Plains Rangers put in a valiant effort in their final BOP 1st division league game on
Saturday. Their visitors Otumoetai needed a win to secure second place, and they
attacked with a will.
In the first half there was plenty of good football played in the muddy conditions.
Otumoetai got men forward when they attacked, but they were kept at bay by some
staunch defence and a series of fine saves from Rangers keeper Matt Aberhart.
Rangers put together some good moves of their own, and were very unlucky when
Mark Thompson beat his marker in the penalty area and smacked a shot against the
post. Late in the half Otumoetai opened the scoring from close range, despite the
Rangers defence appeals for offside.
After the break Rangers got themselves back on level terms. Defender Barrie Hawkes
fed the ball forward to Richie Nillesen. Nillesen flicked the ball over the oncoming
defenders and raced through to challenge the keeper for it. He somehow squared the
ball to fellow striker Thompson, despite a full-on collision with the keeper, and
Thompson rolled the ball in. The game was reasonably even for the next twenty
minutes, although Rangers weren’t holding their possession well.
Well into the game the visitors got back in front, converting their pressure into a goal.
Shortly after, Rangers player-coach David Dennis was shown the red card after a late
tackle. Otumoetai scored twice more in the final minutes, one of them a penalty right
on full time. The final score Rangers 1, Otumoetai 4 seems more one-sided than the
game really was.
For Rangers, keeper Matt Aberhart was named man of the match after another fine
display. Harley de Lacy, Bas Overdevest and Hori Elliot were the pick of the rest.
.