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| Otago United | Waitakere United |
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2 | NZFC - Round 5, Sunnyvale, Dunedin Sunday 22 February, 2009 | 3 | |
Aaron Burgess 45, 48 | Roy Krishna 10 | ||
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Halftime: 1- 1 Referee: Wayne Scott Crowd: 250
by Rab Smith at Sunnyvale
Not a classic win, but Waitakere manager Chris Milicich said "In some games you play pretty football, in others you have to scrap a bit. It was a bit of a battle out there today." "Its never easy down here, we have a had a couple of draws in recent seasons, so I am more than happy with the win, and it was a valuable run out for captain Danny Hay after injury. He looked more like his old self." Without coach Terry Phelan – banished to the netherworld by NZFC, and regular defenders Colin Falvey and Mike Smith sidelined through injury – Otago started as long odds outsiders to get anything from the star studded Waitakere side. And the final count of two red cards – Tom Jackson and captain Andy Coburn, plus six cautions to Otago as opposed to Waitakere’s one, and a couple of penalties awarded by Wayne Scott might have earned that referee a man of the match award for applied industry. However there was no queue of Otago supporters wanting the referees autograph at full time.
No surprise then when after 10 minutes, Krishna perfectly timed his run onto a through ball, then slid it past keeper Liam Little and desperate lunges from Otago defenders – it looked like Dunedin could get buried. It took leadership by Coburn, Aaron Burgess, Stu Kelly and Blair Scoullar to steady the ship and get some positive passing going that could test the twin towers of Danny Hay and Neil Emblem. Approaching halftime, referee Scott awarded Otago a penalty which Burgess sunk, then early in the second half, the Invercargill striker smote a superb freekick past keeper Richard Gillespie and Otago led 2-1. And in the most volatile passage of play, tempers sizzled in the sopping rain, and once again referee Scott was flashing cards, and separating contestants in handbag hurling scuffles that were almost funny. Nothing funny about the award which earned Totori a Louganis class penalty in the 67th minute which Allan Pearce drilled in and things became even more sizzling at Sunnyvale.
Probably Waitakere experience won the day by spraying cross field passes that unhinged the undermanned Otago allowing Totori to grab his eleventh hour winner and shortly afterwards sheer frustration saw Coburn stamping away to the showers after yet another committed wet weather tackle. Otago stand-in coach Malcolm Fleming was loath to comment on the match officials, "but they became a major factor in the game, and I was not impressed" he said. Disgruntled Fleming said "Otago did well to climb back into the game after conceding a tenth minute goal. Burgess’s two goals were superbly taken, especially the free kick which put us into a 2-1 lead in the second half. We deserved a point at least." |
Otago United | V | Waitakere United |
1 Liam Little (GK) | 1 Richard Gillespie (GK) | |
2 Rhys Henderson | 2 Aaron Scott | |
3 Tristan Prattley | 5 Danny Hay | |
7 Robbie Deeley (out 83) | 8 Paul Seamon | |
8 Blair Scoullar | 9 Benjamin Totori | |
9 Tom Jackson | 10 Allan Pearce | |
10 David Dugdale | 11 Neil Sykes | |
11 Andy Coburn (C) | 12 Roy Krishna | |
12 Aaron Burgess | 13 Daniel Koprivic (out 75) | |
17 Tim Horner | 15 Christopher Bale | |
21 Stu Kelly | 16 Neil Emblem | |
Substitutes | Substitutes | |
4 Barry Gardiner (in 87) | 4 Tim Myers | |
13 Callum Flaws (RGK) | 18 Zane Sole (in 75) | |
15 Morgan Day (in 83) | 22 Danny Robinson (RGK) | |
18 Tom Connor (in 83) | ||
19 Seamus Ryder | ||
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-20 min | Welcome to Sunnyvale for the round 5 catch-up game, The rain over the last 2 days has passed give a small break in the weather for the start of the match but the sky still is very cloudy. Pitch is water logged with lots of puddles. |
0 min | Kick off. Waitakere take the kick |
2 min | Both teams keep passing up as they deal with the wet grounds, both teams make use of their keepers. |
4 min | Close call for Richard Gillespie as the ball bounces between him and Otago striker on the edge of the 18y box |
6 min | Cross by Neil Sykes over Otago's 18y box to Allan Pearce how heads wide of Otago's left upright |
8 min | free kick given to Waitakere outside the side of Otago's 18y box. Second kick after having to take the kick again gets headed wide by Daniel Koprivcic. |
10 min | Goal 0-1, Roy Krishna scores past Liam Little. |
20 min | Waitakere are starting to take advantage of the wet conditions to side into the ball. |
30 min | Free kick taken by Robbie Deeley crosses over to be knocked back up field by Waitakere Defender. |
32 min | Yellow card given to Dave Dugdale after a slide tackle on Neil Emblem |
35 min | Roy Krishna crosses the ball into the center of Otago's 18y box Liam Little makes the dash to get the ball before the oncoming attacker. |
36 min | Benjamin Totori shoots from outside the 18y box yet puts it just wide of the left upright. |
38 min | Tom Jackson takes the ball out to the right side flank and crosses to the front of Waitakere goal. a small knock to near post troubles Richard Gillespie as he dives only to watch the ball head outside the goal. |
42 min | Roy Krishna passes to Benjamin Totori who takes a run across the 18y box around 3 Otago defenders and takes a shot only to have it fly over the top right corner. |
44 min | Benjamin gets back into the 18yard box to have another crack at goal, the shot travels between 2 Otago defenders and troubles Little as he dives not getting a hand to it but sees it go wide |
45 min | Aaron Burgess steps up to take the penalty, into the top right and scores |
45 + 1 | Full time. |
HALFTIME | The rain has started to return for the second half. |
46 min | Otago kicks off for 2nd half |
48 min | Aaron takes the free kick from outside 18y Box, shot across the goal into the right side. GOAL! 2 -1 |
52 min | free kick given to Waitakere, hit over towards goal and dive head from Otago defender knocks the ball over the top of the goal. |
53 min | Yellow to Stu Kelly and Robbie Deeley |
58 min | Christopher gets a word after a push on Otago player. |
59 min | Otago keeps up the great defending as Waitakere try to take as many chances as the can. |
60 min | Yellow given to Tom Jackson. |
71 min | Allan Pearce takes a penalty after Benjamin Totori was tripped in box, the shot goes lower left and GOAL! 2 - 2 |
72 min | Tom Jackson has been sent from the field after a slide tackle *Red Card* |
77 min | Waitakere Sub |
80 min | Otago Sub |
87 min | Otago Sub |
88 min | Barry gets his first shot off for the game making Richard Gillespie dive to stop the ball |
89 min | Last min goal by Benjamin Totori getting past Otago defenders and keeper Liam Little to score 2 - 3. |
90 + 3 | Andy Coburn gets a red card for an elbow. |
A bit of a toe poke by Benji Totori was enough to snatch an injury time winner over Otago United as Waitakere ground out a 3-2 win at Sunnyvale on Sunday.
Waitakere mastered the difficult conditions with a bright star, stroking passes around, and probing at the Otago defence. 
Tom Jackson earned a straight red for a studs up tackle and the game became an exercise of containment for 10 man Otago as Waitakere pushed forward.
(out 87)
=2 yellow cards