Reid’s injury mars Old Boys-Queens Park showdown
Old Boys beat Queens Park 5-2 in the feature game of Southland Football’s premier men’s Donald Gray Cup competition in challenging conditions at Waverley Park, in Invercargill, on Saturday.
The Laker House Of Travel sponsored Old Boys unit leapfrogged Queens Park into second place on the points table as a result of the win, behind Queenstown Rovers who had the bye-day.
From the outset the signs were there for spectators that another incident packed game was in store which over recent seasons has become the norm for encounters between the two teams.
And they were not to be disappointed as the play was of a high standard, the goals flowed freely and there was plenty of banter from the sidelines.
Sadly though the memory most will take from the game was the agony of Queens Park’s central defender Tobi Reid as he awaited to be taken to hospital following the re-occurrence of a knee injury that he had only recently returned to playing from.
Old Boys opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Bara’a Toubat followed up the rebound from a penalty kick, saved by Queens Park’s keeper Chris Beullens, to put his team ahead 1-0. Three minutes later came what could be described as the ‘‘goal-of-the-season’’ as Reid sent a perfect 50-metre pass to the feet of team-mate Brendon Lloyd who in turn passed it across the face of goal for Martin Correa to volley an unstoppable shot past Old Boys keeper Mitch Fowler and level the score at 1-1.
A freekick placed perfectly by Toubat for his second goal sent the teams to the halftime break with Old Boys 2-1 ahead.
The action continued in the second half with Jon Barnard extending Old Boys’ lead to 3-1 before Queens Park’s Mike England pulled one back to narrow the score to 3-2.
Barnard was on song again to increase the margin to 4-2, with Atain Halley putting the game beyond doubt with a well- taken strike to make it 5-2.
Meantime, Queens Park had the misfortune not only to lose Reid to injury but to also have a player red-carded and so be reduced to 10 players.
Old Boys’ Jono Ross and Joel Fletcher had standout games with Reid and newly promoted left-back Hayden Devery-Smith impressing for Queens Park.
A chance to grab another goal and further reduce the score went begging for Queens Park as Brendon Lloyd squan- dered a penalty kick opportunity almost on the stroke of fulltime.
‘‘We tried to play good football from the outset but needed to finish off our moves better. Park pressured us well though and once we overcame that I think we deserved the win,’’ said an elated Old Boys coach Ian Edwards.
Queens Park coach Kevin Downie commented that it was an attackers game with good goals and lots of open play. ‘‘We were in it until the red card,’’ he added.
At the ILT Football Turf Laser Plumbing Gore Wanderers proved too strong for Autotec Thistle with a 3-1 win.
The visitors fought back from an early deficit when Thistle’s Ali Smith opened the scoring with a penalty but quickly began to gain control of the game and, with second-half goals from Frank De Jong, Gene Peters and Ben Rea, asserted their superiority on the day to register their first win of the campaign.
‘‘We didn’t settle well in the first half but once we overcame that our play improved in the second and the goals began to go in,’’ Gore Wanderers team manager Greig Anderson said.
Southend United and Waihopai fought out a 2-2 draw at Bain Park in front of an enthusiastic crowd who got some value from the game in deteriorating conditions.
Israel Calder drew first blood for Waihopai with Southend’s Mike Sheridan levelling the score at 1-1 before halftime. Second-half goals from Patrick Turnhout (Southend United) and Carl Henderson (Waihopai) completed the 2-2 scoreline.
A feature of the game was a wonder save from Southend United keeper Terence Langlands, who threw himself valiantly in the air to tip a thunderbolt drive from Waihopai’s Alex Simons to safety.
‘‘I thought we had the better of the game so I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get all three points. Having Carl [Henderson] up front again has definitely increased our options,’’ Waihopai player-coach Shane Harpur said.
Southend coach Iain Walker mentioned they were missing a couple of key players.
‘‘But that gave me the opportunity to blood in a couple of youngsters, Jack Shaw and Dylan Van der Schuit, and I’m happy with both,’’ he said.
Hurricanes Brumbies Bulls Chiefs Highlanders Waratahs Stormers Lions Crusaders Rebels Sharks Cheetahs Blues Reds Force An ugly boardroom standoff has seen the Blues ask New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew to step in and find a mediator to help sort out the future of coach Sir John Kirwan. It's one drama to the next for this troubled franchise. Credit must go to the ground staff at the Cake Tin. The Hurricanes and Chiefs turned on the match of the season – one filled with epic drama no matter who you support – and the surface wasn't affected by the heavy rain that doused Wellington last week. Bravo. Assistant coach Tabai Matson rejected an approach to join the Blues last week and remain in Christchurch next year but it is suspected he was given an ultimatum to do so. The press conference involving frosty Crusaders boss Hamish Riach was rather awkward. Friday: Chiefs v Bulls, Rotorua, 7.35pm Reds v Sharks, Brisbane, 9.40pm Saturday: Blues v Hurricanes, Auckland, 7.35pm Waratahs v Crusaders, Sydney, 9.40pm Force v Highlanders, Perth, 11.45pm Sunday: Cheetahs v Lions, Bloemfontein, 3.05am Stormers v Rebels, Cape Town, 5.10am Bye: Brumbies.