Two-goal hero Jonny McNamara walks off Bluewater Stadium, with deflated Waterside Karori players sitting on the turf, after his team's 5-0 Central League. Photo / Neil Reid
When Napier City Rovers sharp-shooter Jonny McNamara left his flat for Sunday’s Central League football clash against Waterside Karori his landlady had one message; score at least two goals.
And McNamara – who was voted the Central League’s 2022 Most Valuable Player – didn’t disappoint, scoring two and being incredibly unlucky not to leave Bluewater Stadium with a hat-trick in his side’s outstanding 5-0 demolition of the Wellington club.
It was a performance that has been looming from the Bill Robertson-coached side in the previous four rounds of the 2023 season.
And it is one which they will be determined to build on further when they travel to Whanganui next weekend for the round six clash against bottom-placed Whanganui Athletic, at Wembley Park.
Despite being consistently dominant against opposition in their previous four matches, Napier City Rovers went into Sunday afternoon’s game with a one-win, one draw, and two-loss record.
They also had a minus-one goal differential.
Given what they had shown on the field earlier in the year, it was a record that didn’t do justice to what the side could do.
The two losses – away to Petone FC and at home to Miramar Rangers – could have been turned into wins if the finishing at times had been more clinical and the side hadn’t clocked off at crucial times on defence.
But those earlier issues were banished from Napier City Rovers against Waterside Karori; a team that went into the clash with confidence after their 4-1 win over North Wellington last weekend.
From the get-go, Napier City Rovers were sharp, committed, precise and clinical; areas which the coaching staff had concentrated on in a match to which they had adopted a ‘must-win’ approach in a bid to move up the Central League ladder.
After training on Tuesday night, McNamara spoke of how determined he was to help his teammates get back to winning ways; and himself reboot his scoring steak which included back-to-back goals in the first two games of the season.
And he certainly didn’t disappoint.
McNamara scored his first goal after just six minutes after some impressive team inter-play.
The increased communication and link work that the coaches had pushed for was again on show 15 minutes later when the equally impressive Christian Leopard scored Napier City Rovers’ second goal.
McNamara scored his second goal in the 35th minute – by which time his landlady and long-time club volunteer was hoping for a hat-trick – and then former Manchester City youth team player Deri Corfe made it a 4-0 lead at halftime with a 39th-minute strike.
It was a buoyant Napier City Rovers who walked off Bluewater Stadium at halftime, to the applause of an equally impressively-sized crowd.
In contrast, the body language of the Waterside Karori looked like that of a team that was well beaten regardless of what played out over the following 45 minutes.
Corfe extended the lead to 5-0 in the 59th minute; the scoreline would remain the same come the final whistle.
Corfe had a strong game, as well as scoring two goals he provided some strong delivery for his teammates. Fellow new recruits Iani Kalu and Alex Mort also had strong games.
The lead almost became six goals after a banger of a shot from McNamara from a distance hit the post.
While the goal-scoring slowed in the second half for Rovers, what the side displayed was impressive ahead of next weekend’s clash at Wembley Park and the upcoming rounds after that clash.
Arguably equally as important as the five goals they scored – which has now seen the team have a plus-four for and against record – was the defence and goalkeeper Oscar Mason keeping the opposition scoreless.
When the defence was tested, they stood up.
That included some committed actions from captain Jim Hoyle, veteran Fergus Neil and 18-year-old rookie Jack Albertini; playing in just his second Central League clash.
Mason also impressed. While he was rarely tested compared to earlier matches this season, when he was fully put to the test, he came up trumps; including a blistering save late in the second half.
His clean sheet in the goal couldn’t have come at a better time. Along with midfielder and great mate Sam Lack, Mason is part of a 40-man extended New Zealand Under-20 squad ahead of this year’s World Under-20 World Championship in Argentina.
The national selectors are set to cut that squad back-to-back to 23 next month for the upcoming tournament.
Saturday’s Napier City Rovers clash against Athletic at Wembley Park in Whanganui is the opening match of round six Central League action.
Another performance like they put on at Bluewater Stadium could potentially see the team crack into the top four as well as send a huge statement of intent to other upcoming opposition; including the Wellington Phoenix Reserves who they play in their next home match in Napier on May 7.