Douglas Villa 5
Seatoun 3
Tumu Douglas Villa coach Mark Taylor is praising his team’s character in coming from two goals down to beat Seatoun in a Capital Division Two clash on a sodden Park Sports Ground on Saturday.
The visitors made a rip-roaring start finding the back of the net twice in the opening nine minutes, the first being an own goal.
Tremaine Rimene-Albrett pulled one back with the first of his two goals, meeting a pinpoint Josh Logan cross with a powerful header. He then had the chance to equalise from the penalty spot, only for his shot to be well-saved by goalkeeper Jason Swanepoel.
The in-form striker atoned for that with his second goal after 35 minutes before Simon Mazey gave the home side a 3-2 lead at the break.
Second-half goals to Josh McMenamin and a Jamie McMaster screamer from 35m were the icing on the cake for the home side, whose gutsy effort earned praise from Taylor.
“Our lads really got stuck in; the character was absolutely superb,” Taylor said.
“At 2-0 down, I thought they were going to ruin our day because it was a big club day, but the players dug in and were fantastic.
“Seatoun are a good footballing team but defensively frail, and I knew we could create goals and score goals. We created numerous chances, and we did miss a few, but every time you score five goals, you’ve got to be happy with that.”
Much of the second half was played in atrocious conditions, with torrential rain turning the pitch into a mud bath.
“The quality of football played in really bad conditions by both teams and they’re a good side as well, was absolutely brilliant,” Taylor added.
Douglas Villa remain second in division two and host fourth-placed Lower Hutt City on Saturday.
Wairarapa United 6
Greytown 3
Greyfriars Motel Greytown will be looking forward to getting back onto a grass field after their second loss in a row in Capital Division Three, writes Ian MacDonald.
After losing their unbeaten record to Petone the week before, Saturday’s 6-3 defeat to Wellington United came on a Te Whaea artificial turf that they struggled to come to grips with.
Greytown started the game well, but two quickfire goals around the 10-minute mark to Wellington put the visitors on the back foot and, after closing to one goal behind on two occasions, couldn’t stem the flow on a very fast-paced and bouncy surface.
Coach Phil Keinzley and his assistant Josh Stevenson will need to come up with a plan very quickly to solve the team’s defensive woes, having conceded nine goals in two games, with Petone and Wellington United easily managing to get behind the visiting defence, leaving goalkeeper Gary Hewson stranded on too many occasions in the two losses.
On a brighter note, Stevenson continued his charge towards the Golden Boot, picking up two goals to take his tally to an amazing 23 in just 11 games and appears set to break the 30 mark for the season. Skipper Jarrod MacDonald scored a peach of a goal with his left foot.
Andy Traill was his usual steady self, and midfield partner Harvey Parker showed just why he’s been missed in recent weeks with an outstanding display and, along with halftime substitute Alex Penman, were the best on the field for Greytown.
After thrashing them 8-0 in the first game of the season, Greytown will visit a very different Naenae team, who have won seven of their last eight games and will prove a much greater threat on their home ground on Saturday.
Greytown now sit second on the table and will need to step it up if they’re to retain any hope of winning the league or finishing second to ensure promotion.
WOMEN
Victoria University 1
Wairarapa United 1
There was frustration for Wairarapa United in their 1-1 draw with Victoria University in a Women’s Division One match on the Te Whaea artificial turf on Sunday.
In an evenly fought battle, the students took the lead after 16 minutes, only for United to equalise about five minutes later.
With halftime approaching, United thought they’d taken the lead but were denied by a club-based referee, who ruled that a United player had tripped a defender, although it appeared that the goalkeeper had taken out her own player.
Both teams failed to create many clear opportunities in the second spell, and the game drifted to an inevitable draw.
Although disappointed not to claim all three points, United coach Radha McGlashan was satisfied with the effort of her players.
“We’ve had a few injuries, so we still have a few players out and with away games, we’re always a little short,” McGlashan said.
“We’re still working on a few things, and we’re starting to bring them together during the games, so that’s good to see.”
United are sixth on 10 points with a game in hand. They are at home to fourth-placed Seatoun on Sunday.
