Tawa 0
Douglas Villa 3
Tumu Douglas Villa cruised to a comfortable win over 10-man Tawa at Redwood Park to consolidate their place in the top three in Capital Division Two.
Tawa played more than 80 minutes of the game a player down after goalkeeper Tom Paver was shown a red card. Willy Syben had played the ball past Paver, who came out and collected the striker just outside the penalty box.
Rather than deflate Tawa, Douglas Villa coach Mark Taylor believes the red card galvanised the home side, saying they put more players behind the ball and cut down his team’s attacking options.
“We made it difficult for ourselves a wee bit, just not converting the truckload of chances we had, and really the game should have been more comfortable,” Taylor said.
Josh McMenamin opened the scoring with a penalty after 10 minutes when he was brought down in the box by the replacement goalkeeper.
Caleb Anstis scored the second goal right on halftime from a set piece, and Kurtis Paine finished a very good team movement with the third in the dying minutes.
“The second half was pretty much all us, and we were pretty much camped in their half, and there was some really good possession play and build-up play, and we created some really good chances, but the execution was poor, so we just have to be better.
“We’re playing differently. We have a real emphasis on possession, and that’s more enjoyable for the players. We have set high standards, and players have to demand more from themselves, particularly in key moments in and around the goal box to finish,” Taylor added.
Captain Chris Cox again impressed with his composure, while Shea Fowler was strong in the midfield, and left fullback Josh Logan stood out in his first game of the season after recovering from an ankle injury.
Douglas Villa host fourth-placed Seatoun on Saturday in a vital clash in the race for promotion. Douglas Villa beat Seatoun 5-3 three weeks ago.
Petone U20s 3
Greytown 0
A disastrous first half, where they conceded a goal inside a minute and had midfielder Nik Finlay sent off after 20 minutes, led to the first loss in league games since June last year for Greyfriars Motel Greytown, writes Ian MacDonald.
Greytown seemed listless from the start of the Capital Division Three game at Petone Memorial Park and went behind after just 58 seconds when former Greytown forward Isaac Higgins found the back of the net, a lead they extended after 25 minutes. They added a third within two minutes of the second half starting.
While Greytown were a lot more competitive in the second stanza, the league leaders were unable to get top goalscorer Josh Stevenson enough quality possession to cause the Petone goalkeeper any discomfort.
Playing 70 minutes of the game with 10 players didn’t help Greytown as Finlay was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, the first of which seemed harsh given the Petone player grabbed him around the neck and flung him to the ground after a 50-50 challenge for the ball, meaning captain and Stevenson’s strike partner Jarrod MacDonald having to drop into a deeper lying role for the rest of the game.
Coach Phil Keinzley was happier with the second-half effort but will need to have a long hard talk with his defensive unit, who seemed all at sea in the first half against the Petone onslaught, which should have resulted in more goals for the home side but for an outstanding display by goalkeeper Gary Hewson, who played much of the game with a dislocated finger and saved his team at least five or six times.
The defeat hasn’t affected Greytown’s league position, as they still sit top on goal difference from Upper Hutt City. Greytown visit the capital this weekend and face off against last season’s Division Four winners Wellington United who haven’t won in their last four games, including a 5-3 loss to Greytown.
WOMEN
Wairarapa United 7
Island Bay Makos 0
Two goals in the first two minutes set the tone for Wairarapa United’s convincing win over Island Bay in a Capital Women’s Division One game at Howard Booth Park on Sunday.
The first goal came in the first 30 seconds, and the second was in the back of the net about a minute late. In a game where United’s goals came in sets of two, the third and fourth were scored two minutes apart after about 30 minutes and the fifth and sixth in the final two minutes of the first half. The seventh was added about 15 minutes into the second spell.
Coach Radhan McGlashan feels that the result is the confidence booster United need after struggling in recent games, saying that players were buzzing after the win.
“We just started to settle a bit more and play our own game and just take what we’ve done in training, and we’re finally trying to put it into our games,” McGlashan said.
United, seventh in the league, play the struggling Vitoria University Units away on Sunday.
