Manakau United manage the mud to win again

Manakau United Manage The Mud To Win Again

Manakau United travelled down State Highway One on Saturday afternoon, and outlasted at tenacious Waikanae side and a mud-pie of a pitch at Jim Cooke Park to win 3-2 and maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

A bright and breezy afternoon in Waikanae could not undo the damage that 48 hours of rain had done to the playing surface, with water ankle deep in places, and the mud already starting to “turn” before kickoff. But for the first twenty minutes of the game the players made light work of the conditions, scoring four goals in an entertaining period with some cracking goals included.

Firstly, Manakau striker Atain Halley ran onto a Paul Kulhavy through ball, and easily beat the Waikanae keeper to open the scoring, and five minutes later it was Halley who made the score 2-0 by converting a penalty awarded for handball.

However, Waikanae struck back quickly with two goals of their own, both goals coming from breaks down the left hand side, and hard driven crosses which were expertly finished giving Manakau no chance.

Then the mud started to play its part in proceedings, a cloying thick surface which made passing football a difficult task. Two players who did make the most of it were Chris Temperton and Nick Cudby on the right hand side of the park, as the pair put together a series of well worked moves in the first half to create some space.

But, no-one was able to rise above the mud for the rest of the first half, and although Manakau created a series of chances in the second half, some determined Waikanae clearances kept the game level with only 10 minutes to go.

That was until a Peter Rowe clearance found Halley on halfway, and the young striker flicked the ball on into the path of James Hoskins who collected the chance and sped through on goal. Hoskins slotted the ball past the stranded goalkeeper, and both sides watched as the shot clipped the inside of the right hand upright before finally resting in the back of the net.

That proved to be the decisive moment of the match – and Manakau held firm to claim a narrow 3-2 victory.

Manakau Hotel versus KCU United

In Division Three, the Manakau United “Hotel” side had a successful trip down to Weka Park, beating KCU United 6-1, to have a perfect record of three wins from three games.

Manakau Hui Mai versus Levin Masters

Halley Hat-trick powers Manakau United to Victory

A second half hat-trick from teenage striker Atain Halley proved to be the decisive factor at Manakau Domain on Saturday as Manakau United “Hui Mai” beat Levin Masters 3-1. 

After the wet weather in mid-week, Horowhenua turned on a pristine autumn day on Saturday, and the Manakau Domain was picture perfect for a game of football. The first half proved to be a bit of an arm-wrestle between the two local clubs, with both sets of players probing for gaps in the defence but generally having to settle for long range shots that were comfortably handled by the goalkeepers, and halftime arrived with the game still scoreless.

The deadlock was broken 15 minutes into the second half when Halley ran onto a through-ball from Peter Rowe and calmly slotted his shot past the stationary Levin keeper to give Manakau the lead. That soon became 2-0 when some sterling work from midfielder Jackson Murray created another chance for Halley, and the youngster made no mistake placing his shot just inside the far post for the second goal of the day.

Levin reacted strongly to going two goals down, forcing the play, and it took some solid defensive work from brothers Ben McHugo and Kimbal McHugo to weather the storm of attacks. But Levin were not to be denied and with 15 minutes to go, the visiting side forced a corner that resulted in a well taken goal with a powerful header at the far post giving the Manakau defenders no chance to keep it out.

Game on then – or so it appeared – but it only took the lethal Murray / Halley combination 60 seconds to create a 3rd goal for Manakau, with Murray making a mazy run down the right hand side and providing a perfect cross for Halley to header home the final goal of the game.

With a two-goal lead restored, time ran down, and the referee’s final whistle was greeted with cheers from the country club’s supporters as their Manakau “Hui Mai” side remain unbeaten in Horowhenua Division Two league.

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.

Manakau Hotel

Manakau Hotel opened their campaign with a 3-2 victory over Waikanae Strollers at the weekend.

Here they are seen pre-match sporting their new kit.

Manakau Hui Mai v Waikanae Geezers

Manakau United Start With A Well-Earned Draw.

Manakau United started their season in Horowhenua Division Two with a battling 2-2 draw against the Waikanae Geezers in sunny conditions at Manakau Domain last Saturday afternoon. 

he Division Two Manakau United 'Hui Mai' team took inspiration from the previous Manakau sporting teams that have borne the name to produce a spirited performance against an experienced Waikanae outfit that is expected to be one of the front runners this season.

And early on in the match, it was Manakau that were creating the best chances, and the home team were unfortunate to see an early 'goal' chalked off after the referee adjudged a close offside call after the ball hit the back of the net. Still, it was Manakau that did strike before halftime, with Kimbal McHugo grabbing the opening goal after cleverly using the sunny conditions to float a long-free kick into the Waikanae goal with the visiting keeper unsighted and unable to keep the ball out.

Manakau made it 2-0 early in the second half when teenage striker Atain Halley latched onto a through-ball, chipped one defender, and then calmly finished past the stranded Waikanae keeper.

However, Waikanae were not qutting, and for the last 30 minutes the experience and skills of the visitors showed through and Manakau were repeatedly forced into some desperate last ditch tackling and grim defence. With 20 minutes to go, Waikanae pulled a goal back, with the striker taking a quick pass and then cutting inside the last defender to beat the Manakau keeper Paddy Sannazzarro at the near post and score. It was harsh on the keeper who had produced some outstanding saves earlier in the match.

Waikanae surged forward seeking an equaliser, and put the tiring Manakau side under heavy pressure, which finally told when a corner was floated in and scrambled home with only a couple of minutes left on the clock to make the score 2-2.

The referees whistle brought the match to a close soon after, with both sides fairly happy with an opening day draw in such a tough encounter. The match was debated and dissected well into the evening afterwards at the Manakau Hotel.

Here we go Again

The Stade de Manakau was buzzing with players and supporters for the final pre season frendlies. Paekakariki were the visitors and as usual the games were palyed in a very positive manner. Manakau Hotel, who will be playing in Division 3 next year, opened the afternoons entertainment with a deserved victory over a spirited Harlequins team. Harlequins borrowed a few players with double goal scorer Ben McHugo being one. Huimai also won their encounter. Huimai will be playing in Division 2 and with a mixture of youth and experience expect the season to be as successful as their inaugural season last year. A summer of active recruitment has seen new players, retired players and players returning from breaks registering with the club. A local club for local players and families. Next week sees the opening competition games with a double header at the Manakau Domain. The first game kicks off at 12.30 with the second at 3.00pm Afterwards as normal the games will be dissected over a cold pint or two at the Manakau Hotel