“The game was closer in the first half than the score suggested,” he said.
“Wainui scored some very good goals.”
One of them came from John Hill, who had taken the early shift in goal but was moved to striker after coach and captain Yannis Kokkosis became concerned that he was “gallivanting” up to halfway.
Now with the freedom of an outfield player, Hill had the ball 20 metres out on the left side of the Shockers penalty area and, with his right foot, curled the ball over the keeper and in at the far post.
Demons striker Callum Innes scored his team's other goal, from the penalty spot.
Kokkosis said a big factor in the Shockers' comeback was the absence of centreback Clay Parker from the Demons defence.
“At halftime we put Clay up front and we conceded four goals while he was up there.
“At 6-5 we pushed Kaleb Jacobs from keeper to striker, Clay Parker from striker to centreback and John Hill from striker to centre midfield.”
That, with the addition of the seventh goal, settled things down.
Shockers' goals were scored by Damian Pilitati (2) on his 42nd birthday, Jarrod Renouf (2) and Luke Low. Renouf's first was a quick equaliser to a goal that Demons scored in the first five minutes.
Shockers struggled to get substitutes and were grateful to Gus Heuser for coming out of retirement to make up the starting 11. After a hectic first half, he found his feet in the second and helped tidy things up at the back.
Centreback Zac Borrie and midfielders Oscar Daubé and Renouf were among the Shockers' best on Saturday.
(Brinkmanship: the art of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping.)
In other Eastern League 2 action, Sunshine Brewing Wainui Salty Dogs beat Gisborne Pro Roofing Bohemians 3-0. Striker Zane Destounis scored all three goals, and two of them came direct from corners. He swung them in with his right foot from the left wing.
One of the corners was helped in by a defender's head, but Wainui stalwart Mike Vita said it was on its way in anyway.
“I don't think we've had someone who could do that since Patrick McHugh,” he said. “That was his speciality.”
Jimmy Lawrence was another standout for Wainui, in central midfield, while Luke Stoltenberg shone for Bohemians at centreback.
Heavy Equipment Services United Premiers won the battle of the clubmates when they beat United Firsts 7-1.
Rightback Jonny Curle scored with a header from a corner after 15 minutes, right-winger Jacob Adams scored from the penalty spot after a handball five minutes later, player-coach Josh Adams ran on to a through ball on the half hour and left-winger Malcolm Marfell made it 4-0 in time for the halftime break.
In the 55th minute, Baxter Mackay — used in this game as a strike partner for Josh Adams — scored his first goal for United. He latched on to a through ball and placed it past the keeper. A little later he scored his second, following up a Josh Adams shot, the rebound of which hit him in the stomach and bounced over the line from five metres out.
Marfell completed the scoring, placing his shot wide of the keeper.
United Firsts defender Matt McFatter made the score 4-1 near the start of the second half, hitting home a half-cleared corner from 15 metres.
Josh Adams said he was particularly impressed with the three new members of his squad — Mackay, Jacob Adams and leftback Kaden Manderson. They got better every week.
And Adam Simpson did well filling in for the unavailable Dane Thompson in midfield.
Firsts co-coach Aaron Graham said it was probably his team's worst performance of the season — “No one really impressed”.
Thistle Youth coach Matt Harvey said the 3-0 loss to 1st Class Decorators Wainui Sharks was a good result considering his side's problems with injuries and players being unavailable.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lodewyk, just back from injury, impressed those playing in front of him with some of his saves, Harvey said.
Dan Robinson led the line well up front and Max Kume had a “fantastic” game in midfield.
Thistle were well served by an experienced back three — Chris Spurr, Ryan Majstrovic and Stefan Faber — and Dan Walters was man of the match for the defensive work he did in front of the back line.
Dave Sluter, Matt Adams, Spurr and Faber all played for Thistle Youth after playing for other Thistle teams on Saturday.
Sharks coach Blake Mulrooney said Matais Casablanca, Jack Tobin and Henri Campbell scored the Wainui goals.
Casablanca was man of the match, and midfielder Max Logan and centrebacks Dan Willock and Korbi Schallinger gave polished performances.
