Glenfield Rovers and Forrest Hill-Milford United fought out an enthralling 2-2 draw in their floodlit North Harbour derby encounter at McFetridge Park on May 16, a result which ensured the unbeaten Lotto Northern Premier Women's League leaders maintained their grip on top spot at the end of easily one of the best contests to take place so far this season. The result also ensured United maintained their three-point advantage over Rovers, who have played a game more than their table-topping rivals, and really needed to win this match to go some way towards making amends for their sluggish start to the campaign. Instead, Rovers found themselves trailing on the scoreboard just seven minutes into this encounter, Steph Skilton - one of several returning US scholarship stars making a return to New Zealand's foremost women's club league competition - having been stopped in her tracks by a terrific covering tackle from Catherine Bott moments prior. United's first attack resulted in a corner, which Briar Palmer delivered to the near post. Kate Seatter headed it down, but Rovers scrambled it away, to seeming safety. Palmer had other ideas, however, and whipped in a deflected cross which Emily Jensen gleefully bundled home from close range. Rovers were clearly rattled by this setback, Erin Nayler in particular. Her sliced clearance, straight from the kick-off, resulted in a shooting chance for Emma Rolston, one which the Football Ferns custodian smothered greedily. But within seconds, Rolston was bearing down on Nayler at a rate of knots, the 'keeper being guilty of taking too long to clear her lines. By the time she did, United's number nine was on top of her, and succeeded in partially charging down her rival's clearance - not one of Nayler's most memorable moments, that's for sure. Glenfield were very soon on attack in pursuit of an equaliser. Katie Jackson picked out Skilton on the left, and the twice-capped Football Ferns' striker promptly set sail for goal, scything inside Nicole Stratford before letting rip from twenty-five yards in the eleventh minute. Elise Donovan produced a fine save to her left to thwart the Syracuse University star, but four minutes later found herself beaten all ends up by Katie Rood. Picked out by Katie Bowen's ball forward, the speedster scooted through to leave herself one-on-one with the 'keeper, past whom she clipped the ball. Unfortunately for Rood, the ball curled just past the far post of the untended goal - her wait for her fiftieth goal in women's club football would continue for a few minutes yet. Five minutes later, Rood set off on a splendid slaloming run through United's rearguard, culminating in a rising drive which skimmed the bar. Soon after, she was involved in a lively move involving Bowen, Skilton and Jackson, who received Rood's lay-off twenty-five yards goal and promptly sent the ball sizzling over Donovan's goal. By this time, the constant carping of Craig Alexander had got on the wick of referee Avnit Maharaj. Whenever he perceived United had committed a foul against one of his players, Glenfield's coach wasn't backward in coming forward in letting all present - and it was a goodly number in attendance - know about it. There's only so much of that sort of carry-on one can take at the best of times, and when the opportunity presented itself half-way through the first half, referee Maharaj made it crystal clear to his critic that no further outbursts would be tolerated. Those whom all present had come to watch, meanwhile, rightly ignored the side-show and got on with the task at hand, producing their best in a good old-fashioned derby, one in which quarter was neither asked nor given, and which, despite the physical nature of some of the challenges, saw no little amount of skill and endeavour on show, as should be the case when a plethora of current and former senior and age-grade internationals take to the park. Ashleigh Ward's teasing twenty-fifth minute free-kick forced Donovan to turn the ball round her right-hand post, prompting an Emily Oosterhof corner to the far post, where Bridgette Armstrong saw her effort cleared off the line by Chloe Knott. Moments later, Rovers earned another corner, Donovan and Bott combining to thwart Rood at the expense of the set-piece, after Rebecca O'Neill and Skilton's speed of both thought and movement had combined to contrive the opening. This time, Ward took the corner. Whatever United's plan was to defend it, for some reason it didn't involve marking Rood at the near post. The striker couldn't believe the amount of space in which she found herself, and duly punished her opponents' inattention in the appropriate manner - her fiftieth goal in women's club football couldn't have come any easier had she planned it! 1-1 then, just shy of the half-hour mark. Straight from the kick-off, United stormed downfield, Knott getting to the by-line before darting along it, then lashing a fiercely driven cross into the danger zone. The ball cannoned off the near post, struck Nayler and ricocheted past said upright for a corner. Palmer's delivery was cleared, allowing Lisa Wooles to ignite a counter-attack which utilised the pace of Rood. She met her match in Bott, however - the recent Football Fern debutant had a super game, superbly thwarting her opponent on this occasion. After Donovan had tipped Skilton's stunning angled drive over the bar, Ward's resulting corner wasn't cleared, inviting Armstrong to chance her arm once more. This time, she rattled the crossbar. United survived this scare, and were soon threatening again themselves, this time a result of referee Maharaj harshly pinging Nayler for picking up what he deemed to be a back-pass. The resulting free-kick saw justice served, Rolston's rifled drive ricocheting to safety off the defensive wall. Another Rood shot flashed over United's crossbar, the striker having swept past Michelle Windsor as if she weren't there - and in truth, the centre-back's first half performance can most kindly be described as ordinary. All that was forgotten in first half stoppage time, however, when Windsor rose to meet a Palmer corner with a towering far post header - the ball was over the line before Glenfield could scramble it clear. United were still celebrating their 2-1 advantage when, straight from the kick-off, Rovers rampaged downfield, and earned a free-kick. Ward curled in another teasing delivery which the visitors failed to deal with, and Jackson gleefully scrambled home the equaliser from close range - 2-2, and barely time to kick off before the half-time whistle sounded. There was no let-up in the second spell, with Glenfield the first to threaten. O'Neill's long ball

sent Skilton scooting clear through the inside left channel, from where she forced a parried save from Donovan in the 52nd minute. Two minutes later, Wooles was mere inches away from getting on the end of an Oosterhof cross, before two super challenges in twenty seconds splendidly summed up the commitment of both teams. Wooles caught Bott in possession with a gem of a tackle, and instantly fed Skilton, only for the striker to be stopped dead in her tracks on the edge of the penalty area by Jensen's block tackle. United had introduced Megan Lee to the fray by this stage, and in the 58th minute the Louisiana State University star began to make an impact. Released by Tayla O'Brien down the right, she had two temptations to choose from - a cross to Rolston, or to go for goal herself. What resulted was somewhat betwixt and between - it certainly didn't threaten Nayler's goal in any way, that's for sure. Just after the hour, Michele Hogg caught Bott in possession and promptly picked out the raiding figure of Rood. She opted to shoot early, having spotted Donovan out of position, but the ball fizzed narrowly past the far post - a let-off for "The Swans". They retorted instantly, Knott playing a ball through for Rolston to chase. O'Neill had the situation well in hand, however, until she went down under the striker's challenge. While Rovers anticipated a free-kick, Rolston kept on running, and it was only the alertness of Nayler which prevented her from putting United in front, the 'keeper blocking at close quarters near the penalty spot. One of the features of United's play is Jensen's prowess in bringing the ball out of defence, confidently taking on and regularly beating opponents who are used to putting the defender on the back foot. In Skilton, she encountered a more than worthy opponent - their head-to-head tussle was one of this contest's most eye-catching features, and there were a few of those over the course of this battle royal! The 68th minute saw the defender and striker going stride for stride as Jensen set off on a driving run out of defence, Skilton on her shoulder all the way, without ever getting quite close enough to put off her opponent, who picked out Lee with an angled cross-field ball which allowed her to deliver a vicious low cross. It zoomed across the face of goal and beyond the incoming figure of O'Brien, who by this time was beginning to feel the pinch. She lashed out at Bowen soon after, in retaliation for a foul not called by referee Maharaj, who didn't hesitate to brandish the yellow card on this occasion. A couple of other players, Hogg most notably, had been treading a fine disciplinary line up to this point, but O'Brien's actions clearly overstepped the mark, and certainly weren't in keeping with what had gone before. Indeed, she was fortunate to remain on the park later in the match, Wooles the target of another brief flash of frustration which, had it continued any longer, would surely have resulted in further disciplinary action in a match which, while hard-fought, was generally keenly and cleanly contested. There was one moment, however, when things might have got out of hand, largely due to uncertainty arising from a refereeing decision. It followed a superb piece of goalkeeping from Nayler, who, after Bott had swept past a couple of rivals on a right wing raid, wasn't having a bar of Lee getting on the end of the resulting cross. The 'keeper came and soared over all-comers to successfully punch the ball away, Lee and Armstrong the players who bore the brunt of Nayler's fearless actions. Referee Maharaj saw both players go to ground, and blew his whistle just as Knott was felled in a challenge just outside the area. After the downed duo had been treated, the official sought to start play with a drop-ball, which prompted a few protests from the United players, who were of the view that play had been stopped due to the challenge on Knott, not because two players were down in the penalty area. Referee Maharaj wasn't having a bar of their protests. "There was no foul there, and there was no foul here - drop ball!" he declared sternly, clearing up any doubts about what was what. The official generally had a good match, letting the players play and the game flow as much as possible, all the time stepping in when necessary. Yes, he got the odd call wrong, but crucially, he got the vast majority of them right. After this incident, Glenfield seemed to lose their way, and it was the league leaders who looked the more likely victors heading into the final ten minutes. It was at this point that Lee rattled the near post stanchion, Palmer and O'Brien having proven too fleet of foot for Armstrong and Ward respectively in the build-up to Lee's low eighteen-yarder. Three minutes later, United produced a delightful flowing move, Seatter and Palmer featuring in it prior to Lee being unleashed down the left. She jinked inside two players before setting up Rolston, who sent a twenty-yarder over the top, then dragged one well wide of the mark three minutes from time, the culmination of a relentless fifty yard run which she commenced well inside her own half. Back came Glenfield, a late flurry an attempt to snatch the win at the death. Two minutes from time, Rood released substitute Alice Bresnahan through the inside left with a cross-field ball which prompted the newcomer to fire in a cross-shot. The ball sailed across the face of goal, and was headed out by Jensen, but only as far as another substitute, Briar McNamara. She directed her header straight at Donovan, who was very much relieved to see Hogg's twenty yard drive curl inches wide two minutes later, after Bott had twice blocked goalbound efforts from Jackson. There was time for one last chance, and it fell the way of United in stoppage time. Lee raced through, only for Nayler to hurtle out of goal and block superbly at the feet of her fellow Football Fern. The ball broke for Palmer, whose cross to the far post was headed away by Armstrong. The winger retrieved possession, and this time sought to pick out Rolston with a cross. In her eagerness to meet it, however, she collided with Nayler, and the infringement on the 'keeper was the last act of note in an enthralling North Harbour derby, the final result - 2-2 - of which was, in the end, just about right. Rovers:     Nayler; Bowen, O'Neill, Armstrong, Ward; Oosterhof (McNamara, 73), Jackson, Hogg, Wooles (Bresnahan, 77); Rood, Skilton United:     Donovan; Stratford, Windsor (Lee, 50), Jensen, Olsen; Bott, Seatter, Knott; O'Brien (booked, 69), Rolston, Palmer Referee:     Avnit Maharaj