Waikanae Masters v Manakau Hui Mai

Manakau Master Wet Conditions To Beat Waikanae Masters

Manakau United Hui Mai took on the Waikanae Masters in Horowhenua’s Division Two football on Saturday afternoon and overcame a slow start and heavy rain to come out deserved 4-2 winners.

The forecast wet weather arrived at Waikanae’s Jim Cooke Park about an hour before kickoff, ensuring a slippery surface for the match, and plenty of goal action at both ends for the spectators. Waikanae took the lead within 30 seconds of starting the match, when a long range shot took an awkward bounce just in front of the Manakau goalkeeper Paddy Sannazzarro and skidded over his head and into the empty net for a freak opening goal.

Slowly, the visiting Manakau team started to click, and with Peter Rowe and Kimbal McHugo providing some telling passes, the travelling “Green and Whites” forced a couple of corners and it needed a series of good saves from the Waikanae goalie to keep the visitors out.

It was going to take something special to break Waikanae down, and that moment duly arrived on the half-hour mark when pint-sized midfielder Brixton Cowie received the ball on the left hand edge of the penalty area, and wriggled his way past two Waikanae defenders before chipping a shot across the goal and into the net via the far post.

Manakau had the bit between the teeth now, and five minutes later right-back Chris Templeton burst forward and hit a shot from 25 yards out that dipped and swerved like you see on TV, before crashing onto the left hand upright and being scrambled away by the Waikanae defence. But it was only a short reprieve as Manakau quickly forced another corner, and centre-back Mark Tiumalu-Faleseuga jumped highest to meet the cross and thunder a header powerfully into the top right-hand corner for the net for a quality goal to give Manakau a 2-1 halftime lead.

The second half started much like the first half, with Waikanae quickly onto attack, and within a couple of minutes Waikanae had equalised, pressuring the Manakau defence into giving the ball away cheaply too close to goal, and Waikanae hit a fierce shot that found its way into the goal. As the rain eased, the second half became a bit of an arm-wrestle, with the youthful Manakau attack creating a series of chances, but a combination of wayward finishing, and some desperate Waikanae defence, managed to keep the 2-2 scoreline intact through most of the second half.

Waikanae also created chances too, and Manakau keeper Sannazzarro used every inch of his height and his goalkeepers cap to parry away a close range header and Waikane looked to steal a late lead. However, in this battle between youth and experience, it was the teenage strike force that had the last word on Saturday, as Manakau fashioned two nicely taken goals in the last 10 minute to seal the 4-2 victory.

Firstly, Atain Halley provided an inch perfect pass for James Hoskins who controlled with one touch and calmly finished the move with his second touch slotting the ball past the Waikanae goalkeeper. Then, five minutes later the roles were reversed as Hoskins nodded a well-weighted header into the path of Halley who only needed one touch as he volleyed his shot fiercely past the stunned Waikanae keeper.

There was only a couple of minutes left to soak up, which was managed without too much issue, and the referee blew for full-time – handing Manakau Hui Mai their first win of the season – and making the short trip up State Highway #1 back to the Manakau Hotel an enjoyable ride.