Plains Rangers AFC
May 31st 2003 v Ngongotaha
| Plains Rangers were involved in a battle of attrition
with hosts Ngongotaha on Saturday. With both teams equal on points and the end of the round looming up, this was an important fixture. Ngongotaha won the toss and got the strong wind at their backs for the first half. They used this advantage well and kept Rangers pinned in their own half for long periods. However the Rangers defence, well led by David Dennis, kept their shooting efforts to long range for the most part. Rangers keeper Matt Aberhart was also in top form and kept his team in the game a number of times. He made one outstanding save from a free kick, just as impressive was another effort when he tipped a strong shot onto the bar, then leapt up twice more to repeat the effort as the wind kept blowing the ball back towards the goal! Rangers could have been excused for thinking they had done the hard work when they got safely to half time with the score 0 - 0. However, during the interval, the wind died away and both teams were able to launch attacks at each other. Every ball was contested fully and the injury toll began to mount as the half wore on. Rangers gradually got the upper hand and looked more likely with some patient passing football, however the home team’s strikers were always dangerous and created some good chances. Rangers looked to have grabbed a goal when Dan Logan burst through from the midfield and shot powerfully, but Ngongotaha’s keeper pulled off a brilliant save to keep his goal intact. Finally the deadlock was broken. With twenty minutes to play, Sjoerd Overdevest ran the ball at the defence. He picked his moment to slip it to Bas Overdevest who calmly slotted it past the advancing keeper. The drama was not yet ended however. In a Ngongotaha raid shortly after, keeper Aberhart came well off his line to strongly block an attacker. In the resulting collision, both players were injured. The Ngongotaha player was stretchered off, and though Aberhart played on for ten minutes, he ended up joining his opponent in the ambulance to Rotorua Hospital. Player coach Dennis dropped back into goal and made a couple of good stops as the home team searched for the equaliser. The game finished with the score Ngongotaha 0, Plains Rangers 1. Rangers were pleased with this result and the gutsy effort that was produced to achieve it. They will also hope that player of the day Aberhart recovers quickly. The game was played in good spirit, and was very well refereed by a Ngongotaha club man. This Saturday Rangers have their last game in this division, with the top half of the league joining its WBOP counterparts in a new second division. They are at home to Whakatane Reserves and will be looking to make amends for losing to the Whakatane development team in an earlier round. Kick-off at the Edgecumbe Domain is at 2 pm. |