Soccer: It's all Greek to coach

Rovers 3 Olympic 4

Central League soccer

Seven goals, end-to-end passing, countless raids on both goalmouths and a few handbags thrown in for good measure.

Whoever says the beautiful game in Central League needs a facelift doesn't know what he or she's talking about.

Okay, so league leaders Wellington Olympic pipped Bluewater Napier City Rovers 4-3 at Park Island, Napier, yesterday but when you put the disappointment of defeat aside, the game was a humdinger from a spectator's perspective.

Just don't tell that to Rovers coach Grant Hastings after his defending champions went 2-0 up in quick succession in the first half, only for 2013 league leaders Olympic to balance the ledger 2-2 going into halftime.

An adroit Hastings would impress on how the hosts scored one more goal but, more significantly, conceded one goal too many to the "Greeks" when compared to the 5-2 away loss in the season opener.

"I'm sure it was an entertaining game for the fans but it's not enough if you want to be successful," he argued, adding that the Rovers failed to keep their foot on the opposition's throat for the full 90-plus minutes.

"I think if you score three goals in a game then you should go on to win it so it's just not good enough," Hastings lamented, the glare of his troop's inability to defend set pieces causing him the most discomfort.

They had talked about Olympic's prowess in free kicks and cornerkicks but "we were sloppy in the back so that's what you get".

Compounding that was the Blues' poor crossing in the first half, failing to find pivotal areas that make it the other team's problem. Instead, the Wellingtonians' temperament prevailed on the foundation of a fighting spirit, albeit an experienced Jimmy Haidakis making a habit of keeping referee John Rowbury on his toes after challenges.

Said Hastings: "Yes, they are showing loads of character and that's why they are winning this league but I'm still not pleased that we conceded four goals against anyone, let alone this side."

The Rovers went up 1-0 in the 21st minute after Cole Peverley had goalkeeper Andrew Withers diving the wrong way from a penalty kick shortly after a defender brought down Ezequiel Dondiz in the 18m box.

A stunned Olympic were still recovering when, within a minute of kick-off, left wing Josh Stevenson latched on to a feeble pass to beat a defender before driving from just inside the box. Withers deflected the ball, only for striker Andy Bevin to tap it into the goal for a 2-0 lead.

Five minutes later Jared Putt pulled it back to 2-1 after goalkeeper Jonty Underhill parried the ball only foer defender Andrew Neonakis to push it crisply across the face of the goalmouth for a tap-in at the far post.

Colm Kenny nodded the ball into the bottom corner of the net for the 2-2 equaliser in the 34th minute after a deft oblique cross from striker Haidakis on the right flank.

Ten minutes later, left back Aleem Sheik volleyed a ball into space for Putt, who flicked it over an advancing Underhill. Those who looked away in horror would have missed the agility of veteran Rovers defender Regan Cameron as he hoofed the ball away from the line of the gaping net. Underhill then kept out a shot rifled back into goal from the ensuing passage of play to ensure the sides were locked 2-2 at halftime.

It seemed as if Olympic had gifted Harley Rodeka all the time in the world to smash the ball past Withers for a 3-2 lead in the 54th minute, but that would be unfair on the speedy Dunedin right winger who has recently found an insatiable appetite for goals.

In the 65th minute, defender Jamie O'Connor levelled terms 3-3 when the Blues failed to clear a short free kick across the face of the goalmouth.

Substitute striker and ex-Rover Andrew Abba broke the deadlock, 4-3, five minutes later when Blues' Beefeaters were reduced to spectators as a cross from the left flank beckoned three unmarked white shirts near the far post.

Skipper O'Connor confirmed it was a collective sigh of relief from the visiting bench, who chorused "yes!" at the final whistle before exchanging manly hugs.

"Anytime you're in a game where you're 2-0 down and then come back to win 4-3 shows you have a lot of character in the team, to be fair, so we'll enjoy our ride back home."

An after-training meeting last Thursday night, the Greeks had brainstormed what was required to become title holders.

"No one's head dropped. I thought we were always going to get back into the game. Napier deserved their 2-nil lead but we definitely deserved to come back into it.

"Sometimes the ugly stuff wins you points so I think we had a mixture of the beautiful and ugly today," O'Connor said, adding it was definitely a different Napier team to the one they thrashed in the season opener.

Should the Rovers qualify for the Chatham Cup, pending a protest against Wairarapa United fielding an ineligible player in Brian Kaltack, he reckoned another clash at Bluewater Stadium would be a rip snorter.