Football: Wanganui City 6-0 away game shutout of PNBHS

Jack Lockett, front, played 80 minutes of Wanganui club rugby and 35 minutes of Federation League football on Saturday, getting a hat trick of goals for Wanganui City.

After two weeks of not doing themselves justice and losing player-coach Anthony Bell with a broken leg, a rejuvenated Versatile Wanganui City FC got back on track with a 6-0 hammering of the Lotto Federation League's wooden-spooners Palmerston North Boys High on Saturday.

City, under co-coach Latham Berry, took a fairly well balanced side down to Skoglund Park, getting the senior players to cover Bell's absence while taking the chance against schoolboy opposition to introduce a couple of their own 17-year-olds into the starting lineup on defence.

They were further aided by the arrival of City's favourite code-hopper Jake Lockett – jumping out of his car at halftime after a quick trip from Marton Park.

Lockett had played the entire 80 minutes of his Marist Buffalos' 35-23 loss to Speirs Food Marton in their WRFU Division 3 rugby match, which served as a warmup for a great 35 minutes where he scored a second half hat-trick in Palmerston North.

At the other end of the pitch, goal keeper Merrick Slade kept an important clean sheet, snuffing out PNBHS's two best opportunities on goal, including a full stretch dive to tip a free kick heading for the upper corner around the post.

"A couple of frustrating draws, so to get the win and get back three points boosts the confidence and the morale of the team," said Berry.

Although it was not their primary inspiration, Berry did spare a thought for his old mucker Bell, being stuck on the couch at home playing Fifa on the Playstation.

"It's always tough to see one of your team mates go down and you're not going to have him for the rest of the season, so [honouring him] was in the back of the mind, but we really wanted to get back in win mode.

"We dominated the first 45 pretty convincingly."

City opened their account after a nice interchange down the right flank between Max Davidson and Jordan Joblin-Hall saw the ball roll into the penalty box and Dan Aplin fire home his finisher into the corner net.

They then worked up through the midfield with Matt McMurray slipping the ball through to Kyle Graham-Luke, who beat the keeper to score.

Aplin then got his double just before halftime after connecting with a fantastic left foot volley while on the run at full speed.

City were up 3-0 in the same fashion GJ Gardner Wanganui Athletic had been two weeks ago with PNBHS, before the schoolboys pulled it back to 4-2.

Coming out for the second half, the home side made a couple of substitutions and really did put City on the back foot for the first time.

However, after weathering the storm, City brought on Lockett to use his athleticism and pace up front, and the allrounder finished the day with four goals in just three bench appearances for City this season.

"He end up getting behind the defence two times. The third one was a scrabble in the box," said Berry.

"There's just instincts for a goal scorer you can't teach. He's got an uncanny knack to find the net."

City's next League game will be their turn at the Sunday fixture against New Plymouth Rangers at Pukekura Park, so Berry was confident they will have Lockett available, and he can join them for the latter part of the season with Buffalos only having three rugby games left, plus a bye week on July 13.

"With Ants [Bell] being out, having Jake slot in there when he can...I wouldn't say 'lifesaver', but he's pretty good up top."

Berry also had to praise prospect Jack Donaldson, who covered for the absent Eli Fleming, and fellow teenager Ben Walkly, both coming into the starting lineup for the first time after 2-3 games each off the bench, and helping Slade keep his clean sheet with good defence as centre backs.