SOCCER - CENTRAL LEAGUE: Defence can yield points if team right

ANENDRA SINGH
Call it boring, uninspiring or what you like but a good defence can win soccer matches.
Italy's World Cup win in 1982 is perhaps the best example that springs to mind. Striker Paolo Rossi, often labelled a ghost on the field that year, was the hat-trick hero as teammates frustrated favourites Brazil 3-2 with an entire team defence in the quarterfinals. Even the prowess of Zico, Socrates and Falcao wasn't enough as the Azurri juggernaut steamrolled their way to World Cup glory.
In Saturday's Central League match at the Bluewater Stadium, Napier, you sort of got the impression Wellington United were trying to emulate that feat. Suffice it to say they were no Azurri, and striker Luke Jones was no Rossi in their 2-1 loss to hosts Napier City Rovers.
Frustratingly for the Park Island faithful, the scoreline should have been more like 6-1 but for some hesitancy in finishing off balls in the vicinity of the 18m box and some goalkeeping brilliance from Dale Warburton.
Rovers coach Malcolm Wilson, who will be in England to visit his mother for the next month, told SportToday that despite the Berlin Wall mentality from the visitors it was good to see his troops with a spring in their step.
``It was frustrating because you have to do all the thinking,' said Wilson, who will be back in time for the last game of the league. Seasoned coach Terry O'Neill will be at the helm in the interim.
Wellington coach Ross Durant, whose side slipped to second last on the table, said they were always going to play defensively because of the unavailability of several regular players. He fielded reserve grade players in their place.
However, Durant was scathing of referee's assistant Ben Chisolm who, in the 32nd minute, adjudged keeper Warburton to have moved off his line to block Stu Wilson's penalty kick for a hand ball. Wilson scored from an identical shot in his second attempt.
``We don't need that sort of thing, really. We didn't have things go our way with the officials [ex-HB ref Jamie Cross and Bay assistant Jordan Williams] but I suppose that's what you say when you lose,' he said.
Enough said. The officials, despite a couple of yellow cards for abusive language and crude tackles, were inconspicuous. Wellington's only gripe in the penalty issue could have been that defender Andy Christensen did not handle the ball intentionally - it was ball to hand - but a jaded Durant failed to make a case of that.
Wellington were pretty abysmal and only Rovers' hesitancy to execute crisp shots from the 18m box and sheer luck prevented abject humiliation for the visitors.
Devoid of wingers every time they got possession in counterattacks meant Wellington were relying on Jones to do the impossible.
Four minutes after Wilson's penalty, Jones scored the equaliser in a rare occasion when the wingers spread the width of the field. Richard Gray from the right flank surprisingly found Jones unmarked 8m in front of the goal, raising the question of how tight and tested is Rovers' defence.
Graham Fyfe was outstanding again in curling crosses mostly from the left flank, once clipping the crossbar with the keeper well and truly beaten.
It was the last of nine corners in the 77th minute of the second half that yielded the winner. Fyfe curled the corner to the near post and Regan Cameron rose to nod it in but keeper Warburton was equal to the occasion. Midfielder Chris Davies pounced on the loose ball but defender Andy Johnstone got in the way and then Warburton again parried Wilson's ensuing shot before Andy Pickering crisply placed it in the bottom left corner.
Third-placed Rovers travel to Wellington this Saturday to play Lower Hutt City who are one place behind them but upset second-placed Petone 4-1 on Saturday, giving Napier a sniff at the runners-up spot.