With a tiny ounce of luck Gary Fowell Builders Plains Rangers would have won their BOP division three game at Greerton.
Rangers were missing a number of regular starters, but balancing that, they welcomed back Dean Butterworth for the first time this season. The Greerton pitch was in nice condition for good soccer and both teams obliged. Rangers thought they'd drawn first blood when a good Butterworth pass put player-coach Brendon Cusack through the defence. He was pulled back for a close offside call as his shot went into the goal. The home team then got ahead when their striker was pulled back in the box. Young Rangers keeper Jono Whitaker almost kept out the resultant penalty. Butterworth finished off a nice move with a well taken goal to have Rangers level. A Bas Overdevest shot hit the crossbar and Cusack came close to putting away the rebound. Late in the half Greerton pounced, dispossessing a defender and scoring to have a 2 - 1 lead at the break.
Playing into the low sun in the second half, Rangers continued to play an excellent passing game, and quite a number of chances were created. Jeremy Hawkes hit the crossbar. Rangers forced a series of corners and finally grabbed an equaliser when Overdevest forced home from close range. Cusack almost grabbed a winner when a well placed close range shot was brilliantly saved by the Greerton keeper. He then skied yet another rebound, from Overdevest hitting the bar, over the top. At the defensive end, stand-in sweeper Aaron Muggeridge was doing a good job keeping a makeshift defence tight. The closest the home team got was a spectacular miss with the shot smashing straight through a large second storey window in the clubrooms behind the goal. In the end both teams had to settle for the 2 - 2 draw.
While Rangers probably deserved the win and were very unlucky, they will be pleased with the more patient style of football played. Dean Butterworth was man of the match with an excellent performance for someone in his first game of the season.
This Saturday Rangers will be at home to Ngongotaha, with kick-off at the Edgecumbe Domain likely to be at 2 pm.