Goalkeeper saves day

SAFE:Outstanding Heartland Wairarapa goalkeeper Sam Martin punches the ball clear as Auckland United threaten. PHOTOS/CHRIS KILFORD

Heartland Wairarapa probably deserved better than their 2-2 draw with Auckland United in the ASB national youth league football match played at Hullena Park, Masterton, on Saturday.

In a free-flowing match which produced excellent entertainment for what was a disappointingly small crowd Heartland Wairarapa clearly had the better of a first half which came to an end with them ahead 2-1.

Adopting an attacking mindset right from the word go they often caused panic stations in the Auckland United defence with their slick, accurate passing which consistently created open spaces for their front runners, but, as has been the case virtually throughout their 2014 campaign, they failed to make the most of their scoring opportunities.

Yes, two excellent goals were scored courtesy of Kurt Mildenhall and Steve Thomas but they "bombed" at least four other prime scoring chances, two of them with not an Auckland United defender in sight.

And invariably the problem was lack of composure, with shots being rushed rather than the ball being calmly placed in the back of the net.

The second half was much more evenly contested, with Auckland United actually playing their best football while facing the wind and the rain.

They exposed frailties in the Heartland Wairarapa midfield defence on numerous occasions and would almost certainly have had more than the one goal to show for their efforts but for the outstanding goalkeeping display by Sam Martin.

He was never afraid to come off his line to gather the ball when confronted by two or three attackers and showed fine athleticism to tip a couple of shots wide off the posts.

It wasn't as if Heartland Wairarapa didn't have chances to add to their halftime tally either, in the second spell.

A couple of strong runs from the back by Kyle Adams had the Auckland United defence scrambling to recover but came to nothing in the end.

The draw meant Heartland Wairarapa are still looking for their first win in this year's league, having drawn two and lost five of their seven games.