Anyone know a good joiner? The silverware cupboard at the local football club has never looked so good and might need extending.
Levin AFC senior football teams have had a brilliant end to their season - the men’s premiership team winning the Easter Cup. The men’s reserves team won the Charity Cup. The Levin AFC Vets were runners-up in the Master’s Knock Out Cup, while the Levin AFC Colts and women’s teams reached the semifinal stages of their respective competitions.
There were exciting stories behind each cup win too, in finals matches that were forced into extra time.
The Levin AFC Premiership team went into the final against Palmerston North Marist on a roll having been unbeaten in seven weeks, including a cup semifinal win over League Champions Palmerston North United the week before.
Their build-up was somewhat disrupted with coaches Rob Easton and Steve James and a few players away at Winter Tournament Week with Horowhenua College, leaving it to team captain Jordan Calder and a senior leadership group of players to take the reins during the week.
The attacking trio of Jaedyn Dawson, Olly James and Tahana Perigo worked tirelessly up front and applied plenty of pressure, but couldn’t quite capitalise on the turnover ball.
In hot conditions at Skoglund Park, Levin worked hard and created several chances. Jordan Calder, Toby James and Cody Stewart controlled the middle of the park well, and the back defending quartet of James Franklin, Keegan Chapman, Neil Auckram and Liam Dewar ensured Marist’s chances were kept to a minimum.
While the score was nil-all, you had the sense that a goal was coming for Levin, and it did in the 51st minute, when a pinpoint Olly James cross behind the Marist defence found Tahana Perigo at the back post who made no mistake.
Levin continued to create plenty of chances, but Marist goalkeeper Mathew Toes was in superb form, making several classy saves to keep his team in the game.
The match seemed destined to finish 1-0, until the 83rd minute when substitute Jesse Skinner was adjudged to have fouled a Marist player in the box. Despite a solid palm from goalkeeper Lathym Easton, the penalty ricocheted off the post and into the goal to tie the scores at 1-1 and take the game into extra time.
Levin came out of the blocks quickly in the first period of extra time, and this time it was Olly James, who was battling the effects of a knock to the knee earlier in the game, who was able to smash the ball home to give Levin the advantage.
With experienced players Luke Spring, Dylan Vine, Tainui Baker and Austin Cooper having come off the bench, Levin were able to control the remainder of the match and ensure they would be Easter Cup Champions for 2023, to the delight of the vocal crowd that had made the trip to Palmy to support the team.
PN Marist certainly put in a great shift and were worthy finalists, but Levin were determined to finish the season on a high.
Easton said the two senior teams had been a tight-knit unit throughout the season, and for both teams to win their respective knock-out cups was reward for hard work and commitment.
The men’s reserves beat Linton FC in their final at Memorial Park recently after taking the game into extra-time after no score after 90 minutes.
Levin stepped up a gear as extra time started and that pressure saw Dylan Vine find the net from close range on the end of a sweeping move, and from there they were determined not to relinquish the 1-0 winning margin.
Levin Vets played old foes Feilding United in their final. Feilding pipped Levin to the Masters League title weeks earlier, and were the defending Masters Knock Out Cup champions.
Levin got off to a dream start with player-manager Scott Harvey putting the Vets in front in the 19th minute, however Feilding struck back, and they went into the halftime break locked up at 1-1.
Feilding upped the ante in the second half, scoring in the 55th and 66th minutes. Levin didn’t give up though and it was Brent Tucker who got on the score sheet in the 81st minute to set up and thrilling finish to the game, however it was not to be and Feilding held on to be back-to-back cup champions.
To finish runners-up in both the Masters League and the Cup final was a great acheivement for the Levin AFC Vets.
The Levin Women's AFC team had a 2-1 win at Donnelly Park at the weekend.
While the women’s team fell short in their semifinal, they had contributed to the trophy haul by winning the Kirsty Dingley Cup in a pre-season competition.
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.
