Football: Rovers still team to beat in league

Rovers midfielder Saul Halpin wrongfoots Palmerston North Marist defender Wade Randle (left) as Marist captain Joshus Margetts runs in to support. PHOTO/Duncan Brown

Defending champions Napier City Rovers have kept their unblemished record intact after a convincing victory in Napier today.

The Conroy Removals-sponsored Blues beat Palmerston North Marist 4-1 in their round five Lotto Central League football match at Park Island, Napier, after a somewhat subdued first half.

Captain Danny Wilson and his men dominated most of the first 35 minutes but had only one goal to show for in the first half while the visitors opted to sit deep and seldom had numbers to counterattack when the gained possession.

In the 25th minute, striker Angus Kilkolly jabbed in a point-blank goal almost on the goalline past Marist goalkeeper Matthew Borren to put Rovers up, 1-0.

Midfielder Ryan Tinsley headed the ball back in from just outside the far post after a cornerkick from Saul Hapin.

The visitors looked bereft of ideas when they got into the attacking third of the field and often resorted to long balls, which should be a credit to the Blues' resolute defence although defender Finlay Milne collected a yellow card five minutes after the goal for a crude tackle while fellow centreback James Hoyle picked up another two minutes before halftime.

In some respects, the hosts should have been a few more goals up as they kept putting decent balls with too much ease into the Marist 18m box but the finishing touch or final pass often deserted them.

Hwoever, about 10 minutes bfore the break Palmerston North made several raids on the Blues goalmouth and came close to equalising on the stroke of halftime after midfielder Nathan Cooksley's long-range drive beat goalkeeper Ruben Parker Hanks to clip the inside of the crossbar and jag down to the ground without any cigar.

In the 61st minute midfielder Tom Biss made it 2-0 when he executed a pitch-wedge loop over an advancing keeper Borren.

That stung Palmy North into action as midfielder Rhys Galyer latched on to the ball in his defensive third, dribbled and bullied his way to the half way before threading a pass to striker Michael Sheridan to slimpy push it past a keeper Parker Hanks to narrow the lead to 2-1 just a minute later.

But the hosts weren't done, midfielder Saul Halpin showing some silky skills with Tom Biss in one-two combinations to extend the lead to 3-1 in the 68th minute.

Marist had one chance to peg a goal in the dying minutes but Parker Hanks denied them.

Instead the league's only unbeaten side had the final say when schoolboy substitute Ross Willox followed up on a Kilkolly cross at the far post after Biss overran it to make it 4-1 a minute into added time.

A few more ooh and aah moments kicked in as Halpin and Biss scuppered sitters but by then the game was well and truly over.