Team Taranaki take point
A first half penalty for each team were the only goals in a well contested tussle between Team Taranaki and Stop Out in the Central League clash in Wellington, with the score finishing locked at 1-1.
Neither side would have deserved to either win or lose Saturday’s game, which was littered with fouls and yellow cards.
It was not a dirty game by any means, simply well contested.
Energyworks Team Taranaki started well and troubled the opposition regularly in the first half, with their momentum briefly halted by conceding a penalty.
Comfortably in possession on attack, the Taranaki side took the wrong option with a simple pass and turned the ball over, gifting the opposition an opportunity.
In an attempt to scramble back and recover the situation, the Stop Out left winger isolated a defender one on one, skipped passed him and committed goalkeeper Santiago Fernandez to a challenge he was always going to be second best too.
The resulting foul led to a penalty and Steven Gulley tucked it way to take a 1-0 lead.
However, it didn’t take the visitors long to level to scores, with Damien Mosquera converting from the penalty spot for the second time in as many weeks, after a Stop Out defender handled the ball in the goal box.
The second half continued to be an arm wrestle, with Stop Out coming out strongly and forcing Team Taranaki to defend deeper in the first 20 minutes.
However, Team Taranaki were comfortably in control at all times and dealt with anything Stop Out had to offer with ease.
At the other end, the visitors started to get counter attacking opportunities that exploited space in behind the Stop Out defenders.
Both Josh Smith and Mosquera troubled their defenders, but failed to produce any scoring opportunities.
Stop Out were able to muster some attacking football to test the Taranaki side in the final 15 minutes, but Fernandez protected the goal well for the scores to finished locked after 90 minutes.
The result saw Team Taranaki stay unbeaten through their opening two fixtures in the Central League, and coach Ian McGrath said he was pleased