Wanderers humiliated in six goal loss
Hamilton Wanderers will be hoping that Saturday’s result was the low point of their 2017 northern league football season.
They went down 7-1 to Birkenhead United at Porritt Stadium - their biggest league defeat since 2008, when they lost 6-0 to Central United and Three Kings United.
Heading into the game, they had let in 14 goals in 12 outings, the third-best record in the league, but that figure has now grown by 50 per cent in the space of 90 minutes.
Jack Salter did the damage in the first half, completing a hattrick in 21 minutes to put the Aucklanders up 3-0, before Jamie Woodlock was able to pull one back for the hosts from the penalty spot.
That relief was short lived, however, as fullback Yuki Ohtsuka made it 4-1 at halftime. Ethan Galbraith then notched a hat-trick in the second half as Birkenhead eased to the win, though keeper Damian Hirst was called on to save a penalty, which was taken by Woodlock once again.
The loss was Wanderers’ seventh in a row, and they now sit ninth in the 12-team league, nine points ahead of last-placed Manurewa, but just one ahead of 11th-placed East Coast Bays, who occupy the other relegation spot.
Next Saturday, they host ninthplaced Eastern Suburbs, then comes the Chatham Cup on Queen’s Birthday, where they are away to Manurewa. After that come another pair of home games, against East Coast Bays and Manurewa.
If Wanderers are to stay above the relegation zone, they will likely need something from all three of those league games, and ideally three wins. Otherwise, they could very well find themselves facing the prospect of the drop.
They won all three of those matchups at the start of the season, as they surged to first place after four rounds, but then again, they also beat Birkenhead.
Having suffered a shock loss at home last weekend to Manukau City, Melville United regained their winning touch in style in division one, putting 12 past Metro in Auckland while conceding none - a club record scoreline.
Marc Evans scored five, including one from the penalty spot, Steven Holloway notched a hat-trick, and Lachie McIsaac had a brace, while Eric Jones also scored and some poor soul from Metro put the ball into the back of his own net.
Manukau, meanwhile, claimed another big scalp, beating North Shore United to remain two clear of Melville in the second promotion spot, and four behind leaders Western Springs.
There was no such luck for Claudelands Rovers, who were beaten 2-0 by Waiheke United in division two.
In the Northern Premier Women’s League yesterda, Claudelands Rovers and Hamilton Wanderers both had draws.
Chelsea Elliott struck from the penalty spot with seven minutes to play, to make the score 3-3 and ensure Wanderers took a point from their match against Northland and remained above them at the foot of the table. That goal came just three minutes after Northland had taken the lead through Colleen Winstanley.
Elliott had opened the scoring for Wanderers in the fifth minute, but that was cancelled out by Nicole Stratford 10 minutes later. Britney Cunningham-Lee then restored their advantage in the 22nd minute, before Winstanley scored her first goal on the halfhour mark.
Claudelands were up 2-0 over Glenfield Rovers on the road after 15 minutes, thanks to Sophie Stewart-Hobbs and Leah Gubb, but that match finished 2-2, as former Claudelands player Kate Loye and Dayna Stevens pegged them back.