Canterbury United

Team Wellington

2

2

Dan Terris 36
Hamish Chang 90 + 3 

Luis Corrales 77
Peter Halstead 78

by Gavin Searle at English Park
nzfc.co.nz

A stunning equaliser deep into injury time earned Canterbury United a 2-2 draw with Team Wellington at English Park and capped the Dragons’ best home performance of the season.

Chang’s goal – in just his second NZFC match – put the icing on what was an entertaining and free-flowing match, and pulled Canterbury to within a point of seventh placed Otago United.

Canterbury started brighter than the visitors and should have scored in the opening minutes but shots from Michael Fifii and then Gareth Turnbull went wide with the game only two minutes old.

The home side showed more on attack than previous home games and took the lead from a 36th minute corner which Phil Imray failed to gather. The ball finally fell to Dan Terris and the English defender was glad to score from ten metres out.

Michael O’Keeffe was called on to make several fine stops on the Canterbury goal from both Luis Corrales and Pedro Garcias.

Team Wellington looked stronger after the break and took the lead with a double strike in the space of a minute when a brilliant Corrales finish was quickly followed by a Peter Halstead header from a corner.

In the final seconds of the third minute of injury time, Wellington only managed to half clear the ball which fell to the now-Dunedin-based Chang, who unleashed an untroubled shot into the top corner of the net.

After beginning the season with three close losses, Canterbury coach Korouch Monsef was pleased to have picked up points from last year’s top two teams.

“We were a lot better in all departments today, we play good football early on and we deserved to take the lead”, Monsef said.

“It was a step forward last week (when drawing with Waitakere) and it was another big step forward today”.

“We finished the match with seven out of the eleven from our own academy players on the pitch.  I think as a club we deserve a lot of credit for this and at time I think this it lost on the local football community” added Monsef.

Team Wellington coach, Stu Jacobs had mixed feelings on the game.
“It was a bit of a strange game, they played well in first half and we changed things at half time and got back into the game. I thought we had done enough to take the win going into stoppage time but then they scored a goal out of the box to get the draw”, said Jacobs.

Photos: Glyn Davies www.m4photopraphy.co.nz

Canterbury United

V

Team Wellington

1. Michael O'Keeffe (gk)

1 . Phil Imray (gk)

2. Dan Terris

5. Michael Eager

3. Matt Boyd

8. Peter Howe

4. Bill Robertson (capt)

9. Ross McKenzie

7. Ryan Faichnie (out 76)

10. Luis Corrales

8. Garry McDermott (out 90)

21. Bryan Little

9. Tom Lancaster

13. Karl Whalen (capt)

11. Gareth Turnbull (out 69)

14. Sam Jenkins

12. Michael Fifii

16. Pedro Garcius (out 68) 

19. Darren Overton

18. Peter Halstead  (out 90+1)

21. Ben Harris

23. Tim Schaeffers (out 68)

Substitutes

Substitutes

10. Jamie Smith (in 69) 

24. Jake Gleeson (rgk)

15. James Reichwein (in 90)

22. Adam Birch (in 68)

20. Hamish Chang (in 76)

7. Sam Blackburn (in 68)

22. Chris Sinclair (rgk)

25. Paul Whitmarch (in 90+1)

=goal

=yellow card

=2 yellow cards

= red card

Welcome to English Park in this must win game for the home side, who will be without injuried Andy Pitman, with Darren Overton coming into the starting eleven. Injury also see's normal Wellington captain, Adam Birch start from the bench. Conditions are fine with some cloud cover. 

1 min

Referee, Darren Sundorn gets play underway. 

3 mins

Canty has first shot of game but an off balanced Michael Fifii is well wide

5 mins

Fifii sets up Gareth Turnbull but shot is again wide

8 mins

Promising TW move ends as shot from Pedro Garcius is blocked in 6 yrad box

15 mins

Game has now settled down with play very even

21 mins 

Brave keeping from Michael O'Keeffe who saves at the feet of Sam Jenkins

22 mins

Yellow Card Canty's Dan Terris in the book for dangerous play

26 mins

Another good save from O'Keeffe to deny Garcius

36 mins

GOAL 1 - 0 Dan Terris finds the back of the net from a corner after Phil Imray came off his line and failed to get near ball

40 mins

Yet another good save from O'Keeffe to deny Garcius with ball palmed away for corner

45mins

Half time with Canty leading 1 - nil. Wellington look danagers in the area with O'Keeffe pulling off some fine saves. Canterbury still look a little gun shy when in front of goal

46 mins

Back underway. Can Canterbury secure their first win of the season? 

53 mins

O'Keeffe starts were he finished the first half as he punches clear a Wellington corner 

55 mins

Yellow Card Corrales (TW) cautioned for heavy tackle

59 mins

Play halted as Matt Boyd down injuried

60 mins

Boyd back on field

68 - 69 mins

Both coaches go to bench

72 mins

Wellington now holding a slight edge on attack

74 mins

Wellington wins corner but O'Keeffe takes ball easily

76 mins

Garry McDermott draws good save out of Imray

77 mins

GOAL 1 - 1 Great finish from Corrales to lock the scores up 

78 mins

GOAL 1 - 2 Peter Halstead head TW into the lead

85 mins

Canty pressing looking to level

88 mins

Canty wins corner but no problems for TW

90 mins

3 minutes of added time

90 + 1 mins

TW run the clock down by making final sub

90 + 3

GOAL 2 - 2 Hamish Chang scores from edge of area 

90 + 3

FINAL 2 - 2 Actioned packed final quarter comes to end with down team sharing the points. Full report and photo's to follow