Sunny skies, a team that always gives us a run for our money , 16 available players, Mike Bots reffing with Glen C running the line.....what more could you ask for as we go searching for 3 points to keep us at the top with Ellerslie?
Our opponents had disposed of Metro a week earlier and came into the game brimful of confidence.....
The first 15 mins was totally unforgettable as both teams hoofed the ball around, whilst the brilliant sunshine made it difficult to distinguish who was who, as passes went astray on both sides.
This was simply the prelude to "Das Foukkenballsupp"
20 mins gone, Fencibles get to the edge of our area, their forward attempts the worlds weakest shot, straight into the middle of the goal, where Hatch is waiting to gather easily......HOWEVER....it pitches in the rough of the 6 yard box and like Shane Warne's ball of the century (Old Trafford 93 v Mike Gatting....Andy D...help! Video footage would be good) it leaps out at right angles past a helpless Andre.
5 mins later it gets worse! A couple of loose passes at the back result in the ball being fed back to Andre....their nippy striker reads it and pinches it....Andres attempted clearance puts him 6 foot up in the air.....PENALTY # 1.....stroked home.....2-0 down!!!
WOW....we were schize....(Willy Schoppe your guidance would be good!)
Heads down lets go....Brad made some incredible runs...with some near misses. Then Andy Davey flicked one into Brad's path....he controlled it beautifully then "passed" it superbly into the right hand corner....1-2, lets play!
The last 10 mins resulted in Herbs and Spices for both sides without anything too serious.
Half Time.....enter Michael Caine...(Aka Woulfy)...."C'mon lads lets lift it!"
Onwards and upwards.....55 mins gone, the ball is worked neatly down the right, the Fencibles defender makes a Dion Nash of it....the ball falls to Davy Bernard 25 yards out and he lets rips with a cracker......sweet sound of rippling net....2-2.
They now realise we have brought our "A" game to the party.....as we start to throw the kitchen sink at them....
On the hour mark, the ball is lofted into the Fencibles area where Bots spots a hand touching the ball that shouldn't....PENALTY # 2....Andy D steps up and is thwarted by their keeper making a smart save to his left.
Fortunately Fabs did put us in front 5 mins later, when he crashed in a superb header from a near post corner....they were crestfallen.
Their crestfalleness was componded 5 minutes later when their burly defender slammed grotesquely into the back of Puke's slender frontman as he was airborne and smiled as he cascaded mercilessly to the ground......PENALTY # 3......Dave Bernard slots home cooly for his first double of the season.
The remainder of the game was in my own words "Shite and Onions".....we gifted them chances...they failed to take them.....we had openings but didn't want to push our luck.
4-2 to Pukekohe was the final score .....they thought they were worthy of a point.
We didn't....purely because we gifted them a 2 goal start and they couldn't kick on.
Well done fella's.....great come back....lets make sure we don't make life so hard against Bay Olympic next week......POD Dave Bernard....well deserved.
Huge thanks to Woulfy, Bots, Glen and our cheering mob of loyal supporters on the sideline.