Suburbs climb to fourth after win
At a glance
Nelson Suburbs have moved up to fourth place after a ‘‘gutsy’’ home win derailed Ferrymead Bays’ chance of going top of the Mainland Premier League.
The 2-0 victory – after goals by Kristian Gibson and Sam Ayers – at Saxton Oval yesterday was arguably Suburbs’ most important result of a topsy turvy 2017 season.
Co-coach Steve Bignall hailed the resilience of his charges in backing up from Sunday’s 1-1 draw with leaders Coastal Spirit.
‘‘If you had told me, with a squad of 14 or 15 players, we would have got four points from two games close together like that, I would have thought you were mad,’’ he said.
‘‘But we’ve done it, with most of the boys backing up from the first game two days ago.’’
Asked if it was Suburbs’ best performance of the year, Bignall said: ‘‘It was certainly very gutsy’’.
He praised his coaching colleague Ben Wright, who started and played for over an hour, for helping Suburbs get a great start after a bright beginning by a Ferrymead Bays side coached by ex-All Whites Danny Halligan and Johan Verweij.
‘‘Ben got us a penalty when he got clattered in the box,’’ Bignall said.
Centreback Kristian Gibson converted from the spot in the fifth minute.
Suburbs doubled their lead 20 minutes later when Sam Ayers finished after a move down the right flank, netting his fourth goal of the MPL season.
Ferrymead Bays came out determinedly after halftime and took the game to Suburbs with Bignall admitting play ‘‘got pretty scrappy for a while’’.
He was dismayed when the match officials ruled out a third Nelson goal midway through the second spell.
‘‘Omar Guardiola scored a really good goal but the linesman ruled Ben had been interfering with play,’’ Bignall said.
‘‘It was almost bizarre. Everyone had accepted the goal, but the linesman.’’
Bignall said Guardiola ‘‘beat three guys before he shot’’ and Ferrymead’s ‘‘goalkeeper [Adam Highfield] went full-length’’ so he could not have been unsighted.
As it stood, Nelson did not need the three-goal buffer.
Ferrymead played some neat football but were restricted to halfchances with Suburbs’ impressive Irish goalkeeper Corey Wilson not as busy as he had been in the Coastal clash.
Bignall said Guardiola was a constant threat to the Bays defence with his pace and skill.
‘‘I thought Highfield was lucky to stay on when he clattered into Omar. The ref played advantage to us, but didn’t go back [to caution the keeper] when we didn’t score.’’
Bignall said the victory was a true team performance but he signalled out Wright, whose contribution in the earlier rounds had generally been off the bench, for special praise.
‘‘Ben was outstanding up top and Matt Tod-Smith did well in the 10 role just behind him.’’
Gibson, who scored his second MPL penalty since his arrival from Ireland, anchored a sound Suburbs defence and teenage right back Van Roland Hlawn Ceu was also impressive. ‘‘Van’s very quick and is quite an intelligent little player,’’ Bignall said.
The Ferrymead fixture was a vital game for Suburbs to win, against a fellow top-four side, after they dropped points to lower ranked sides in the first round, notably in a 1-0 defeat to Universities and a 2-2 draw with Nomads.
Bignall, however, is aware a tough challenge awaits in the third leg of Suburbs’ home treble next Sunday.
They host four-time champions Cashmere Technical who are fresh from a 9-0 pounding of FC Twenty 11 last weekend.
Nelson Suburbs 2 (Kristian Gibson pen, Sam Ayers) Ferrymead Bays 0. HT: 2-0. Points (after 7 games): Coastal Spirit 16, Cashmere Technical 15, Ferrymead Bays 15, Nelson Suburbs 11, FC Twenty 11 10, Nomads United 8, Universities 3, Western 3. Chatham Cup: FC Nelson 6 Wakefield 1. HT: 4-1.