Football: Hamilton derby points shared

Claudelands captain Tiana Hill battles for the ball against Shae Brady. Photo / Pete Davies

Claudelands Rovers premier women's team snatched a point at the last minute against cross town rivals Hamilton Wanderers, in their last derby for 2018.

The LottoNRFL leagues are all but completed, with only the men's premier league champion still needing to be crowned. However, several catch-up games remain to be played.

In the women's league, the title had already been claimed — Claudelands had finished last leaving them relegated, while Wanderers will finish in the top three for the first time.

Despite the season being wrapped up, both teams were out to get one over their rivals.
Wanderers had destroyed Claudelands in the previous two match-ups with large scorelines, while Rovers, looking for revenge, were without key striker Leanna Ryan up front.

Wanderers started in complete control of the game and it did not take long for Grace Wisnewski to find the back of the net, making it 1-0 in the opening 15 minutes.

Wanderers kept pushing for more goals, with Lilly Muspratt missing a golden opportunity to double their lead.

Stella Neems, who can usually be found in the fullback position, was tasked to fill the gap left by Leanna Ryan up front on the right hand side on the attacking trio and was proving to be a thorn in the Wanderers defence every time she picked up the ball.

Despite the constant attacking pressure, Claudelands was holding the Blues at bay, with captain Tiana Hill determined to be everywhere on the field to make an option for her players.

It was Hill and Neems who were proving to be the much needed outlet for Claudelands in the first half, as they combined well on the right wing to create attacks of their own which were dealt with by the Wanderers backline.

In the second half Claudelands came out a stronger side.

The game was now being played all over the pitch rather than in one half, and the Rovers' faithful could feel a goal was coming as the support from the club house grew.

Olivia Schuler had busted a gut and more to keep Kelli Brown from running rampant up front while Hill again was at the centre of everything good for Claudelands.

As the clock ticked on to the 90th minute, Wanderers were edging closer to a 1-0 win in their final game of the season, however Chloe Henderson had other ideas.

Picking up on a defence-splitting pass, Henderson ran into acres of space left open by the Wanderers defence and bent the ball around goalkeeper Sophie Daly to give Claudelands a share of the spoils.

Claudelands have one last game this season against Forrest Hill at 1pm on September 2.