Waitakere United

YoungHeart Manawatu

3

2

Brent Fisher 34',90'+5,

Tim Myers 78'

Seule Soromon 41',

Campbell Banks 52'

by Bob Pearce at Fred Taylor Park
nzfc.co.nz

Waitakere United needed five minutes and 20 seconds of added time to snatch a sensational last gasp 3-2 victory over a brave YoungHeart Manawatu at Fred Taylor Park.

Manawatu held the lead from the 52nd minute and it wasn't until the 78th minute that Waitakere drew level.

In a frantic extra five minutes the Manawatu defence and goalkeeper Ross Nicholson parried shot after shot before Brent Fisher finally stabbed the ball into the net from a goalmouth melee for the win.

Manawatu coach Bob Sova and his team were devastated.

They had given as good as they got against the former champions and to come away with nothing seemed rough justice.

To be honest, they had their chances to make the game safe. But then Waitakere's fightback in the closing stages was impressive.

It took 34 minutes for the first goal after a series of near misses.

Aaron Scott made ground from the back and found Fisher, who had two shots blocked before he nodded home a header from a rebound.

Manawatu were level seven minutes later. Waitakere defender Tim Myers tried a backheader to his goalkeeper from a long freekick but Seule Soromon nipped in and scored.

Seven minutes after the break Manawatu went ahead. A long goal kick found Soromon and his cross was expertly slotted home by Campbell Banks.

Soromon, Banks and Cory Chettleburgh all had chances to increase the lead but splendid goalkeeping by Danny Robinson and some last-ditch defending kept them out.

Gradually Waitakere began to gain some control. First Allan Pearce bounced a shot off the crossbar.

Then in the 78th minute Tim Myers had the final say after two corners had been scrambled clear.

It was mostly one way before Fisher's final flourish but Soromon drew a diving save from Robinson and Scott injured a leg and had to be carried off after a saving tackle on Jimmy Haidakis.

"We're heartbroken," said Sova. "We created enough to go ahead and they had a good spell to get back. But I thought we were the better team over 90 minutes.

"This puts us second to bottom and we're better than that. We're creating the chances but we're not putting them away."

Sova singled out defender Caleb Duncan on his NZFC debut for praise. He acknowledged Soromon's danger to the opposition but would have liked him to put away more of the chances created for him.

Waitakere player-coach Neil Emblen played three-quarters of the game on his recovery from a knee injury and he had sympathy for Sova.

"I feel sorry for Bob," he said. "His team played quality football and but for some good goalkeeping they could have scored more. But then we had plenty of chances towards the end.

"We really missed Roy (Krishna) and Benji (Totori) through suspension.

Those two give you that extra spark. Given that, this result was a bonus."

Emblen also had reassuring news about Scott, who he said had a dead leg and should be fit to play against Auckland City next weekend.
 
 

Waitakere United

V

YoungHeart Manawatu

1 Danny Robinson (GK)

1 Ross Nicholson (GK)

3 Aaron Scott (88 mins Rowley)

11 Scott Robson (Smith 80)

4 Tim Myers

10 Adam Cowan

7 Martin Bullock

15 Caleb Duncan

8 Brent Fisher

13 Nathan Cooksley

10 Allan Pearce

2 Nobuyoshi Ishi (Haidakis 84}

11 Neil Sykes

16 Raf de Gregorio

16 Neil Emblen (Pelter 74)

6 Matt Kennedy

17 Jake Butler

21 Cory Chettleburgh

18 Zane Sole (de Vries 59)

9 Seule Soromon

19 Dakota Lucas

23 Campbell Banks (Benson 86)

Substitutes

Substitutes

2 Jason Rowley

19 Matt Borren

15 Craig Wylie

14 Marco Paracchini

20 Ryan de Vries

22 Daniel Benson

21 Jack Pelter

20 Jimmy Haidakis

22 Liam Little (RGK)

3 Matt Smith

=goal

=yellow card

=2 yellow cards

= red card

0mins

Muggy with scuds of rain, westerly wind. Small crowd Rex Dawkins in director's box.

2 mins

Long clearance by Nicholson sets up chance for Soromon blocked by Robinson.

4 mins

Sloppy defence by manawatu ends with right wing corner for Waitakere.

5 mins

Corner blocked by defence falls to Emblen his shot is blocked.

7 mins

Pearce brought down by de Gregorio but Emblen shot blocked

8 mins

Nicholson forced to scramble back when caught out of position but chance goes begging.

12 mins

Manawatu earn corner as Soromon and Banks combine well. Emblen heads clear for another corner.

13 mins

Scott falls over ball close to goal but recovers to foil Soromon

18 mins

Soromon and Ishi combine but Ishi's shot defelected round post by Robinson.

19 mins

Cross by Pearce headed wide by Fisher.

20 mins

Robinson forced to save well from curling Soromon shot.

23 mins

Chettleburgh weaves his way through and again forces good save from Robinson.

27 mins

Freekick to Waitakere leads to panic stations in front of Manawatu goal. Best shot by Lucas wide.

29 mins

Banks stitches up Emblen, crosses but Ishi heads just wide.

31 mins

Chettleburgh corner, then cross eludes every head

34 mins

GOAL! Scott ventures forward but has his shot partially blocked, Fisher follows up and as his first attempt bounces back heads it pst Nicholson

37 mins

Butler feeds Lucas but Nicholson saves shot with his legs.

38 mins

Corner falls to Pearce but his shot hits post and stays out

39 mins

Another corner for Waitakere but falls harmlessly

40 mins

Yellow card Butler for challenge on Nicholson

41 mins

GOAL! Long freekick, Myers backheader misfires and Soromon nips in to score 

45 plus one

Halftime all square. Misses galore but two goals and all to play for.

46 mins

Soromon breaks through but shoots wide

48 mins

Waitakere create long shot for Sole but fires high

49 mins

Banks beats defence but cross just eludes Soromon.

51 mins

GOAL! Long goalkick finds Soromon, squared for easy finish by Banks.

58 mins

Fisher heads wide from Sykes cross

59 mins

Substitution Sole off, de Vries on

62 mins

Long-range shot by Chettleburgh forces diving save

68 mins

Robinson at full stretch to save from Banks.

69 mins

Waitakere attack sees ball fall to Pearce on edge of penalty area but his shot bounces off the crossbar

74 mins

Substitution Pelter for Emblen

77 mins

Two corners to Waitakere, both scrambled clear

78 mins

GOAL! Myers has the final say after Pearce crosses and the ball is half cleared

80 mins

Substitution Smith for Robson

84 mins

Substitution Haidakis for Ishi

88 mins

Quick break by manawatu sees Scott at full stretch block Haidakis. Scott off on stretcher. Rowley on

90 mins

Five mins of time added

90 plus one

Butler just wide in goalmouth scramble

90 plus two

 Robinson at full stretch to save from Soromon.

90 plus four mins

Nicholson comes and only flaps at freekick saved by defender

90 plus five

GOAL: Corner from left loose in goalmouth. Fisher has final touch.

Fulltime

Waitakere 3, YoungHeart Manawatu 2