EARLY RISER: City's Jordan Joblin-Hall gets up above PNBHS's Lewis Atherton at Wembley Park. PHOTOS/BEVAN CONLEY 140615WCBRCSOC01
IT WAS a much needed win for Evolution Painting and Decorating Wanganui City 1sts, when they beat Palmerston North Boys High 4-2 in the Lotto Federation League on Saturday.
In the Western Premiership, the Wanganui City Reserves put their junior clubmates in their place, with a 4-0 drubbing, and Devon Homes Wanganui Athletic were disappointing in their 1-0 loss to cellar-dwellers Palmerston Marist Thirds.
It was a tough task in front of the Wanganui City, as they faced off against a lively Boys High team at Wembley.
The howling wind coursing down the length of the No1 pitch added an extra challenge for both sides in what was a key fixture for City as they looked to stay within reach of the top four for a late season push.
Boys High took the lead early after City handed them a gift opportunity, which the attacker lapped up and took well.
But City quickly responded to bring the scores level.
The pendulum was quick to swing back in the favour of the visitors however, with a second goal put away just two minutes after City found their equaliser, bringing the score to 2-1 in favour of Boys High at halftime.
City coach Kelvin Francis said it was difficult playing into the veracious wind during the half.
"You're never happy being down at the end of the first half.
"We just talked about how we maybe overplayed a little bit in the first half, and how we coughed the ball up way too easily.
"We just needed to come out and look after the ball a bit more."
The message clearly got through to the players, as they contained the visitors in their own territory for much of the 45-minute spell, making it hard for them to work their way out from the back.
The visitors did have a chance to put the game out of reach of City early on, but were only able to send their shot ricocheting off the crossbar.
But that respite was all that was needed for City, notching three extra goals during the half to complete their comeback and secure victory.
Francis recognised some of the key players involved in mounting the spirited recovery after the match.
"A lot of the boys had good games today.
"James Satherly had an immense game, he and Adrian Ngaau had a great game in the back. They read the play well, and were where they needed to be.
"It was great to see the young guys like Reuben Warburton and Max Davidson step up when they got on the pitch. They did well."
City's focus now shifts to next weekend, when they travel to Palmerston North to face Red Sox Manawatu.
It was the City Reserves day to shine on the main ground at Wembley, as they played their club's development team, City Renovators, who were looking to reverse the 2-0 loss they suffered the last time the two teams met.
The match was always going to be a battle of two very different styles of football - Renovators playing Tex von Kwiatowski's German-influenced possession game, while Reserves play a more heart-on-sleeve direct and physical game, demanded by their coach Karl Hayward.
Von Kwiatowski was buoyed before the match by the return of two of his key players after they lodged an appeal to have Ben Toyne and Neihana Kahl's red cards rescinded, leaving the door open for them to return to duty for their team on Saturday.
When asked how he felt his young team would fare after suffering such a big loss the week before, von Kwiatowski's answer was simple: "They are ready."
Unfortunately, he may have been left to rue such confidence, as the Renovators again toppled to the wrong side of the scorecard, showing their development season is not yet quite done.
The Renovators ran out of ideas early and did not have a plan B to implement when things weren't going their way.
Reserves midfielder Chris Annabell put his hand up early and was busy across the park, shutting down many promising attacks early.
His duel with Tom Dixon was entertaining, with Dixon ultimately coming off second best to his more experienced opponent.
Reserves coach Karl Hayward was blunt in his assessment when spoken to after the match, clearly feeling a sense of vindication.
"It's hard to believe in yourself when you're losing, especially as a coach.
"But today, the older guys put their hand up, and led.
"Luck wasn't the key today, it was a clinical display of skill by our boys out there.
"I think the team today showed the passion and determination to take it to the fullest.
"They had to work harder and do more. I think the team has turned the corner. It's a very proud day for me."
This weekend sees the Renovators at home again to the Levin 1sts, and the Reserves travelling to Skoglund Park to face the Red Sox Rovers.
The journey home from Palmerston North would have been a quiet one for Athletic, with plenty of questions being asked over what went wrong, having failed to secure any points from the match against the much lower-placed Marist Thirds.
It just wasn't the day for the heirs apparent to the Western Premiership title, having played what they would have felt was a strong game yet being unable to find a way through the hosts' spirited defending.
The game was locked at a stalemate at the halftime break, with Athletic left frustrated at their inability to break through and find the back of the net.
Even as the second half was drawing to a close, the frustration mounted for the visitors, who would have been shifting their mentality to perhaps just claiming a single point from what was turning into a lacklustre 90 minutes of football.
But the script was torn up by Marist in the dying minutes, as they found their way past Athletic's keeper to strip away the Reds hopes of even a draw from the fixture.
While the loss would have come like a slap in the face to the impressive Athletic side, their season is far from falling off the rails; they simply won't be able to afford to repeat performances like these when they face teams who sit much lower on the table if they are to claim the trophy at the end of the season.
A big day awaits Athletic this coming weekend, as the club hosts a past and present members function, with their match against the Red Sox Manawatu A's being the day's centrepiece.