Norths upset Phoenix Reserves

By Grant Stephen

The first of two major upsets happened when second place Wellington Phoenix Reserves hosted TFS North Wellington at Fraser Park in round 14 of the Men’s Central Football league on Saturday 22 July.

The Nix Reserves were second on the table and remained so at the end of the match.

The only thing was, they didn’t win.

Norths jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to an early goal to Ryan Lee and a further score by skipper, Cam Wardlaw just two minutes later.

Having blown a two goal lead the week before and losing, Norths players and supporters alike were on high alert. That proved to be a very wise move, with the empire striking back with two goals of their own to level things at two a-piece when the whistle blew for half time.

The game ebbed and flowed for the entire second spell with the winning goal going North’s way for a 3-2 win thanks to the veteran midfielder, Cory Vickers.

The win for Norths not only eased the relegation pressure back to Whanganui Athletic which was significant in its own right.

The Phoenix Reserves also had to hand over the O’Brien Shield which is defended at home every match by the incumbent Central League side.

Top of the table, Wellington Olympic also held their top spot in the league but also lost.

They capitulated to Petone 4-0 at Memorial Park in a dream match for the hosts.

Olympic went down to 10 men, five minutes before half time but were already two goals behind at this stage.

Two further goals in the second half completely sunk Olympic with a hat trick going to Jack O’Connor.

The significance of the win meant that Petone is only one point off the top four placings and a real chance for the summer league.

It was a very quiet day at the office for Waterside Karori when they hosted Napier City Rovers at their stand in venue of Wakefield Park.

The blustery and unpleasant conditions did not make for pleasant viewing.

At the end of the match though, Rovers prevailed for a 3-0 win with a goal in each half and a final strike right on full time.

With four games to go and sitting in sixth spot, Karori can still make the national summer league and have everything to play for.

Miramar Rangers enjoyed a return to form with a 1-0 win over Western Suburbs.

Wests have slipped a place to