LEAD STORY - SOCCER: The good, the bad and the ugly

ANENDRA SINGH
It's hard to argue with the man in the mirror.
No matter how many different ways some teams in the Homeworx Pacific premiership comb their hair, they'll struggle to shrug off that Mike Tyson persona.
To be more specific, we're talking about Western Rangers, Signature Homes Port Hill, Havelock North Wanderers and Ocean Spa Eskview United.
In the pretty boy Cristiano Ronaldo mould are HBE Napier City Rovers, Gisborne City and Gisborne Thistle.
Gilby (player/coach Warren Gilberston), whose wife gave birth to a bouncing baby girl yesterday, may beg to differ but Taradale, akin to Cru Bar Maycenvale United and Napier Marist, have switched to and fro this season depending on how much mousse they have lathered into their locks, as it were.
At the crux of the analogy is the theory that pretty football doesn't always win matches.
Ask Thistle manager Phil Deakin and he'll attest to that, despite their 2-nil win over Rangers at St Leonard's Park, Hastings, on Saturday.
``Western Rangers were very ordinary. Our keeper only had to save two shots in the entire game,' Deakin told SportToday from Gisborne yesterday.
``They [Rangers] are physically big but they are very unfit. We again played too much football. The only thing that was going to beat us was ourselves,' he said after goals from strikers Nick Summerton (21st minute) and David Ure (59th).
Rangers player/coach Jeremy Birss had no arguments. ``In fact, it was I who said in the after-match function that pretty football doesn't win matches, goals do,' said Birss, whose side on Wednesday night lost 3-2 to Taradale in a Knockout Cup match in which striker Dylan Leswick scored both goals.
Talking of pretty boys, Rovers beat Gisborne City 2-0 at Childer's Road Reserve and brought cheer to Thistle hearts as they gear up for a derby this Saturday with Deakin's memory failing him on the last time they beat City.
After a scoreless first 45 minutes, Rangers Striker Chris McIvor found the net in the 60th minute but Kieran Ryan equalised in the 71st.
Bouyant from his Napier Boys' High School Super 8 victory on Wednesday, Andy Bevin struck the winner in the 82nd minute.
At Marewa Park, hosts Port Hill prevailed 3-1 in the battle of the big boys with Magnus Hansson scoring twice (5th, and 52nd) and Patrick Pilz (15th) once with a resurgent Anthony Floyd ``23m screamer' the only first-half reply for the Wanderers.
Referee Kay Smith flashed eight yellow card, four each way, in the rugged affair.
``It's a trademark of Havelock, to be fair,' said Port Hill coach Tim Claudatos, claiming the Wanderers were persistently having a go at the referee.
``They were trying to be tough and niggly so we did too and I think Kay struggled a bit. I spent half my time coaching my players to stay away from her,' Claudatos said.
Wanderers player/coach Bruce Barclay said while ref Smith was ``pedantic' in her ruling, he did not see any harm in pushing the rules to the limit.
``I'm a big guy so I enjoy that type of thing whereas if I was a small, quick and skilful bloke then I'd probably be singing a different tune,' Barclay in his rebuttal.
In the other battle of the bruisers, Vale beat Taradale 4-1 with Leon Birnie's hattrick (one from a penalty) and a Chris Greatholder tap-in from a Dakota Lucas failed attempt shut out the visitors at Akina Park.
Dale's Wayne Atkins scored a late consolation.