Midfielder Corey Adams came close in the 28th minute when he got free on the left, just inside the penalty area, cut back on to his right foot and curled his shot just wide of the far post.
A minute later, Mustafa Can (pronounced Chan) took a short pass in space 30 metres from United’s goal and hit a screamer that hadn’t started dipping when it hit the net in the top right corner. Can, originally from Turkey, played for Team Taranaki for seven years and is in his fifth season of football in Hawke’s Bay. His goals yesterday were both pearlers.
The chances kept coming at both ends. In the 36th minute, United centreback Jonathan Purcell headed a Malcolm Marfell left-wing corner wide. In the 39th, Corey Adams wriggled free on the left and shot wide of the far post. In the 40th, Marist attacking midfielder Jett Hogg put fellow midfielder Rueben Thurston through but United keeper Andy McIntosh came out and blocked the shot. And in the 45th, United leftback Marfell had a let-off when his pass across the penalty area was intercepted by Hogg, who shot over the bar.
The halftime score of 1-0 was a fair reflection of first-half play but United were holding their own. McIntosh was dealing with everything, bar Can’s thunderbolt, and the back four of fullbacks Ben Hansen and Marfell and centrebacks Kieran Higham and Purcell were doing enough to frustrate the Marist attack. In front of them, Aaron Graham acted as a buffer for the defence, and he and Corey Adams were often the start of United counter-attacks. Jacob Adams on the right, Damon Husband on the left and Matt Hills in the centre worked hard to find a way through the Marist rearguard, who could never relax with Josh Adams as the United attack spearhead.
Marist coach Brett Angell had set up his side well to deal with United’s attacking threats. In Alex Schroder he had a big, commanding keeper; Dan Baxter, on the right, and Dan Way, on the left, were no-nonsense fullbacks willing to support flank players when needed; and Jonty Underhill, as marker, and Yeshail Naiker, providing cover, coped with the Josh Adams threat better than most defences have.
Holding midfielders Mitchell Dick and Vinnie Mackirdy kept it real for the Marist midfield. They scrapped for any loose ball and used what they got to good effect. Dick will long treasure the 30-metre sprint he mounted in pursuit of fleet-footed Corey Adams in the 56th minute. It looked hopeless, but Dick persisted and caught Adams with a clean slide-and-scoop tackle as the latter paused momentarily to seek a way through the defensive thicket.
Alex Biju and Hogg probed down the flanks and Thurston ranged up alongside Can in support of attacks. The movement of Hogg, Thurston and Can kept the United defence on their toes.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, both sides brought on fresh legs. United’s Kieran Venema came on for Hills in midfield and Marist’s Reuben Moffitt and Jackson Durrington came on for Thurston and Underhill respectively.
In the 62nd minute, Can fed Hogg, who shot straight at the United keeper. Almost immediately, Marist had another chance, Mackirdy playing a wall pass with Hogg and slipping the ball past McIntosh but wide of the goal.
Angell’s exhortations for his players to move the ball and think of the next pass encapsulated what Marist’s play was all about. Passes changed the point of attack, players looking around and thinking ahead knew where the ball would go before it arrived, and defenders having to adjust position could leave openings to be exploited. It relied on tight control and pass accuracy, and any mistakes were opportunities for United.
In the 66th minute, Purcell went close for United with a flick-on header from Higham’s free-kick from 45 metres, and then Kaden Manderson came on for left-winger Husband.
In the 67th minute, United equalised. Naiker made his only mistake of the game – a header back towards his own goal that wasn’t strong enough to carry to the goalkeeper.
Josh Adams pounced, and drove the ball low and hard into the left-hand corner of the goal.
Three minutes later he worked his way clear down the left and crossed, low and hard. Younger brother Jacob almost got on the end of it.
Dick was shown the yellow card in the 71st minute, setting the scene for his later dismissal, and in the 74th, Hogg’s delicate chip over the defence was met by Can with a glancing header past keeper McIntosh into the United goal.
A minute later, Marist further refreshed their ranks, bringing on Harshil Naicker and Leone Chawasarira for Way and Biju.
United put everything into their final, sustained assault on the Marist goal. In the 79th, a quick free-kick found Corey Adams on the left. He took the ball across the edge of the penalty area, the ball ran free and Purcell shot wide.
Things got testy, too. Purcell was shown the yellow card in the 84th and two minutes later Dick was shown it for the second time. It was followed by the red, and Dick was off.
Moffitt dropped back to fill in for Dick, Marist compressed their shape to strengthen their core and they scrapped and scrambled their way through a flurry of late free-kicks to victory.
United player-coach Josh Adams was pleased with the fight his players had shown.
“We were in the game the whole way through,” he said.
“We missed a few chances but we dug deep to stay in it till the end.”
Marist coach Angell said his side made things harder than necessary for themselves.
“We managed to grind our way to the win,” he said.
“It wasn’t as pretty or as easy as it could have been but we’ve done what we came here to do.”
Referee Ian Sambrook kept a keenly contested game running smoothly.
