Football: Whanganui Athletic host Petone in Central League opener

Whanganui Athletic hosted Petone FC in their first Central League game in over 20 years. Photo / Karen Hughes

The GJ Gardner Whanganui Athletics 2022 season was full of blood, sweat and tears and led to a significant amount of success.

Player-coach Matthew Calvert directed the well-oiled red machine to the Federation League title in his first year in charge - a feat the club had not achieved since 2014.

This time the club managed to go one step further, gaining promotion to the Central League - although not through common circumstances.

Wellington United’s late withdrawal from the league meant Whanganui Athletic would be the 10th team in the Central League for the 2023 season.

This opened a lot of opportunities but also presented the club with a lot more challenges. The step up in the league meant not only higher quality opposition, but also raising the standard around Wembley Park.

A lot of work was done to the main pitch and a lot more work will be needed to maintain the quality of the field.

Whanganui Athletic drew Petone FC as their first opposition for the year and hosted them on Saturday. This was always going to be a tough challenge but one the reds were looking forward to.

Petone finished sixth last year in the Central League, with new signing Matt Brazier and Joe Eglinton adding to the mix. Coach Ryan Edwards continued to field a young squad with 10 Under-20 players coming to Wembley.

A crowd of 400 enjoyed the warm autumn sun as the Central League season kicked off at 2.30pm. Everything was set - how would Athletic handle this step up?

The game could not have got off to a worse start for the reds as big Matt Brazier found the back of the net in only the second minute, deflating the previously-energetic crowd.

Heads dropped and murmurs around the park spread as spectators thought this could be the beginning of a thrashing.

But Athletic struck back only five minutes later as new signing Melvin Rumere (2022 Federation League Golden Boot) intercepted a ball out of the Petone backline and laid it off to Zac Farmer, who chipped it over out-of-position goalkeeper Oscar Boyce to equalise.

Eglinton restored the lead in the 38th minute after a couple of chances went missing for both sides.

Then a training ground set piece was perfectly executed when Shaan Stuart headed back across the goal to James Satherley, who laid it back to Ethan O’Halloran’s chest. He brought it down and calmly slotted past Boyce to tie it up again.

Eglinton doubled his goal tally and once again put Petone in the lead in the 60th minute, before both teams cleared their benches as the game became end-to-end and lost the flow.

It started to become ugly as both sides looked to go long. Petone seemed to execute their long ball better than Athletic, who became desperate as the clock ticked down.

A late Charlie Meredith header rocketed towards the bottom corner before Boyce made an incredible save to tip it wide. This was the only real chance that Athletic created in the last 10 minutes as the fitter Petone kept their shape well and held out the reds to finish with a 3-2 victory.

A tough battle was always on the cards and that was exactly what was on display. Both coaches were pleased with their performances and will look to build as the season goes on. Athletic were disappointed not to pick up a point but Petone earned the win and showed their Central League experience.

Whanganui Athletic host the Wellington Phoenix Reserves at Wembley Park at 2pm this Sunday, which will be another enticing encounter. The Phoenix finished third last year and sixth in the National League.

Whanganui Athletic will also be hosting a junior muster beforehand so get the kids down for a kickaround before staying for the men’s Central League fixture afterwards.