Football: Rovers shrug off rust to claim three points

Rovers striker Stephen Hoyle (centre) finds himself in a Stop Out ambush from Jordan Martens (left) and Andy Fairlie. PHOTO/Warren Buckland

A degree of rustiness and lack of cohesiveness are a given when a football season kicks off.

What was pleasing about TSB Bank Napier City Rovers yesterday was their ability to eke out a 3-1 victory over newcomers Stop Out in their Lotto Central League opener in Napier with several marquee players away for Hawke's Bay United in tomorrow's ASB Premiership grand final in Auckland.

Rovers coach Bill Robertson was delighted with the three points his captain, Danny Wilson, and men came away with at Bluewater Stadium, Park Island.

"I anticipated we'd be a little rusty because our preparation hasn't been what we'd like it to be because of national league commitments of players we've had few sessions together," said Robertson who impressed on the Blues to take some urgency into the second half after the sides were locked 1-1 at halftime and both sides failed to score more goals.

Robertson said competition in the Blues squad when the Bay United players return would make his job tough but he was mindful they needed to turn around quickly to play defending champions Miramar Rangers away on Monday.

Stop Out Chris Sambrooke said his men started a little under pressure but after drawing first blood got their act together before wilting in the Bay heat towards the end.

"We came back into the game and hit the crossbar twice ... but we probably could have controlled the ball better but the big park on a sunny day did take it out of us," Sambrooke said, happy with the winter league effort but expecting another dogfight against Lower Hutt on Monday.

The Wellingtonians were lucky not to concede a penalty in the 5th minute when Andy Fairlie shoved Angus Kilkolly from behind in the 18m box as referee Antony Riley waved on amid howls of protest although the centreback's body language spoke volumes.

Stop Out midfielder Martin Packer scored the first goal of the season here in the 30th minute, after latching on to a ball his Rovers counterpart, James Hoyle, coughed up when he tripped on his own foot from about 30m out.

Packer worked the ball past two defenders, drew Blues goalkeeper Reuben Parker before drilling the ball into the net, 1-0.

It was heart-in-the-mouth stuff for the Blues faithful in the 37th minute when Packer's header found the crossbar and striker Micky Malivuk's kick did the same from the ensuing melee.

But two minutes later, the hosts equalised, 1-1, when centre-mid Tom Biss crossed the ball from the right flank but goalkeeper James Sutcliffe fumbled, enabling midfielder Oli Chapman to tap the ball into the net.

In the 67th minute, Chapman came close to breaking the stalemate but the ball clipped the upper perpendicular frame of the goalmouth. Veteran player/coach Chris Greatholder came on for Chapman.

Wilson rocketed the ball into the net for a 2-1 lead two minutes later from the edge of the 18m box after Stop Out failed to clear a cornerkick.

Kilkolly made it 3-1 in the 78th minute after leftback Fergus Neil worked the ball up the flank, found Stephen Hoyle who deftly pushed it to the striker to find the net.

The inevitable happened in the 89th when Riley showed Fairlie a straight red card for a clumsy, sprigs-up challenge on Kilkolly.

The Rovers host Tawa next on Saturday, April 18.

Riley caused a bit of commotion when he didn't allow Stop Out striker Andrew Abba from returning to the field because white socks were peeping from under the official ones.