24 AUG 1998 , Edition 2, Page 17.
Rovers unlucky as season winds up
By: ANDERSON Ian
Claudelands Rovers will have to wait until next season to reap the fruits of this year’s hard work.
The Northern League division two soccer side had faint hopes of promotion finished yesterday as they succumbed 3-2 at home to league leaders Western Springs.
The Grant Hastings-coached side squandered the 2-0 lead they raced to in the opening 10 minutes of Saturday’s match but had a deserved point denied by a poor refereeing decision in the final minutes. A penalty was awarded for what appeared to be an excellent tackle on the edge of the Rovers penalty box and former Napier City captain Andy Birchenough struck home the winner from the spot for the visitors.
Claudelands couldn’t continue their electric start, when they netted through a wonderful Pat Conchie strike and a quick break converted by Cliff Collins, but they fought hard to upset the table-toppers, who produced their worst effort of the season under pressure, according to Birchenough.
Rovers are now fifth in the second division, 16 points behind Saturday’s opponents and nine behind second-placed Eastern Suburbs with five matches to play. In the same division, Cambridge kept alive their chances of staying up by continuing their fine late form run with a 4-0 away hammering of Otahuhu. They are within a win of clambering out of a relegation spot.
Ngaruawahia not only shook off any possible effects of a Chatham Cup hangover in division one but went goal crazy also (in Ngaruawahia terms.) The team which has struggled to net goals all season got them from a classic Matty Williams strike engineered by Stu Watene, Marcus Traill and reserve-team call-up Andrew Kettler as they beat Papakura City 3-2 to stay comfortably mid-table. Melville United got a 1-1 away draw with University and are ninth in the 12-team league.
Matamata Swifts’ 1-0 win over Tokoroa keeps them in with an outside chance of promotion in division three but the third-placed side still need second-placed Rotorua Suburbs to drop points in the remaining four matches. There’s no chance of unbeaten league leaders Taupo doing that though — they demolished North Shore United 17-0.