Suburbs hold leaders Coastal Spirit to draw
Coach Steve Bignall says Nelson Suburbs can look ahead to Tuesday’s catch-up game with renewed confidence after holding Mainland Premier League leaders Coastal Spirit to a draw.
Suburbs forward Matt ToddSmith’s seventh minute goal at Saxton Oval on Sunday was snuffed out by a second half equaliser from Coastal centreback Tristan Nichol.
Suburbs, who are fifth-equal, now face Ferrymead Bays at Saxton Oval on Tuesday in a catchup game after their Easter Friday fixture was postponed due to deluges in Nelson.
‘‘Having got something out of this game, we are looking forward to the next one,’’ said Bignall, who admitted: ‘‘You never like to draw after going ahead’’.
‘‘But, to be fair, they probably deserved something out of the game.
Coastal ran rampant in the second half and Suburbs keeper Corey Wilson ‘‘made a couple of outstanding saves to keep us in it’’, Bignall said.
Todd-Smith, who got a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Nomads United last week, struck for the successive game after Suburbs robbed the ball off Costal in the visitor’s back-third.
A quick one-two was played and the teenage Todd-Smith showed his finishing poise again.
‘‘I thought we had the better chances in the first half, but they came back really strongly in the second,’’ Bignall said.
Nicol headed home a corner to make it 1-1 in the 53rd minute, which did not please Bignall.
‘‘They put us under pressure for 20 to 25 minutes, but we finished reasonably well.’’
Wilson, the former Northern Ireland schoolboy international who has replaced local favourite Coey Turipa, thwarted Coastal with some superb reflex saves.
‘‘I thought our whole back-four, led by Goughy [skipper Jonathan Gough] and Kristian [Gibson] were really strong, young Van [Van Roland Hlawn Ceu] did really well for the hour he was on, and Omar Guardiola caused them problems all day,’’ Bignall said.
Former All Whites striker Campbell Banks picked up a slight knock and Bignall’s co-coach Ben Wright played the final 30 minutes up front.
‘‘I’ll probably start Ben on Tuesday,’’ Bignall said.
Suburbs will need all Wright’s attacking acumen to break down a niggardly Ferrymead Bays defence which has conceded only four goals in six games. The Suburbs rearguard will need to shut down playmakers Stu Kelly, Chris Murphy and Mark Peers in midfield to slow the supply of ball to Nikolai Molijn up front.
Coastal Spirit still head the Mainland Premier League - but Ferrymead Bays will take over the lead if they win in Nelson.
Spirit have 16 points - one more than Bays and four-time cham- pions Cashmere Technical, who thrashed fourth-placed FC Twenty 11 9-0 on Saturday.
Former Nelson striker Michael White and teenager Lyle Mathyssen both grabbed hat-tricks for Tech with White now on 93 MPL career goals - just one goal behind record holder Gareth Turnbull.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Gordon struck twice in Tasman United’s 4-0 win over Waimak United in a Mainland Premier Women’s League game in Christchurch on Saturday.
Tasman scored two goals in each half with Ruby Smith and Amelia Abbott joining Gordon the scoresheet. The victory consolidated Tasman’s third place in the standings behind champions Cashmere Technical on 15 points and Coastal Spirt on 12.