Central League 2009

 

He's got some ability that guy.  Nice bloke too.

 

olympic on the downer

 

Hmmm.... I'm not so sure if too many people would fear you in this department!!

 

not sure wat your on about, but if its about me not liking the biffo or you not thinking i like the biffo your wrong. ps who r u?

??? You over estimate my ability.

 

Come on radioman...who's going to hassle Olympic and their implosions without parkie around

 

Haven't worn the gloves for a while now. Maybe next season though as I do kinda miss it.

We are a special breed no doubt about that.

Goalkeeper Scott Dunn's candid confession sums up the game.

``I would have stopped the ball if only I could feel my fingers,'' the Napier City Rovers gloveman revealed after his side soundly beat Palmerston North Marist 2-1 in their Central League encounter in Napier yesterday.

By all accounts the score line and the 90th-minute soft goal on the base of some quick thinking from the opposition didn't do justice to the hosts' dominance at the Bluewater Stadium, Park Island.

Yes, Dunn was stone cold from the lack of activity, considering the ninth-placed Palmy boys had scored more goals than the mid-table Rovers, but the same cannot be said of his counterpart, Andrew Bailey.

The Rovers peppered the visitors' goalmouth at will but, especially striker Andrew Abba, failed to find the net with ease.

In fact, if All Blacks coach Graham Henry was watching, he would have been tempted to call up Abba to replace errant first five-eighth Stephen Donald.

Despite his dazzling speed, skills and pinpoint passing, Abba couldn't bury sitters between the sticks and, to add insult to injury, referee Antony Riley flashed him a yellow card in the 51st minute for a ``Hollywood'' in the 18m box when he fell from the ensuing tackle.

To be fair, fellow striker Andy Pickering and midfielders captain Stu Wilson and Chris McIvor weren't looking too sharp either despite an excellent goal each from Abba (55th) and McIvor (67th).

So what's with ambidextrous Abba's wayward boots?

``I probably need to work on my finishing,'' the soft-spoken Solomon Islander stated the obvious to SportToday.

``I'm probably too rushed and need to take a touch.''

The pint-sized player put the yellow card _ something he's had from previous games in the New Zealand Football Championship in summer _ down to a difficult call but felt he could overcome that by working on his upper-body strength.

``I also have to work on my fitness because my right ankle is a bit sore and I've been playing through the pain.''

With a crucial match against fourth-placed Petone this weekend The Rovers will have to sharpen their shooting act, something that is not lost on coach Matt Chandler.

``We've been speaking about that game a lot and the boys say they will deliver,'' Chandler said.

Yesterday, he felt the wind created havoc but they settled down in the second spell after a scoreless 45 minutes.

``I still felt we were giving the ball away and not supporting our players too much.''

Nevertheless, while the hosts left their sensible shoes behind they kept shape and structure for a good part of the game.

Wilson, Abba, Pickering McIvor, right wing Daniel Ball and young Tom Biss on the left flank kept that cohesive flow.</>

It's too simplistic to say the opposition looked anaemic. The reality is the Rovers defenders _ Jonathon Taylor, Marama Thompson, Sam Halligan and Willie Stanger _ were toiling to stymie attacks in their foetal stages as Marist players displayed flashes of deft footwork.

Some of the missed opportunities that had Bluewater faithful groaning included Abba chasing down a through ball which Palmy goalkeeper Bailey enigmatically tried to head outside the 18m box. Not surprisingly he botched it but Abba failed to curl it past him into an open goalmouth.

In the 37th minute Biss and Wilson's crisp one-twos out wide were eventually curled to Abba on the left post but he skied it miles above the cross bar. He butchered another outside the right upright a minute later. Marist centre-mid Ethan Dent, studying at Massey University, had Rovers in trouble but Thompson had him in check.

McIvor's oblique cross in the 55th minute to Abba in 18m box outside the left upright drew keeper Bailey out but the striker pushed the ball past him into corner the bottom of the right upright for 1-nil lead.

A rattled Palmy North lost structure after that. Sensing their erratic behaviour, Biss latched on to a poor defensive clearance in the 65th minute to find Abba on the left flank. Abba returned McIvor the favour as the centre-mid rifled ball inside the right upright for a 2-nil lead.

In the 90th minute Palmy midfielder Tim Richardson rifled the ball from a metre outside the 18m box after quick-thinking substitute left winger Alexander Ogidi quickly pushed a freekick to Richardson. Keeper Dunn got his mitts on the ball but the momentum of the shot favoured the visitors, giving a wrong snaphsot of the one-sided match.

 

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Quality journalism going on here by someone who really knows their football.

 

hopefully much injury and red mist - a few key players out for the Cup match would be good

 

C'mon.  Your girlfriends moustache makes her more manly than you!!!

As for Olympic v Miramar well what a game. Not as good as when they play at centenial but ahwel, newtown should still be good. Im predicting 2  - 2, with olympic to lead the entire 2nd half 2 1 up, with a soft goal by miramar to equalise. Referee will once again need to let things go in this match, otherwhys wel be seeing a few reds. Peno in this game..surely.. Miramar got a few last year, wont be suprised if they get one this weekend.

 

are you taking the piss or being a fu%k witt?say what you like about me, but dont say anything about my misses, 2 to 1 you dont even know her