clearance in the sixth minute presented Katie Hoyle with a shooting chance, albeit an unexpected one. The midfielder betrayed her surprise by firing a tame effort straight back into the hands of Three Kings' grateful captain.
Three minutes later, the home team took the lead, courtesy the player who is fast becoming Lynn-Avon's nemesis. Merissa Smith turned between two opponents near the right-hand edge of the penalty area before firing in a cross, which was scrambled clear to Betsy Hassett.
She played the ball wide for overlapping full-back Sarah Gibbs to stride onto, and her cross picked out Zoe Thompson, completely unmarked some fifteen yards out from goal.
Already with eight goals to her name against Lynn-Avon - only former Three Kings' striker Pernille Andersen boasts a better record - the league's leading goalscorer wasted little time in despatching number nine, controlling the ball neatly on her chest before unleashing an unerring volley across the diving Stephanie Puckrin and into the far corner of the net.
It was a body-blow which left Lynn-Avon reeling, and Three Kings looked to drive home their early advantage over the next five minutes. They twice came close to doing so, Thompson opening the door in the thirteenth minute with a darting run into the inside-left channel.
Dana Humby stuck to the task, and forced the goalscorer to check and lay the ball back towards Hassett. She set up Nicole Stratford, who was cutting in from the left, and the World University Games-bound winger let fly with a vicious curling effort which shaved the far post as it dipped late in its flight.
Seconds later, Smith and Hassett worked an opening on the right which saw the New Zealand international fashion a volleyed chance. Puckrin was at full stretch in tipping this effort to safety.
Gradually, Lynn-Avon recovered their poise, and with Hayley Moorwood back in action after a month's absence due to knee surgery, they had a focal point in attack through whom they could mount raids aplenty.
Angled runs into the attacking third of the pitch which could provide an outlet for the returning international's repertoire of flicks, tricks, precise lay-offs and measured through balls were few and far between, however, a situation for which credit should go to Three Kings' rearguard, in which Kristy Hill and Hannah Rishworth were unflappable throughout.
Their efforts meant Lynn-Avon were largely restricted to shooting from twenty yards and beyond, attempts which troubled Bindon little. One which did materialised in the 26th minute, as Hill's wayward header, as she attempted to clear a ball forward by Humby, was swooped on by Sarah Gregorius. Her shot on the turn was splendidly saved in one-handed fashion by Three Kings' custodian.
Three Kings responded via another Smith raid. She linked up with Rebecca Sowden, whose cross went beyond Thompson, only to find Stratford up in support. She held the ball up well as challengers came at her from all angles, finally laying the ball off when Gibbs loomed into view. The full-back's chipped effort looped over the bar.
After Bindon had dealt with a Ria Percival effort from distance on the half-hour, the 'keeper was afforded little trouble by Emma Kete's effort six minutes later, as the striker darted between two defenders to get in a shot after Moorwood and Humby had combined on the right.
Up against the club with whom she won the league last year, Kete wasn't afraid to mix it with her former team-mates, and sailed close to the wind on a couple of occasions in the eyes of referee Matthew Cooke, who handled with consistency and calm authority the latest keenly contested chapter in New Zealand women's club football's greatest rivalry.
It wasn't possible for him to see every incident, however - the odd back-hander here and there escaped his attention, if not that of the gathered throngs, who weren't slow in alerting the officials when their player had been on the receiving end of a perceived injustice.
Those that dish it out must take it on the occasions they get nailed, however, and Kete certainly was nailed, five minutes before half-time. Rishworth's subtle yet needless foul escaped the referee's attentions, but not those of his eagle-eyed assistant, Wayne Scott, who signalled a free-kick by the right-hand touchline for a foul committed after the ball had gone.
Cue one of Humby's high-angled free-kicks, the sort which, with the sun behind them, are an absolute menace for goalkeepers, as Bindon can well testify from personal experience in a previous encounter. The prevailing cloud cover nullified that additional problem, but Humby's delivery was nonetheless challenging for the `keeper, who was forced to punch the ball out.
It didn't get very far, as Moorwood, anticipating where the ball would end up, was perfectly placed to volley over a cross which picked out Jenny Carlisle, three yards out from goal. Her flying header flashed over the crossbar, much to Three Kings' relief.
The half-time whistle sounded after Bindon had dealt with a twenty-five yard free-kick from Humby, and
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 Zoe Thompson (TKU)
 Petria Rennie (LAU)
 Anna Green (TKU)
 Ria Percival (LAU)
 Hannah Rishworth (TKU)
 Hayley Moorwood (LAU)
 Kristy Hill (TKU)
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when the second half action resumed, Kete was far from being the happiest-looking camper in the Lynn-Avon dug-out, having been replaced by Pip Meo, as the “Pocket Rocket” made her debut for the visitors.
Within five minutes, she'd had her first touch, and it almost resulted in a goal. Carlisle delivered a free-kick from the left which found Moorwood ghosting in behind the defence. Her lay-off presented Meo with a shooting chance which she sent whistling over the near post by a yard at most.
Katie Hoyle - hers was a display worthy of a winning team, not a beaten one - linked with Percival and Gregorius two minutes later, the last-mentioned crossing for Meo. She sliced her shot wildly, but it turned into a perfect pass for Hoyle, who lashed a twenty-five yarder goalwards.
Bindon smothered it soundly, and launched a counter-attack. Thompson gathered the ball in the centre circle, turned and set off downfield before releasing Stratford through the inside left channel. She was about to let fly when the flu-ridden Petria Rennie - on her old stamping ground for the first time since switching clubs - stepped in with a timely challenge to avert the danger.
Cue another Three Kings raid, this time down the right. Sowden and Smith combined to send Thompson tearing past Terry McCahill, only for the striker to pull the ball back behind Hassett.
It allowed the flu-ridden Rennie to step in and launch a counter-attack in which Moorwood was pivotal. Her lay-off rewarded Vicki Rainbow's supporting run, and the midfielder's pass put Percival through in the inside-right channel.
Jane Simpson hurtled across the penalty area and copped the speedster's cross flush in the face for her troubles, with Percival unable to direct her second attempt away from the gloves of Bindon.
In the 58th minute, Hoyle robbed Sowden of possession on half-way and threaded the ball through for Gregorius, who was frustrated at the sight of Bindon saving at her feet.
The `keeper sparked another counter-thrust, with Simpson and Smith combining on the right, the latter racing through. Her cross towards the far post was blocked by Rennie, but fell invitingly for Thompson, who was thwarted by the legs of Puckrin on this occasion, then shot tamely, much to the `keeper's delight, seconds later, poor reward for an enterprising raid which featured contributions from Rishworth and Hassett.
The game was in the balance at this point. It was a tremendous joust, rich in thrust, parry and counter-thrust. The longer it continued in this vein, however, the greater the anticipation that the balance would be tipped by a moment for which you simply cannot legislate, either sheer genius or the utterly unthinkable …
In the 71st minute, Percival was prowling down the right and picked out Meo in the penalty area. Her lay-off invited Moorwood to let fly, but Rishworth flung herself at the ball and succeeded in diverting the shot over the crossbar.
Three minutes later, Percival was on the ball again, but was this time forced to play it back to Melanie Hansen as a result of Stratford closing her down. The substitute was similarly harassed, by Thompson, but was able to play the ball across to Puckrin.
There appeared little danger to the `keeper as she took the ball under control and started dribbling it towards the edge of her penalty area. Smith was keeping a watching brief some ten yards away, but Puckrin had the situation seemingly well in hand …
Quite how the ball ended up in Lynn-Avon's net some ten seconds later only the custodian can explain. Smith's side of the story is straight-forward to explain - she sensed a half-chance, stripped Puckrin of possession before she knew what was happening, then turned and swept the ball past the horrified goalkeeper into the empty net to give Three Kings a 2-0 lead.
The crestfallen faces of the Lynn-Avon players contrasted starkly with the undisguised glee on those of the champions-elect, who knew full well that victory in this match would all but secure them consecutive championships.
In a season riddled by injuries to key personnel, the visitors were dealt a further blow thirteen minutes from time when stalwart defender McCahill, whose absences through injury over the last twenty-one seasons can be counted on the fingers of one hand, hobbled off with a calf strain.
Her departure prompted Lynn-Avon to switch to a back three as they looked to chase the game, but the more they pressed forward in an attempt to breach Three Kings' rock-solid rearguard, the more they found themselves vulnerable to the counter-attack, particularly with Roseanne Cox having entered the fray for the home team.
Thompson stumbled on the ball in the 83rd minute after getting the better of Humby to leave herself with just Puckrin to beat, and after Moorwood had lashed a twenty-five yarder past the post following an interchange with the hard-working Hoyle, the league's leading markswoman was sent through once more, this time by the similarly impressive Anna Green. Puckrin smothered Thompson's shot well.
Long-range stoppage time efforts from Percival and Humby warmed Bindon's gloves, and after the `keeper had foiled the latter's free-kick, a delighted Three Kings captain delighted gathered son Tyler in her arms before joining her team-mates in celebrating a famous victory, their first-ever league “double” over their arch-rivals, which has put the reigning champions in sight of the silverware again.
Three Kings: Bindon; Simpson, Hill, Rishworth, Gibbs; Smith, Hassett, Sowden, Green, Stratford (Cox, 75); Thompson
Lynn-Avon: Puckrin; Rennie (Hansen, 64), Humby, McCahill (Selwyn, 77), Carlisle; Percival, Hoyle, Moorwood, Rainbow, Gregorius; Kete (Meo, 46)
Referee: Matthew Cooke
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