Athletic finally taste victory in dramatic fashion

Charlie Meredith lines up his match-winning header in the dying seconds of the match. Photo / Wareham Sports Media

The jump up from Federation League football to Central League football is one Athletic had not done for 27 years, the talent and athleticism second to none among the top players in the country. GJ Gardner Whanganui Athletic knew the mammoth task ahead, but nothing could prepare them for 12 successive losses. Some games went down through tough decisions and bad luck, but in others, the team was completely outclassed by clubs such as New Zealand giants Wellington Olympic and Wellington Phoenix Reserves.

Athletic found themselves on the end of a 7-0 loss and a 4-1 loss to Olympic and Phoenix in their last two fixtures. They currently sit first and second on the Central League ladder respectively. A tough run of form, but they were still going into their next battle with confidence and determination.

The Central League is one of three top-level national leagues across the country and is made up of 10 sides. The team who finishes in last place at the end of the 18-game season will be relegated back to either Capital Premiership if they are a Wellington-based club or the Federation League if they are a Central-based club. Sitting last place with no points after 12 games was not a comfortable position for any side, but with relegation looming, it was even more daunting.

Athletic travelled down to Johnsonville and Alex Moore Park to take on North Wellington in the 13th round of the 2023 Central League season, and the game could not have been any more important. North Wellington battled internal issues and restructured their squad throughout the season, only managing a sole win and a sole draw, putting them in ninth place and only four points ahead of Whanganui Athletic. Their sole win came in round three when they punished the Reds at Wembley Park 5-0. Not only did Athletic seek revenge for the home ground humiliation, but a victory against their relegation battle rivals would not only obtain their first three points of the season but ensure North Wellington zero points this round, meaning they could not expand their gap above the Reds.

The trip to Alex Moore would be Athletic’s last game on turf for the season as the remainder of rounds will all be played on grass (weather permitting), including three home games at Wembley Park. The Athletic faithful turned up in heavy numbers and were full of noise. The 100 travelling fans made this feel like a home game and outshined the home fanbase throughout the enthralling fixture. The game kicked off at 3pm on a calm, overcast day with a setting sun that was bound to cause havoc for both goalkeepers.

Both sides have struggled for goals this season but have also conceded quite a few, so it was an interesting match-up. Both teams looked promising during the initial 20 minutes, moving the ball around well and creating chances, before a North Wellington counter-attack opened the scoring as Athletic defender Jake Simcox struggled to deal with a cross from the right-hand side and found his defensive clearance beating Calvert and hitting the back of his own net. A nightmare start for the Reds. Simcox also managed to earn himself an early yellow card just after Jack Anderson found his way into the book, leaving both Athletic fullbacks having to play cautiously for the remaining 70 minutes.

Whanganui Athletic looked to press forward after conceding this goal, and a few minutes later, Joblin-Hall looked to play Zac Farmer through but the ball was stopped by a North Wellington arm outstretched in the penalty box. Cries for a penalty from not only the players and management staff but the hundred-strong crowd were not enough to sway the referee, who controversially played on to the disbelief of the Athletic players.

North Wellington striker Henry Sinclair - no relation to Wellington Olympic superstar Jack Henry Sinclair - doubled the lead after pressing Shaan Stuart, who under-hit his back pass to his goalkeeper and allowed Sinclair to intercept and place it into the right-hand side of the goal just before halftime. A two-goal lead for North Wellington. Athletic hadn’t scored more than two goals in a game since round two at the start of April when they went down 4-3 to the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. How could they possibly come back? Would their season be over here? A North Wellington win would put them seven points clear with five remaining matches and leave Athletic all but relegated.

Quinn Mailman celebrates in front of away fans in jubilation at Alex Moore Park.

‘I told you so’ and ‘back to the same’ may have been on the minds of Athletic critics, but Zac Farmer had other plans. Athletic went wide early off the restart after the goal and ended up getting a good ball in from Anderson. The North Wellington defender was the first to meet the ball and cleared it, but only as far as Ryan Donaldson, who brought it down with a great touch to lay off Zac Farmer, who curled it into the top right-hand corner. Athletic get one back. North Wellington conceded right before the halftime whistle. The worst time to concede. Both coaches’ halftime team talks changed dramatically due to that goal, and North Wellington’s comfortable two-goal lead sliced in half along with their confidence.

Player-coach Matty Calvert changed formation and personnel at the break as Lawson entered the pitch for the yellow-carded Anderson and Athletic returned to a 3-4-3 formation, something Calvert had been criticised heavily for playing but which he strongly believes his side can play and can play well. This sparked a light in the Reds, as they dominated the entire second half but struggled to turn possession and shots into goals. De John entered the pitch in the 60th minute before a double substitution in the 70th minute brought on Bell and Mailman up top. All three brought pace and passion and added another element to the Athletic attack.

In the 80th minute, Bell brought the ball down on his chest before firing it at goal only for it to be cleared off the line. The clearance went across Mailman’s body, where he could not get over it and fired the ball over the bar. Would Athletic live to rue that wasted chance? Could they find a way to muster two goals in the remaining 10 minutes? Athletic changed their play style and went direct. It was not pretty football, but when you get desperate, how it looks is the least of your concerns as long as it is effective. Mailman chased a deflected header towards the corner flag with a man following. Holding the ball up as it bounced awkwardly in front of him, he decided to send it back into the box over his head. The ball sailed high across the six-year box - 17-year-old sensation Charlie Meredith was strong in the air and headed it back across the goalkeeper into the far left side of the net in the 92nd minute. There was hope. Would a draw be enough to keep them within touching distance, or would it still be too big of a gap? This was a question that did not need to be answered, as Meredith found himself on the end of a Bell free kick in the 96th minute and smashed the ball into the back of the net to win it right at the death. Meredith lead the team toward the side of the pitch, where spectators were euphoric. You could not make this up. There was no better ending and there was no better way to reward the loyal fans after their three-hour trip south. Only moments after the goal, the referee blew for fulltime. Athletic players and fans are still in disbelief. What an ending to a game - this game will be in the history books as Whanganui Athletic’s first win in the Central League in 27 years, a day that will be remembered for many years to come.