Otago United

YoungHeart Manawatu

4

3

Chris Anderson 22'
Liam Lockhart 25'
Andy Coburn 83'
Aaron Burgess 90+3

Joachim Rande 36'
Willie Hodge 64'
Michael Fraser 81'

by Rab Smith at Tahuna Park
asbpremiership.co.nz

DUNEDIN - A 93rd minute Aaron Burgess goal gave Otago United a 4-3 win and kept their slim playoff hopes alive in a pulsating ASB Premiership match at Tahuna Park today.
 
Burgess - a reknown striker in his time, once personally scored five goals in a national league match in the pre-ASB Premiership era.
 
Nowadays, as Otago’s team manager, he is named on the team card as a more than useful substitute and the Invercargill born striker justified coach Malcolm Fleming’s faith with a goal that keeps Otago’s ASB play-off hopes alive. .
 
And after 20 minutes, Otago looked convincing candidates for the play-offs, playing expansive attacking football, with energy, quality passing and excellent support play.
 
Striker Chris Anderson opened the scoring after 21 minutes, finding space in the tight Manawatu defence, to lace Otago ahead.

Liam Lockhart – better known for his height and heading power - was first to a loose ball after a right wing corner by Tristan Prattley to make it 2-0 moments later and the home side looked in line for a run away win.
 
Prattley’s superb deliveries in that half were a key feature in Otago’s spell of supremacy.
 
But Joachim Rande quelled celebrations with a precious goal just before half-time to keep Manawatu in the match.
 
The effect was nothing short of amazing with Manawatu unrecognizable in the second half, as they threatened to sweep Otago and their playoff plans aside.
 
Willie Hodge equalized after good work by Rande in the 66th minute, then with tails up Manawatu poured forward and it took some fine goalkeeping by Adam Highfield to keep Otago in the match.

Buckling under steady pressure, Michael Fraser, who had replaced Rande, showed pace and composure to drive a narrow angled shot in for a 3-2 scoreline with eight minutes to go.
 
With Otago heads wilting, it was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man. And as he has done so many times before, midfielder Andy Coburn drove forward on a powerful run and hammered in Otago’s equalizer to make it 3-3.

With precious seconds ticking away, it was Burgess who was calmness itself as he slotted home his 93rd minute winner.
 
Coach Malcolm Fleming rolled his eyes.

"After a top start and some of the best football we’ve played – we sunk to the abysmal and were eight minutes from our season being dead," he said.
 
"The team showed real guts to fight back, and after Andy Coburn equalized, who but the old goal poacher Burgie came up trumps in the final seconds."

For Manawatu the unenviable record of lowest ever points achieved in a season looms, although in a strange twist, the Palmerston North side has now scored more goals than Otago and Hawke's Bay United, two teams still very much in the hunt for honours.
 
A near distraught Manawatu coach, Bob Sova, was so choked he could not speak.

Otago United

V

YoungHeart Manawatu

1. Adam Highfield (GK, C)

1. Matt Brorren

6. Tom Sadd

2. Nobuyishi Ishi

11. Andy Coburn

3. Matt Smith

12. James Reichwein (Mephan 67')

4. Colin Falvey (C)

16. James Govan (Burgess 57')

6. Matt Kennedy

19. Chris Anderson

8. Nat Cooksley

21. Liam Lockhart  (Rodeka 85')

12. Joachim Rande (Fraser 46')

23. Ant Handcock

15. Pablo Moya

25. Tom Conor

18. Dale Higham

26. Tristan Prattley

20. Willie Hodge (Chettleburgh 78')

27. Morgan Day

25. Jono Steele

Substitutes

Substitutes

22. Callum Flaws (RGK)

5. Josh Chettleburgh (in 78')

9. Aaron Burgess (in 57') 

9. Michael Fraser  (in 46')

20. Matt Brook

19. Naka Junya

28. Sam Mephan (in 67')

7. Jordon Martins

18. Harley Rodeka (in 85')

=goal

=yellow card

=2 yellow cards

= red card

0'-

Welcome to Tahuna Park, Dunedin for today's ASB Premiership, Week 14, clash between playoff chasing Otago United and cellar-dwellers, YoungHeart Manawatu. Standby for a scintillating afternoon of football as hosts Otago chase only their second ever playoff berth while Manawatu go in search of the points that will ensure they avoid setting a new lowest ever points total for the ASB Premiership.

0'

Otago win toss and ends are switched

1'

Manawatu kick off and Otago make the early snatch ending up with Govan taking an early shot

3'

Highfield picks up the cross and holds it, everone moves back up the field and Highfield slows play down as he drop the ball to his feet and walks it up before giving it a big boot

5'

Manawatu break free and Higham is left with a one on one with Highfield, he strikes the ball sending it out wide of the upright

7'

Prattley takes the free kick just inside Manawatu's half, the ball is left for captain Falvey to head clear

8'

Lockhart does well to put his body in the way of Higham who continues to try and cross the ball

10'

Rande takes a shot at Otago's goal from 30yards only just going wide, Highfield makes the dive but comes up short

12'

Otago are trying to move back upfield to an attacking role but with 5 defenders sitting on Manawatu's back line they can't break through

14'

Falvey is again called on to clear the high attacking ball with his head

15'

Manawatu is given a head on shot from 26 yards after questionable tackle, Cooksley takes the kick and gives it into the 6 yard box with a lob.

16'

The ball is given long and picked up by Anderson who knocks it a likke too far and struggles to get the final foot on it

18'

Day shows great attacking skills, smothering the ball as its collected from Manawatu's back line and passing it off, the final shot by Govan wasn't up to par

20'

Prattley takes another free kick from inside Manawatu's half, putting it on the Heads of his teams sitting at Manawatu's back post, the head comes in but flys over the cross bar

22'

GOAL, Anderson picks up Prattley's cross in and a quick flick on by Hancock allows Anderson to place it with no problems, 1 - nil to Otago

24'

Prattley takes another free kick, Coburn getting his head on it to keep it up and sends it back but no one else can pick it up

25'

GOAL, Lockhart picks up the corner from Prattley putting another past Brorren to extend Otago's lead

27'

Manawatu move the ball around to try keep it away from Otago, but poor passing gives it away after only a few touches

30'

Otago again come close to a finish but unable to turn and knock the ball on quick enough

31'

Otago's defence keeps their goal clear blocking 2 shots with Cooksley putting the final shot too far wide

34'

Otago show holes in Manawatu's defence as the pass the last line again and get a shot off, Brorren make the save to keep Otago in chasing chance

36'

GOAL, Unable to clear the ball from Rande's close shave, Sadd dives in to clear but ends up putting it over the goal line

39'

Manawatu's defence still showing holes, the ball is collected by Coburn who crosses it between 3 Manawatu defenders before being cleared

41'

Play has settled as Manawatu hold Otago to the center of the pitch, both teams stopping from the other going any further

44'

Manawatu make the run down the side, but end up just giving the ball away.

45'

Yellow Card given to Rande who is taken out when trying to get the ball off Prattley

45+2

Half time called, Otago 2 - Manawatu 1

half

SUB Manawatu
OFF: 12. Joachim Rande
ON: 9. Michael Faser

46'

Otago kick off, Manawatu are forced back, Otago managing to make an attack

47'

Otago gain an early half free kick, Prattley stepping up again, Prattley curves it into Manawatu's goal, defenders head gets enough on it to put it over the cross bar

49'

Manawatu now try a break away but unable to get past Otago's defence, taking the shot outside the 18yard and putting it low and wide

51'

Coburn tries to get in a cross but the ball just escapes him to cross the line

53'

Higham makes it past Otago's defence to put in a strike, Highfield gets down and stops it quickly

54'

Day makes a great save, reading the game and sliding in just at the right moment to stop Ishi from putting in a shot

56'

Higham is trying to get Manawatu up but he can't hold the ball for ever as he is force to cross in

57'

SUB Otago
OFF: 16. James Govan
ON: 9. Aaron Burgess

58'

Manawatu gain a free kick in a great position to level the score

59'

Ishi puts the ball into Otago's 6yard box and its close calls at the feet fly to try and direct the ball, Otago finaly managing to clear it out of the 18 yard box only to have it fly back in but this time high over the cross bar

62'

Day gives some more sparkle as his time is right on the mark with another tackle

63'

Otago unable to get a head to the high ball.

64'

Cobrun makes his way to the center of Manawatu's defence and passes through, his shot not Good enough
GOAL, Manawatu snatch up with Rande blocking and collecting the ball putting it across goal and Hodge getting a foot to it to level the scoring.

67'

Manawatu are now back fighting, with the score level the hopes are high of them gaining the 3 points in this half

68'

SUB Otago
OFF: 12. James Reichwein
ON: 28. Sam Mephan

70'

Otago are caught offside as they attempt to break away. Highfield makes a punt down to Brorren.

72'

Otago make a run down the far wing, getting well into Manawatu's half before they give the ball away, Manawatu work with a counter attack getting them a corner

73'

Ishi puts it right on the penaty spot and Smith gets the head on it but too much putting it over the cross bar

75'

A close call for Otago with Highfield putting it over, Ishi takes the corner but it struck too low and Otago fight to clear.

76'

Handcock tries his luck placing the ball low and hard from 20 yards, Brorren makes quick work and holds the ball

78'

SUB Manawatu
OFF: 20. Willie Hodge
ON: 5. Josh Chettleburgh

81'

Brorren sends the ball down to Highfields hards and Highfield returns the favor as he attemps to give Otago a break away
GOAL, Manawatu places another one past Highfield as the defence lets their holes show, Fraser putting it away

83'

GOAL, Coburn levels the score with a cracker of a shot putting it into the upright to get around Brorren
SUB Otago
OFF: 21. Liam Lockhart
ON: 18. Harley Rodeka

86'

Players can be heard arguing as time ticks away and the score is still level

87'

Manawatu gain an atvantage with a free kick in Otago's half

88'

Steele puts it into Otago's 6yard but with Manawatu climbing over Otago's defender the ref calls for free kick

89'

Sadd makes sure Manawatu can't get any crosses in as he puts his body in the way.
4th Offical lets ref know of 4 minutes added time

90'

Burgess puts in a cross to try give Otago the winner but Otago are unable to join the ball to the back of the net

90+1

Otago gain a late corner giving them the best chance to put it away and gain the 3 points but Brorren plucks it from the air

90+3

Day gains the ball in a style that he has shown all game, Burgess gains the ball in the center, no defenders and a fast sprint allows his to place it to the right of Brorren to score GOAL, Burgess pulls off his shirt and gains a yellow card next to his goal

90+5

Full time called, Otago 4 - Manawatu 3