United deflated after 1-1 draw

Deflating would be the best way to describe Trust House Wairarapa United's 1-1 draw with Taranaki United in their central league soccer match played before several hundred spectators at Queen Elizabeth Park Oval, Masterton yesterday.
Wairarapa United were well on the way to the maximum three points when they went into the last couple of minutes play with a deserved 1-0 advantage over opposition seemingly resigned to the fact that victory was beyond them. But all that changed when a high ball into the Wairarapa United circle was only cleared to the feet of a Taranaki player who had the presence of mind to loft it high into the back of the net.
The whoops of delight in the Taranaki camp at this unexpected turn of events was, not surprisingly, in marked contrast to the dejected looks to the Wairarapa United players justifiably unhappy at the prospect of having to share the honours with the visiting team.
Earlier in the second spell Wairarapa United goal had broken the 0-0 deadlock with a goal featuring two smart pieces of play by goalkeeper Sacha Nathu.
He got to his feet quickly after being called on to make a low save and his hefty punt found an ever-alert Seule Soromon in space with just the Taranaki 'keeper to beat.
In that situation you would have always have the odds in Soromon's favour and the Vanuatu international did not disappoint, scoring with relative ease.
It was one of the few times in the game that Soromon was given quality ball with space in which to work but that was not so much the fault of his teammates but through a Taranaki team obviously aware of the danger he posed, planning their defensive strategy around nullifying his influence. Matt Sigurdsson and Brad Hickling were grand value in that respect for the visitors, aided and abetted as they were by Greg Clark and Andrew Thomson. It spoke volumes for Soromon's persistence, however, that despite the close attention paid him he was still able to delight the crowd with his uncanny ability to make at least some room for himself in a confined space, and his speed off the mark. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of yesterday's game for Wairarapa United, however, was that their defensive play had a more settled and controlled look about it than it had in the 5-3 loss to defending champions Miramar Rangers on Easter Friday.
With regular fullback James Oxtoby unavailable, Manawatu national league skipper Adam Cowan was moved from midfield into his position and gave a classic example of his versatility. He and Waisake Sabutu were cool and unflustered under pressure and accurate with their clearances.
In the centre of the midfield Miriek Tvaroh had a relatively quiet first half but made a huge impression in the second with his knack of being in the right place at the right time on both attack and defence. And there was some clever touches from Carl Shailer who was always looking for the chance to create overlaps out wide.