Reynolds grabs third four-goal bag

Brad Reynolds (on the left)

BRAD Reynolds scored four goals in Thistle Vintage’s 6-6 draw with Liquid Thistle Allsorts in Eastern League Division 2 football on Saturday.

It was the third time this season that Reynolds had grabbed four goals in a game, and on top of that he has scored two hat-tricks. He’s sitting on 32 goals for the season.

On Saturday, Allsorts — second-bottom in the 12-team league — pushed Vintage all the way at Childers Road Reserve.

In fact, Vintage — second to Wairoa Athletic in the standings — were never in front.

Allsorts acknowledge the attacking debt they owe to their three South American imports. Their introduction to the side almost won the game against Wairoa, in Wairoa, two weeks before this.

The word is, they have moved on to their next New Zealand holiday destination. Results from now on could indicate whether any football skills have rubbed off on their teammates.

But apart from the South American factor, Allsorts were well-served by Division 1 regular Jason Burgess, who did a power of good work in an attacking midfield role.

And goalkeepers Pratik Jethwa in the first half and Paul Straatman in the second did well on a day when their goal was peppered with shots.

Bradley Pascoe had a strong game at the back, while John Stirton and Grant Brown both put in good shifts in midfield.

Allsorts were 2-0 up after 12 minutes. Reynolds pulled one back when he beat the goalkeeper and got his head to a lobbed cross, and equalised when he rose for a Glen Udall corner and powered the ball down close to the far post.

Just after halftime, Allsorts were in front again.

Ten minutes later, Reynolds equalised with his third goal — another header — but Allsorts continued with their impudence, going ahead 4-3.

This time, veteran Dave Hall celebrated his return to the Vintage line-up after a two-month break by getting the vital touch in a goalmouth scramble . . . 4-4. Again Allsorts scored; again Vintage — through Reynolds — equalised.

Once more Allsorts tried for the knockout blow, 6-5, but Vintage shook it off and left-midfielder Logan Sutton, in his first minute back on the field after a 15-minute break, scored the last goal of the game.

They had about 10 minutes to play, but a dozen goals were to be this game’s lot.

Dudley Meadows said his side (Vintage) hit the post three times after that last goal. He was reluctant to name outstanding players, apart from Reynolds, but said it was good to have Stephen McCarthy back in the side — in goal — for his first full game since his return from Australia a couple of months ago.

Reynolds — also a handy golfer and cricketer — can turn his football talents to goalkeeping, defending and midfield play. But expect him to stay up front while he’s in this form.

TWO other results stand out from the weekend, and both also came from Division 2 games.

Campion College pushed Wairoa Athletic before losing 6-4 on Wairoa’s home ground.

And at Nelson Park, Smash Palace Shockers moved into eighth on the table with a 2-0 win against Bohemians (2), who dropped to fourth.

Campion stunned Wairoa with an early goal, through striker Sam Morgan.

Wairoa winger Raymond Hawley headed home an equaliser but, soon after, Morgan — whose speed troubled the Wairoa defence — was brought down in the penalty area. Winger Sam Patterson scored from the resulting penalty.

Campion led 2-1 at halftime but Matt Webb’s two goals early in the second half put Wairoa 3-2 up.

Campion midfielder Chris Kennedy made good use of the breeze when he got down the left flank, turned inside and curled a right-footed shot into the goal from 20 metres to make it 3-3.

Wairoa regained the lead when Marek Schirnack headed in a Tim Gledhill long-throw, but Kennedy scored again and the teams were level at 4-4 going into the last 10 minutes.

Webb completed his hat-trick — he and Schirnack were Wairoa’s joint players of the day — and Carlos Carroll put the finishing touch to a nice Wairoa move to make it 6-4.

Kennedy, Morgan, Patterson and keeper James Lindsey stood out for Campion in a good team performance. They had several regulars unavailable, and had only one substitute. Wairoa had plenty of subs, and that might have told late in the game.

Wairoa’s best were Webb and Schirnack, while Gledhill, Shannon Crane and keeper Craig Ward helped lay the foundation for the win by stopping Campion from going further ahead in the first half.

SHOCKERS went ahead early against Bohemians — through a header by striker Damian Pilitati from a left-wing corner — and then hung on for all they were worth.

Darren Beard, normally a striker, had sciatica from an old speedway sidecar injury so was handed the keeper’s jersey.

He had a stormer and, as he still has a twinge, he may be there again this weekend.

Beard’s son Blake is one of the new-generation Shockers coming through, and he had a tidy game on the left wing.

Pilitati made sure Bohemians could never relax at the back and, five minutes from the end, he laid on a through-ball for winger Glenn Brown to seal the win.

Stalwart defender Dave Hansen said Shockers had struggled all season to get to the stage where everyone had a “half-decent” game on the same day.

“On Saturday, everyone had a pretty good game at the same time,” he said.

Darren Beard backed that up, and added that centrebacks Steve Honey and Hansen were rock-like in defence.

In other Division 2 games, Lytton High School beat United (3) 3-0 at Anzac Park, Ngatapa Silkies beat Gisborne Boys’ High School (3) 5-2 at Boys’ High, and Boys’ High (2) beat Bohemians (3) 5-2 at Nelson Park.

DIVISION 1 games went to form, Heavy Equipment Services United beating their second team 4-1 at Anzac Park, Carpet Court Thistle beating Bohemians 2-0 at Childers Road Reserve, Wainui Demons beating Riverina 6-0 at Nelson Park, and Thistle Massive beating Boys’ High by default.

The game to watch on Saturday will be the Childers Road Reserve clash between Division 1 leaders Thistle Massive and second-placed United, who are one point back. The match starts at 2.30pm.